The Blakes return with new album 'Art of Losses'

"I love older music, the stripped-down, straight-forward approach," says Snow Keim, one of the two brothers and founding members of The Blakes. "But we don't want to replicate the past. We've tried really hard to push ahead and still do our own thing. We're classic in who we are, but we sound modern in the 21st century."

Critically acclaimed trio The Blakes (Snow Keim, Garnet Keim, Bob Husak) return with a new album, Art of Losses, on July 24, 2012.

In 34 minutes, the 12-track album zips through dreamy pop, electro-tinged rock, moody post-punk and lo-fi guitars mixed with big harmonies.

To begin working on Art of Losses, the band chose to leave their urban Seattle trappings for the Maine countryside.

When asked what prompted the non-conformist move, Garnet Keim lead singer for The Blakes noted, "Seattle is an exceptionally supportive and musically diverse city and ultimately inspired us to follow our own musical path."

Relocating to a more rural environment proved to be the right choice as the band began recording Art of Losses.

"We unplugged the TV, radio and Internet," says Garnet. "That's why we have some softer, more emotive moments on here and some new sounds. This record was about listening to ourselves. Lyrically there’s an overarching theme of sadness and loss - as the album title suggests. We had a lot of loss during the recording, in both friends and family. It was everywhere around us."

The Blakes came together in 2001, self-releasing several albums and a handful of EPs all the while touring extensively. In 2007, they signed with the Seattle-based label Light In the Attic, releasing the Streets EP and later reissuing their self-titled full-length. They quickly became local favorites in Seattle after KEXP began spinning their records.

For Art of Losses, The Blakes are reaching out to their fans directly through fan-funding platform PledgeMusic. Through the platform, fans can pre-order the album and purchase exclusive items such as signed vinyl, hand crafted copper and sterling earrings, The Blakes hand made chapstick, a signed guitar, an acoustic house concert and much more.

The Blakes have performed at numerous festivals through their career including Lollapalooza, Sasquatch, SxSW, Bumbershoot and CMJ and their music has been placed on a variety of different TV shows and movies including, How I Met Your Mother, Royal Pains, Beverly Hills 90210 and countless MTV shows.

The Blakes plan to tour this summer and through the end of the year behind Art of Losses, out July 24, 2012.

"Dandy Warhols-ish swampy guitars, twitchy Strokes rhythms, and power-pop vocal harmonies, offering an energetic and unmannered romp through modern rock radio." - PITCHFORK

"Innocent and raunchy, wide-eyed and tunnel-visioned, all at once." - NPR

Photo credit: David Belisle

The Blakes Official Website