The Stage Is Set And The Show Is Beginning

Jason Falkner. Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. Brian Reitzell. All names that Too Poppers are likely familiar with. For context, how about Jellyfish, Moog Cookbook, The Grays, Imperial Drag, Air, and Beck? All three have been in or worked with those artists and together, they are TV Eyes.

I've been covering TV Eyes since the early days of Too Poppy. She's a Study was the first tune we all heard, instantly hooking us with the keyboards and beats that uncannily sound more authentic 80s than merely reverential 80s. Their debut album was finally released in 2006 after several months and years of being teased. Sadly, it was only released in Japan, as was their follow-up EP.

We should've seen this coming. Omnivore Recordings clearly must be run by fans of Jellyfish and its many branches - er, tentacles - given their ongoing reissue campaign. Indeed, on October 7, Omnivore is finally releasing TV Eyes' debut album stateside complete with most of the Softcore EP. CD. Digital. Yellow vinyl! I'll let the trailer finish this post off...



Pre-order

Assimilation Process

TV Eyes (the 80s new wavey side band featuring Falkner and Manning of Jellyfish) have a new release! It's merely an EP called Softcore, but it features a few new tunes and several remixes of songs from their full-length.

The bummer is that so far, this - like their full-length - is only available via Japan. You can order the import at Amazon.com or you can order it from CDJapan, which Manning recommends. I bought one of Manning's albums from CDJapan and I was impressed at how quickly I actually received it despite their warnings that it could take awhile.

So, why no downloads to make this easier for North American fans? Can't be too tough to get it on iTunes, emusic, or any of the other outlets. Take a cue from fellow popsters The Major Labels who have figured this thing out. Harumph.

Tracks:

1. STOP ME
2. ASSIMILATION PROCESS
3. WON'T LAST FOREVER
4. FASCINATING (JASON FALKNER REMIX)
5. SHE'S A STUDY (ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR. 'MALIBU' REMIX)
6. FADE AWAY (QURULI 'NOISE MCCARTNEY' REMIX)
7. TIME'S UP (BRIAN REITZELL REMIX)

Order the one with the DVD - it appears to be the same price as the regular release ($15-ish) although it is region-2 encoded (making it that much more frustrating.)

I Dreamt About a Tranquil Sunday Drive, a Sensory Lullaby

Love to share Jellyfish-related news!

First, I finally received my TV Eyes Japanese self-titled release. You may or may not remember that 2/3 of TV Eyes consists of former Jellyfishers Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Jason Falkner. I'm only about halfway through and I already knew three of the songs I've listened to, but it's awesome. It's total 80s new wave synthy stylings, but it's much truer to that sound than newer bands like The Killers and Interpol. Very cool. Can't wait to listen to the rest.

Speaking of Jason Falkner, his new album is finished (as of October) and he's currently shopping it around in hopes of an early 2007 release. It's been a long time since his last one so this is definitely welcome news.

Finally, this summer we'll see a full-blown Jellyfish tribute album featuring Bellybutton and Spilt Milk in their entirety. No word yet on who and exactly when, and I wouldn't expect big names, but there is a special page on that MySpace everyone is talking about. Evidently, this will be one of the artists on the release. Sounds great! Might be an awesome way to discover new Jellyfish-loving talent!

It's Up To You

Could it be? Could TV Eyes finally be seeing a release date? TV Eyes is a band featuring former Jellyfishers Roger Joseph Manning Jr. and Jason Falkner, along with Falkner's frequent collaborator Brian Reitzell. This synth-driven new wavish 80s-type project began way back in 2000 and has only produced a 12" single for She's a Study that sold out fast. While browsing Amazon, though, I discovered this: it looks like TV Eyes is getting a release in Japan on 11/17! I checked out Roger's site as well as the official TV Eyes site to get any news on it, but no luck. This could be extremely cool news in a season in which we already heard the excellent L.E.O. release. For now, keep your fingers crossed, sample tracks here, and watch the video for She's a Study here.