Sounds Under Radio
| Sounds Under Radio | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | SUR |
| Origin | Austin, Texas, United States |
| Genres | Alternative Rock |
| Members |
Lang Freeman Bradley Oliver Doug Wilson Sonny Sanchez |
Sounds Under Radio are an alternative rock band from Austin, Texas featuring Lang Freeman (vocals, guitar), Bradley Oliver (bass, keyboard), Doug Wilson (guitar), and Sonny Sanchez (drums). Their song "Portrait of a Summer Thief" was featured on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack. Sounds Under Radio was the only unsigned band (at that time) to be included in the soundtrack (amongst names like Snow Patrol, Jet, Wolfmother, The Killers, The Flaming Lips, etc.). Entertainment Weekly had this to say about that band after their inclusion in the soundtrack; "I don't know who these Sounds Under Radio folk are trying to fool, but that is a big-time rock 'n' roll band masquerading as some unsigned indie-emo whatsits." Sounds Under Radio signed with Sony/Epic Records in late 2008, but after facing inter-label turmoil, they quickly left the label in mid-2008 to release their first full length LP Cinematica (produced by Austin based producer Will Hoffman) independently. Cinematica was released on October 14, 2008.
With their sophomore release, Where My Communist Heart Meets My Capitalist Mind, Sounds Under Radio continues to build upon the foundational musical truths that they established through their first full length release 'Cinematica' (2008). These are the contrasts between light and dark, guarded and vulnerable, specific and vague that yield a stadium sized, anthemic musical demeanor juxtaposed with quiet, personal intimacy. Through their highly melodic Americanized Brit Rock flair (reminiscent of bands like Muse, Brand New, Dredge and Editors) this Austin TX rock quartet have forged an audience and a sound uniquely their own.
Members Lang Freeman, Bradley Oliver, Sonny Sanchez and Doug Wilson, first began to collaborate in mid-2005. In 2008, following complicated label politics at Epic Records, the band regained their independence and self-released 'Cinematica' which was followed by 2 years of heavy grassroots national touring in support of the album. Since 2007 the band has found a string of successes in film and TV with placements in Spider Man 3 (Sony Pictures), The Wolfman (Universal Pictures), War Games: The Dead Code (MGM Pictures) and most recently in the CW's The Vampire Diaries.
By every account ‘Where My Communist Heart Meets My Capitalist Mind’ is a record about politics- though it has nothing to do with domestic or international affairs. It is a record about people and the internal governing of the self. This is a record about the HEAD versus the HEART and how we choose to cope with their agreements and their disagreements. It explores the outcomes of when they either align, or don’t. This album is a living document of Sounds Under Radio as musicians, friends and people sifting through their our own broken pieces, reopening wounds of personal war and confronting their own deepest scars.
Utilizing themes of propaganda and covert communication, the band's ever present morse code logo also plays an integral roll in both the art and concept of this record. This is an album that investigates a marriage of opposites and the collision of conflicting forces. Intimacy is merged with moments of grandeur and beautiful things are destroyed by the grotesque... all with the purpose of seeing what remains when the dust settles. The album is slated for release May 3, 2011 through The Musebox / EMI.