Someone should tell Eric Elbogen that maturity is highly overrated. Elbogen is the one-man creative force behind Say Hi, which was previously went by the much better name of Say Hi to Your Mom. Sure, that name may be immature and juvenile, but it’s also totally awesome; changing it is like the Butthole Surfers changing their name to the Surfers. What’s the point? Needless name changes aside, Say Hi’s latest release, The Wishes and the Glitch, is a solid collection of low-fi synth-rock numbers that should appeal to fans of the band no matter what name they’re currently using. While Elbogen may have changed the band’s name in an effort to grow up, his songwriting has not changed, so fans of his vampire and robot-themed tracks on previous albums should be happy that he’s kept his kooky sense of humor intact with tracks like “Northwestern Girls” and “Magic Beans and Truth Machines.” Say Hi might be a little too mellow for synth-pop fans, but indie-rocker hipsters looking to expand their musical collection into the electronic arena should find this to be a good one to try out. (LABEL: Euphobia Records 2008)
