Written by Fense

Listening to Music For In The Spaceship, one is tempted to label Anthony Rochester (MySpace) as a standard folk-pop artist. The melodies are simple and clean and slightly contemporary. Music For In The Spaceship is extremely accessible. Rochester’s release was included in the latest batch of albums from Series Two Records, the Nebraska-based CD-R label that put out an impressive number of albums in ‘08.

As the album continues, the contemporary elements initially heard in “I Love You Baby” give way slightly in “Have You Lost Weight?” to a more old-time-y sound. It’s in the vocals tinted with an accent, the bass-lines and the pointed guitar riffs. I guess an adequate comparison would be mix between Math And Physics Club and Little Name. The music is still highly accessible, though.

There are lounge-y elements throughout Rochester’s music, like how the guitar and bass-line work together with the keyboards and chimes in songs like “Rain”, or the consistent guitar shuffle and harmony backing vocals on “Just Sigh And Move On”.

All these elements lead, I guess, to one item — its’ a defining item, a classifying one. Anthony Rochester’s Music For In The Spaceship can be labeled as contemporary indie lounge pop. And, as far as I can tell, that’s a new sub-genre, meaning Rochester is breaking new ground despite an older sound.

Anthony Rochester: Mathematics [mp3]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Series II Records [CD, 2008]

1. I Love You Baby
2. Did You Lose Weight?
3. Interplanetary Relationships Can Be Problems At The Best Of Times
4. She Visits Her Friends On The Moon
5. Rain
6. Just Sigh And Move On
7. Mathematics
8. Gigi
9. If Only She’d Mind Read He Won’t Have To Tell Her By Himself
10. Lipscombe Larder
11. The Zoologist’s Star