Crime in Choir's The Hoop serves up more of the band's fascinating instrumental music, which draws from math-rock, prog, pop and jazz influences...Crime in Choir's fondness for intricate keyboards definitely has its roots in prog-rock, but in the band's hands, they give the music its own uniquely dark sparkle...though Crime in Choir's pieces feature lots of different, shifting ideas and parts, the band's music never feels abrupt or slapped together. While some of Crime in Choir's influences hark back to the '70s, the band's music doesn't sound tied to any particular place or time, adding to its evocative qualities. -- Heather Phares (AMG)

The Ebb & Flow: Roshy Kheshti’s arsenal of Moog synthesizers and Farfisa organ chirp and swell alongside Sam Tsitrin’s cubist telecaster hooks and dissonant harmonies. Sara Cassetti’s ’60s Slingerland kit marches with the deep groove of the Farfisa pedals creating the solid foundation for the Ebb & Flow’s songs. Lyricists Roshy and Sam take turns at the mic bringing a level of stylistic variation to the repertoire. The Ebb & Flow bring the tense balance of San Francisco's tectonic shifts to the surface through an aural montage that unites kraut-rock, 70’s prog, soul, post-rock, jazz and synth-pop. They channel the sounds of the future through the organic, analog instruments of the past.

Continental: Formed in 1999, the band has been gigging around the Bay Area more or less incessantly for the past four years; you might've already heard of these guys. But if you haven't heard Continental's latest record, Four-Letter Words, then you haven't heard squat. While it's not much of a departure, it's proof that this instrumental quintet has really got its shit together. Over nine tracks of pensive post-rock bliss, the band takes its jazz-inflected, Tortoise-inspired jams to entirely new heights. Perfect Sunday afternoon music. - East Bay Express, 6/19/03


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