Thrift Store Music: United States of Electronica

Name: United States of Electronica
Album: s/t
Year: 2004
Style: Electronic, Dance, Disco
Similar Bands: Basement Jaxx, Junior Senior, Andrew WK, Daft Punk, Parry Grip
"One-Word" Review: Non Stop Automated Party Rock
Based Out Of: Seattle, Washington
Label: Manaheim, Sonic Boom Recordings

CD & Inner Case

Front & Back

United States of Electronica (2004)

It Is On 4:40 (single - Japan)
Emerald City 4:05 (single)
Climb the Walls (Umbrella of Love) 4:36
All Sounds & All People 0:45
Open Your Eyes 3:35
Takin' It All the Way 5:14
...City of Stars 1:04
Night Shift 4:58
There's Always Music 4:33
Vamos A La Playa 4:43
...the Chase 0:39
La Discoteca 4:20

Album Rating (1-10): 7.0

Members & Other Bands:

Jason Holstrom - Guitar, Vox, Recording, Mastering (Wonderful, Aqueduct, Dolour, Bobby Karate)
Jon E. Rock - Drums, Vox (Wonderful, Dolour)
Peter Sali - Guitar, Vox (Wonderful, The Kalendar Band)
Noah Star Weaver - Keys, Vocoder (Wonderful, Shane Tutmarc & Travelling Mercies, Rosie Thomas, Dolour)
Derek Chan - Bass
Carly Nicklaus - Vox (The Catch, Bruno Pronsato, Michael Vermillion)
Amanda Okonek - Vox
PJ Ramey - Additional Performance
Phil Peterson - Additional Performance (Portugal. The Man, The Bluebird, Sherri Youngward, Pedro the Lion, Rivulets & Violets, Nevada Bachelors, Sarah Shannon, Dear John Letters, Holly Figueroa, Kutless, Demon Hunter, Rosie Thomas, Late Tuesday, Holland, David LaMotte, Leroy M Bell, Wonderful, Dead Poetic, Seven Places. Ken Stringfello, Jeremy Camp, Mastodon, Verona, Lashes, Kutless, Harvey Danger, Acceptance, Brandi Carlile, J. Tillman, Ruth, Owl City, Posies, John Totten, Wavves, Maroon 5, Deniz Tek, Vance Joy, Benny Blanco, Rose Blossom Punch)
Shane Tutmarc - Additional Performance (Dolour, Gatsbys American Dream, Traveling Mercies, Star Anna)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band. Picked up the CD in a bin, probably based on the word Electronica in the name. I'm hoping this is a fun rock-electronic hybrid album that's catchy but not too much into the techno genre, even if the cover looks like a spray-painted template of a rave.

Album Review: The band formed as an experimental joke, part joke, part way to express a more fun musical environment, and when it was received well by the audience, the band Wonderful decided to start the side project. They only had this one album for a while, self released & funded, and eventually picked up & distributed. It performed well in Japan, and eventually released a follow up in 2009. Apparently they played a one-off reunion show in 2019, but the members still have side projects they work on.

The album is more mainstream acceptable with elements of pop rock and standard catchy party songs than other full-on electronic bands, and the atmosphere they create is a care free fun world. It falls somewhere between Daft Punk ("Emerald City" borrows from "Around the World's" vocoder melody) and the amusing tongue in cheek silly songs of Parry Gripp, with a little Vengaboys + dicso thrown in. It starts strong and falters toward the end, whether it be out of tedium or a stronger, padded front.

Stand Out Track: Emerald City

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