Com uma discografia impecavel, passando pelos essenciais Ends in Light, Stay Inside/Feel Everything, Daylight Storms alguns singles e eps tão intensos quanto os albuns é fato que Matt Bartram, vocais, guitarras e baixo, Ben Pierce, baixo, Richard Parks, teclados, guitarras, James Harrison, bateria e percussão e ian Sheridan guitarras e feedbacks tornaram-se referencia dentre as inumeras bandas da nova geração que resgataram as paredes de guitarras e os sons dos ceus.
Eu como fã confesso, aguardava anciosamente o novo album, e como coloquei em post anterior comecei a mantar contato com o pessoal da gravadora dos caras o Club AC30 tem que um cast de matar de inveja a qualquer outro selo, e fui gentilmente agraciado primeiramente com o single Low December Sun que é um dos pontos altos do novissimo Nothing To Wish For (Nothing To Lose), mas não para por ai, algumas canções passam do status de magistrais é o caso da delirante Don´t Wait ´Til Morning, ou ainda a sedutora Meltdown, um literal desfile de preciosidades desde abertura com Three Years Pass até a apoteose final com Distant Silhouettes, deixam claro o porque o Air Formation esta acima do certo e do errado, facilmente este Nothing to Wish For (Nothing to Lose) sera um dos albuns do ano.
Aproveitando a ocasião, consegui uma entrevista com Matt Bartram via Club AC30 onde a historia do Air Formation é contada em detalhes, sentimentos diversos são passados a cada questão, ah sim, abaixo colocarei uma versão em baixa resolução do já classico Nothing to Wish For (Nothing to Lose), só recomendo um detalhe, use o arquivo como aperitivo somente, porque o ideal é ter esta preciosidade da musica moderna.
***** Interview with Matt Bartram, Air Formation *****
Q: Let’s talk about the early years…when did Air Formation starts, tell us about the history...
A. Ben & I have been in bands together since around 1991 and through various line-up changes we became 'b.e.a.b Approved' towards the end of that decade. After we released the first 7" our keyboard player left so we asked Richard to join, and that is when things started to take shape. We were about to release an EP called ‘Air Formation’ through Drive-in Records who asked us to make sure it was ok to use the name b.e.a.b Approved. We asked the real b.e.a.b Approved, they said “no” and set their legal team on us…. We liked ‘Air Formation’ so we changed it to that, changing the name was a blessing, it drew a line under everything we had done before and gave us a fresh start.
Q: Who are your influences/heroes?
A. As a band we all have very diverse tastes. I don’t think I could narrow it down to a particular group of artists, I guess I’m just influenced by good songs, songs that make you want to get up and plug the guitar in. ‘Love is a Wave’ by Crystal Stilts is one off those tracks that I’ve recently been enjoying, music that makes you want to create your own.. I grew up in a house where music was always around me, 50’s Rock & Roll, 60’s girl groups, Johnny Cash and a unhealthy does of teen tragedy songs, like ‘Tell Laura I love her’ & ‘Johnny Remember Me’. Maybe that’s where my love for dark and melancholic music comes from.
Q. Made a list of 5 albuns of all time…
A. Some of my favourites are:
The Cure - Disintegration
Flying Saucer Attack - Further
Spiritualized - Pure Phase
The Jesus & Mary Chain – Psychocandy
The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat
Q: Tell us about the Air Formation´s gigs... how do you fell playing alive?
A. We enjoy it, it's where the songs come to life... however, we only tend to play when we are asked and up until now we haven't really been asked that much. People assume we're averse to playing live.... which isn't the case.
Q. How do you describe Air Formation´s sounds?
A. Dark and atmospheric with a glimmer of hope. I find it very hard to describe it… I let the listeners do it for me.
Q: In your opinion what´s the best Air Formation´s ep, song, album....etc...
A. Our new album ‘Nothing To Wish For (Nothing To Lose)’. It's a great album start to finish; it's very diverse and dynamic, fresh and exciting. We all worked really hard on it and I think it shows.
Q: Tell us about the process of recording the new album?
A. We rehearsed all the songs over a 6 month period until we thought they were ready and at the right stage to record, we really wanted to have the songs fully established this time before recording them. Last time some of the songs were fairly new and I’m not sure we all had our heads around them. We wanted this album to be a 100% band effort, whereas last time it really wasn’t, so we talked a lot more about the songs, the sounds and what we all wanted to achieve which gave us far more direction.
We then spent a couple of months slowly demoing all the tracks at my house which were then sent to Pat Collier. Once we were happy with what we had we went in and recorded it live. We’re very lucky to be able record with Pat who makes the process very easy and enjoyable. He came up with some really nice ideas and really took onboard our thoughts and opinions.
Once the recording had finished, we mixed it gradually with Pat over the space of a few weeks, taking some time out to listen to the rough mixes at home and then going back in with fresh ears to do whatever needed to be done… Listening to Daylight Storms being mixed solidly for 3 or 4 days just did our heads in. It was something we were very keen not to repeat.
Q. What´s represents the shoegazer classic era to Air Formation?
A. I don't know really, when I was at school my friends had posters of Slowdive & MBV posters on their bedroom walls, was that the classic era? I probably wasn’t paying attention…
Q. And about the new shoegazer scene all over the world,..which new bands you recommended?
A. I honestly have very little knowledge about the “Shoegaze” scene... I own a few 'Ringo Deathstarr' releases and I really enjoy those, ‘Malory’ are still out there making quality music and 'Soft Focus' by ‘Oppressed by the Line’ is a fantastic album. All very different, but all add different dimensions to the genre, which is the most important thing.
Q: Which bands you love to made a cover version?
A. None really... I haven't the patience to put the effort into learning someone else's song. I'd rather spend the time getting my own songs to sound better. A few years ago we did a cover of Moose's 'Suzanne' for Club AC30, mainly because it was the easiest to figure out but also as it was a less obvious choice of song to cover. To be honest I don’t think anyone else in the band really enjoyed doing it.
Q: What´s the plans for future....
A. We're not really looking past the new album for the time being. We want to get out and play these new songs for a while. I'm constantly writing and have a bunch of new ones rough demo'd so that I don’t forget them, but it's better to let things take their own course and we'll work on them over this year and probably the next. If they’re good enough maybe we’ll do another album.
The thing about Air Formation is that we’re all very close friends, even if we weren’t releasing records we’d still be getting together and making music, after 10 years or more rehearsals have become just as much of a social gathering which is probably why we’ve lasted as long as we have….
Q: Any parting words?
A. Nothing To Wish For (Nothing to Lose) is out 1st March 2010 on Club AC30.
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Thanks friends of Air Formation and Club AC30
www.airformation.com
www.myspace.com/airformation
www.clubac30.com
Air Formation - Nothing To Wish For (Nothing to Lose) - www.mediafire.com/?mitnlwjtgqz
