Electric President sounds like the intersection of a quiet acoustic session and a malfunctioning computer. It is music built from the ground up in small spaces, characterized by Ben Cooper's signature breathy, layered vocals and a rhythmic foundation of clicking, popping, and whirring electronic percussion. There is a distinct sense of 'contained' energy, where big existential ideas are explored through delicate, intricate arrangements that feel like they were whispered into a microphone at 3 AM.
What makes them distinctive is the seamless marriage of folk-inspired songwriting with the 'glitch' aesthetic of the mid-2000s Morr Music era. Unlike many of their contemporaries who leaned into cold digitalism, Electric President maintains a stubborn human warmth. The use of found sounds, toy instruments, and bit-crushed drums creates a tactile, dusty texture that feels lived-in and slightly weathered, like an old polaroid of a futuristic city.
Start with their self-titled 2006 debut. It perfectly captures the project's balance of melody and experimentation, particularly on tracks like 'Insomnia' and 'Ten Thousand Lines.' It is the ideal gateway into their world of suburban melancholy and digital folk, offering a sound that is both comforting and unsettlingly perceptive.
Electric President is a Jacksonville, Florida musical group started in 2003 by Ben Cooper and Alex Kane. Both were in Helicopter Project prior to its breakup though no music from this group was ever released. Afterwards the pair decided to continue to make music together. They subsequently completed three albums in six months. Ben Cooper is also a member of Radical Face (Formerly known as Radical Face Versus Phalex Sledgehammer), Iron Orchestra, and Mother's Basement. The Electric President tracks and most of Ben Cooper's projects are recorded in a tool shed in back of his house that he has converted into a recording studio. Electric President's first release was a pseudo-eponymous album (named S/T rather than "Electric President") in early 2006, on German electronica label Morr Music. Pitchfork rated it 6.7 out of ten. They gained limited mainstream fame after their music was featured on Fox Network's hit show The OC. At the end of the thirteenth episode of season three, titled "The Pot Stirrer", the song "Insomnia" is prominently featured in the closing sequence. The record Sleep Well was released June 9, 2008 for Europe and June 24, 2008 for the US. The album received a rating score of six out of ten from PopMatters, which noted, "The various moods portrayed across Sleep Well make for a solid listen sure to keep your attention, even though everything feels a bit safe." In 2009 Electric President left Morr Music and released their third album, The Violent Blue, with Fake Four Inc. It was given a rating of six by PopMatters. The album was largely made up of songs left over from the making of the group's previous album, Sleep Well. After The Violent Blue, Electric President went into hiatus as Alex Kane wanted to further his career and Ben Cooper focused on other projects, like Radical Face. Electric President's mix of glitch, electronica and indie songwriting has been compared to The Postal Service, Styrofoam, The Weakerthans and Anticon's cLOUDDEAD. In 2013, Ben Cooper announced on the Radical Face website that himself and Alex were planning a fourth Electric President album. He also hinted that it could be a dance record.
Shares lo fi, layered dense, analog warmth (production style); breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style)
Shares indie pop, dream pop, glitch (subgenres); lo fi, layered dense, analog warmth (production style)
Shares indie pop, dream pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares indie pop, acoustic folk (subgenres); late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style); late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares lo fi, layered dense, analog warmth (production style); late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere)
Shares breathy, gentle, harmonized (vocal style); lo fi, layered dense, analog warmth (production style)
Shares late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere); layered dense, analog warmth, bedroom production (production style)
Shares late night, rainy day, urban night (atmosphere); indie pop, dream pop, glitch (subgenres)
Shares indie pop, dream pop (subgenres); melancholic, wistful, dreamy (moods)
Shares indietronica, glitch, dream pop, breathy (signature)
Shares indietronica, dream pop, breathy, bedroom production (signature)
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