A Brief History of Left Brain

When you think quirky pop-rock, you think: Left Brain.

The duo has had a consistent lineup since forming more than twenty years ago, and while the output has been scant, it's managed to stay fresh and topical and eminently listenable. Songwriters Paul Nordquist and Amy Guskin form the band, and perform most of the tracks themselves (with the occasional appearance of guest musicians).

Initially teasing the listening public with their first foray into duo-dom, Run, Left Brain quickly followed up with the tongue-in-cheek Aural Sects, an album of satirical, punk-influenced songs. Water came just as vinyl was disappearing from shelves, and thus became Left Brain's final square-format cover art. Water's increased commercial sensibillities proved too constricting for the band, and so the followup, Fast Food for Cat People returned Left Brain to their more successful "homegrown" feel and sound. Raspberry Park, the last complete album from Left Brain, was the culmination of their style, featuring remakes of such classics as England and offering new fare such as Moon Base Bop.

Left Brain is back in the studio in 2009, hard at work on more quirkiness and topicality than ever. When not writing and recording for Left Brain, Paul is a writer, and composer of film music, and Amy is a writer and a graphic and web designer.