Pinback and Solos, Tonight at Exit/In

The wonderful East Nashville Underground festival is kicking off tonight, but if you’re more of a two-band guy or gal, the Exit/In has another great option for you.

California indie rockers Pinback are nothing if not reliable. With their new album (their first in five years), Information Retrieved, the band doesn’t step much out of their typical stylistic realm, nor do they tinker with the formula. That’s not a bad thing; over the past decade the group has really honed in on a uniquely recognizable and satisfying sound. Information Retrieved dials back a lot of the electronics and programming predominant on 2007’s Autumn of the Seraphs in favor of a more straightforward, song-driven approach. And the strength in songwriting is definitely apparent- some of the band’s strongest efforts are here (“Sherman,” “His Phase,” “Proceed to Memory”). Though it’s perhaps not my all-time favorite of Pinback’s releases (and after a 5 year gap my expectations were impossibly high), it’s a pleasant prelude to what is sure to be an inspired show this evening. Pinback have always been fantastic performers (though in recent years, somewhat infrequent in touring) and with new material to perform, I expect their energy  to be at an all-time high.

Pairing noise-punk veteran Spencer Seim with folk rocker Aaron Ross might seem like the most unlikely of combinations but the result, Solos, is a fantastic and seamless melding of tastes. Ambient, poppy, and very artsy, the new band blends quite well with Pinback’s musical sensibilities and I’m quite excited to experience their live performance for the first time.

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Pinback and Solos perform tonight at Exit/In. The show starts at 9PM (doors at 8PM). Tickets are $16 and are still available here.