by Stewart Mason - All Media Guide
Part of the loosely defined group of modern indie rock bands heavily influenced by first-generation shoegazers like My Bloody Valentine, the Jesus and Mary Chain, the Cocteau Twins, and Slowdive (see also Ringo Deathstarr and Asobi Seksu, among others), San Francisco's Foxtail Somersault sound uncannily like the sort of band that would have been the toast of college radio circa 1990. Guitarist Seiken Nakama formed Foxtail Somersault in 2004 after moving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. In the now time-honored tradition of posting ads on Craigslist, Nakama found singer, guitarist, and lyricist Catherine Howland (whose dreamy, helium-pitched vocal style is entirely within the post-Liz Fraser shoegazer tradition), lead guitarist James Spadaro, bassist Brian Anderson, and drummer Mark Dungey and began to forge a blend of ambient pop influences ranging across the temporal spectrum from Brian Eno's early solo career to contemporary post-rockers like Broken Social Scene and Explosions in the Sky. The band's debut EP, Fathom, was released by Vibraphone Records in the spring of 2007.