Centro-matic falls within the vanguard of post-alt-country indie rock that Jeff Tweedy began to define with Wilco, after Uncle Tupelo's demise. Centro-matic's music, though reliant on poppy hooks, also contains a fair amount of experimentation. Not quite as alt-country-ish as Ryan Adams or Okkervil River, Centro-matic blends warm, often plucked, acoustic guitars and the occasional kicked-in distortion pedal with the multi-layered falsetto of former Funland drummer, Will Johnson. Some of Centro-matic's members cross over into the side project: South San Gabriel.
After a dispute with early label Steve Records over the rights to the album [album artist=Centro-matic]Redo the Stacks in 1997 in which the label wouldn't let them re-release it, Centro-matic began releasing a slew of recordings from the late 90s to the beginning of the millennium. They received a boost when the album Flashes and Cables was mentioned in mainsteam musical media outlets. Eventually the dispute over their early album was settled when the contract over its rights ran out. The album is now available on other labels.