Linfinity
Linfinity are a New York City based group of musicians who helped form a band around enigmatic front man Dylan Von Wagner. He began the project in 2007 when he recorded an EP with a few friends at The Walkmen’s Marcata studio in Harlem. Those songs caught the attention of St. Ives Records (a vinyl only imprint of Secretly Canadian), who later released a full album of demos titled Live at Marcata – a solo acoustic endeavor.
Von Wagner soon began assembling a permanent cast to comprise Linfinity the group. Far from roll actors, the band members provided input and influence, adding their own artistic vision and direction to Linfinity’s music. Russ Lemkin (drums) and Josh Collins (Guitar) pushed the idea of recording a new EP right away, believing the process would help the musicians more quickly flesh out their sound together as a band. During the summer of 2008 in a barn in New Paltz, NY, Linfinity set to work recording the self-released EP Songs of The Weeping Willow with producer Kevin McMahon (The Felice Brothers, Titus Andronicus). Lemkin and Collins were right. The band learned how to work together, feeding off each others ideas as drum lines, guitar solos and effects, and string arrangements written by Megan Berson (violin) and Collins melted together around Von Wagners songs. Though beneficial for the bands early development, the EP is also a snapshot of a troubling time in Von Wagner’s life as Linfinity completed recording while he simultaneously struggled with the unexpected loss of his father.
Yet out of tragedy came hints of light, as Songs of The Weeping Willow caught the attention of Pitchfork and Fluxblog among other tastemakers. Encouraged by the response, Linfinity began the process of rounding out an album for their full-length debut. It would not be quick however. Not willing to sacrifice quality for the sake of expediency, Von Wagner and the band would spend the next year scrapping together resources to realize their vision to its fullest. They hustled their way in and out of the studio, finishing bits and pieces at a time. In late 2009, upstart Brooklyn indie label American Myth Recordings (Lissy Trullie, Paul & The Patients) took notice and stepped in to help Linfinity finish the job. Linfinity’s Martian’s Bloom, recorded with producer Josh Hager, marks the first full-length release for the indie label.
