To date, they have released four studio albums and four EPs.
History
Early Years and The Approach (2002-2004)
I:Scintilla was conceptualized in Champaign, IL in Jim Cookas' bedroom in October 2002. In January 2003, Chad Mines joined the group as bassist followed shortly by Jason Allen on guitar and programming in March. Upon formation, they immediately began writing their debut album, The Approach while still searching for a vocalist. Many singers were auditioned before finding Brittany Bindrim, who they found to be a perfect fit. The album was finished and self-released on July 29, 2004. The album contained early versions of many songs that would appear on later albums.
Alfa-Matrix and Havestar (2005-2006)
After a previously full year of nonstop live performances, I:Scintilla was discovered and signed by Belgian electro label Alfa-Matrix. In March 2005, Jason Allen left the band and Chad Mines moved to guitar. Bethany Whisenhunt was brought on to play bass.The band continued to work on the release of its first EP, Havestar, while providing material for a future full-length album.
The Havestar EP was released by Alfa-Matrix in the summer of 2006. In addition to a few re-mastered songs from The Approach, remixes by Combichrist, Diskonnekted, Neikka RPM, Implant, and Klutae are included.
The Havestar EP also highlights the first collaboration with producer and artist Wade Alin, who is known for music works Christ Analogue, The Atomica Project, and Scanalyzer. This collaborative process adds a consistent working sound quality that carries forward to I:Scintilla's following full-length album Optics.
After its release, Havestar peaked at #13 on the Deutsche Alternative Charts Top 20 Singles list.
Optics and The Immortal Tour (2007-2008)
I:Scintilla released their second full-length album Optics in June 2007. The album consisted of many older, reworked songs as well as multiple new releases. Optics was released in single-CD format as well as a two-disc edition, containing a second disc entirely of remixes by bands such as Combichrist, Clan of Xymox, and Ego Likeness.
While this album was being made, Mines and Whisenhunt departed the band. Instead of replacing the members, Jim Cookas began programming the bass parts and played all of the guitar parts.
Optics peaked at #6 on the Deutsche Alternative Charts Top 10 Albums list, and was featured in multiple alternative magazines. Preceding the album release, I:Scintilla performed at Wave-Gotik-Treffen in May 2007.
I:Scintilla joined with the then-Tallahassee-based darkwave band The Crüxshadows and Canadian electro act Ayria for the U.S. stretch of The Crüxshadows' Immortal Tour in 2008. At this point, the band incorporated two new members, Justin Pogue (keytarist) and Vincent Grech (drums). Up until then, the drums had all been done through a drum machine.
Dying & Falling (2009-2011)
In 2009, keytarist Justin Pogue left the band and moved to Florida, where he was a DJ under the name DJ Halon at the now-closed Club Rayn's popular Industrial music and Alternative Rock night, Blue Monday. In the band he was replaced by Brent Leitner (guitar/programming).
On December 4, 2009, I:Scintilla released an EP titled Prey On You. The EP contained three new songs and five remixes of these songs. Two songs, Prey On You and Ammunition, were later released on I:Scintilla's third full-length album Dying & Falling (formerly called Redshift), which was released on November 26, 2010. Like Optics, this album was released with a single disc version and a limited edition containing a second disc. This second disc contained the third song from the Prey On You, another previously unreleased track, and nine remixes.
Over the next year I:Scintilla toured lightly, with most of their shows being in their hometown of Chicago. Around December 2012, Brandon Chase was brought in to fill the long empty bass position, making the band a quintet. However, he left I:Scintilla the following August to focus on his own bands.
The Marrow EPs (2012-Current)
In 2012, I:Scintilla announced they would be releasing a series of EPs entitled "Marrow". The first of these EPs, Marrow 1, was released on October 15, 2012. This album was a dramatic change in musical styles. Abandoning their signature metal-electronica style, this album had a more acoustic sound to it. With five tracks, Marrow 1 contained one new song, Drag Along, two reworked versions from songs previously on Dying & Falling, as well as two covers.
Shortly after the December 12, 2012 release of Marrow 1, a new single was digitally released containing a new song, Skin Tight, and two remixes of Skin Tight. A month later, I:Scintilla announced a remix contest for Skin Tight as well as a new album, Marrow 2. The winning remix artist would have their song featured on the upcoming album. The band received 64 submissions and allowed their fan base to vote on which song should be included on the album. The votes were cast in a unique fashion counting cash donations as votes. All proceeds from the votes were donated to the Amnesty International charity.
Marrow 2 was released on May 2, 2013 and marked a return to their signature style. The album contains four new studio recordings as well as four remixes.
In January 2013, Brittany Bindrim launched her own company, Black Dove Design Company. The company focuses on graphic design, programming, and fine arts. The Marrow series album covers are all illustrated by Brittany and are part of her illustration portfolio for Black Dove.
On September 21, 2018, i:Scintilla released Swayed, their first full-length studio album in nine years.
Machine Vision
I:Scintilla Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spiritual efficiency to assume control
Songs of confession, repression to the bone
A synchronizing light pulse, a hypnotizing tone
Manipulation
Reduce the noise
Binarization
Drowning in the unseen
Scream a selfish warning
By whose grace are you saved?
In the slow degrade
In moral bankruptcy
By whose mercy are you freed?
Hollow chants of the unseen
Won't wipe dirty mouths clean
Steel assembly line, define the others' fate
Blind the believers, a blend of church and state
Who calls upon you, claim they shall be saved
We will all love you conform, submit, behave
Interpretation
A black and white
Examination
Project your light
A nuance detected, burnt halo overthrown
Myth of light projected, can't erase your own shadow
The first four lines of I:Scintilla's song, "Machine Vision," mention a desire for something to corrode divisions and encourage spiritual efficiency to take control. This could be interpreted as a critique of society's reliance on machines and technology. It seems like the singer longs for something that will undo the damage caused by the overuse and overreliance on these things. The following two lines reference "Songs of confession, repression to the bone" – this could be interpreted as the need to confess to the things that we suppress so that we can move towards healing.
The next stanza mentions "manipulation" and "binarization," which further underscores the idea that the singer is criticizing humanity's dependence on machines. These lines imply that perhaps we are reducing ourselves to mere numbers and losing our souls in the process. The following lines continue to describe the negative effects of this technology. People are "drowning in the unseen" and screaming "a selfish warning," which perhaps alludes to the idea that people are becoming increasingly self-centered and disconnected from each other.
In the last stanza, I:Scintilla makes a reference to the "steel assembly line" and describes a society in which the church and state are blended. The lines "We will all love you conform, submit, behave" could be interpreted as a warning about the dangers of blindly following authority. The final lines of the song, with the reference to the "myth of light projected" and the inability to "erase your own shadow," suggest that there may be something that is being hidden from view – some truth that we refuse to acknowledge.
Line by Line Meaning
Longing for visions, divisions to corrode
Desire for distorted perceptions, desire for conflicts to destroy
Spiritual efficiency to assume control
Ability to manipulate spirituality to gain power
Songs of confession, repression to the bone
Melodies of admitting guilt, melodies of oppression cutting deep
A synchronizing light pulse, a hypnotizing tone
A rhythmical flashing light, a captivating sound
Manipulation
The act of cunningly controlling
Reduce the noise
Minimize external interruptions
Binarization
The division into two distinct categories to fix and destroy
Fix and destroy
Repair and annihilate
Drowning in the unseen
Submerging in the hidden
Scream a selfish warning
Yell a self-directed sign
By whose grace are you saved?
Due to whose generosity are you spared?
In the slow degrade
During the gradual deterioration
In moral bankruptcy
In ethical insolvency
By whose mercy are you freed?
Due to whose compassion are you liberated?
Hollow chants of the unseen
Meaningless repetitions of those who cannot be visioned
Won't wipe dirty mouths clean
Won't cleanse defiled speech
Steel assembly line, define the others' fate
Cold industrial seriation, decide destiny of the rest
Blind the believers, a blend of church and state
Deceive the faithful, mix politics and religion
Who calls upon you, claim they shall be saved
Those who invoke you, assert they'll be rescued
We will all love you conform, submit, behave
We will all adore you, comply, obey
Interpretation
The process of assigning meaning
A black and white
A simplistic, polar distinction
Examination
The act of scrutinizing
Project your light
Emit your brightness
A nuance detected, burnt halo overthrown
A subtle refinement noticed, a destroyed good image
Myth of light projected, can't erase your own shadow
Fable of brightness created, cannot eliminate own dark presence
Contributed by David D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.