Who? Signal to Noise — drummer Jesse Dixon, guitarists Nolan Aldrige and James Tanner, and vocalist/bassist Tristan Shaffer — might have cribbed their name from an electrical engineering term, but these Colorado natives have little patience for detached rationality in their tunes. It was the big hooks and pleading vocals of their early EPs, one of which found its way into Eyeball Records head Alex Saavedra’s hands, that got STN signed. Now the band is bear hugging the road in hopes that their debut full length, Kodiak, slated for a summer release, will thrust them in the path blazed by fellow Saavedra discoveries Thursday and My Chemical Romance.
What’s the Deal? Signal to Noise share little specifically with Eyeball’s most esteemed alumni, but fans of an amorphously defined emo will have no problem snuggling up to the quartet’s warm, fuzzy crashes and minimalist fret board workouts. Kodiak, thankfully, is more reminiscent of impassioned retirees like Hot Water Music and Sunny Day Real Estate than today’s batch of heart-on-sleeve, sloppy haircut-core; Shaffer’s voice is even pleasantly suggestive of HWM’s Chuck Ragan’s gravelly call. But Shaffer can’t help but uplift — “To the city that’s on the horizon/To the city we’re headed to/To the lights that shine and/Burn on through the night,” he commands on “The Weather Machine.”
Fun Fact: The boys of Signal to Noise are a well-rounded bunch and bassist Tristan Shaffer relayed some of their hidden talents and peculiar back-stories to Spin.com. “I can speak seven dead languages, including Japonachoes and Hoboslang, and am an expert in the rare arts of leg-hair Morse code and phrenological lip writing, while the tensile strength of guitarist Nolan’s moustache hair exceeds that of aircraft grade steel, and drummer Jesse dreams only in the infrared spectrum! AMOS BARSHAD
Now Hear This: Signal to Noise – “To the Bitter End (I’ll Be With You)” DOWNLOAD MP3
On the Web: Signal to Noise at MySpace
Talk: Is Signal to Noise coming in clearly?
