Low Technicians- Riga

ARTIST: Low Technicians

ALBUM: Riga

LABEL: Diffusion Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 12-24-09

On their second album, Low Technicians have embraced and enhanced the electronic elements of their sound, coming off less like a rock band with synthpop influences than a synthpop band that happens to also have a guitar player. Given that the project's guitarist, Brian Pearson, also plays in fellow Texas synthpop outfit Iris, that's not much of a shock. If the dance elements are in the foreground on such tracks as the sparse "There Was a Time" or the gritty techno-flavored "Energy Inside," it's the vocal and guitar hooks that keep you coming back for more. "Endless" is delicate synthpop, all gently crooned vocals and cottony-soft synthesizers, but it's Pearson's guitar hooks that make the song irresistible. And on slower songs, like "Choices," Pearson and the band's other member, CTRL's Brad MacAllister, show off their talent for rich arrangements and emotionally intimate vocal delivery. This comes off especially well on "Out There in Silence," which sees Pearson's Iris band-mate Reagan Jones join in on the lushly harmonized chorus. Like their other related projects, Low Technicians are at the forefront of modern synthpop, reintegrating the purely electronic sounds of the genre's roots with the melodic guitars and organic vocals of modern rock while still paying homage to their influences, and any fan of well-crafted pop music (electronic or otherwise) will have no problem appreciating what Pearson and MacAllister have done here.

Visit the band on MySpace at www.myspace.com/lowtechnicians.