Awesome New Republic 'Rational Geographic 2' album

Miami's hottest export, Awesome New Republic, is back. Started in 2004 by music school classmates Michael John Hancock (MJ) and Brian Robertson (B-Rob), the guys are set to follow up their critically-acclaimed 2005 debut, 'ANR So Far', with a series of EPs to be released throughout 2009. Starting with 'Rational Geographic Vol 1', released earlier this year, and continuing through Vol 3, coming out in the fall, it's going to be a busy few months for these South Floridians.

ANR are leaders of a thriving art and indie movement that's exploded in South Florida; The New York Times recently called it a "tropical Bohemia in the makings." Any band hoping to make it in the diverse and somewhat isolated environs of Miami needs to be immediately arresting, artistically inventive, and incredibly dedicated. ANR are all three.

Mixing a four-on-the floor backbeat of Franz Ferdinand with a falsetto worthy of Jake Shears and some synth lines that would warm Neil Tennant's heart, ANR make indie rock with an electronic edge that would get any room dancing. Honestly. At a recent weekday New York City show (crowds don't get much more dance-averse), ANR had everyone moving.

Awesome New Republic tour dates
Tue/06-09 Orlando, FL Backbooth
Wed/06-10 Pensacola, FL Sluggos
Fri/06-12 Dallas, TX The Prophet Bar
Tue/06-16 Los Angeles, CA Dim Mak Tuesdays @ Cinespace
Wed/06-17 Los Angeles,CA Club Moscow @ Boardners
Thu/06-18 San Diego, CA Ruby Room
Mon/06-22 SaltLake City, UT Urban Lounge
Tue/06-23 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Wed/06-24 Lincoln, NE The Pi House - Late Night Show
Thu/06-25 Kansas City, MO The Brick
Sat/06-27 Atlanta,GA Drunken Unicorn
Tue/06-30 Tampa, FL Crowbar

Awesome New Republic biography
Awesome New Republic is a 2-piece indie band from Miami, FL comprised of core members Michael John Hancock and Brian Robertson. MJ and B-Rob both graduated from the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami and have been cultivating their sound for the past 3 years. ANR self-released their first album ANR So Far to critical and popular acclaim in 2005. ANR have toured the South East, East Coast, and North East with such acts as Girl Talk and The New Deal. After a successful 2008 CMJ, the band headed back into the studio to complete Rational Geographic Volume I which they will be supporting and touring around for the bulk of spring. The disc will be the first in a series of 3 volumes to be released in 2009. Volume II will be released in July and Volume III (with 3 volume bundle) in October.

RATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW.

Rational Geographic, the new album by Awesome New Republic, is a self contained trilogy of six song cycles inspired by the parallels between George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy and the past thirty-plus years of American government. All of this might sound a bit heavy handed, though the idea evolved organically and subtly as singer John Hancock and keyboardist B. Rob E. Robertson recorded the new album and began taking notice of the similar moods in each third of their work in progress to the corresponding films in Lucas' masterpiece.

From the slightly goofy, but totally serious introduction of Volume I, to the icy cold gloom and doom of Volume II, on up to the celebratory conclusion of Volume III, the similarities got the band thinking about the parallels between what they were really writing about (American society and government) and the plot of Star Wars and started to incorporate references to the films throughout. Not ones to leave the average listener alone in a world full of Washington insiders and fan-boys, ANR avoid taking their concept too far, allowing the audience to interpret on their own accord how the sex jams and breakup songs contained within relate to the album's more literal moments.

Volume I of this three volume set lays out the beginnings of the musical journey with a sampling of varied pop song forms about politics, technology, sin, and gay sex in no particular order. Lead single "Birthday" is a dance-floor gem with the prowess of Giorgio Moroder.

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Awesome New Republic - Rational Geographic 2