Argo

Artist Information

Biography

When dreamy, hooky crunch pop is done right, it melts your heart with out even trying. Even though Argo is notoriously one of the hardest working bands in their hometown of Seattle, Washington, their preternatural ability to craft immediately perfect rock gems feels completely effortless and triumphant. Now armed with a new lineup and a kind of working cohesiveness that loads of shows (several with Aqueduct, Architecture in Helsinki, and Viva Voce) and touring the West Coast brings, Argo is a band poised for constant positive progression. And why shouldn't they be? The band's 2004 release on Ana-them Records Jet Packs for Everyone, garnered substantial critical acclaim, received great College radio play, and Argo was even named a finalist in Red Hook's 2005 Emerging Music Awards.

Songwriters and multi-instrumentalists/vocalists Justin Benson and Matt Benham played together since childhood, before founding the band in 2001 with drummer/keyboard/vocalist Scott Leonard. Now the band is joined by bassist/vocalist Jon Wooster and drummer Adrian Van Batenburg, and, although some members have been involved longer than others, as Wooster explains, "Our songs are written collaboratively." And it shows, especially at Argo's live shows, where the band consistently lets intuition and teamwork push them to the next level, something Wooster adds is "a consistent element throughout the band."

When recorded, Argo captures the vivaciousness, loose energy of their live setup; there's nothing calculated here. The band's 2007 Attack of the Firebots EP is thick with infectious, danceable goodness, chalky, gritty solos that would make the Jicks proud, and enough warmth to melt the hardest of cynics who say the Pacific Northwest doesn't have even more to offer. It has also received much critical acclaim, landing the band a feature in April 2007's West Coast issue of Performer Magazine.

Instrumentation

Justin Benson sings and plays guitar and a xylophone-like bell thing. Jon Wooster plays bass and sings. Matt Benham plays guitar and keyboards and sings. Adrian Van Batenburg plays drums.

Discography

The Fall EP
Jet Packs for Everyone LP
Needs EP
Attack of the Firebots EP

"Kicking the Clouds Off" from the Jet Packs LP was used in episode 1710 of MTV's The Real World-Key West.

Jet Packs for Everyone and the Needs EP both achieved rotation at 90.3 KEXP Seattle and were featured on 107.7 KNDD The End Seattle, and 89.9 KGRG Green River Community College.

The Attack of the Firebots EP is receiving airplay on these radio stations:

WHCL - 88.7 Hamilton College/Clinton, NY
KUOI - 89.3 University of Idaho/Moscow, ID
KACV - 89.9 Amarillo College/Amarillo, TX
WGDR - 91.1 Goddard College/Plainfield, VT
KWCR - 88.1 Weber State University/Ogden, UT
KNDD - 107.7 The End/Seattle, WA
KEXP - 90.3 Seattle, WA

Links

• West Coast Performer Magazine
• MySpace

Audio

• The Firebot
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• Water's Red
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• Alternate Ending
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• Needs
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• The Fall
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• Time Away
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Video

Water's Red

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Stranger [+ Show ]
  

  ...songwriting with a natural sense of melody and an effortless grace that should make them much mor......songwriting with a natural sense of melody and an effortless grace that should make them much more broadly successful than they currently are. Sell the right song for a Volkswagen commercial and these guys could be huge. (December 21, 2006)

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  

  Argo has a melodic pop sound that is full of hooks that will get you bouncing around. (July 2006)

• Seattle Times [+ Show ]
  

  This hook-heavy quartet has made a big leap forward on its new album, which perhaps establishes it a...This hook-heavy quartet has made a big leap forward on its new album, which perhaps establishes it as one of this town's most intriguing acts. (November 24, 2006)

• Best of '06 Reader's Poll
  

  31. Argo - Attack of the Firebots (January 2007)

• Babysue.com [+ Show ]
  

  Band members Matt Benham, Jon Wooster, and Justin Benson create music that is smooth, melodic, and d...Band members Matt Benham, Jon Wooster, and Justin Benson create music that is smooth, melodic, and decidedly unpretentious. Instead of fitting into one specific mold...these songs involve a wide variety of sounds and influences. Creative cuts include "Firebot," "Alternate Ending," "Time Away," and "Needs." Direct and impressive. Good stuff. (January 2007)

• CDBaby.com [+ Show ]
  

  Jubilant synth lines and starry-eyed hooks propel this eight-song record to spectacular heights of l...Jubilant synth lines and starry-eyed hooks propel this eight-song record to spectacular heights of listenability. The songs themselves come across as documents of the band's intuitive craftiness and attentiveness to detail, as they seem to approach from an egoless angle, rather than from the prattling bravado common in many songwriters. (January 2007)

• Smother.net [+ Show ]
  

  Melodic pop maestros Argo hail from Seattle and their latest disc on Ana-them Records is a beautiful...Melodic pop maestros Argo hail from Seattle and their latest disc on Ana-them Records is a beautiful array of delicious hooks and indie pop magic. Driving rhythms that are just this outright danceable built up the tempo while the percolating guitar and analog keyboards build momentum. The album opener is blissful and dreamy, preparing you for the aural assault that’s to come. Having garnered critical praise and college radio airplay with their ’04 release “Jet Packs for Everyone”, Argo is well on their way to chart domination in the indie rock world. (January 2007)

• Sideonetrackone.com [+ Show ]
  

  ...an immaculately and beautifully layered pop gem that should be heard as soon as possible. (Januar......an immaculately and beautifully layered pop gem that should be heard as soon as possible. (January 2007)

• West Coast Performer Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  If there’s one thing that Argo knows, it’s how to build a song. In the album’s opener, “Firebots,” A...If there’s one thing that Argo knows, it’s how to build a song. In the album’s opener, “Firebots,” Argo starts off with a simple pop melody and then transitions into a chorus that rises until it is almost orchestral, a commendable feat considering the band only consists of sparse keyboard elements and the traditional set up of guitar, bass and drums. Like the band’s name, taken from the ‘70s cartoon Star Blazers, the guitar melodies in Argo’s songs are hauntingly childlike — they are as memorable as songs learned in childhood that are easily recalled much later in life. (February 2007)

• West Coast Performer Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Their unique sound - spacey, hook-driven pop with moments of full-tilt rock - burrows a niche that i...Their unique sound - spacey, hook-driven pop with moments of full-tilt rock - burrows a niche that is sure to promise them an extended lifespan. (April 2007)

Setlist

Our set list consists of eight to ten of the following songs: Needs, Firebots, All You Do, The Fall, Time Away, TV Drains My Energy, Bitter Lake, Alternate Ending, Alaska and Texas, Replayed Scene, So in Love, Taxes and Socks, Believing in Love, and Water's Red. We are versatile enough to play anything from a 30 minute set to a two hour double set.

Basic Requirements

Calendar