Biography

The electropop trio TV Eyes were formed in 2000 by drummer/producer Brian Reitzell (Redd Kross, Air), keyboardist Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. (Jellyfish, Beck), and singer/guitarist Jason Falkner (Jellyfish, the Grays). Following the completion of his work with the French duo Air on their soundtrack for the Virgin Suicides film, Reitzell was approached by Emperor Norton Records to embark on another soundtrack project, this time scoring an imaginary sequel to the sci-fi film Logan's Run, to be titled Logan's Sanctuary. Enamored of the idea, he enlisted Manning to collaborate on the project and the duo eventually brought in Falkner to contribute vocals and guitar on a few songs. Having enjoyed the process so much, the three decided to start a new project inspired by the sound of early-'80s electropop and post-punk bands like Killing Joke, Gary Numan, and Japan. TV Eyes were an inspired combo, with Falkner and Manning having previously been bandmates in the seminal power pop group Jellyfish and Reitzell drumming for Redd Kross. Working slowly as their busy schedules permitted, they meticulously pieced together an album that blended their combined power pop sensibilities with a metered, angular, synth pop approach. Completed in 2003, their self-titled debut sat on the shelf until 2006 when it was released in Japan. Only a handful of shows were ever performed and the record eventually went out of print, becoming a much sought-after collector's item. In 2014, pop-centric reissue label Omnivore finally gave TV Eyes a proper worldwide release, complete with four unreleased bonus tracks. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi