Finally, a new album from San Francisco indiepopsters #poundsign#. #poundsign# members are: Stephen Vesecky on vocals, guitar, organ, synthesizer, and sitar; Alicia Vanden Heuvel (also in the aislers set) on vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizer; Becky Barron (also in Scrabbel) on drums, vocals, guitar; and new member, Jaime Knight on bass, vocals, and guitar.

#poundsign# formed in 1993, when Stephen, Alicia, and Becky met at U.C. Santa Cruz. They've released a handful of well-loved 7"s on several independent labels and have appeared on dozens of compilations over the years. Inspired by Sarah Records and the East Coast pop of the time, as well the D.I.Y. aesthetic of West Coast punk, #poundsign# came on the scene with its own brand of synth and guitar pop, remniscent of New Order, Kraftwerk, and the Smiths. For this album, Jaime joined the group on bass and contributes vocals on the song "S.L.C." Altogether, they've been on 4 U.S. tours, building their core indie fanbase, and in 1999 went to Japan with the Aislers Set to promote their first full-length album, 1998's Wavelength, also on Fantastic Records. Since then, they have released two new 7"s, and spent the year 2000 writing and recording for Underneath the Marquee. The new album features 11 new songs, produced and recorded by the band, along with Wyatt Cusick (Track Star, the Aislers Set) at Napoleon Valley Studios, Wyatt and Alicia's 8-track analog studio. This is the same studio they used to record Wavelength. (It was also used by Alicia and Wyatt's other band, the Aislers Set, for their albums, The Last Match, and Terrible Things Happen.) #poundsign# prefers recording in the home studio, where they can spend unlimited time experimenting with new instruments and sounds. You'll hear piano, organ, sitar, percussion, acoustic and electric guitar, bells, synthesizers, even the sound of rushing water on one track…a wonderful layer of sounds from these multi-instrumentalists. The outcome, Underneath the Marquee, is a live-sounding, improvised, warm, and well-crafted record, although not over-produced. That fact that most of the tracks were recorded live gives it the immediate sound that the band were attempting to capture for this group of songs.

The new album shows a return to guitar-driven songwriting for the group, a sound which characterized most of their early 7"s. What remains the same is #poundsign#'s knack for writing simple pop melodies, surrounded by multi-layered instrumentation. Underneath the Marquee is like bare-bones #poundsign#. It feels live, not too overworked, an expression of a moment in time.

pressing details: 2000 cds

ALL MUSIC GUIDE
On #poundsign#'s sophomore effort, the San Francisco-based quartet continues their fresh blend of dreamy indie pop, a mix that has earned the band worldwide acclaim. Despite some of the bandmembers moving away from the Bay Area of California, the band was still able to coordinate the recording of their follow-up to 1998's Wavelength album, also on Fantastic Records. On Underneath the Marquee, the band has diversified their instrumental repertoire, adding organ, sitar, synthesizer, and piano to the mix. All members take turns singing, with bassist Jaime Knight singing his first lead on "S.L.C." Stephen Vesecky croons on the virtual title track, "Matinee Sunday," which includes a line which references the album's title. It's the disc-opener and was originally featured on a compilation on San Francisco's Paris Caramel Records. Vesecky sings on four of the album's songs, and they're all gems, especially "I Had a Nightmare (And You Were in It)" and "Coffee Flavoured Friend." He has a uniquely placid and calm vocal demeanor, singing over sweet pop instrumentation. Alicia Vanden Heuvel sings lead vocals on three tracks: the sublime "The Best Day," the orchestral "Piano Song," and the slow-motion sweetness of the song "Tears." Drummer Becky Barron chimes in on three songs as well, on the synthesizer-rich "Vitamin Dee" and on the disc's final two tracks, the melancholy "It's Easy" and the jangly and festive "Oh! Dolly." The songs were recorded in 2000 at Napoleon Valley Studios and were produced by the band with assistance from Wyatt Cusick of the Aislers Set. — Stephen Cramer

UC Santa Cruz Fish Rap
It's been a long time coming for Poundsign's second full-length release. Reviewing this band is an interesting task for me, because for roughly five years I've followed their progression and can scarcely conceive of the indiepop realm without them. Trouble is, I'm sure many of you, dear readers, are entirely unfamiliar with the group. And while ideally this co-ed bunch of UCSC alumni deserves to sell at least two thousand records a week, there are only two thousand copies of Underneath the Marquee in existence.

In the 3+ years since the release of their first album, Wavelength, Poundsign seemed to have fallen off the map for awhile. Alicia Vanden Heuvel's newer band, the Aislers Set, have achieved more notoriety than Poundsign in about half as many years, and their frequent touring and local performances seemed to be making the Aislers a full-time gig. Several moves from their home base in San Francisco to Scotland and New York also cast doubt on the future. but at last, they are back in fine form, and largely, back in San Francisco.

What makes Poundsign such a super group is their ability to swap instruments and vocal leads with one another and sound like the same band. They've always benefited from multiple vocalists, but on Wavelength, Stephen took center stage. Underneath... showcases each member on lead vocals, and feels distinctly different from the equally wonderful, if less eclectic, Wavelength LP. The leadoff track, Stephen's "Matinee Sunday," is an up-tempo celebration of the afternoon movie date, and of the friend who works the door ("I've got a friend and he works at the Castro/We'll get in for free and sit in the last row.") At times, Poundsign may be a bit too cute for some, but the seriousness with which they approach their craft ensures that they can't be accused of being too twee or amaturish.

The arrangements, from organ flourishes to vocal harmonies to a rolling tom hit at just the right time, are always so subtle that one never loses sight of the song as a whole. That even goes for "It's Easy," where a sitar enters the mix. Poundsign never tries too hard to catch the listener's attention with anything flashy, and for that reason, some new element will become noticeable with each listen. Alicia's "The Best Day" sounds like the Softies backed by the Velvets. Jaime's "S.L.C" seems very Magnetic Fields. Becky's "Oh! Dolly!," the final track, has a slight Revolver-era Beatles feel, primarily due to the vocal effect. "Coffee Flavoured Friend" seems to be a perfect counterpart to Wavelength's "Lou Gehrig," perhaps too close, but it's nonetheless a great song. Alicia's "Tears" would impress Burt Bacharach and maybe even Phil Spector, and seems reminiscent of Shivika-sung Papas Fritas. All in all, the record is unmistakably Poundsign, even while exploring new terrain. It seems that it is Stephen's songs that hold most strictly to the old Poundsign jangly guitar formula (though are still excellent in their own right), while it is Becky and Alicia's tunes that seem most surprising. Nonetheless, Stephen's "I Had a Nightmare (And You Were In It)" is helplessly addictive and is destined to make an appearance on many, many mixtapes.

When Alicia asks on "Tears," "What good is love, written in a song, anyway?", Underneath the Marquee makes even the greatest skeptic argue against the futility of love written in a song. If you need music rife with social commentary, come on over, and I'll lend you some Gang of Four records. Just dont neglect the simple pleasures of Poundsign...[if anyone has the rest of the review, please send it my way] - Brian Cunningham