What's in a name? Evidentially, a lot if you're Seattle-based band Say Hi To Your Mom, who recently shortened their moniker to the simpler and less cheeky "Say Hi". Why? "I've been meaning to do it for a long time," the quirky man behind the music, Eric Elbogen (who is often joined on stage by a rotating cast of friends), has explained. "It just seemed a perfect opportunity with the new record having a lot less songs about stuff like robots and vampires. It just seemed appropriate to me."

The album in question, The Wishes And The Glitch, confirms that the abridgment hasn't affected the band's dance-happy yet melancholy sound; like his previous four releases, it features adorable cover art and geek-friendly subject matter, like video games and crushes. "It is a bit different," Elbogen has said. "I tried to change up some of the ways that I go about songwriting. I tried very hard not to make it over the top in terms of gushing about all of my fears, desires and dreams. Which, I think, I ended up doing for the most part. But yeah, I would agree that it is a more personal and somber record. The hope is always to get better as you go along."

Lucky for us, Elbogen is touring the West Coast in support of the album, and will hit L.A. tomorrow night at Spaceland with another of my favorites, Brooklyn-based indie crooner Kevin Devine. Listen to a few of the new Say Hi tracks on their MySpace page (including the one I have stuck on repeat, "Zero to Love") and click here to grab your tickets for the show!

Spaceland is located at 1717 Silver Lake Boulevard, (323) 662-7728.

- Caroline Stanley

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