If you think online dating is difficult, try forming a band that way. For Noise Floor, the experiment, less than two years nascent in San Diego, is now an experience. This part-bionic power trio just
unpinned their debut self-produced release, and if they didn’t kill it, it certainly is critically wounded.

Pull out your vinyl and spread ‘em around. Grab some Y2K era radio rock – mix in an EP from the Broken Social Scene tree – toss in anything Maynard – and spin it all up with the production value and auricular pop rocks of the here and now. The album’s content bowls you over in waves while their angel provocateur, Sarah McTaggart, oscillates powerfully between bellows and whispers. Her lyrics are both curt and current, and at other times, easy dreamy.

Right off the top, “Scrape” wields munitions of triplets until opening up into a multi-tracked travel through sustaining melodies, paired with intense rhythmic impulsion courtesy of drummer, Jon Garcia. “Neon White” and “Loud” both carry the weight of any 91.1 staples, yet deliver innovating hooks while pissing in the face of traditional verse-chorus-verse styling.

“Slo Town Girl” and “Virga” are the pace changers, highlighting the collaborative synergy between bassist/producer Mike Panek and McTaggart. Finally, the true gem in the jacket is “Sparks & Chemicals,” cleverly shifting from bounce to buoyancy while McTaggart reflects, “I struggle with counterfeit consciousness.”

I was able to reach Panek, also known as “MikePan,” for comment. He simply stated, “No animals were harmed in the making of this record.”

Noise Floor recently won NBC San Diego’s Garage2glory contest, and spotted up on Sound Diego Live, a weekly broadcast following Saturday Night Live, hosted by Tim Pyles of 94.9. The event was filmed at the El Dorado lounge, just a few blocks away from City College.