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Cryptacize

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Who? Formerly of Deerhoof, Chris Cohen (vocals/guitars) met Nedelle Torrisi (strings/vocals) while writing and recording under the Curtains moniker, where Torrisi, now a triple-album artist in her own right, was a just a backing vocalist. The two recruited fellow Bay Area drummer Michael Carreira via YouTube after seeing a couple videos of just his hands working the sticks. Out Feb. 19 via Asthmatic Kitty, Dig That Treasure, marks the band’s studio full-length debut.

What’s the Deal? Much like the Curtains, Cryptacize prefer their melodies linger as long as possible — “Every note is an unfinished song,” croon Nedelle and Chris on the wood block prancer “Cosmic Sing-A-Long.” While album opener “Stop Watch” teases with a breathy, lullaby-like chorus, “How Did the Actor Laugh” is loaded in impeding bass drums and “We’ll Never Dream Again” floats with spacey electronic guitar sweeps, which recall the same kind of minimalist fantasy trip through the land of Oz it was inspired by — part Taken By Trees stark melodrama, part Broadway musical quirk. Nedelle shares of the vibe with SPIN.com, “When you awake from a pleasant dream and you know that you can’t go back…you’re really sad. But also happy…it’s confusing. These are the feelings that makes us want to play music.”

Fun Fact: Cryptacize pulled the title of Dig That Treasure from an obscure 1958 musical of the same name penned by Chris Cohen’s father.

Now Hear This:
Cryptacize – “No Coins” DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Cryptacize at MySpace