User talk:Januarydre

A New January (ANJ) pulls its influences from a wide variety of genres including electronica, alternative rock, and industrial. Most notable comparisons have included bands such as Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Curve.

The band’s latest album, Cold and Naked, is the follow-up to their 1998 effort, After Clothes and commands an edgier, more abrasive sound—integrating distorted vocals, manipulated guitars, spliced break-beats, and pulsating synth lines.

ANJ began in Chicago in 1993 as a synth-pop band with André Filardo on vocals and guitar, Chris García on keyboards and Kaven Crosby on keyboards and guitar. In late 1999, A New January regrouped as André, Chris and Rich Sandrok (formerly of Chicago-based industrial-rockers, EVL) on keyboards and guitar, and has evolved into a grittier electronica-rock version of its former self.

ANJ’s first album, entitled Bleached Out Bubble Bath, was released on cassette in 1994. This collection of original synth-pop creations garnered positive feedback and led to several performances on college campuses and other small venues. They also received requests for tapes from overseas due to an early Internet presence.

In 1996, ANJ gave birth to Patchwork Shadows, the band’s second album and first CD release. Darker in tone than previous efforts, Patchwork Shadows incorporated elements of gothic and industrial music, all while maintaining a fresh and vibrant new sound.

After Clothes was released in 1998. The nine-track CD EP contained four remixes of the title track, including one by Die Warzau guru, Jim Marcus. This album brought the band deeper into the electronica realm and farther away from their synth-pop origins.

2003's Cold and Naked lends credence that A New January is a viable "alternative" to today’s alternative music.