West Coast Perfomer Magazine - June 2007
www.performermag.com/wcp.recordedreviews.0706.php

The Retrofits' debut album, Away From Here, will surely take this band wherever it wants to go.

The Retrofits — Away From Here
Produced by The Retrofits
Recorded and engineered by David Friedlander at Kung Fu Bakery Studios in Portland, OR
Mixed by Dave Friedlander and Nick Moon at Crossroads Studios in Vancouver, WA
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, CA

Founded by Jake Oken-Berg, who in 2002 ran for Mayor of Portland at the age of 19 (and received 27% of the vote), and George McClearly, who was one of the nation's leading high school runners, The Retrofits arrive both politically and physically fit. Adding to the band's Type A personality are three more over-achievers: Darin Wirth (bass), Brud Giles (drums), and multi-instrumentalist Jason Barlow. 2010 is Portland's next mayoral race, but Oken-Berg shouldn't be looking for work by then; The Retrofits' debut album, Away From Here, will surely take this band wherever it wants to go.

Acoustic instrumentation and poignant vocalization support the main planks in The Retrofits' musical platform. Their sound is refined by emotionally elevating musical topographies that unite trickling piano, ascending violin, air-filled acoustic and electric guitars with captivating melodies. This 12-song CD boasts an indie-pop sound that could have been spawned in the same ocean as The Fray. But from the blissful, piano-pop overtones of the title track to the jazz-infused passages of "Love Letter," the entire album has enough surprises to keep it from being compartmentalized. "One True Thing," for example, is reminiscent of Coldplay ... for about 15 seconds, until the vocals on the track kick in and a sort of global warming occurs. The result is a sound that no one can touch — purely The Retrofits' own.

The campaign trails of touring may lead The Retrofits away from here, but taking with them their jazz ensemble instrumentation and indie-pop attitude, these five running mates are sure to secure the vote wherever they go. (Half Mile Records)

-Fran Gray


BUY THE RETROFITS DEBUT ALBUM TODAY!!!

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