Pinback is the brainchild of Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow, two West Coasters with thick indie-rock résumés who formed the band as a sonic side dish in 1998. Six years later, the group sounds like the main course. Reminiscent of the Shins and Death Cab for Cutie, Pinback serves up winning pop on a feather bed of melodic rock. Eschewing distortion-fueled overdrive, the group takes advantage of space and silence, resulting in tunes that seduce listeners with subtlety instead of pummeling them into submission. Though Pinback hasn't released a full-length effort since 2001's seminal Blue Screen Life, its devoted fanbase continues to turn up in droves when the ever-evolving outfit takes to the road.
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