The indie pop outfit the Balustrade Ensemble took shape in San Francisco when songwriter and guitarist Grant Miller, formerly of Mandible Chatter, joined forces with arranger and engineer Scott Solter—known for his work with Tarentel, Charles Atlas, Boxharp, Mountain Goats, John Vanderslice, and Pattern Is Movement—and vocalist Wendy Allen of Boxharp. Supporting the core trio on recordings are keyboard player Matt Henry Cunitz, pedal steel guitarist Ryan Rosenberg, pianist Liam Singer, and cellist Rich Vaughan. The members chose to characterize their atmospheric sound with the term “steampunk-ambient,” borrowing “steampunk” from science fiction literature where it had been coined to denote Victorian-era imaginings of the future by writers such as Jules Verne and to serve as a counterpart to “cyberpunk.” Their earliest illustration of the style appeared after the band secured a deal with the hometown Dynamophone Records label, issuing the debut album Capsules on November 5, 2007, ahead of a worldwide release scheduled for May 13, 2008.
