Talkdemonic

Talkdemonic are an experimental indie rock duo begun in December 2002 as an outlet for multi-instrumentalist Kevin O'Connor to satisfy his fixation with instrumental hip-hop and electronic music. Fitting in amidst the budding "folktronic hop" scene, the other half to O'Connor — who plays drums, guitar, synths, bass, programming beats, and much more — is Lisa Molinaro on viola and synths. Their first album, Mutinysunshine, was recorded over the course of a year and issued by Portland's Lucky Madison in April 2004. Subsequent shows were played across the United States with Modernstate, hooking up with the Joggers and Menomena mid-summer. A West Coast tour followed the next June. Talkdemonic appeared at the CMJ Musicfest in the fall of 2005, and spent time on the road through early 2006 with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and the National. Their follow-up, Beat Romantic, appeared in March on Arena Rock. The duo moved in a more organic direction for 2008's Eyes at Half Mast, then spent a considerable amount of time touring in support of the album. They returned to the studio in 2010, and continued work on their fourth album into the following year along with touring with Modest Mouse in summer 2011. Around that time, Talkdemonic signed to Glacial Pace Records, which released Ruins that October.