The Fall (2006-07) In May 2006 after several members of U.K. Band
The Fall quit mid-tour, McCord was recruited by frontman
Mark E. Smith to join The Fall along with guitarist
Tim Presley and bassist Rob Barbato. McCord toured the US and Europe with the band, The 2006-07 lineup was a pleasant one for The Fall, absent the infighting that marked most of the band's numerous incarnations.
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (2007-present) Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were formed in Los Angeles in 2007 by frontman
Alex Ebert. McCord met Ebert at a mutual friend's party and then again while jogging in
Elysian Park, where Ebert asked him to join the band. They released their debut album
Up From Below in 2009, followed by
Here in 2012, a
self-titled album in 2013, and
PersonA in 2016. The group won the
Grammy Award for Best Music Film in 2013 for the documentary
Big Easy Express. McCord incorporates African influences in his work with the band, using a hybridization of drum set,
marimba,
conga,
djembe and
electronic percussion. McCord played marimba on Alex Ebert's score for the 2013 film
All Is Lost, which won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
Solo work On January 26, 2018, McCord's debut solo album,
Recovery Inhale, was released on Sound Creature Records. The album is composed of "hypnotic instrumental pieces... treading the line between new age and minimalist ambient music." "Ghost Ship", the first single, was released in December 2017. On the album, McCord performs all instruments, predominantly effected
marimba and
kalimba.
Other work McCord has intermittently toured as drummer for
Cass McCombs since 2007 and has played on four of his albums. He was formerly the drummer and percussion leader in
Fool's Gold, an LA pop band whose music incorporates African rhythms. In 2010, he played with
Harper Simon as a duo at the
Festival au Désert in
Mali, outside of
Timbuktu. They also performed there with the
Tuareg band
Tinariwen. In 2014, McCord and
Mikael Jorgensen (pianist/keyboardist for
Wilco) formed the duo Prism Break, inspired by early 1970s German experimental rock. McCord has also performed with
Ima Robot,
Jack Johnson,
Dawes and
He's My Brother She's My Sister.
Chromasonic Chromasonic, founded in 2019 by McCord, Joel Shearer,
Johannes Girardoni and Harriet Girardoni, is a series of immersive light and sound experiences to inspire expanded states of awareness and connection, fostering deep relaxation and enhancing emotional well-being. The group created Chromasonic Refrequencing, which synchronizes lightwaves and soundwaves in real-time, creating synesthetic environments where light becomes audible and sound becomes visible. Data collected at Chromasonic's Satellite One permanent installation showed physiological changes, including increased parasympathetic activity and shifts in brain activity related to sensory processing and attention. In April 2024, Chromasonic collaborated with
Google on an interactive exhibition, demonstrating how color influences one's perception of the world, at
Milan Design Week in Italy. On January 8, 2025, Chromasonic Field, a 10,000-square-foot walk-through installation, opened in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. Chromasonic Field is a vibrant light and sound constellation of repeating translucent scrims that create a series of open and interstitial spaces. In the experiential environment, each of the 21 nodes is activated by a single source of light and spatialized sound, creating a bridge between the ethereal and physical. ==Personal life==