This one has been out for a few months, but I just recently got around to listening to it this past weekend.  Hailing from San Francisco, Geographer look very little like the band I was picturing in my head when first giving Myth a spin.  The expansive sound feels like the work of a much larger band, as opposed to a trio with synths, drums and... cello?

Yes, cello, the instrument I played when I was 6 and begged my parents to let me quit.  If I had known the possibilities of the instrument back then, as displayed by Nathan Biaz through his tasteful array of effects and processors, I would have stuck it out.  As impressive as it is, it's not the technical aspect of the band that sets them apart, it's the songwriting.  Myth is packed to the brim with catchy hooks, beautifully rendered by Michael Deni's confident, soulful vocals.  The band transitions from the synth layering on album opener "Life of Crime" to the more straightforward guitar rock on "The Myth of Youth" with ease.  Other highlights include the melancholy ballad "The Boulder" and the plucky, melodic synth lines on "Kites".

I've heard the band compared to a number of other bands, including MGMT, Snow Patrol, even (yeesh) Coldplay, but the band reminds me more of fellow San Francisco based band Birds & Batteries as far as their approach to utilizing electronics.  The gear is used as merely a tool to compliment the songs, as opposed to being the attraction itself.  Coming from this direction, there's more variety to be found than on the average electronic release, giving the group an extra dose of character that really speaks to me.