iSound

Adam Richman hated college biology. As eukaryotes wept for the boy who would never love them back, Richman, usually drumming on his faux-wood desk and drowning out the class lecture, was becoming immersed in a science of his own. "It's as educational as it is expressive," says the indie pop whiz kid. "Beyond writing - exploring how to physically document every sound that I imagine is an articulation and a science unto itself." The sound of Richman's recorded music is lush and layered as if there was an arsenal of rockers behind him. But there isn't. Instead, there is just one young, versatile newcomer, playing every instrument and performing the sonic experiments of producer, engineer and mixer - in a suburban basement. "I'm a mad scientist," says 22-year old Richman, who's played the guitar and piano since elementary school, and accompanied and recorded himself with computers since the age of 12. "Somewhere in my youth I had a vision of being f...