Album Notes

rex84 is part band, part evil twin of lead singer and songwriter Rick Starbuck. Far from being a coffeehouse heir, Starbuck writes songs that are multi-layered, lyrically clever and just subversive enough to keep you guessing.

The bulk of rex84's tunes belongs to this school of songwriting, and the results are often like seeing a familiar object from a new vantage point - at once accessible but strangely unfamiliar.

rex84's sound can best be described as noise-pop alternative, with influences as far-ranging as Elvis Costello and Radiohead and a sound that's been compared to everyone from Spacehog to Soul Asylum.

The band that brings rex84's vision to life features a lineup of SF Bay Area tunesmiths. Producer and bassist Paul Scriver and keyboardist Jacob Elijah Aginsky's contributions betray both their Jazz and Hip-Hop/Techno tendencies, while Mike Baker's guitars provide the obligatory nod toward the band's rock roots.

Starbuck's fragile-with-feeling vocals tradeoff between gently curving melodies and unforeseen leaps delivered in a raspy style reminiscent of Elliot Smith and Spacehog.

The final package is moody, groovy and somewhat narcotic.