A collaboration between Hella guitarist Spencer Seim and folksy singer/songwriter Aaron Ross (who also played with Hella while the band experimented with an expanded lineup), Solos combines its members distinct styles to create something spastic and wonderfully effervescent. Featuring Seim on drums and Ross handling vocal and guitar duties, Solos' sound is explosive and melodic, washing over the listener with a kind of frantic joy that serves as a nice contrast to Hella's hyperkinetic abrasiveness. After heading into the studio with producer Guy Massey, the duo made its full-length debut in 2012 with Beast of Both Worlds, which was released on Joyful Noise. ~ Gregory Heaney