Time and Energy

If you like your indie pop with a California twist, Strange Kind of Focus is for you. Time and Energy is a band from Santa Ana, California. Strange Kind of Focus is their second album. This experimental rock band’s latest album is a multifaceted indie pop journey that has you feeling the warmth of the California sun from beginning to end. Maybe it’s the winter, but it felt pretty good.

The first track “Hot Air,” is upbeat with a verse in Spanish and really excellent use of a saxophone. The song “Breakdown” is itself a really nice break in the middle of the album; a quieter, folky song in the middle of mostly upbeat indie experimental rock and pop. “O’Molly” is a weighty rock and roll jam with a Black Keys vibe. And all the songs, some more than others, contain a little bit of good quirkiness to them too. My personal favorite however, is “Da Da Da,” a rock and roll song with a heavy prog rock influence. I’ve been into prog rock lately.

I was sort of surprised when I learned that the band is just two guys: Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach. Rios and Roach play all the instruments on the album themselves. For just two guys though, their album is rich and lush with soundscapes. Strange Kind of Focus has elements of bands like Battles, Akron/Family, and Broken Social Scene. The album is an experimental pop/rock blend of indie rock, prog rock, blues, with multicultural influences, sprinkled with a little science and magic courtesy of loops and samples provided by a Boss RC-300. - Indiedarkroom.com

It's a misconception to suggest that experimental music cannot also be entertaining. That's the same sort of wrongheadedness that implies educational TV isn't also an enjoyable entertainment option. Just because sounds reach for the brain and heart simultaneously, doesn't rule out the possibility it'll hit both marks.

Time & Energy, a duo consisting of a couple friends in Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach, have given us a disjointed, but still groove conscious offering titled Strange Kind of Focus. While many of these tracks stop and start with unpredictable intervals, a little like a less blues-oriented Captain Beefheart album, this pair proves it can also create a straight forward, heartfelt acoustic ballad in "Breakdown." The two sing it so sweetly over strummed acoustic guitars, you'd almost assume – if, of course, this was the only sample you'd ever heard from them – they were a sensitive folk duo. And they truly are a sensitive folk duo, at least for one track. Time & Energy also expends effort on the prettier side of life during "Sitting on a Scale," where a beautiful melody is matched with smooth singing.

"Breakdown" is followed by the funky soul groove of "Split Clean," which at only 1:49 sounds like Beck during his funkier period. The group then jumps right into something much less groove-oriented and far more layered and cluttered with "DaDaDa." On it, guitars make noise and melody at the same time, almost as if the stringed instrument can't decide if it wants to make trouble or make nice. The chorus is sung over a descending scale, much like a downward death spiral. At the same time, the percussion is highlighted by jazzy drumming. It comes off like an avant-garde guitarist sitting in with a traditional jazz combo where beautiful chaos ensues.

Getting back to Captain Beefheart, Time & Energy goes for a little soul-blues during "O'Molly." On an unusual lyric, which paraphrases the hymn "Amazing Grace," the group rocks in a blues-y way. Yet in stark contrast, the acoustic piano-accented "Think it through" finds the group singing like The Kinks, complete with a spot-on music hall vibe. It even finds the guys whistling a bit. The vocal is a dead ringer for Ray Davies singing "Lazing on a Sunny Afternoon." Sweet!

One of the more crazy factors one discovers when listening through Strange Kind of Focus is that nothing here reaches the four-minute mark. Experimental musicians have a reputation for being about as sonically long-winded as college political science professors. And yet, you can't get away from the feeling this pair is trying to make the perfect pop song – albeit perfect for a slightly twisted alternate universe.

If you're even slightly twisted yourself, you'll find plenty of pleasure in Time & Energy's Strange Kind of Focus. These two musicians must hear pop music differently than the average person might. Whereas most folks hear funky in their heads, these guys hear clanky, instead, and it sounds just as good – if not better. Time spent with Time & Energy is time and energy well spent because we all get tired of smooth perfectionism after a while. Smooth jazz is an oxymoron, and might just be the antichrist. That makes Time & Energy's noisy pop music simply heavenly, in contrast.


Time & Energy - Strange Kind of Focus
Rating:

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- "The Aural Gate Keeper" Antimusic.com

Time and Energy, man where to even begin. My head was a spinning void guided by the musical sound and revolving lights that gave this Santa Ana band it’s powerful essence. The rhythm and sound broke out as the set began and it was almost overpowering. The track Intomaidet from Jorge and Brennan’s first album Entertainica was just amazing live as the video is below. With the loop pedals and multi-instrumental duo this show was just a sneak peak to what the rest of the night was. Playing long into the night the track Tree Salad brought the night into a complete jam session. Today Time and Energy’s 2nd album is up on bandcamp for download and to catch that last track you need to get a copy of Strange Kind of Focus. For those in California a great time to mark on your calendars to see this band is Feb. 19th free admission to the OC Music Awards at The Yost Theater on 307 N Spurgeon St Santa Ana,Ca 92701. I hope to see more of these guys in the future. - areyouawake.wordpress.com

When I read the bio for this band which read something like ‘2 guys and a loopstation’, I jumped at the opportunity of reviewing their album. I expected something along the lines of Yoav, Jeremy Loops, maybe even Imogen Heap, but this album didn’t come close to what I had in mind.

Formed out of the remainder of a four-piece rock band, Time & Energy is a band that is definitely not to everyone’s taste. When I played the album through for the first time, I was disappointed. I think I still am. They’ve taken an almost overly-experimental approach to this self-recorded album. The production is pretty sloppy, but it isn’t easy to achieve any better when working with live loops and vocals. The songs feel like they are all skeletons or demo versions of something that has the potential to be great. I think that the bottom line is – don’t expect what you’re expecting.

When you throw all your expectations out of the window and listen with a fresh ear, it starts to become a little easier to listen to this album. The commercial poison that kills so many good bands these days hasn’t polluted Time & Energy. I do enjoy their simpler songs like ‘Breakdown’ a little more than those with random instruments and weird riffs. I feel like their experiments don’t always come together to produce a full sound, an example of this being the track ‘Thought Forms’.

The vocals sound a lot like those of Thom Yorke from Radiohead. Mix a little Mumford and Sons, some psychedelics and that’s what you get with Time & Energy. The album is trippy and like nothing I’ve heard before. I can definitely sense personality in the songs and they’ve achieved the experimental progressive rock sound better than what most bands’ attempts have. But…

I’ve tried my best to like this band; I don’t think I do, but maybe you will. While I would not recommend rushing out to buy this album, I do think you should listen to it at some point in time and make up your own mind. It’s different and they have no intention of being the same pretend-experimental rock that we’re so sick of.

On a lighter note, this album wouldn’t be half bad while tripping (road tripping, guys!) down to Cape Town. The more you play it, the more bearable it becomes, and Cape Town is 14 hours away. - www.musicreview.co.za

If someone put on Strange Kind of Focus at a party and told me that it was just two guys, I would call that person a liar because there is a ton going on in this record, far too much for just two guys and their four hands. And then I would have to apologize because it is mean to call people liars and also because, lo and behold, Time And Energy are comprised of just Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach, both billed as playing "instruments." Technically they do list their looping pedals (Boss RC 50, RC 20, RC 2 and a Line 6 Modular) as members but since Skynet isn't active yet, they don't count. Yet.

Hailing from the heart of Orange Country, Calif., Time And Energy play a roaming experimental melange of alt-rock, pop, jazz and funk that eschews standard song structures. They're like a slightly more restrained and mellow version of the Mars Volta. Though they don't employ recurring choruses, they retain a strong sense of melodic flow and nicely varied instrumentation. "Thought Forms," for example, takes the bassline for a walk while the keys dance circles around the soft soulful vocals, then a dash of cowbell before the keys take the forefront with spacey frills around a melodic vocal melody reminiscent of Morning View-era Incubus, which settles into a snappy drum beat and an A.C. Newman vibe that fades into dissolving synth wave outro. Each song on Strange Kind of Focus is just as schizophrenic (with the possible exception of "Tree Salad"), and yet they still feel like cohesive works individually, which speaks to the skillful musicianship of Rios and Roach and how well they work together as a unit.
- PUNKNEWS.ORG

There is whole lot going on within the imaginary walls of Time & Energy’s dynamic sound. I say imaginary because attempting to label or compartmentalize this music is pretty much an exercise in futility.

With a recent West Coast tour and plenty of home state gigging under their belt, Santa Ana, CA duo Time and Energy are set to release their self-recorded sophomore effort titled Strange Kind Of Focus, a loose groovy little platter that is far reaching without coming off as over achieving. Most impressive to me is the fact that there are only two musicians at work here, albeit two very busy musicians with all of their fingers in a lot of different pies.
At first blush I assumed that I was listening to a band that was heavily under the influence of their favorite musical flavors, and this may be the case, but after a few spins I am starting to hear something quite unique and unlike a lot of new music I’ve come across. The stuff that Jorge Rios and Brennen Roach get up to is a big ol’ mixed bag of musical, personal and cultural influences, the end result being a solid structure that at times brings to mind the crisp bass lines and time signatures of Pinback mixed with the spacey guitar tricks and looping effects one might hear in a Broken Social Scene jam.

But this isn’t a band playing dress up, Time and Energy are a band with something cool and unique to offer and they’re not making excuses for it even when tipping their collective hats to their influences.

There have been albums come across my desk that just reek of a desperate attempt at sounding different and above the fray, and though Strange Kind of Focus is definitely different; it is far from an alienating listen. Songs like “DaDaDa” and “Tree Salad” have an instantly likeable hook that is tight and tense in all the right places while “Hot Air” carries a strange loose in the shoes relaxed kind of vibe.
From top to bottom Strange Kind of Focus pokes and prods at the boundaries of jazzy experimental rock and for the most part does it well. My only criticism is with continuity and flow of the album. Some of the best recordings I’ve come across in life are the ones that feel seamless, be it through energetic quality or through songs that bleed into each other and sneak under your skin without effort. Strange Kind of Focus is more a collection of quality tunes by a couple of talented guys who are still finding their footing while exploring new territory. Not that this album is jagged or hard to follow, it just lacks a bit of cohesion. That being said, music of today should be daring and willing to move in a forward direction. There is nothing worse than cautious music that either sounds like everything else or is just plain bad and easily forgotten.
Strange Kind of Focus is a grower for sure. It’s got an odd kind of flow that just rides the fringe of accessibility and is interesting enough to keep the listener coming back for more.

Favorite tracks: Tree Salad, DaDaDa, Acid Jam

~ Nathan Pike - allwhatrocks.com

California based duo Time and Energy are releasing their newest album Strange Kind of Focus on November 16. Time and Energy are the two very talented musicians Jorge Rios (vocals, guitar, bass, keys and percussion) and Brennan Roach (drums, bass, keys, guitar, clarinet) who produce alternative and experimental indie rock that will instantly satisfy you.

Time and Energy was formed out of the ashes of a four piece rock band so Rios and Roach picked up where their band mates left off. They took control and made Time and Energy into the amazing mish-mash band they are today. Their debut Entertainica bled its way into the independent music scene three years after they formed featuring numerous experimental tracks blending their influences with jazz, blues, electronica and indie rock.

Time and Energy have been compared to the likes of Radiohead, Badly Drawn Boy and Beck but to some extent these comparisons lack evidence. Time and Energy, although sounding at times like Beck, are more unique than they have been given credit for.

Every track on the album brings something to the record. There’s not one track on there that is boring or too similar to a previous track. Breakdown is a fantastic acoustic track while the band’s strong jazz influences can be heard in Split Clean through the use of clarinet at the beginning. This is a great unique sound that shouldn’t work but does. Split Clean is an odd song and does sound like a mix of different noises which can be loosely referred to as musical but it doesn’t matter how strange or weird it is because it just works.

DaDaDa is a track that can be likened to the Beatles with Rios’ Paul McCartney style angry vocals. It’s not too hard to see this song fitting into the 60s experimental scene. Rios vocals don’t sound the same in every song. His vocals stretch from being soft to angry, from being pleasant to excitable. Track eight, O Molly, is a little Jim Morrison like on the vocals but more in tune than Morrison ever was. Not only is Time and Energy an experimental band that will literally have a go at anything but having a vocalist like Rios means no song ever becomes dull. You’ll notice something new with every listen of the songs.

My favourite song has to be Think It Through which is a lovely acoustic number which sounds more pleasant than the meaning behind the lyrics. It’s a song about how corrupt and depressing society is yet these lyrics are placed against a backdrop of juxtaposing music that has a great happy jazz feel to it. There’s a jazzy piano solo after the first verse which gives the song a sort of ironic feel.

Time and Energy could easily win themselves a slot at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival as their style is typically experimental jazz. Every track has strong jazz influences in it. Their style is a mix of experimental jazz and electronica which has allowed them to produce ten solid, ground-breaking songs that are completely unique in every way. I can guarantee you wouldn’t have heard anything quite like Time and Energy before. This reason alone is enough to persuade you to buy the album. - Rocking Republic

Now, then. I’m often regarded by my depressingly small circle of friends as “the one with the weird musical taste.” The funny thing is, it’s not a nickname I object to, because it introduces me to artists like Time and Energy and their album Strange Kind of Focus.
I can safely say I have never heard many albums more funky than this one. The band seem to have an affinity toward muted guitar and keyboard, and it is accentuated and highlighted by a sprightly percussion track. Unfortunately, this track doesn’t change through many of the album’s songs, but the guitar and keyboard are sufficiently crazy and out there to draw my attention away. Some tracks don’t even feature percussion, like the melodic and vaguely acoustic “Breakdown.” I actually found myself smiling and swaying with this song – this may not be an achievement normally, but I have a tendency to hate anything and everything, so catching myself doing this was vaguely horrific.
In fact, this album has the potential to be perfect, aside from a few things. For starters, sometimes it sounds too similar. This is a problem I’ve seen many times before – substituting lyrics into a variation of the same song doesn’t make for originality, unless the lyrics are amazing, and you’re Radical Face. And, oddly enough, the other problem I have is the consistency. Whilst the first 7 songs are a lovely funky spin on sounds like Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea and Coldpay’s X&Y or Viva La Vida, the racy and heavy sounds of “O’Molly” assaulted my eardrums with all the vivacity and animosity usually present in foghorns. Not pleasant.
But, despite its few hiccups, it manages to cool and calm back down for the final track, “Acid Jam,” which does what it says on the tin, playing funk across my scorched tympanic membrane like a beautiful, melodic antiseptic. Vivid psychadelics and light acoustics cement Strange Kind of Focus as an 8/10.
Key Tracks: “Breakdown,” “Acid Jam” - Spinningsounds.net

Santa Ana duo Time and Energy are set to release their eagerly awaited second album, entitled “Strange Kind Of Focus”. And what an album it is. By the time I reached the midway point, my brain was reduced to mush. Dizzy and spent, I took a little break to quiet my mind and do some stretches. Twenty minutes later, I returned to my stereo, hit play, sat back and continued to be dizzy and spent. For the record, I enjoyed almost every moment of it.

First and foremost, this is a very experimental album; full of loops and samples, wierd guitar lines, stylish bass work, jazzy drums, unusual key changes and some of the most unique vocals I’ve ever heard from a band. It’s hard to believe that so many ideas could be born from the minds of just two people. At times, you may think that you’re hearing four, maybe even five band members as Time and Energy hopscotches their way from song to song.

Much is to be found in the way of good music here. However, it may be prudent to abandon all preconcieved notions about how you look at music, because T&E’s Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach have created their own definition of good music in “Strange Kind Of Focus.” This is an album full of juxtaposition. Just when you think you have them pegged, T&E will do the exact opposite. Their transitions are unpredictable almost every time.

In songs like “Breakdown” or “Sitting on a Scale”, you’ll get a taste of T&E’s softer side. These songs contain some George Harrison-esque acoustic guitar lines, as well as some poetic lyrics and vocals that are a bit similar to Thom Yorke. Some pleasing folk harmonies also grace the mix in this one.

In “Split Clean”, you’ll have the privilege of hearing blues style clarinet, some disquieting sound samples as well as some aimless vocals drenched in reverb and effects. This track eventually devolves into a Beck-esque cacophony of percussive loops.

“Da Da Da” is a funky acid jazz track that is accompanied by the sound of a heart monitor in the background. The vocals consist of some rambling and babbling of the word “Dadada”. It’s a very odd, bumbling track that I would almost deem as funny. This is not meant as an insult to the band. Considering how unusual the guitars and samples were, the vocals did a great job of emulating the same vibe.

“Oh Molly” is probably the most catchy song on the record. Jorge Rios banters over a simple blues/rock beat with spoken word, singing and growling. His range is quite impressive, as you will discover over the course of the album.

“Think it Through” is much similar to “Dadada” in terms of personality. I love how these guys can let their sense of humour shine through in their music, which is really quite hard to describe adequately with words. You simply have to hear it yourself to understand what I mean.

I appreciate the level of diversity and variance that exists in this album from song to song. None of the tracks sound the same, and each one has it’s own distinct identity that sets it apart from the others. All in all, this is definitely a great album to pick up, especially if you’re looking for something completely different and inevitably original. - thesignal.com

Having been away from the rap examination scene for sometime, I stumbled across a band in Santa Ana, CA known as Time and Energy and after taking a listen to their album, Strange Kind of Focus, I felt a review was in order.

The opener, "Hot Air," is an experimental, laid-back vibe sung in Spanish and captures the essence of the band exactly with its heavy instrumentation reverberating throughout. Jorge Rios, the leader's vocals, dance through the song and make it one of the best among the ten track repertoire. The same can be said for "Tree Salad," which is a unique music spritzer of balanced sounds that offer a cool and edgy contribution from the band. On "Split Clean," Time and Energy mix a hodge-podge of instruments creating an inviting spacey atmosphere against Rios' vocals; where the slick production of "Sitting on a Scale," is ambient and almost hippie like. The lyrics echo a downbeat backdrop as they float through a rhythmic mist that ebbs and flows creativity. "Acid Jam," the finale of the collection, is perhaps the best song on the CD. Rios feels in his comfort zone here as he switches back between English and Spanish, while keeping with the theme of the album - a fearlessly influenced mastery of powerful sounds that include drum loops, guitar strings, keyboards, a riotous bass and a belting concoction of percussion.

Time and Energy, natives of Santa Ana, CA, emerge into experimental heights on Strange Kind of Focus. The hints of indie rock paired with jazz create the perfect milieu of smoldering dimensions. The experimentation presented here make for a wonderful audio journey that will leave the listener wanting more.

Final Grade: A - Examiner.com

We all get that craving once in a while for some new and exciting music. Well lately I’ve been getting that craving. And like a pregnant woman to a tub of gourmet ice cream, I began to salivate over this album. Cravings satisfied.

‘Strange Kind Of Focus’ is the latest from Californian band, Time and Energy. Now this band is real interesting you see. Just two friends and a few loops….Yeah that’s it. However, don’t expect some sort of Black Keys or White Stripes affair. These guys have one incredible and full sound about them. If you knew nothing about this band, it will definitely surprise you to know that it only consists of two people.

More about the album though. What you can expect to hear most is probably an eclectic mix of Radiohead influence, coupled with the sultry vocal timbre of Boy and Bear and Mumford and Sons. The band showcases immense experimentation with their music, however they never get lost within that experimentation. The music feels as though it stays on course and never sends the listener into a spiraling decay of noise.

If you’re into musical diversity, exploration and let’s face it, near perfection, then Time and Energys latest album, ‘Strange Kind Of Focus’ should be in your collection. For fans of Radiohead, Boy and Bear, Mumford and Sons and Pink Floyd. - The Raffo_Review

It’s not strange kind of focus, but rather out of focus. Time and Energy delivering a strange mixture of Afro-beats, Blues/Country/Folk roots and Beck flavored Indie vibes with some Rufus Wainwright taste-like vivid whatever. “Loop Rock”? Eventually. But pretty hard to chew being not under influence and the taste is questionable. And well, I’m quite trained to listening anything, even considering the construction site next to my building a musical revolution. When the 7th track, “Sitting On a Scale” started almost as a classic The Beatles song, it was a release. Up till then, “Strange Kind of Focus” sounded like a mixtape on acid. The very next “O’Molly” have that raw wickedness of some early The White Stripes tracks, it’s that kind of perfect menage of Blues and Indie/Garage Rock – and it’s probably the best moment of the album. And the following “Think it Through” it’s not that bad too, or simply I get used with their layered and sometimes antagonist sound. The closing “Acid Jam” it’s build upon a Latino foundation, but just as its title suggest, it’s an Acid Jam, after a few pleasant seconds the whole thing get out of control and became quite dangerous.
This is an experiment and I do respect that. The result? Well, not really sure of. “Name your price” for the digital download it’s a fair approach and listen first at your own risk. I would start with track 7 or 8. - Brushvox

There's creative, and then there's weird; Time & Energy's (T&E) latest 10 song release, Strange Kinda Focus, will likely test the boundaries of normalcy for most people. If you're not an abstract thinker, or someone who has a "strange kinda focus", this project will definitely make you feel like you're losing control of your built in metronome.

Songs like Thought Forms and Da Da Da are great examples of how the eclectic sounds on this album coming together in a way that just works. Lyrically, there are moments of brilliance, and the vocal delivery adds the right color and depth to T&E's songs; but the real story here is the band's musical talent.

The musicianship on the project qualifies for any indie music award this business can throw at T&E, and I doubt that anyone who knows how difficult it is to play instruments the way Time & Energy plays will disagree with me. As a musician myself, these guys are what I like to call musician's musicians, because their talent is clearly superior to most instrumentalists.

I'd have a hard time believing that Strange Kinda Focus couldn't do exceptionally well if Time & Energy puts the right kind of marketing and live performance schedule together to support it. I'd recommend this project to anyone who likes artists like Beck and Radiohead. - IAE magazine Review by: Senseitional

California duo Time and Energy have struck experimental gold with their second effort Strange Kind of Focus, a smorgasbord of half-thoughts and doodles that are thoroughly novel, their songs resonating like echoes of indie greats. At the top of the comparison list could be Broken Social Scene’s self-titled record, the early efforts of Grizzly Bear, or perhaps a jazzier version of The Dismemberment Plan that can be heard on the more intriguing tracks like ‘Da Da Da’. Radiohead’s Kid A also comes to mind when listening to Strange Kind of Focus, as Time and Energy have made very conscious efforts evoke Radiohead’s creative dissonance and slyly tailored time-signatures that have roots in both math rock and jazz.

Such comparisons can make Time and Energy seem like the next potential “big-hype” band, but the jazz and experimental tendencies of the band fail to meet enough in the middle, making for a White Album-scale schism between the two styles, and a couple of rock-and-roll tracks thrown in for good measure only further confuse the mixture. At least when Time and Energy fail to brainstorm great new ideas, they can entertain with their coffee-lounge guitar on the soft ‘Breakdown’, and the band displays display their rock chops by brewing up a crackling Black Keys-style blues rocker on ‘O’Molly’. Perhaps the separation of styles is good, as the band’s different kinds of ideas work well on their own, serving as welcome changes of pace from each song to the next. One can’t help but think that an album full of tracks like ‘Hot Air’ would have been one of the most genius works of the year, yet the current result that is Strange Kind of Focus is enough of a creative leap for Time and Energy that it’s hard not to be optimistic about Time and Energy’s future. Even better is how agreeable the current product of Strange Kind of Focus is, a work that’s more promising than ground-breaking, yet all the same is an innovative, well-researched work that shows how Time and Energy not only know their stuff, but also have an abundance of musical talent at their fingertips.

RATING: 7+/10 - TheThrill of It All music blog

Blending loop-based rock with indie/alternative sensibilities and lyrical style isn't exactly new, and isn't for everybody; BUT Time and Energy displays some of the best this reviewer has heard in loop-based music. Honestly I had to double check when I read the band's sound is loop centered, normally I can detect loops (whether it's divulged or hidden that loops were used), but not here. Take a listen and try to not feel like you're listening to a full four or five piece indie rock outfit instead of the duo that comprises Time and Energy.
The band's sound is never a digitized, electronic sound even with utilizing loops; sound is always a mix of acoustic and acoustic/electric. The album also sports a cool low-fi fuzz to a good number of the tracks, this gives an old school basement/small venue live recording quality to the Strange Kind of Focus that is nostalgic of a time before Autotune existed.

Again, not for everyone but deserving of a listen even if you don't care much for either loop-based compositions or indie rock. The indie vibe overpowers everything else but not in that "trying too hard to indie" early John Mayer kind of feeling.

Tracklist:
"Hot Air"
"Thought Forms"
"Tree Salad"
"Breakdown"
"Split Clean"
"DaDaDa"
"Sitting on a Scale"
"O'Molly"
"Think It Through"
"Acid Jam"

Choice cuts are "Hot Air", "Tree Salad", and "Acid Jam".

Time and Energy get a 3.5 out of 5 for Strange Kind of Focus. - tasteslikerock.com

With its expansive, varied and diverse collage of sounds, Time & Energy’s sophomore album Strange Kind of Focus ought to have been the work of a five or six man band. Remarkably, it is the synthesis of just two musical minds, Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach from Santa Ana, California, which has produced this beast of a record. The pair, who released their promising if a little naive EP Entertainica last year, does well to construct this collection of vibrant and layered arrangements without sacrificing the lightness of touch that characterised their debut.

Strange Kind of Focus has its hand in many pies over its ten tracks, only one of which exceeds the three-and-a-half minute mark. Dabbling in the kind of manic expressionism that has moulded the style of bands such as Animal Collective and Battles in recent years, Time & Energy throw all they can muster at their second album, leaving no gaps un-splattered with bright colour.
‘Thought Forms’ gets the ball rolling, its stilted, darting rhythms dancing along on bouncy high-hat crashes and splodgy digital effects, while the interplay between sliding bass, brass and vocal lines on ‘Tree Salad’ ticks all the boxes. Meanwhile, more conventional Casablancas-style indie rock vocals sit beautifully over both tracks’ jazzy synth melodies. Here, Time & Energy follow the path of bands like Metronomy and Micachu & the Shapes, dousing recognisable pop structures with more experimental and diverse instrumentation. In so doing, they serve up a palatable, listenable helping crammed full of interesting elements.

The album’s jazzy, elemental beginnings are further tempered by the gentler, folk-tinged acoustic numbers, ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Think It Through’. While this is probably the least punchy and effective of Time & Energy’s adventures on this record, it at least points to a willingness to explore new avenues of sound. These initial fumblings are explored to greater effect on ‘Sitting On a Scale’, which brings to mind the latest Grizzly Bear album with its skeletal guitar notes skipping between heftier instrumental frameworks, dripping all over with liquid-smooth vocals.

More indie rock influences are unearthed with the funky bass-driven ‘O’Molly’. The Black Keys and Dirty Projectors are right here in this track, its rough ‘n’ ready strut and whistle sample stomped all over by this gravelly garage rock vocal which comes out of nowhere.
At this point, the obvious criticism to make is that the band haven’t settled on the best direction in which to take the album, and it’s certainly true that a couple of tracks fall flat on their face, confused by where Rios and Brennan are trying to take them. ‘DaDaDa’ is a good example of this, beginning with a grinding guitar riff but quickly petering out into a directionless plod. But while the album may lack cohesion or a firm identity, each shift in course is expertly negotiated and manages to get over a sense of something unexpected, something fresh and thrilling.

Strange Kind of Focus is a highly rewarding follow-up to last year’s Entertainica EP, building on and developing many of the colourful ideas which that release fused. The only disappointment is that they don’t stretch some of these tracks out for longer. There is certainly scope to expand on some of the sounds and explore the territory they tread in more depth, rather than quickly skimming over it as they tend to do. Clocking in at just over 28 minutes, this album is crying out for a bit more flesh. Despite its maddening briefness, Strange Kind of Focus is a surprising and thoroughly enjoyable ride through many of the freshest and most appealing avenues of modern experimental rock. - Plus One Magazine

A phrase often used as consolation in reviews of artistic endeavors is that the artist gets points for originality. In the case of Time and Energy, the sentiment sounds like a ringing endorsement. Billed as an experimental rock group from Orange County, the duo of Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach incorporate loops, guitars, keys, clarinets, and a sense of real exploration into their compositions. Their current record, Strange Kind of Focus, is set to see release on November 16, but it’s available to stream through the band’s home page as we speak.

A diverse collection of sounds, swells and atmospheres, Strange Kind of Focus is an excellent representation of what can transpire when free-form jazz possesses the soul of a rock band. The bulk of the material on the album eschews standard song structure, with notes and melodies flowing into one another like buckets of paint being liberally poured into a whirlpool. There are hints of the psychedelic, heavy doses of funk, a snoot-full of alt-rock and the occasional measure of folk mixed in as a palate cleanser. The album is a consistently shifting metamorphosis of sounds, allowing a listener to simply dip in a toe or dive headlong into the mixture.
From the opening organ stabs you will find this album is unpredictable. “Hot Air,” starts with a roaming bassline with a Flamenco-feel and Latin rhythms augmented by a considerable quantity of Spanish lyrics and the occasional saxophone stab. “Thought Forms,” possesses a funk backbeat, a distorted walking bass and loads of periphery synth sounds.
If one could ever describe a band as surfing on sound-waves, it would be Time and Energy. Their compositions seem to germinate organically, with each sound fluidly lending to the next like a line of drizzling melted chocolate. Groove is an important aspect of the beginning few tracks on the record, and then the phases shift into a more poppy element on track three, entitled, “Tree Salad.” This tune is as close to a standard pop song as this record gets, and it’s infectious in its ebullience and vitality.
The surprising aspect of this album is the multiple instances of random melodic hooks that appear like branches jutting out of the rapids of the ever-evolving musical amalgam. They are scattered throughout the record, and make a tangible impact when they appear.

Moments of introspection also immerge throughout the recording. “Breakdown,” begins with a finger-picked acoustic guitar and mellow vocal harmonies. Even here, the song flows without a tangible structure, but the listenability never suffers. Another element that becomes more tangible as the album progresses is dissonance. It first begins to break the surface on the track, “Split Clean,” where it is used to devastating effect.

There are occasional instances of repetition that can be a bit overwhelming to the ear—
“Dadada,” as a composition hammers too heavily on a chaotic run of dissonant distorted notes and becomes a bit grating given the monotone melody and general discord of the track. However, this is definitely the exception and not the rule for the record.

The lyrical content provides plenty of metaphysical meat to clean off the bones of the beats and melodies. Lines like, “a pin-drop in the oceans of our mind,” give the listener a hand-hold to pull themselves up and out of the musical milieu.
“Sitting on a Scale,” is an excellent example of the meandering lines and melodies contained on the record while, “O’Molly,” surges with playful whistles augmenting a heavy groove as Rios does his best to channel Tom Waits with the vocals.

Music fans whose tastes run to the exotic will definitely find ample space to explore on Strange Kind of Focus’ lush and rolling auditory landscapes. It evokes the experimentation of Radiohead on Kid A, while the vocals and melody share similarities with the later works of The Shins. The vast array of instrumentation utilized on the record is most impressive, and the organic compositional style is a refreshing contrast to the cookie-cutter pop-songs we are all too often bombarded with. Check it out!
- Ampkicker.com by Shane Hunt

Strange Kind of Focus’ is what you get when you combine the talents of two extraordinarily determined individuals capable of playing several instruments. Jorge Rios – who I suppose could best be described as the lead man because he provides the vocals – and Brennan Roach do their work for the love of the music; minimal vocals and a whole lot of picking, blowing and drumming.

Time and Energy’s experimental rock proclivities are a feast of sounds for your ear. Often you find yourself playing ‘spot the instrument’ as you relax to Rios’ messages – and they are messages of life expelled by Rios’ unintimidating tone and enhanced with reverb effects.

When you’re not playing ‘spot the instrument’, then you’re instead coming to grips with several nonconformist arrangements that include unexpected peaks and troughs in tempo and tone. Considering many of the tracks are of short length, it seems as if Time and Energy are trying to fit as many variations into their music within rigid restraints; as if attempting to pass coded messages to the masses before the communique is intercepted.

Clearly, ‘Strange Kind of Focus’ is the embodiment of the band’s environment – the picturesque introspective Orange County lifestyle. Yet, the band include moments of Latin flare – not only through Rios’ lyrics, but also in the Santana-esque fiddling of the guitar riffs chattering over several psychedelic episodes. - Music-news.com by Daniel Davidson-Amadi

Hot Air has so much going on that the track will require listeners to give it multiple spins before they can feel as if they have gotten everything that Time and Energy has placed into it. Whether it is the overall jam feel to the effort, the jazz-influenced drum lines, or the emotive horns, Time and Energy have ensured that there is something for everyone. Breakdown slows things up; Time and Energy is able to tie together dark and light nicely. Split Clean adopts a shambling, shuffling free jazz styles that adopts a psychedelic sound and its fringes.
The effort feels much larger than its constituent parts, while the track is moved into an entirely different realm, full of echoing and atmospheric sounds. Strange Kind of Focus is built off of 10 distinct tracks, but the band is talented enough to make everything work. O’Molly is the track that will be picked up by radio rotation; the allure of alternative acts like The Flaming Lips and Cake is married to the utter dirtiness of early Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground, or The MC5.
The track may end slightly after the two minute mark, but the track will stick with listeners long after the album continues to spin on. Acid Jam is the final track on Strange Kind of Focus, and it keeps with the trend experienced in O’Molly. During O’Mollym, the vocals move to front and center. While the swirling eddies of guitar lines and martial drumming are assertive, they never threaten to overwhelm the inimitable vocals. Give a few tracks your time and see whether Time and Energy is something that you can appreciate; I feel that Strange Kind of Focus has more legs than other current titles.
Top Tracks: Thought Forms, Sitting on a Scale
Rating: 8.4/10


Read more: http://neufutur.com/?p=31591#ixzz2B02nE1NJ - Neufutur.com

Experimental music from California, Time and Energy are an indie duo who have added tape loops, woodwind instruments and a whole lot of strangeness to their mix. "Hot air" which starts this album off is a case in point, a rock track with added layers of noises giving it an asymmetric air.

Sometimes experimental rock can disappear the wrong side of listen-ability but Time and Energy manage to pull it off such as on "Tree salad" which sounds like its melody is from some tin cans being bashed and a cheap organ (and maybe it was?!)

Its not all explosive noises, "Breakdown" has a nice relaxed acoustic feel. "Sitting on a scale" is a great psychedelic rock song with lovely keyboards underpinning an air of menace. The album is a great one with so much inventiveness, classic rock mixed with all manner of strange noises, often coming at you suddenly without warning. "Acid Jam" sums up the band with its tempo changes and psychedelic noises. Unexpected, surprising and cool. - trip-tv.blogspot.co.uk/

Time And Energy are a 2 piece experimental rock group from California. When I first heard their song “Intomaidet” I immateriality thought of Broken Social Scene, they sound very similar to them. I really enjoyed listening to them, their sound is calm and easy to listen to. There new album “Strange Kind Of Focus” contains 10 tracks, and I have to say, I really did like all of them. Their songs “Tree Salad”, “Da Da Da” and “Hot Air” are my favorite off that album, their easy to listen to and have a unique sound to them which is refreshing when so many musical groups have the same sound to them. Being into indie rock it was easy for me to enjoy their music because I already have taste for music like that, however, If you aren’t into the whole experimental rock thing, it could be harder to get into their music because you’re not used to it. Their lyrics are well written and also written by the group members which I really admire and I think that makes a musical group even better when their lyrics aren’t written by someone else who doesn’t even play in the group. Overall, Time And Energy are worth listening to if you are a indie rock or experimental rock fan, their new album doesn’t have a song on it that I don’t like. It has an happy and unique sound that Is easy to listen to, I would for sure download/buy this album, and recommend someone to listen to their music. You can find their new album “Strange Kind Of Focus” November 16, 2012. Enjoy! - Music Reviews Daily

Californian progressive duo Time and Energy return with their second album. On this follow-up to Entertainica, Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach set out to show their progressive skills.

Hot Air is not a very promising start. The melody is all over the place and while the lyrics have the type of madness expected on a progressive release, they switch back and forth between English and Spanish, making the song hard to follow.

Things begin to pick up on Thought Forms, which has a mellow, space rock-esque sound to it. The vocals are given more range on this song, subdued during the verses and over-the-top with the chorus, backed up by suitable relaxed guitar and keyboard playing.

Tree Salad does not really have anything that makes it stand out. The instrumentation is fairly run0-of-the-mill and the lyrics simply discuss a person with an overly-negative opinion of life.

Breakdown is an acoustic track, and a welcome change from the out-there sounds displayed so far. It's a heartfelt song that showcases the many contradictions of everyday existence, with a subtle whisper of the word "fuck" thrown in at the end.

Split Clean is a short but memorable song. It's use of obscure instruments like the saxophone and the accordion give it life, along with techno drums sounds and distorted vocals. Overall, a great mix of classic and contemporary.

Da Da Da has a jumpy melody, and the vocals are all over the place. The use of a double bass is nice and the guitar work is very well played, but the repeated beeping over the last part of the song is just plain annoying.

Sitting on a Scale is an interesting song about wanting to escape reality and exist in fantasy. The use of instruments is fairly basic, but the sound of scraping metal at the end has an unsettling effect on the listener.

O'Molly is the album's most energetic song, with growly, Jim Morrison-like vocals, metal-esque guitar, funky bass lines and even a xylophone! Adding to the song's aggression are the lyrics about ignoring the status quo.

Think It Through is a ballad about surviving in the modern world. A subdued ballad, the song does not stand out in any significant way.

Final track Acid Jam starts out in Spanish, but continues in English. It's a spaced track about confusion and madness, but would not sound out of place at a jazz gig.

Verdict: 5/6. Though this album falls flat on a few songs, it is a challenging and interesting release. It should be a recommended listen for any fan of progressive music. - Musicreviewunsigned.com

Jorge Rios and Brenan Roach make up Time and Energy, an experimental menagerie of sounds emanating from Orange County, California. Following up their first LP, Entertainica, the duo present their latest album, Strange Kind of Focus, due for release on November 16, 2012 (but you can hear it in it’s entirety at the bottom of this page).

Recorded in a cabin in the woods, Strange Kind of Focus is built up of layers on top of layers in an eclectic arrangement that requires a multiple listens to be properly digested. Smooth, warping sounds are contrasted against swirls and stabs, coming together in a product that seems like the handy work of more than two musicians.

‘Tree Salad’ by far my personal favourite, but jazz oddities like ‘Split Clean’ are what this recording is all about (with a breather for the acoustic ‘Breakdown’ and the calming lull of ‘Sitting On A Scale’).

This band is definitely for fans of bands along the lines of Timber Timbre, Grizzly Bear and The Unicorns (or even Marvin B. Naylor) – but there are so many elements here that make it a pretty accessible recording for music fans of something ever-so slightly out of the ordinary.

Vocals in English and Spanish, various modes of percussion, keys, guitar, sax and clarinet are just a few of the instruments that reside in the space of this album; the two rely heavily on loops and overdubs, and when performing live with the help of a few backing band.

Busy in an organised way, before you know it the chaos is over and ten tracks have passed in a surreal sort of journey. - Copasetix.com

Time and Energy
Entertainica EP
http://soundcloud.com/timeandenergy/sets/entertainica/

The Santa Ana based duo of Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach, formerly of Missing Since Yesterday, describe themselves as "progressive"--a genre tag that, like "alternative" before it, simultaneously means something and seemingly little at all--especially if the image of 20-minute-long Mellotron ramblings by Keith Emerson are kept in mind. But their debut EP Entertainica, name and songtitles like "Time and Energy-Mangled Soul" and "Intomaidet" aside, is short, understated and tends to reflect the kind of gentle experimentation that's followed in the wake of 21st century bedroom experimenters more apt to play Kid A than Love Beach.

What's especially engaging about Entertainica lies in Rios's singing, a swooning falsetto that pushes the Radiohead comparison further but avoids the lazy smarm that so many bands latched onto in Thom Yorke's wake. Songs like "Time and Energy" itself, in its easy tempo shifting and feeling of on-the-spot performance, showcase a light, free feeling that crops up throughout. It's not lost in melancholy even as it stays contemplative and considered, with a song like "Means to an End" immediately settling into a sweet, easy ramble of swift drumming and piano-led grace. "Bad Form" goes for a full-on disco strut and punch, Rios's wordless backing singing swirling around his lead turn like a strange ghost

If anything, more than once Time and Energy calls to mind the underrated--and all too obscure--Butterfly Child, a UK act from the early nineties that eschewed prevailing trends for a winningly sung, often sonically cryptic mix of everything from understated keyboard led songs to harsher grinding noise, content in its own hermetic universe. If Time and Energy aren't yet as strong or distinct as that band are, there's a sense of testing potential boundaries here that could reward more attention as the duo chooses to continue on. - OC Weekly

"What doesn't kill you makes you...stranger" is the motto for experimental rock duo Time & Energy, who sound inspired by everyone from Radiohead and Battles to Tom Waits and the Dead Weather. On their new full-length release "Strange Kind of Focus" they've done the nearly impossible by crafting an album that's simultaneously way out there and yet ready to break into the mainstream. If you like your indie rock with a dose of pop, prog and jazz, you can stream the new album prior to it's November release at Time & Energy's Bandcamp. - Blrag.com

Music critics often speculate, that what makes music fanatics thirst for the obscure is the desire to discover music that is “uncontaminated by the commerce machine.” This, they say, is the reason we cling to the abstract and unmarketable, the outlandish and abrasive.

“Strange Kind of Focus,” which is due for release November 16th, 2012 falls exactly into this category of “uncontaminated by the commerce machine.”

The holy grail for music critics like us, is the album that combines outright experimentation and strong hooks, something that engages us mentally while appealing to the instincts that draw us toward pop immediacy. Some of the best records ever made, have been ones that put these two seemingly disparate elements together and you can go as far back as Sgt. Pepper’s and a whole lot farther if you want concrete examples. Yet not many experimental artists are unable to perfect that balance.

Time and Energy have, and even made it seem effortless while they were at it. This album pulls off that balancing act, with catchy and hummable songs, despite the absence of over-simplicity or blatant pandering.

Sometimes brilliance is hard to swallow at first. It’s messy, you spill it all over yourself, but later you feel like a fool for mistaking it for anything else. Which is what you may be inclined to do at first, with this bottomless pit of Santa Ana creativity.

It may seem like a paradox to talk about an experimental rock band in complete control of its sound, but skilled control is exactly what Time and Energy communicate here, within their experimental, independent, eclectic and boundary pushing framework.

Theirs is a melting pot of dizzying styles, varying between tuneful and witty pop songs to unusual approaches and imaginative arrangements. The duo’s musical and technical skills come together to create original riffs, jam sessions and musical adventures, packaged into a ten track album.

“Strange Kind Of Focus” contains many highlights, like “Thought Forms,” “Da Da Da,” “Sitting On A Scale” and “Acid Jam.” It is a fresh hybrid of ethereal tunes and hazy guitar riffs, mixed in with seemingly random instruments and other worldly blips and static, that cloak you in. The electronica effects add to a surprising coherence that runs throughout the whole album.

Numerous bands have tried endlessly to fuse rock with electronic elements but most have failed to achieve what Time and Energy has managed here, by producing a comfortable yet entirely original sound. - Jamsphere.com by Rick Jam

Here's a California sound recorded in Santa Cruz County that I might actually go to hear live. Time and Energy rose—phoenix-like—from the ashes of their former four-piece rock band. Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach have assumed complete control of all musical duties after the departure of the other two members. Rios handles vocals, guitar, bass, keys and percussion; Roach is on drums, percussion, bass, guitar, keys and clarinet in equal measure.

Both men do what they do very well.

It's not music that I would care to listen to all day long, and you understand this is a matter of personal taste only. Of the tracks on this LP, I am quite fond of "Split Clean". Jazzy, bluesy minor chords thrum into the soul and open the eyes. I keep listening to it.

The music is very pretty some of the time, but not always. It can grate and prod and annoy and depending on the song, it is sung in Spanish or English… the album quite simply, is life. There's a Radiohead influence here that I rather enjoy, but these kids are far better musically. They're not afraid to experiment and their talents permit a broad range of just that little thing. "Whimpers beneath the cracks of time…" Wonderful lyric.

Watch for their tour dates. I suspect their live performance won't sound like their recorded work, but that doesn't mean it won't be worth a listen. Whatever else you do, listen to "Think it Through". That's a neat little piece of work.

- mondocult.com

PRELUDE:

Life is a journey. Every moment we are breathing and experiencing, we are also gravitating towards situations, sounds, conversations, and travels which we are subconsciously or karmically drawn and connected to. Time and Energy was submitted to me through an avenue that was new and their music was tucked away in a small flurry of submissions that hit my personal email inbox, which I thought would be filled with Los Angeles emo hardcore bands that I thought I’d have to find the Time and Energy to place in certain publications (yes, that pun was very intended).

The lesson of this little story: Never judge a messenger, even if you have different philosophies, or have just met. Good music is everywhere. It’s in the air. Give yourself to it, and trust that people will learn what you

TIME AND ENERGY

Time and Energy is a “loop based” experimental band based in Santa Ana, Califorina, whose lyrics are very wise, and at times, seem to be attuned with the human condition so much that if you’re experiencing any type of pressure or degradation of self esteem, their songs can uplift and ease your personal concerns.

Time and Energy’s current release, Strange Kind of Focus, exhibits a professionally composed use of horns that allow them to expand across different genres from song to song. The album does seem to exude strong jazz influences, but they also tap into undertones of California classic folk rock like Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Byrds.

This band is esoterically fulfilling, while balancing moments of soft affection and convicting lyrics of tough love. Strange Kind of Focus is not only a very well put together album, it’s an exceptionally listenable account of how experimental music can be done tastefully as well as being moving, and coherent. Time and Energy holds the bar very high in regards to D.I.Y. musical projects. - The Process Records

“Time & Energy is comprised of Jorge and Brennan, two multi-instrumentalists that manage to sound like a band at least twice their size. With the help of numerous looping pedals and impeccably timed arrangements, they build a blanket of sound that is both original and headbangable (Merriam-Webster: take note). Born from the ashes of another band, Time & Energy just put out their debut EP, Entertainica, last month. Its eight tracks of progressive glory have been on constant rotation in our cars and computers, and we found it hard to believe that all that sound could come from two people (in fact, we assumed it was a group of four or five musicians until Jorge informed us otherwise a week after we’d first heard the record). Needless to say, we were excited that we’d get to film the duo in action. And it was every bit as gratifying as we’d hoped.” - Youngfolks Collected

Time and Energy, I do applaud you.

If there’s one thing that I can say with certainty about Strange Kind of Focus, the sophomore album from this California-based experimental indie rock duo, is this: it’s aptly named. I can’t say that this album is for everyone, or even say that it’s all that accessible, but some solid grooves and stronger indie rock elements make for some good entry points for fans weary of the band’s more off-beat side.

Some tracks are overwhelmingly layered and loud which can be off-putting (frankly, they made me feel a bit uncomfortable). Split Clean is undeniably the most experimental track on Strange Kind of Focus; the group establishes a good groove, then denies it with broken riffs and sax lines, only to offer a different feel — and then rob us of it again. Although these transitions kept my interest throughout, it was frustrating to not be able to really get into a track before it moved on to another composition. Dadada is next in sequence and it, too, has some strange moments. At times, the vocal harmonies can have the near-effect of nails on a chalkboard.

Those criticisms aside, there are a lot of solid tracks on the album. O’Molly is the strongest featuring one of the best grooves I’ve heard in a long time. Thought Forms is another. The vocals sit well on the bass line and the guitar runs are tight. Acid Jam features some well-placed falsetto and rim shots.

Finally, whomever it was that did the fun trombone-esque vocal line in Think It Through — well done, sir. You nearly fooled me.

Multi-instrumentalists Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach know what they’re doing, and they’ve definitely found a balance between the familiar and the experimental — but the duo remains unwavering in its exploration of sound.

Strange Kind of Focus will be self-released by the band on November 16. - Talk Rock to Me music blog

If I need to relax, I have a whole playlist filled with relaxing music; Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, for the classics, and Lana Del Rey, The XX, and Washed Out for the new stuff. There is so much music available to relax you further. It is called my chill playlist (or chill PL for short) and without it, I would be a crumbling ball of nervousness.

Now, there are also plenty of bands that are almost solely built to ignite adrenaline, testosterone, intensity, all that fun stuff that goes along with the metal/hardcore scene. And then some music is intentionally abrasive but not necessarily metal. It is interesting, to say the least.

‘Time and Energy’ are at once all of these things, without ever committing to any. They are like that fun girlfriend; scared of emotional commitment, who wanders around teasing and playing and maybe attacking at any moment.

It is all so confusing and weirdly addicting, and this is my overall impression of Time and Energy’s new album ‘Strange Kind of Focus.’ It’s all so appropriate. You need to put in time and energy to get everything out of the duo, and you need a strange kind of focus to figure out what the hell is going on.

The album isn’t senseless acid rock nor is it garage rock. It’s neither soothing and melodic or aggressive and heavy. It is really hard to pinpoint much of anything. ‘DaDaDa’ hopes around with a weird momentum. ‘Thought Forms’ seems to be a test of rambling, but is followed by a steady beat and some fascinating production overlays. ‘O’Molly’ is straight Modest Mouse- silly and fast, dynamic and drum-heavy.

‘Time and Energy’ is Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach- two guys who find more comfort in experimental odysseys than anything even remotely resembling pop construct.

Yet, the album remains somewhat accessible. To create truly original art, an artist has to do something wholly new. An author writing a book using only vowels- an artist making an album consisting solely of sex sounds (darn, it’s been done. Scratch that). Anyway, originality is a myth.

But, I believe ‘Time and Energy’ have formed something about as original as can be expected. Some songs rely solely on a single guitar, while others are layered in ‘Animal Collective’ level bizarreness. With some jazz melodies and hip-hop rhythms thrown in for good measure. The duo manages something primordial underneath all the gloss of being too weird for their own good.

Do not be caught off guard. The group’s website opens up with some soft tones. With beige and trees, and a nice simple layout, one may expect to find the new Maroon 5; bland and uninteresting. However here, there’s something for literally everyone to enjoy.

‘Time and Energy’ are messy and frenetic, but never out-of-control. Beneath all the oddities, weird sound choices, and thickened production, comes a sound that is intriguing because it truly is different. That is where its accessibility comes to true light. For every band fitting a formula, ‘Time and Energy’ invented their own chemistry class.

‘Strange Kind of Focus’ releases November 16th. - noisebeneathetheapple.com

If you have ever thought about mashing up Badly Drawn Boy with Beck and taking them out on the road with Radiohead, you might already maintain the Strange Kind of Focus.

This music is cool.

If you are into loops, these guys are your supplier.

Their recipe is a winner. Time and Energy is innovative, fresh, and exciting.

Jorge Rios takes on the responsibilities of vocals, guitar, bass, keys, percussion, and the Boss RC-300 while Brennan Roach handles drums, bass, keys, guitar, clarinet, and also the Boss RC-300.

A winning combination folks. Show ‘em some love. - www.midtnmusic.com b Jedi Smo

Taking aim at their upcoming full length effort, Strange Kind of Focus (the follow-up to their 2011 set, Entertainica), California indie-loop-rockers Time and Energy have a long list of musical influences, which filter into their own songs like jigsaw puzzle pieces (you know, the 1000-piece boxes you used to work on during the long, boring days of summer camp…)
“Musically we’re inspired by jazz to blues to rock to pop, folklore to electronica, hip-hop, punk – whatever sounds good,” explains Time and Energy’s Brennan Roach, he of the drums/keys/bass/guitar and clarinet.
“It’s difficult to describe our sound when really our goal is trying to get away from any description,” he says, “but when it comes to people or bands that influence us, it would be Ian Mackaye, Kurt Vonnegut, Radiohead, Aphex Twin, Radiation 4, Taken, Beck, Charles Mingus, Tom Waits, Alan Watts, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Yes, Pink Floyd, Ornette Coleman, Dave Brubeck, Battles,MF Doom, and Don Caballero – to say the least.”
Whew.
Roach met his bandmate, Jorge Rios (he of the vocals/guitar/keys/bass, percussion and glockenspiel), in school, where they found plenty of common ground.
“We both met in middle school in Santa Ana (California) in 2000, and soon found out that we lived really close to each other. We started hanging out more often,” Roach explains. “At the time we were both heavily into the same music, and we’d listen to albums constantly.”
When Roach discovered that Rios had a guitar in his room, his next thought was “let’s form a band.” Years later – after their first band had broken up – they decided to forge a new goal.
“With only two people left – us – we decided to buy loop pedals, and started pounding away at writing songs with this technique,” he explains.
Expanding on that technique became the foundation of what would become their new album.
“We’d never recorded a full album ourselves, on our own, just the two of us,” Roach explains, “and we had the idea of renting a house out in the woods to record. From there, we started saving up for recording equipment. Thanks to craigslist, we found most of what we needed along with a guy in California who was willing to rent his house out to us for 20 days – the place was on over 100 acres of forest in total seclusion. It was amazing.”
Before going to their new, middle-of-nowhere recording studio, the pair planned out most of their songs with scratch tracks, and upon arrival started with the drums, then stacking all of the other parts on top as overdubs.
“With, of course, critical thinking ahead on how we’d be able to play the songs live,” Roach says.
After their 20 days had expired, they went up to Oakland, California to work with Eli Crews, who had mixed the newest tUnE-yArDs album.
“We were pretty stoked to work with him,” Roach enthuses.
With no premeditated theme to the album (“other than to write something cool and interesting and thought-provoking,” Roach says), Time and Energy’s roundup of new songs offers something for every fan, from the jittery pep of “DaDaDa” to the scratchy folktronica of “Tree Salad.” And once they get a new tour van, they plan to take these new tracks on the road.
“We look forward to playing these songs live, mostly because the challenge of playing them meets our abilities as musicians,” Roach says. “And touring takes you out of your normal environment and puts you in a different one almost on a daily basis, and that’s just exciting. That’s ideal.” - Pryxis Magazine by Kristi

Looping is a growing trend in music that everyone should keep their eye on. I am not, of course, referring to a movie where Cobra Commander attempts to kill John McClane. I’m referring to the technical repetition of sound which allows one or two people to craft the sound of many both in studio and live. Looping is used by, most famously, Radiohead, Jamie Lidell and Imogen Heap. See a trend? They’re all out there sounds formulated around experimentation and usually odd vocals. None really venture into “Rock” per se, but I attribute that to simply being a frightening avenue to travel.

For one Santa Ana, California based duo, well, they’re not afraid. Time & Energy (the name which has been taken by Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach), coins themselves as “Loop Based Rock,” which means we’re essentially getting experimental rock right? Hasn’t that already been done?

Not quite like this.

Though it should be mentioned that Time & Energy’s Strange Kind of Focus is not hard rock, it definitely picks up the pace and pushes the looping limits; they’re also kind enough to throw in some cowbell. The ten track album is a conscious, understandable version of Radiohead or Radiohead with a less acid-trip feel. Their melodic variance accompanied by quirky synth breakdowns is a palatable experimentation and, let’s face it, an all-around fun album. Tracks like “Tree Salad” and “DaDaDa” are memorable and fun, the later peaking at a more aggressive style that pays off greatly. With a varying pace, Strange Kind of Focus elaborates on just what Rios and Roach are capable of. They show their softer side with “Sitting On a Scale,” then turn right around and spike a funky/protesting mechanic into the album with “O’Molly”. The record never tips the scale at overbearing and it doesn’t lose you, which is a huge compliment to their vision.

For the techies out there, and partially my inner production fanatic, Time & Energy make it all possible with the help of a Boss RC-300 and have been known to intertwine an RC 50, RC 2O and RC 2.

For those less interested in what they’re plugging into, I leave you with this: Strange Kind of Focus is an artistically dynamic record formed around an attention to detail while being played out by two very talented individuals. Or, there are enough layers here that you’ll need a backhoe to dig yourself out after you get buried in the looping madness. - Nanobotrock.com

Time And Energy (Local Band of the Week) by Natalie • November 5, 2012 • Featured, Local Band of the Week

Resides in: Santa Ana, CA
Styles: Experimental Rock
Similar to: Radiohead, Akron/Family, Battles, Do Make Say Think, Badly Drawn Boy, Broken Social Scene, Beck

Members/Instruments: Jorge Rios – Vox, Guitar, Bass, Keys, Percussion, Boss RC-300. Brennan ROach – Drums, Bass, Keys, Guitar, Clarinet, Boss RC-300.

Production: Recorded by Time and Energy in Soquel, CA. Mixed by Eli Crews of New, Improved Recording in Oakland, CA

Two heads are always better than one, right? For Santa Ana, California’s Time and Energy, two friends have teamed up to form a dynamic duo, utilizing a smorgasbord of instruments and looping techniques to concoct a unique cocktail of experimental rock. Part live performance and part pre-recorded samples and loops, the pair of childhood friends perpetually generate a wall of powerful, yet balanced sounds as they ready their new LP Strange Kind of Focus.

Formed out of the ashes of a 4-piece rock band, Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach picked up where their departed bandmates left off, deciding to assume control of all musical duties in their absence. Vocals, guitar, bass, keys and percussion fall into Rios’ capable hands, while his counterpart Roach contributes equal parts drums, percussion, bass, guitar, keys and clarinet. Coupled with their mastery of loops and samples, the duo builds songs into grandiose crescendos, inviting new dimensions and rhythms to the musical party which would otherwise be impossible.

Their debut Entertainica crash landed on the independent music scene three years after forming, featuring a smattering of unique experimental tracks laced with hints of indie, blues, jazz and electronica. The ebb and flow of the record continuously swerves in and out of numerous influences and genres, heightening Time and Energy?s affinity for fearless creativity and jam-based songwriting formula.

Now Rios and Roach are preparing to take the next step, having self-recorded their follow-up album “Strange Kind of Focus” at a house in the woods of Santa Cruz County. With one West coast tour already under their belts, they are currently booking live dates throughout California and beyond while shopping the new LP to prospective labels.

“Strange Kind of Focus” is due for release November 16th, 2012.
- breakdownmusicpress.com

Experimental, jazz-influenced Time and Energy are singer Jorge Rios and multi-instrumentalist Brennan Roach. On their latest LP, Strange Kind of Focus, the duo redefine the lo-fi sound of bedroom indie rock. Dueling guitar lines on “Tree Salad” resemble something from a Dirty Projectors‘ album while things get a little heavier on “Da Da Da” as Rios’ raspy voice wails over bluesy distortions. Strange Kind of Focus arrives this Friday, November 16th. Listen to “Tree Salad” from the album after the jump. - Earbuddy.net

Time & Energy sind ein Indie-Duo aus Kalifornien, das mit eigenwilliger Instrumentalisierung viel Zeit und Energie (schlechtes Wortspiel beabsichtigt) aufbringt um abstrakte, bis kaputte Klangwelten zu erschaffen. Die Kaputtheit des Ganzen macht das dabei so hörenswert. Musikalische Kaputtheit ist dabei sicherlich erstmal eine seltsame Zielsetzung, ich weiß, wegen Musik und Harmonie und so.

Eigentlich ist das Ganze aber eine ganz schön ausgeklügelte Sache. Zwischen all der Noise kommen nämlich begleitet von mal spanischen, mal englischen Gesangstexten schöne Melodien aus dem windschief wirkenden Noten-Konstrukt heraus. Die zwei Künstler, Jorge Rios und Brennan Roach, bemühen auf ihrer Platte "Strange Kind Of Focus" zu zweit ein halbes Orchester an Instrumenten - mit Keyboard, Gitarren, Bass, Klarinette, Drums und den unterschiedlichsten Percussion-Instrumenten und dazugeschraubten Synthys entstehen die bunten, Groove-Monster.

Wer Genre-Leitplanken benötigt stellt sich vor, die würden von Radiohead, Badly Drawn Boy, und auf der anderen Seite von Leuten wie Battles festgehalten. Zusammengefasst machen Time & Energy also cleveren, echten Indie mit der nötigen Experimentalität und Spaß an gesteuert gestreuten Dissonanzen. - myindiemind.blogspot.de/

Made up of two California-based friends, Time and Energy is a psych-folk duo that incorporates grooving bass lines, cacophonous drum parts and all the glorious noise in between into their delightful compositions. Their debut album Entertainica, released in 2011, was recorded with your standard four-piece rock line-up, but after half of the band vacated, surviving members Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach took the music in a whole new direction.

With an Andrew Bird style of vocal delivery, the songs on their latest album Strange Kind of Focus come out more like fabled stories rather than two dimensional pop songs. “Tree Salad” is a catchy tune that reflects on grabbing life by the horns and living in the moment especially when it ends with the dreamlike yet powerful line, “I say chase that sun / Stay in the flame on the edge of the blade.”

The two instrumentalists get a little more experimental on tracks like “Split Clean” which is rife with distorted drums, squealing tape loops and chorus-infused vocals that sound more like a space aged elvis than an indie rocker. “Da Da Da” is a stand out track on the album with its progressive guitar lines that are just random enough to not become muddled. The opening jam section on this track is one of the greatest moments on Strange Kind of Focus and with the raspy vocals from Rios, this song grooves real hard.

Between the obvious indie-rock influences and lo-fi recording methods this collection of songs could be among the most creative and honest albums released in 2012. The closing track “Acid Jam” alone proves that the off-the-wall duo can handle just about any genre from blues to jazz to prog-rock. Strange Kind of Focus sounds like two friends having a good time making music together and it’s entertaining and original enough to make the listener want to join in. - Notsigned.tv

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When we’re contacted about a band described as utilizing a smorgasbord of instruments and looping techniques to concoct a unique cocktail of experimental rock, we tend to sit up and take note to see what’s going on. That’s exactly what we’ve got with two piece Time and Energy, a band formed out of the ashes of a previous band who are striving to reach new levels with their music. With Jorge Rios taking care of vocals, guitar, bass, keys and percussion, and Brennan Roach taking on drums, percussion, bass, guitar, keys and clarinet, this is a two piece who are pushing the limits of their music. As such, when we were sent through a copy of Strange Kind Of Focus to check out, we thought we’d best see what was going on!

As Hot Air gets things in motion we’re lead into a strange melee of elements, the mix forming a sort of laid back sound which oozes out of the speakers with a sense of cool and calm, yet with a sense that there’s more to come. As the vocals come in and take the lead the track continues to grow, developing in its sound to form into something which isn’t simple or straight forward, but instead loaded with different elements, different approaches, and different outlooks on their musical approach. When I saw there was a clarinet in the mix I had my doubts about whether this was going to work, but listening to it now it works, it’s got that cool jazz style feel which gives the music a lift to a new level, transporting it and the listener to a calm and reflective place where all that matters is the music that’s playing at that moment in time. Thought Forms continues this approach further, this time focusing more on the guitar work and building up the anticipation through the opening moments of the track. Continuing the calm and reflective approach of the album, this track moves towards a more upbeat feel, almost incorporating a sense of South American style into things to give it that funky and upbeat feel.

Tree Salad once again adds a new dimension to the record, still continuing that jazzy and upbeat approach to things yet at the same time continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible through their music. The different elements which form this track are well balanced, allowing us to hear the keys, the bass, drums and vocals without one becoming overbearing or over the top, it’s a mix which makes you want to dance, makes you want to move, and makes you want to crank the volume up to make sure you hear everything that’s going on. Calming things down a little for Breakdown the tone suddenly changes to a more laid back and cool style, opening with an acoustic guitar line which paves the way for the track to begin, ushering in a sense of emotion as well as calm and reflection. This track reminds me of Newton Faulkner or someone similar, it’s got that calm acoustic approach which makes you think of sunny evenings on the beach, moments with friends, and moments where you can simply sit back, chill out and enjoy what you’re hearing.

Split Clean returns us to the more out there approach of the band, reminding us that what we’re hearing isn’t something straight forward or simple but instead something which is going to be unexpected at every turn. Moving from roving basslines through to heavy drum samples, each twist and turn of this track presents a new level, a new outlook, and a constant sense of the unexpected becoming the expected – if that even makes sense! Feeding straight into DaDaDa the theme of syncopated and out there beats continue, the track once again forming around you as it begins and pulling you in to make sure you don’t miss a single beat. Live instruments combine with digital effects and different musical styles to form a track which isn’t so much one you’d dance to, but instead one which makes you move along to it. The beat is infectious throughout, meaning it’s impossible to sit still whilst it’s playing, movement becomes an involuntary action in the end, meaning you’re constantly responding physically to the beats the guys are throwing out, it’s a clever achievement and to be honest, not something I’ve ever come across before.

Sitting On A Scale, O’Molly and Think It Through all continue the album towards the end, each track continuing to show that sometimes two people can create a sound on a par with even the biggest bands out there. Calm one moment, upbeat the next, it’s a constant journey with this album, almost like they’re dragging you along for the ride and not letting one particular approach steal the show. Closing with Acid Jam the album finishes on another upbeat and faster moving note, closing with a track which once again showcases all of the different abilities the guys have got and leaves us wanting just one more taste of their music. Closing the album was always going to be a difficult task as simply, it’s not an album that’s easy to finish due to the different approaches which appear throughout it, but this final track manages it, closes this chapter, and leaves us ready for whatever they’re going to follow this one with!

It’s not often I come across a band that leaves me speechless, but with Time and Energy I’m pretty close! The music they’ve got on offer here doesn’t follow convention, doesn’t fit into a specific genre as such and instead, presents the listener with their own personal feelings about what their music should sound like. This isn’t an album to go into in order to simply listen to it, it’s an album to take on board, feel, and allow to grow around you. I’m looking forward to hearing what they come up with next as simply, it’s going to be interesting to check out! - Loud-stuff.com

Despite the amount of bullshit they endure on a daily basis, working bands know a thing or two about cosmic luck. On their way home from an LA gig last July, Brennan Roach and Jorge Rios of Time and Energy watched helplessly as their gray Dodge tour van with all their gear inside turned into a fireball on the side of a busy 5 freeway. The engine had severely overheated and caught flame off the Broadway exit in their native Santa Ana. It's an image that registers on every musician's list of worst-possible scenarios. But as luck would have it, firefighters got to the location quick enough to put out the blaze and even managed to get their guitars and equipment out unscathed. Well, almost.

"Everything surprisingly still worked, but it still smelled burnt," Roach says. "We played at La Cave the next night, and our gear smelled up the whole room and gave off a really weird vibe."

Hints of destruction and melted veneer seem to be an ever-present part of Time and Energy's aesthetic. Built on a flurry of frenzied guitar loops, hazy feedback, skittering percussion and cool keys, Roach and Rios perform the work of four band members with only a standard amount of sweat. Their lush, pop mosaics develop slowly—spatters and slaps of whatever instruments they happen to have at the ready. On any given song, they trade off instruments a handful of times, recording parts on top of each other on the spot. The album cover of their sophomore record, Strange Kind of Focus (out Nov. 16), is a surrealist mural that meshes both of their heads to create one wide-eyed amorphous being you can't help staring at. It's a pretty solid metaphor for their sound.

"It's about correlating and improvising together," says Rios. "When it comes to time and energy, you can't have one without the other."

For seven years, Roach and Rios played in a previous indie-rock band with four members. Two eventually bowed out, leaving them to figure out how to fill the gaps. Their solution: a pair of Boss RC-300 loop stations and a little imagination. After three and a half years together, things are shaping up nicely. Some tracks, such as "Hot Air" and "Tree Salad," are indebted to the moody, bookworm virtuosity of such bands as Minus the Bear, Battles and Don Caballero, while others favor acoustic, backwoods balladry. Rios' warm, soulful vocal tone ties it all together, teetering between English and Spanish lyrics inspired by travel, personal reflection and the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

You can also hear the influence the band's surroundings had on their songs during the recording process. With a little bit more of that cosmic luck, they were able to find a gorgeous, forest-covered cabin in Santa Cruz on Craigslist and rented it for a week. Setting up their own studio, they recorded and edited everything themselves, including a music video for "Hot Air" that shows them wandering in the woods, gazing hypnotically at tie-dye hallucinations and banana slugs.

But as much as the two love to trip out on the ethereal, the serendipitous things that happen to them in real life always end up inspiring them more. Like the time some of the band's luggage was stolen from their van during a tour through Portland. Among the items taken was a book titled Music Explained As Science and Art. Feeling sorry for Roach's loss, his girlfriend bought a used copy from Amazon—which wound up being the copy that had been stolen.

"I opened it, and all the highlights and notes were the same ones I wrote," he says, "and I looked on the back of it, and it was sold from the same bookstore we visited when we were there on tour." Talk about cosmic luck. - OC Weekly

Though they've been playing together for about about 10 years, multi-instrumentalists Brennan Roach and Jorge Rios didn't find their true groove as a duo until the creation of Time and Energy. Together, they create a kaleidoscopic mesh of angular rhythms, poetic road diaries and layered loops of guitar, keys and drums. The sound is closely personified in the title of their album "Strange Kind of Focus," out Nov. 16. They definitely took the concept of the album title very literally for their new, self-directed music video for the lead single "Hot Air." The video premieres today on Heard Mentality. Before you decide to watch it, understand that if you've never done acid before, this is probably the next best thing.

Creating a psychedelic world of tie-dye, paper mache and banana slugs, Rios and Roach provide a colorful, puzzle-like pop mosaic for you to trip out on. In addition to releasing the new album next month, you can also look out for a full story on the band when they land in our Local's Only section next week. Get a rainbow spoonful of the band in their new video after the jump. - OC Weekly

Una de las propuestas más interesantes que hemos escuchado en fechas recientes es la del duo californiano Time and Energy. Se trata de un proyecto de rock experimental originado en San José, California integrado por Jorge Rios y Brennan Roach, quienes a base de loops, guitarras, clarinetes y la exploración lúdica de la música electrónica, dan forma a una excepcional propuesta de rock independiente.

Time and Energy fusionan los ritmos festivos de grupos como Battles con la oscuridad melódica de Radiohead y las líricas juguetonas de artistas como Badly Drawn Boy. Formados de las cenizas de una alineación convencional de 4 integrates, Jorge Rios y Brennan Roach decidieron seguir adelante repartiendose las responsabilidades de las partes vocales, guitarra, bajo y percusiones, que son interpretadas por Rios, mientras que Roach contribute con percusiones, bajo, guitarras y clarinetes.

De esta forma, Time and Energy sustituye la necesidad de una alineación convencional con loops y sampleos en canciones que mutan al paso de los segundos y evolucionan haste convertirse en una fiesta poliritmica.

Entertainica fue su debut en la esecena independiente, un material experimental que explora las posibilidades lúdicas del indie, blues, jazz y electronica. Este año Rios y Roach editaron “Strange Kind of Focus” un trabajo practicamente artesanal, que como muchas de las grandes obras musicales se concibió en el sótano de una casa del condado de Santa Cruz, California.

El resultado lo pueden escuchar en el siguiente player. Sin duda, una propuesta indicada para aquellos oídos sin miedo a experimentar con conceptos musicales diferentes y experimentales. - Resonancia Magazine

Time and Energy is an experimental rock band out of Orange County, CA. that consists of two leftys. They came to be in the summer of 2009 after the break-up of their previous project, Missing Since Yesterday. Without a second thought, Jorge and Brennan started looking for loop pedals on Craigslist while contemplating ways to play live.

Through the influence of various styles of music from Jazz to Rock to Hop-Hop, Time and Energy has managed to create something they can really call their own. After two and a half years the group has self-release their first LP “Entertainica,” book a full west coast tour, and release a self made music video.

Currently Time and Energy is looking to release their next album “Strange Kind of Focus” after recording it themselves in Soquel, CA in a house in the woods.

What can your fans expect from your new release?

(Brennan) They can expect a variety of things. We started off brainstorming things and not thinking about what it was going to be.

You are a two man band and use a lot of backing loops. Explain that process to me?

(Brennan) We do have backing loops for percussion that I have pre recorded and put on a loop pedal. Like on "Tree Salad", the beginning drum part is a pre recorded loop. Usually it depends on what the song needs. If it needs a loop for a certain part, then we will do it.

Explain your role and Jorge's role in the creative process.

(Brennan) We kind of feed off of each other. He will throw something out, then I will work with that and we will work on a loop for a couple of hours. Sometimes I write a song. Jorge mostly writes songs on his own.

You are a two man band, so tell me what a live experience is like for your band?

(Brennan) Playing “Love” is probably one of our biggest challenges because there is only two of us and we have to set up so much. We have to set up drums, keyboards, two amps and a head for the guitars. Getting things precise before we start playing is the hardest because sometimes we forget something or something malfunctions. We usually like to play first because it gives a lot more time to set up.

What is one of your favorite songs on the new album?

(Brennan) The one I like the most is “Split Clean.” We recorded it the day it happened on the last day of recording. It just kind of came out. We didn't plan anything at all. It's a weird song that starts with clarinet and kind of ends in craziness.

Jorge joins the interview.

Jorge, tell me one of your favorite songs on the new album.

“Thought Forms.” There's a part in there that is totally not a conventional time signature. It kind of mind F’'s you a little bit. I think that's my favorite one.

“Da Da Da.” I like a lot, just because we've been playing that one a while. We added some gong sounds and crazy time signatures also.

Jorge, what is a strength of Brennan?

His complete will power I guess. If he's practicing something he can't get, he will practice until he gets it.

Brennan, what is a strength of Jorge?

He is really good at nailing his parts.

How do you handle the songwriting?

(Jorge) Brennan will sometimes bring in a song and I will do my thing on it. The singer songwriter stuff I kind of did and Brennan added his thing. One of us will bring in something and the other will finish it up.

What are you goals and aspirations for your new album?

(Jorge) I just hope it gets out and more people hear it and it becomes peoples favorite album.

(Brennan) I think it's a really different album than the rest...at least in our city.

Brennan, what is something you learned and something you did for fun this week?

I am taking an electrical repair class. I learned about continuity and how to put outlets into the wall. For fun, I got to work backstage at a local arts center for a performance.

What about you Jorge?

This week I have been learning about motor skills and applying that to my guitar playing. For fun, I watched the Anderson Silva fight.

For more information about Time and Energy, please visit their web site at http://timeandenergyband.com/


- Feedback Furry

1. Hot Air

What an intriguing start to the album. Time & Energy may be experimental, but they have a very good sense of rhythm and consistency, keeping the beat going throughout the chaos and vocal outbursts. Vocalist Jorge Rios’s vocals are melodic and engaging.

2. Thought Forms

Funky and Red Hot Chili Peppers inspired, this track is catchier than the album opener. While it’s not mainstream enough to be a single, it definitely has the hooks to catch on amongst indie music blogs. You can hear a lot of Battles influence here, and that’s a good thing.

3. Tree Salad

Dark keys and distorted bass surge ahead in another fascinating groove. Vocals are reminiscent of Thom Yorke. Time & Energy are one of the few indie acts who can pull off the Radiohead thing.

4. Breakdown

Folk/Americana inspiration show themselves in “Breakdown”. This definitely adds dynamic to the release and shows the band’s range. Beautiful track.

5. Split Clean

Dueling horns and strange vocal lines make this an addictive listen.

6. DaDaDa

Upbeat and almost frantic, this is Battles meets the Mars Volta.

7. Sitting on a Scale

Warm keys and sad guitars allow the vocals to connect with the listener.

8. O’Molly

Attitude on the vocals similar to Ween or Tom Waits. It’s a fantastic addition, and another good direction for the band. I could see them doing a rock release like this. Jack White eat your heart out!

9. Think it Through

Strange piano’s and shakers blend for a psychedelic, jazzy melody.

10. Acid Jam

Musical freedom. Dissonance and melody meet in just the right places.

Album Rating: ???????½??

Time & Energy succeed in endless ways with “Strange Kind of Focus”, to the point that they are bound to garner a lot of attention in 2012/2013. They not only respectfully blend Radiohead, Battles, Miles Davis and the Dead Weather influences. They do it WELL. VERY well. They also experiment musically while maintaining an extremely catchy sound. This collection of songs is genuinely interesting and fun, and nothing stands out as pretentious or out of place. - Musicperk.com

Strange Kind of Focus is not what you would expect to hear from your typical two-piece, primitive sounding rock band; not that there is anything wrong with that kind of sound anyway. Time and Energy have taken on a dutiful responsibility to creating music that is densely layered in different kinds of atmospheric sounds (using guitars, drums, keyboards, basses, vocals, and even the odd clarinet). With the aid of looping pedals and pre-recorded arrangements, Rios and Roach are able to reach a much richer and colorfully compound sound that would otherwise be unachievable.

Strange Kind of Focus is healthy mix of organic experimental rock elements with the main ingredients being: fancy bass work, catchy guitar riffs, and jazzy percussive sounds. In addition, are elements of the Spanish language, strange key changes, and variations in tempo (which make their music really breathe). Along with this comes an interesting integration of the clarinet into their sound. In my opinion multi-instrumentalist Brennan Roach does a fantastic job of incorporating it onto their songs. Roach’s sound on the clarinet is unorthodox. The clarinet in “Hot Air” and “Split Clean” reminds me a bit to a lesser extent of the avant-garde Japanese alto-saxophone player Kaoru Abe. A certain element of imperfection (bending of the notes) and extended play in phrasing that would constantly be changing time signatures would it have to be transposed to sheet music. The only real way to describe Roach’s playing is to listen to Strange Kind of Focus.

Also on this album are a couple of softer acoustic ballads that seem to change the pace of Strange Kind of Focus for a little while. “Breakdown” and “Sitting on a Scale” are happily welcomed changes of pace and incorporate themselves very nicely into the sequence of the songs on the album. Right after “Sitting on a Scale” comes the song “O’Molly” and she was definitely one of my favorites on this album. “O’Molly” brings with her an element of enthusiastic fun and she is exceptionally pleasant on the ears.

Overall, Strange Kind of Focus has for myself set the bar really high for Time and Energy. This is definitely an album worth adding to the collection. That being said, I am excited to see what Rios and Roach have to offer for us in the future. - Red House Reviews

Time and Energy is a band based in Santa Ana where two friends Jorge Rios and Brennan Roach experiment and collaborate with their many individual talents to create a unique sound. When you hear their music for the first time, you might imagine a stage full of musicians. Don’t worry, there’s no need to run and get your ears checked. You are in fact hearing multiple instruments and harmonies including drums, keyboards, guitars, bass beats, and soulful vocals. Amazingly, these two buddies don’t limit themselves when it comes to making music. Perhaps, as they demonstrate, anything is possible when you dedicate your time and energy to producing such gratifying sounds.

Time and Energy. Photo by Jordan Scott
The band is currently performing tracks off of their debut EP Entertainica at local Southern California venues.

MiP: Your music stands out from most other progressive rock artists. How do you describe your music to people?

T&E: Our general response is that it’s experimental rock that deals with looping our instruments live. Most of our songs start as a riff that gets looped, and we jam on it until we feel it needs to change.

MiP: How long does it take to produce pre-recorded loops and how do you ultimately decide when a track is complete?

T&E: Creating pre-recorded loops doesn’t take too long, when the idea for it is in mind. It could take 5-10 min depending on the loop and what needs to be added to it. When working on a song, it usually takes on a life of its own and pretty much lets us know when it’s complete.
MiP: What was your favorite track to produce on your debut EP, Entertainica?

T&E: “You Are Not Your Phone,” mostly because it was the last song we wrote before recording, and at that point we were starting to get the hang of what we were doing.

MiP: What track is your favorite to perform live?

T&E: “El Catrin”

MiP: Time and Energy has to be one of the most complex two-man bands out there. You both bring so much talent and sound together to create something monumental. Do you see yourselves growing or ever adding a new member to the band?

T&E: Thanks a lot! When it comes to creating music, our limitations force us to explore new ways of composing, helping us grow with every new song. We usually have friends that fill-in for certain songs if needed. Most of the time, the problem is scheduling when trying to add new members, but who knows, anything can happen. - Music in Press