The Seldon Plan
Encyclopedia
The Seldon Plan is a post-rock
pop
band from Baltimore, Maryland
, United States
. It consists of Michael Nestor on guitars, keyboards and vocals and David Hirner on bass. Since 2008, Nestor and Hirner have used a rotating core of fill-in musicians to put out records. Although The Seldon Plan is primarily associated with the indie rock scene in the Northeast U.S., they have had national print, radio and television exposure and are featured in popular iPhone applications.
While primarily playing indie rock that is reminiscent of The Weakerthans
, The Feelies
, Nada Surf
and Camera Obscura
an aspect of their sound has been compared to that of emo
. Though recent records have increasingly been influenced by both indie pop
and traditional pop
.
The band was founded in 2003 by original guitarist Bobby Landle and bassist Dave Hirner. Landle chose the name for the band because of a life-long fascination with Isaac Asimov
. In late 2003 Hirner and Landle met Michael Nestor while he was working on a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine via an ad placed on a local music website. The band played a few shows using a drum machine and sometimes with fill-in drummer Austin Stahl. The earliest Seldon Plan demos feature Stahl on drums. While playing shows, the trio met drummer Mike Landavere, a traditional jazz drummer, and decided to take the band more seriously allowing Stahl to work on other projects like The Beechfields Record Label
, which released the first Seldon Plan EP.
The Seldon Plan started off by playing in non-traditional venues in and around Baltimore like art galleries and DIY spaces. Many of their early shows were part of the DIY renaissance that began in the Baltimore music scene around 2004. During the early history of the band, they gained notoriety by inviting artists, poets, and filmmakers to display their work at their concerts.
With the line-up of Landle, Landavere, Hirner and Nestor, The Seldon Plan took on a on a busy tour schedule during 2005-2007 releasing two critically acclaimed full-length records and playing shows with Explosions in the Sky
, The Stills
, Now It's Overhead
, The Octopus Project
and Matt Pond PA
. In August 2008 the band announced the addition of a new drummer and a new guitarist as both Mike Landavere (drums) and Bobby Landle (guitars and vocals) left the band. The Seldon Plan was subsequently highlighted along with Joan as Policewoman and Jason Mraz
in the December, 2008 edition of the Music Alive! magazine.
In April 2009, to announce the reformation of the band, and promote their new record, Lost and Found and Lost, the band offered a limited-time-only free download of the title track. The single was immediately highlighted by The Baltimore Sun in a multimedia showcase and Arts & Life piece discussing creativity as an outlet for economic woes.
. Although thought to be a well-produced demo, the CD was picked up by a number of college and internet radio stations and earned the band some local notoriety including a review in Allmusic.
In 2005, The Seldon Plan released their first full-length, Making Circles. Making Circles received an overwhelming number of positive reviews in the United States and in Europe. The record was featured on NPR, and was named a top 40 record of 2005 by the influential indie magazine The Big Takeover
. The record was also featured in a number of indie films, including one that aired on Current TV
in October 2005. Songs from Making Circles were also featured in some episodes of the lonelygirl15
series, a T&C Surf Design advertisement and some early iPhone applications. Although originally released by Baltimore-based label OTPRecords, Making Circles was subsequently picked up by the internet-only record label Magnatune
.
In October 2007, The Seldon Plan released their second full-length The Collective Now on Magnatune
. The Collective Now was quickly named one of the "Best Baltimore albums of 2007" by The Baltimore Sun. Again, songs from this album were licensed by lonlygirl15 and by Simplify Media for its top-rated music-streaming iPhone app. The Collective Now received some national exposure when it was discussed as part of the music debate referred to as the loudness wars. Referencing the loudness of the Magnatune release of the record, Nestor was quoted saying, "we had to compromise our principles to get noticed." The band then re-released a re-mastered version of the record in December 2007 on The Beechfields Record Label. This re-mastered version of the record was a response to the loudness wars debate. Referring to this new, quieter version Nestor said, "We're so awash in a sea of loudness, we forget what records that don't sound like that-sound like.".
The Seldon Plan's third full length, Lost and Found and Lost released in June, 2009, tackles the economic collapse of 2008 and the subsequent election of President Barack Obama
. Featuring an all new line-up, the record is influenced by temporary members Dawn Dineen and Matthew Leffler Schulman. Lost and Found and Lost has been described as "catchy simple melodies awash with lush vocals, hip full guitars,and a hint of Flaming Lips" and “smart pop with no wasted space”. Lost and Found and Lost landed another "top 40" record bid from The Big Takeover, and is the bands most pop-influenced record to date. Although Nestor was wary of putting social and political commentary into his music, the album has been described as Nestor's personal reaction to the economic recession of 2008. After embarking on an east-coast tour to support the record, the band has announced work on a new CD. Both Nestor and Hirner have said that the new CD will be darker than Lost and Found and Lost and will feature a new cast of backup musicians.
In 2011, The Seldon Plan released their fourth full length, titled Coalizione del Volere. The record features new members Frank Corl and Chris Ehrich and is a return to the more angular guitar rock oriented pop sounds of Making Circles. The record tangentially deals with the theme of mass marketing in the digital age as described by Nestor, “I used to go to the record store and buy a tape, take it home and pop it in the cassette player and pull out the liner notes," Nestor says. "Then I'd go to school and find two or three people that liked the same band and they would be my best friend. Now it's like the whole school is your best friend. How is the listening experience special? I think that's why vinyl is making such a comeback, because you don't get mass marketing. You actually have to take the record out, put it on a record player and listen to it."
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band from Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It consists of Michael Nestor on guitars, keyboards and vocals and David Hirner on bass. Since 2008, Nestor and Hirner have used a rotating core of fill-in musicians to put out records. Although The Seldon Plan is primarily associated with the indie rock scene in the Northeast U.S., they have had national print, radio and television exposure and are featured in popular iPhone applications.
While primarily playing indie rock that is reminiscent of The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans are a four-piece Canadian indie rock band.-History:The band was formed in 1997 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by John K. Samson, after he left the punk band Propagandhi to start a publishing company. Samson joined forces with bassist John P...
, The Feelies
The Feelies
The Feelies are a rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008 and most recently released an album in 2011....
, Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
and Camera Obscura
Camera obscura
The camera obscura is an optical device that projects an image of its surroundings on a screen. It is used in drawing and for entertainment, and was one of the inventions that led to photography. The device consists of a box or room with a hole in one side...
an aspect of their sound has been compared to that of emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
. Though recent records have increasingly been influenced by both indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
and traditional pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
The band was founded in 2003 by original guitarist Bobby Landle and bassist Dave Hirner. Landle chose the name for the band because of a life-long fascination with Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. In late 2003 Hirner and Landle met Michael Nestor while he was working on a Ph.D. in neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine via an ad placed on a local music website. The band played a few shows using a drum machine and sometimes with fill-in drummer Austin Stahl. The earliest Seldon Plan demos feature Stahl on drums. While playing shows, the trio met drummer Mike Landavere, a traditional jazz drummer, and decided to take the band more seriously allowing Stahl to work on other projects like The Beechfields Record Label
The Beechfields Record Label
The Beechfields Record Label is an independent not-for-profit musician's cooperative record label from Baltimore, Maryland-noted for an artist-centered approach to releasing records....
, which released the first Seldon Plan EP.
The Seldon Plan started off by playing in non-traditional venues in and around Baltimore like art galleries and DIY spaces. Many of their early shows were part of the DIY renaissance that began in the Baltimore music scene around 2004. During the early history of the band, they gained notoriety by inviting artists, poets, and filmmakers to display their work at their concerts.
With the line-up of Landle, Landavere, Hirner and Nestor, The Seldon Plan took on a on a busy tour schedule during 2005-2007 releasing two critically acclaimed full-length records and playing shows with Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky
Explosions in the Sky is an American post-rock band from Texas. The band has garnered popularity beyond the post-rock scene for their elaborately developed guitar work, narratively styled instrumentals, what they refer to as "cathartic mini-symphonies," and their enthusiastic and emotional live shows...
, The Stills
The Stills
The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
, Now It's Overhead
Now It's Overhead
Now It's Overhead were an indie rock band fronted by singer/songwriter Andy LeMaster and based in Athens, Georgia. Their first album, a self-titled collection of songs LeMaster wrote over a period of two years in the late 90s, quickly rose from a studio project to a full-time band with the...
, The Octopus Project
The Octopus Project
The Octopus Project is an American indietronica band based in Austin, Texas, active since 1999. Its unique sound, blending pop and experimental elements, is a combination of digital and electronic sounds and noises and analog equipment...
and Matt Pond PA
Matt Pond PA
Matt Pond PA is a New York based band formed in Philadelphia by singer-songwriter Matt Pond. They have released eight LPs and eight EPs since 1998....
. In August 2008 the band announced the addition of a new drummer and a new guitarist as both Mike Landavere (drums) and Bobby Landle (guitars and vocals) left the band. The Seldon Plan was subsequently highlighted along with Joan as Policewoman and Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
in the December, 2008 edition of the Music Alive! magazine.
In April 2009, to announce the reformation of the band, and promote their new record, Lost and Found and Lost, the band offered a limited-time-only free download of the title track. The single was immediately highlighted by The Baltimore Sun in a multimedia showcase and Arts & Life piece discussing creativity as an outlet for economic woes.
Releases
The Living Room EP was released in 2003 on The Beechfields Record LabelThe Beechfields Record Label
The Beechfields Record Label is an independent not-for-profit musician's cooperative record label from Baltimore, Maryland-noted for an artist-centered approach to releasing records....
. Although thought to be a well-produced demo, the CD was picked up by a number of college and internet radio stations and earned the band some local notoriety including a review in Allmusic.
In 2005, The Seldon Plan released their first full-length, Making Circles. Making Circles received an overwhelming number of positive reviews in the United States and in Europe. The record was featured on NPR, and was named a top 40 record of 2005 by the influential indie magazine The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover
The Big Takeover is a bi-annual music magazine published out of New York City since 1980 by critic Jack Rabid.-Overview:The Big T usually appears in June and December, with most recent issues coming in around 200 pages. The review section, featuring Jack’s Top 40 for the issue, is regularly 60-80...
. The record was also featured in a number of indie films, including one that aired on Current TV
Current TV
Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. Comcast owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC....
in October 2005. Songs from Making Circles were also featured in some episodes of the lonelygirl15
Lonelygirl15
lonelygirl15 was an interactive web-based video series which began in June 2006 and ran through to August 1, 2008. Developed under the working title The Children of Anchor Cove, the show gained worldwide media attention when it was outed as fictional in September 2006.-Overview:lonelygirl15...
series, a T&C Surf Design advertisement and some early iPhone applications. Although originally released by Baltimore-based label OTPRecords, Making Circles was subsequently picked up by the internet-only record label Magnatune
Magnatune
Magnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003 by John Buckman, then-CEO of e-mail software company Lyris. It aims at treating both its musicians and its customers fairly—its tagline is "We are not evil"...
.
In October 2007, The Seldon Plan released their second full-length The Collective Now on Magnatune
Magnatune
Magnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003 by John Buckman, then-CEO of e-mail software company Lyris. It aims at treating both its musicians and its customers fairly—its tagline is "We are not evil"...
. The Collective Now was quickly named one of the "Best Baltimore albums of 2007" by The Baltimore Sun. Again, songs from this album were licensed by lonlygirl15 and by Simplify Media for its top-rated music-streaming iPhone app. The Collective Now received some national exposure when it was discussed as part of the music debate referred to as the loudness wars. Referencing the loudness of the Magnatune release of the record, Nestor was quoted saying, "we had to compromise our principles to get noticed." The band then re-released a re-mastered version of the record in December 2007 on The Beechfields Record Label. This re-mastered version of the record was a response to the loudness wars debate. Referring to this new, quieter version Nestor said, "We're so awash in a sea of loudness, we forget what records that don't sound like that-sound like.".
The Seldon Plan's third full length, Lost and Found and Lost released in June, 2009, tackles the economic collapse of 2008 and the subsequent election of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. Featuring an all new line-up, the record is influenced by temporary members Dawn Dineen and Matthew Leffler Schulman. Lost and Found and Lost has been described as "catchy simple melodies awash with lush vocals, hip full guitars,and a hint of Flaming Lips" and “smart pop with no wasted space”. Lost and Found and Lost landed another "top 40" record bid from The Big Takeover, and is the bands most pop-influenced record to date. Although Nestor was wary of putting social and political commentary into his music, the album has been described as Nestor's personal reaction to the economic recession of 2008. After embarking on an east-coast tour to support the record, the band has announced work on a new CD. Both Nestor and Hirner have said that the new CD will be darker than Lost and Found and Lost and will feature a new cast of backup musicians.
In 2011, The Seldon Plan released their fourth full length, titled Coalizione del Volere. The record features new members Frank Corl and Chris Ehrich and is a return to the more angular guitar rock oriented pop sounds of Making Circles. The record tangentially deals with the theme of mass marketing in the digital age as described by Nestor, “I used to go to the record store and buy a tape, take it home and pop it in the cassette player and pull out the liner notes," Nestor says. "Then I'd go to school and find two or three people that liked the same band and they would be my best friend. Now it's like the whole school is your best friend. How is the listening experience special? I think that's why vinyl is making such a comeback, because you don't get mass marketing. You actually have to take the record out, put it on a record player and listen to it."
Discography
- The Living Room EPThe Living Room EPThe Living Room [EP] is the first album released by indie rock band The Seldon Plan, released in July, 2003.-Track listing:# "Neveragain, Michigan" - 2:49# "Charles Olsen" - 3:22# "Faker" - 3:27# "Down in a Fog" - 4:01# "You Got It " - 3:27...
(2003), The Beechfields Record LabelThe Beechfields Record LabelThe Beechfields Record Label is an independent not-for-profit musician's cooperative record label from Baltimore, Maryland-noted for an artist-centered approach to releasing records.... - Making CirclesMaking CirclesMaking Circles is the second album released by indie rock band The Seldon Plan, released in April 2005 by OTPRecords and re-released in September 2005 by Magnatune...
(2005), OTP Records - Live at the Creative Commons Salon (2006), MagnatuneMagnatuneMagnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003 by John Buckman, then-CEO of e-mail software company Lyris. It aims at treating both its musicians and its customers fairly—its tagline is "We are not evil"...
- The 2007 Magnatune Records Sampler (2007), Magnatune
- The Collective NowThe Collective Now-Track listing:# "Going Nowhere Slow" - 3:20# "Colored Lenses" - 3:43# "This Bedroom Prayer" - 3:02# "Modern Vigil" - 2:21# "Poem for the Middle Class" - 3:17# "Seraphim" - 3:31# "Brandywine Situation" - 3:22# "Saint Barnabas" - 3:53...
(2007), Magnatune (re-released on The Beechfields Record Label) - This City of Neighborhoods (Beechfields Compilation Record) (2008), The Beechfields Record Label
- Lost and Found and LostLost and Found and Lost-Track listing:# "Caldecott" – 2:18 # "Fire in Day's Field" – 2:53 # "Lost and Found and Lost" – 2:50 # "Lullabies for Old Hearts" – 2:42 # "Run, Go!" – 2:18 # "Philadelphia and a Moment" – 3:14 # "French Cinema" – 3:02...
(2009), The Beechfields Record Label, (re-released on Magnatune) - Coalizione del Volere (2011)