Pinback

Though Pinback's lineup shifts with various supporting musicians, the creative core remains the duo of Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow, whose work defines some of the West Coast's most intricate postmodern indie pop. The pair launched the project as a casual recording endeavor in the opening days of 1998, drawing on Smith's background in the San Diego-based Three Mile Pilot and Crow's involvement with Thingy and Heavy Vegetable. As Three Mile Pilot entered an open-ended break and Crow paused several other endeavors, the collaboration expanded. Working exclusively on Smith's home computer, they brought in Three Mile Pilot drummer Tom Zinsor; by August the sessions yielded fourteen tracks of delicate, canonic pop originally earmarked for San Diego's Vinyl Communications. A Tim/Kerr label showcase at the North by Northwest Music Festival sparked sudden label interest, triggering a bidding war that produced contract disputes and kept the album sidelined for nearly twelve months.

Once those obligations were resolved, the band signed with New Jersey's Ace Fu Records, which issued the self-titled debut in early 1999—nearly a year after completion. Their established ties to West Coast indie scenes and the blend of their varied musical histories earned immediate praise. The following year's Some Voices EP, released on Tree Records, revealed a more lo-fi, elemental dimension while extending the thoughtful songcraft of the debut album. On their second full-length, Blue Screen Life, the group pursued a cleaner musical approach, favoring melody and classic indie textures over ornate rock elements.

Pinback's first Touch & Go release, Summer in Abaddon, arrived in fall 2004 and further stretched their intricate arrangements without abandoning indie-pop foundations. Two years afterward came Nautical Antiques, a Touch & Go compilation of B-sides and rarities recorded between 1998 and 2001. Their next Touch & Go album, Autumn of the Seraphs, appeared in 2007. After a five-year gap, 2012's Information Retrieved showed the band comfortably resuming its melodic path. In 2015 Crow stated plans to sharply curtail his musical work once ongoing recordings were finished.