Heave Media

Missed Out Music

Sometimes an album gets lost in the shuffle. We remind you that good music never goes away.

The Pulsars are considered a member of the brief "geek rock" explosion of the mid-nineties. Bands like The Rentals, Cibo Matto and The Magnetic Fields would fit nicely into this equation. The Pulsars 1997 debut [now out of print] will most likely fade into analog oblivion.

The Pulsars came under my radar while working my boyhood dream job at the local Record Swap. The self-tilted album sat idle in the used bin until one of my co-workers said, "This record will change your life." It did. Their short-lived career, no thanks to poor marketing on behalf of the now defunct Almo Sounds label, was an integral part of my exploration into rickety old synthesizers.

Chicago natives Dave and Harry Trumfio, along with unofficial third member Theodore 3000 [sequencer], crafted one of the most instantly accessible debut albums of the 90's. Songs like "Runway," "Suffocation" and "Tunnel Song" are instant lost classics of Chicago rock lore. One could easily dismiss the album as cheap knock-off of early 80's nostalgia, but people in the "know" discovered a warm, funny and rocking experience of hit after hit after hit.

These days Dave Trumfio spends his time producing bands like OkGO, while brother Harry became a dentist. There was a long rumored second album floating around that never saw the light of day, as Almo by then had folded. If anyone knows the whereabouts or existence of said item, please let us at HEAVE know.

The Pulsars - Runway

Posted by Joe Roth on Nov 06, 2007 @ 12:00 am