Guitarist Jason Buehler and percussionist Mark Shirazi make up Portland’s experimental duo Nice Nice. Although the pair started performing together during the mid-’90s, they waited until 1999 to take the name Nice Nice. Right away, their spontaneous improvisations and quick-witted exchanges shaped the sound heard on both their recordings and concert appearances. The self-titled debut EP came out in 2001 via the Archigramophone imprint, after which a single appeared on White Denim and tracks surfaced on compilations from the same label plus Tigerbeat6. Chrome, their debut full-length, followed in 2003 and highlighted an inventive blend of live playing with real-time effects processing. The more expansive Yesss! EP arrived the next year. Between 2005 and 2006 they placed material with Audraglint and Audiodregs while also issuing a limited seasonal EP series through Temporary Residence. Buehler and Shirazi joined Cex for his 2006 album Actual Fucking. That same year they joined the Warp Records roster and devoted the subsequent period to crafting their next album. The late-2009 single One Hit offered the first preview, and the additional track “See Waves,” included on the label’s 2010 compilation, led directly to Actual Wow, an effort intended to translate the energy and range of their live performances onto record.
