Pinback

Becoming familiar with Pinback is easy: the arching harmonies, cyclical melodic lines, and intricate bass-driven rhythmic foundations make the band one of the most distinguishable, inventive acts to emerge in the late '90s. Pinback was formed in 1998 in San Diego by core members Zach Smith and Rob Crow. Both Smith and Crow had enjoyed a modicum of success with previous projects -- Three Mile Pilot and Heavy Vegetable, respectively -- but made bigger waves with their collaboration, which debuted with an eponymous 1999 LP (sometimes referred to as This Is A Pinback CD) on New Jersey's Ace Fu Label. This was followed by 2001's Blue Screen Life, their last on Ace Fu before signing with Touch and Go. Their two records with Touch and Go include 2004's Summer in Abandon and 2007's Autumn of the Seraphs.