The Baltimore-based indie pop rockers are known for their “tuneful-wistful rock” (The Washington Post) and “literate, yet still youthful” sound (Allmusic). The Seldon Plan spent the last few years taking on a busy tour schedule—including shows with Explosions in the Sky, The Stills, Now It's Overhead, The Octopus Project, Matt Pond PA and Hammer No More The Fingers. The band has also made numerous appearances on radio, television, and film over the past few years while keeping a strong DIY ethic.
After the acclaimed release of 2009's Lost and Found and Lost, praised for its “catchy simple melodies awash with lush vocals, hip full guitars, and a hint of Flaming Lips” by artist/composer Mark Degli Antoni (David Byrne/Soul Coughing) and dubbed “smart pop with no wasted space” by record producer Brian McTernan (Senses Fail/Piebald/Thrice), the band took a break from touring and recording.
In early 2010, Dave Hirner (bass) and Nestor recruited Frank Corl (drums) and Chris Ehrich (guitars/vocals) to play a live performance and interview with Jack Rabid (editor, The Big Takeover) at The Kennel Studios in Brooklyn, NY. Energized by the performance, characterized by Jack Rabid as “more insistent hard indie rock greatness from The Seldon Plan”, Nestor, Hirner, Corl, and Ehrich decided to record two video singles, "Millennials" and "China Blue" for release during summer, 2010 as a way to explore the medium of video.
Coalizione del Volere, the new album from The Seldon Plan, is a direct descendant of these video sessions-reflective of a desire of the band to step back to a more Dischord-era-like guitar-driven rock sound, akin to 2005's Making Circles but with the softer, more mature edge of 2007’s The Collective Now. On Coalizione del Volere, the band seems intent on exploring a more angular guitar rock sound within the context of focused melodies and textured intricate harmonies. Listeners who have enjoyed The Seldon Plan through their first four records will delight as The Big Takeover has at the “Baltimore foursome’s continued maturation."
To this end, the band presents a mature Seldon Plan sound, an amalgam of influences that can be heard but do not define Coalizione del Volere. The use of strong and repeatable melodies is reminiscent of the American Analog Set, yet the technicolor layers of Coalizione del Volere bring to mind Let Go-era Nada Surf and Bandwagonesque by Teenage Fanclub. To drive home this past/present dichotomy The Seldon Plan has teamed up again with engineer Frank Marchand (The Thermals, Bob Mould), who worked with the band on 2005's Making Circles, and 2007's The Collective Now.
