The Color Bars

Gerald Slevin, a New York-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, launched The Color Bars in 2003 as his personal recording endeavor. His work drew from a fusion of pop from the 1960s and 1970s with the psychedelic breadth associated with the Flaming Lips and the Elephant 6 indie scene, yielding songs that typically took the shape of melodic, meticulously assembled pop numbers marked by an enigmatic edge and a dry, ironic wit. The initial lineup assembled as a trio, with Slevin covering bass and keys, John English handling guitar, and Dave Spelber on drums. That configuration yielded a self-titled debut EP in 2003 and the first full-length album, Making Playthings, in 2005. A short-term move to Seattle enabled the group to track its second album, Kairos at Infinity, released in 2008, after which they secured a contract with 5D Records, the Japanese EMI imprint. Several West Coast tours and a subsequent trip to Japan ensued before the members returned and reestablished themselves in Brooklyn, New York. Following the closure of 5D, the band reassembled, operating chiefly as a duo, and Slevin and Spelber completed their third LP, the expansive and ambitious Prosopopoeia, in 2011.