My Robot Friend

My Robot Friend is an electro-pop project from New York City comprised of performance artist and producer Howard Robot. Born Howard Rigberg and influenced by Devo, Kraftwerk, and the Pet Shop Boys, he made his full-length album debut in 2002 with Hot Action! Originally self-released, the album spawned a few singles ("The Fix," "Walt Whitman," "Why Won't You Call Me Back?") and was re-released in 2004 by the Proptronix label. The follow-up album, Dial 0 (2006), was released on the Scottish label Soma Quality Recordings. It features several collaborations, most notably a guest feature by vocalist Antony Hegarty (of Antony and the Johnsons fame) on "One More Try," plus cover versions of Luna's "23 Minutes in Brussels" and Blondie's "Rapture." Third album Soft-Core (2009) was another collaborative effort, featuring guest appearances by guitarist Dean Wareham (of Luna and Galaxie 500 fame), vocalist Alison Moyet (of Yazoo fame), and drummer Joey Waronker (of Beck and R.E.M. fame). Released on Double Feature Records, the album spawned the single "Robot High School." Besides his recording output, My Robot Friend is known for his live performances, which find him in a homemade robot costume with lights and all.