Jump the Fence (Release: May 3, 2008) TRACK LIST: 1. Rome 2. Never a Harbor 3. Secrets of the Burgh 4. Spotlights 5. Up to You 6. Self Portrait 7. Boston and Alone 8. Chicago CREDITS: Produced by Brian Humphrey and Cobalt Mixing and Engineering by Brian Humphrey Additional Engineering by Jeff Piper Recorded and Mixed at Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, IL Mastered by Gary Cobb at ARS Studios, Alsip, IL Horn Arrangements by Craig Dreyer and Alie Plotsky Album Art Designed by Louisa LeMauviel Cover Photo by Andrew Plotsky Piano, Keyboard, and Organ - Josh Lava Tenor Sax - Craig Dreyer Cello - Meg Risso Trombone - Dan Gingold Organ - Pete Foss Mandolin - Brian Humphrey Additional purcussion - Jeff Piper THE BACKSTORY: Our most exciting, most professional project yet. If feels like growing up to fit the suit you used to play in as a kid. We knew we wanted the next record to be big. Really big. So we dreamed big. While on tour in January 2007 there were two CDs that we listened to in Tom's Van (aka Seabiscuit, aka the Batmovan) far more than any others. They were Say Anything's ...Is a Real Boy and State Radio's Us Against the Crown. Mike had been a fan of the State Radio CD for some time already but the rest of the band never really paid much attention when he raved about it until they were all in the van together, hearing the CD over and over, and realizing that they all really liked it. We especially liked tracks 2 and 3 - "Mr. Larkin" and "Camilo." Fast Forward about 7 months... Cobalt has taken root in Chicago, things are going better than we dared to hope, and everyone agrees its time to get back in the studio and try to get our recorded material caught up to the quality of our ever-changing live show. We wanted a real-live *producer* to make our songs pop. But we sure as hell didn't know any producers. Then Mike suggested, "How about we get that guy who did tracks 2 and 3 on State Radio's album?" No one really took Mike seriosly when he said that. I mean, State Radio is the new project of Chad Urmston from the wildly successful band DISPATCH - he can probably buy any producer he wants and WE ain't got no money. Matt outright scoffed at Mike. Tom and Alie knew better than that. Mike made some phone calls. The next thing we knew Producer/Engineer/Mixer Brian Humphrey was calling us back during his lunch breaks from the Diana Ross project he was working on in LA. And it turns out he's 28 and from Elyria, Ohio, just a few minutes from Oberlin. And he can tell we're a whole lot of fun and he's pumped to get out of LA for a while and make a record with a young, enthusiastic band from Chicago. And then Brian makes some calls and gets us a deal at the legendary Chicago Recording Company. And then we're touring the studios and a platinum record of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is on the wall. And so, in conclusion, in early December we will be recording a new record - 8 songs - at the Chicago Recording Company that will be produced, engineered, and mixed by Brian Humphrey. and we're really, REALLY pumped.