Kelley Polar

Initially known for providing the strings on tracks by Metro Area ("The Art of Hot," "Caught Up," "Miura") and Metro Area's Morgan Geist ("24K"), Kelley Polar (last name first, adjective last; real name: Mike Kelley, the brother of Blevin Blectum) began releasing a series of 12" singles in 2002. Released on Environ and featuring assistance from label head Geist, 2002's Audition, 2003's Recital, and 2004's Rococo were somewhat similar to Metro Area's singles -- in detail, inspiration, and basic construction -- but different enough to avoid redundancy. In 2005, Kelley took an abrupt turn and came up with Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens, a ten-song, 40-minute album rooted in pop, featuring his vocals throughout. He followed it with 2008's I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling, which was even more ambitious and idiosyncratic. Geist's Double Night Time and Junior Boys' Begone Dull Care both featured his input. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi