Scrabbel

The San Francisco-based project Scrabbel make knotty-yet-breezy, wry-yet-whimsical indie pop tunes. In their moodier moments they bring to mind Mates of State and American Analog Set, and in their spun-sugariest moments they conjure up Tiger Trap and Heavenly. Dan Lee and #poundsign#'s Becky Barron teamed up to form Scrabbel in 1999, and the duo made their live debut alongside the Aislers Set at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival the following year. Scrabbel's self-titled debut full-length was released on Kittridge Records in 2001. Barron left Scrabbel the following year, eventually going on to work with Dressy Bessy. At this point, Scrabbel essentially became Lee's project. When he wasn't busy with other obligations (i.e. filling in as the Aislers Set's keyboardist during their 2003 tour), Lee was working on Scrabbel. The band's sophomore album, 1909, was released in 2004 on Three Ring Records; the disc featured a fresh lineup that included cellist Helen Jo, the Aislers Set's Alicia Vanden Heuval, and Ladybug Transistor's Gary Olson. By the following year, Scrabbel's new lineup solidified into a six-piece group comprised of Lee, Jo, Stanley Lam, Chris Cline, Aya Nakamura, and Atsushi Murase. The group self-released a limited-edition EP, Hijacked Tunes, the following year. A single, "Emily, I," was released online via Three Ring in 2008. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide