Columbus, Ohio's Moviola are a lo-fi band whose music has evolved from spare, noisy indie rock to cheerfully eccentric indie pop with a touch of jangle, a melodic sense that incorporates folk and country flavors, and an introspective, literate lyrical stance. Often compared to fellow Ohio mavericks Guided by Voices and the Ass Ponys, Moviola are cult heroes in the Buckeye State and critical favorites for their eclectic approach that's intelligent without slipping into pretentiousness. 1996's The Year You Were Born typifies the rough-edged sound of their earliest work, 1999's The Durable Dream found them embracing their indie pop instincts, 2001's Rumors of the Faithful is a more quiet and introverted set with a strong folk streak, and 2020's Scrape and Cuss boasted a playful sound reinforced by horns and keyboards. Moviola was formed in 1993 when five like-minded Ohio State University students -- Greg Bonnell (drums), Jerry Dannemiller (guitar, vocals), Ted Hattemer (bass, vocals), Jake Housh (keyboards, guitar, vocals), and Scotty Tabachnick (keyboards, guitar, vocals) -- decided to form a band. Drummer Bonnell had previously played in the Naked Skinnies with a pre-American Music Club Mark Eitzel, and bassist Hattemer also played in Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments. Adopting the name Moviola (taken from an obsolete piece of film editing equipment), the group issued their first single that year, "Waste" b/w "Gin and Tonic," and a 10" vinyl EP, Frantic, appeared in 1995, with an expanded version appearing on CD two years later on the independent Spirit of Orr label. Frantic sounded wiry, with plenty of noisy guitar, a tone that reappeared on Moviola's first full-length album, 1996's The Year You Were Born. The band's arrangements grew more expansive on 1998's Glen Echo Autoharp, and 1999's The Durable Dream was a poppier effort with a hint of jangle in the guitars. A more roots-oriented sound steeped in folk and country accents came into focus on 2001's Rumors of the Faithful, and it grew richer as the group brought in a variety of guest musicians for 2004's East of Eager and 2007's Dead Knowledge. 2007 also brought a limited-edition collection, Broken Horses, that featured rare and unreleased material recorded between 1994 and 2001. By this point, several members of Moviola were working for Ohio State rather than attending classes there, and all were still living in Columbus except Scotty Tabachnick, who had settled in Brattleboro, Vermont, but was still a part of the band. Other life commitments prevented Moviola from playing out often or touring extensively (though they rarely played outside of Ohio anyway), and they went on an informal hiatus, though the members continued to write songs. In 2019, the members of Moviola convened in a recording studio to document their most recent efforts, and the material grew into their first album in 13 years, 2020's Scrape and Cuss, which found them making greater use of horns and keyboards, though their quirky outlook was ultimately unchanged. ~ Mark Deming