When not working as a UX designer at Hot, I spend an inordinate amount of my remaining time making recordings and playing shows as part of The Invisible Cities. I’m pleased to be able to say that we released our second album, “Houses Shine Like Teeth,” last week! It took three years to make, so we’re very happy it’s finally out in the world (and off our to-do lists).
The Invisible Cities began in 2001 in San Francisco when I met Sadie Contini on craigslist, where she posted an ad looking for an accompanist for a songwriting class. We then started collaborating with band members in San Francisco and in New York, including my brother Gary Wang (bass, arrangements) and Tim Bulkley (drums). Our first album, “Watertown,” came out in 2004 and was praised on many best-of-the-year lists. Playing regularly around the city, the Invisible Cities won the “Best Indie Pop Band” award in the 2005 San Francisco Bay Guardian’s Reader Poll. With the addition of singer-songwriter Goh Nakamura on guitar, the band recorded basic tracks for “Houses Shine Like Teeth,” at New, Improved Recording in Oakland and Tiny Telephone in San Francisco. The remote collaboration between San Francisco and New York required the band to work in a new way, and as a result much of the recording took place in the homes of the various band members, building upon and editing each other’s work like a musical version of exquisite corpse.
To celebrate our album’s release, the Invisible Cities are offering “Houses Shine Like Teeth” as a free download to the first 500 fans who visit our site. As a special treat, the album comes with a bonus mp3 “mix tape” of songs curated by the band and featuring many of our talented friends.
To get the download, go to:
http://www.theinvisiblecities.com/huzzah/
and enter the code HOTSTUDIO
While you’re on the site, you can listen to a few of the tracks via the player above the album image if you so choose.
