James & Evander
Oakland, California, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
MTV Hive spotlights the 'Bummer Pop' track "How Does It Feel" - MTV HIve
MOKB premieres 'Bummer Pop' track "Can't Forget" - My Old Kentucky Blog
NFOP premieres an album stream of 'Bummer Pop' - No Fear of Pop
NFOP premieres an album stream of 'Bummer Pop' - No Fear of Pop
Article in local weekly about rising Oakland indie electronic music scene featuring James & Evander, Yalls, Elephant & Castle, Shortcirlces, Parentz, and Some Ember and its association with the blog/net-label Mapzzz. - East Bay Express
Ears of the Beholder post of "Turtle Two" MP3. - EOTB
Premiere of 'Bummer Pop' LP track "What Else Is New?" - Prefix Magazine
XLR8R shares free download of "Slap Bracelets" from the 'Constellating' EP. - XLR8R
'Bummer Pop' LP announcement on XLR8R. - XLR8R
Are you hearing an electro-pop version of The Dodos? - The Owl Mag
Are you hearing an electro-pop version of The Dodos? - The Owl Mag
East Bay electronic duo James & Evander have signed to Velvet Blue Music for the release of their latest EP, Constellating, which you can stream above. J&E are currently working on a full length album due early 2012, and are performing tonight at El Rio with Yalls and Flashlights (8pm, $5). - The Bay Bridged
This analog synth duo have been garnering attention for their layered and infectious melodies and recently incorporated vocals into the mix on their newest, Constellating EP. Equal parts dreamy and alluring, this duo of Adam Myatt and Glenn Jackson are making hypnotic future pop that’s bound to bust of the bay area very soon. - SF Critic
"They manage to produce beautiful electropop that is both dreamy and really really catchy. It has been on repeat on my stereo freakishly long now." - The 405
Usually, when we think of electronica we don’t necessarily think romanticism. The new-ish shoegaze-electro wave that’s rolling through the Bay (is it mean of me to admit that I’m more than ready for freak-folks replacement?) is making me rethink my assumptions. James and Evander had no small part in that change in thought.
The duo have a decidedly electro pop flair but lean more make-out party than dance party. - Bay Area Bourge
When it comes to genuine local creativity, Oakland based duo James & Evander understand and recognize it and try to build upon it with their own brand of expression. That is exactly what they have done with their latest EP, Songs We Wish We Wrote You Vol. 2. The EP is filled with uniquely crafted remixes of mainstreamers like Michael Jackson and Jon Brion as well as local favorites Man/Miracle and Silian Rail. With a new full length planned for July, James & Evander are preparing themselves to be yet another break out act from the Bay Area. - Kata Rokkar
Oakland production duo James & Evander recently released their latest collection of instrumental electronic pop, an EP called Sunlight & Circuitry. The EP’s billed as “weedwave, the stonier more introspective cousin of chillwave,” and the duo are playing on October 5th at Amoeba in Berkeley. - The Bay Bridged
In compiling this mix of new and recent music from eleven San Francisco Bay Area-based artists, I’ve searched in vain for a singular theory to explain the recent proliferation of local electronic pop. Does the tech-heavy business climate here mean techier indie musicians, geeking out on synth sequencing and effects? Or are the Bay’s bedroom pop songwriters employing more electronics as it continues to get easier to manipulate software synths to create satisfying layers of sound?
Most likely, there’s no single answer to explain the catchy melodies and experimental approaches employed by the collection of new and emerging artists on this tape. Indeed, while synthesizers may unify them, the sounds in this mix are diverse, including hazy dance pop, intimate bedroom gems, and much more. - The Bay Bridged
We got to do an in-store performance as well as an ad ran for the Month of Nov. in the East Bay Express. - Amoeba Records
Discography
Awkward Turtle E.P. + 1 (500Records, 2007)
This Isn't the Beginning of Anything (500Records, 2009)
Sunlight & Circuitry EP (Third Culture Records, 2010)
Constellating EP (Velvet Blue Music, 2011)
Let's Go 7" (Gold Robot Records, 2012)
Bummer Pop LP (Velvet Blue Music, 2012)
*Entire discography is available to stream at jamesandevander.bandcamp.com
Photos
Bio
After five years of crafting music together, Oakland duo James & Evander issued their proper debut LP, 'Bummer Pop,' earlier this year via Velvet Blue Music. Building on what had started as a pair of synth nerds geeking out in their apartments, last year J&E parted ways with the delicate indietronica that defined their early output, successfully adding a layer of subdued vocals to their sound with 2011’s 'Constellating' EP. Bummer Pop is clearly an extension of that EP, one that follows the band deeper into a world of widening synth-scapes, propulsive beats, and poignant melodies. Above the swirls of keyboards, the pair share vocal duties, delivering glimpses of the Oakland lifestyle with a simple, honest approach—examining their place in the world and asn uncertain future with touches of joy, humility, and helplessness. But there is always space left for the rich sonic threads to take hold, places where the catchy melodic phrases and space-age tones rise to the top. It’s an album that aims to envelope the listener in its ever-expanding waves of sound, in the end revealing a distinct sonic world that reveals more details with each listen.
Over the last year we've had the opportunity to play the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival 2012, Noise Pop 2012, and The Bay Bridge Presents : The Rock Make Street Festival, and got to perform with the following bands : MEMORYHOUSE, Shlomo, Brandt Brauer Frick, JEL, Sister Crayon, Raleigh Moncrief, Maus House, Yalls, shortcircles, Giraffage, Astronautica, Parentz, Elephant & Castle, Birds & Batteries, Phantom Kicks, Flashlights, Sport, and more.
Links
