quinta-feira, 30 de janeiro de 2014

The Perfect Prescription with Flavor Crystals - An Interview


Three lancado em 15 de maio de 2012 é o terceiro album do grandioso Flavor Crystals, diretamente de Minneapolis para ser a banda de abertura em 2012 do BJM, e durante esta turnê foi criado o conceitual, eloquente e soberbo, Three, um album triplo, vinil branco, que simplesmente passeia por psicodelismo sessentista, kraut, viagens ácidas, trips delirantes, shoegazing, de forma delirante vão se passando os seis lados dos vinis e viagens e mais viagens fluem....

Three é majestoso, grandioso tanto pela sua concepcão como pela sonoridade, tudo no album exprime liberdade, um desejo sem tamanho de que não há limites, a música do Flavor Crystal é assim, uma ode sem tamanho e precedente a liberdade de ser livre, não deixe de se aventurar.


***** Interview with Flavor Crystals *****


Q. When did Flavor Crystals starts, tell us about the history...
Well, we really got going with the release of “On Plastic” in 2005. We kind of found our sound making that record. Self recorded at our own pace and with very little confidence that it was actually music. I am really proud of my bandmates on this one. Dr. Dan Miller (lefty guitar) and Nick Foerster (drums) really helped create what we still are now. We really learned to share a vision and fumble through the darkness together.

Our second was “Ambergris” was created with Kramer (Bongwater, Low, Galaxie 500) in just a week’s time. We were totally unprepared, but I think that sparked some magic. It gave us the confidence to make mistakes and live with them, for others’ sake. Keep the humanity in the music. Kramer was a riot and I still think of him all the time. He captured our essence and it felt so fresh because of how quickly it all came together.

“Three” came after touring with the BJM. We went through a lineup change and two fantastic musicians joined us…Vince Caro (guitar) and Dr. Jon Menke (drums). I cannot speak for the others, but I was going through immense personal strife during this period, so much of this music feels darker and sadder to me, but hopefully some find that uplifting. Finishing this triple album was pretty difficult, but it really saved me. Nat Stensland (also our bassist) did a phenomenal job recording and editing this music. In many ways it was Nat and I dragging the new guys into a primitive cave and pummeling them with noises until they could no longer see straight…in a delicate way. They are proper Flavor Crystals now.

A fourth album is getting close to completion and I think it is similar in tone to “Three” but hopefully more beautiful. There are new pretty sounds, and it is more concise and emotionally direct.

Last spring we toured with LSD and the Search for God and the Telescopes, which was so amazing. In a roundabout way, this led to collaborating with Stephen Lawrie of the Telescopes, this fall, which was a near-religious experience. Then Ricky Maymi shows up out of nowhere and we make a single. It’ll be a split with Carsick Cars from Beijing! Now he’s got us heading to the west coast in March to join the China rock revolution…viva la guitarrorrissimo!?!


Q: Who are your influences?
We probably couldn’t agree on much as a band, but the purity of Komische music, the spirit of true psychedelia and the mood of shoegaze all exert gravitational pull on us. We try to draw inspiration from explorers we love, but the goal really is to explore our collective innerworld and share it with the outerworld.

Q. Made a list of 5 albums of all time…
These keep on haunting me but there are so many more:
Spacemen 3- Perfect Prescription: a gateway drug album to the discovery of Suicide.
My Bloody Valentine- Isn’t Anything: guitars as brutal love toys
Sonic Youth-Washing Machine: stare into the heart of a lonely storm
Can-Future Days: way beyond autobahn, this is space travel
Michael Rother- Flammende Herzen: inner beauty, shared fearlessly The Clean-Vehicle: pure human spirit. I cheated. This is 6.

Q. How do you fell playing alive?
In our early days it was terrifying. Now it is probably the time I feel the most alive and connected to the world. This music has brought us together with so many wonderful friends, and it’s our chance to share. And fuck with our pedals.

Q. How do you describe Flavor Crystals sounds?
It’s hard to be objective, but mostly I hear us. It’s a blur and we wobble.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Its really spontaneous at first…the basic tracks are sometimes written without any discussion or direction. Then we labor over it…we fuss more over how sounds are balanced than over our own performances. Is that wrong?

Q. Which new bands do you recommended?
I mostly listen to old records…studying the history of magic.

Lately I am in awe of some of our fellow Minneapolis bands. Magic Castles are just fantastic, Chatham Rise, Gospel Gossip, Food Pyramid, the Chambermaids and a whole bunch of related projects continually blow my mind. Great people too. Kind of makes it hard to want to leave town.

Beaches, Tamaryn, Lorelle meets the Obsolete https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix6Dr74VeCg

Carsick Cars, Dear Eloise, both from China… http://carsickcars.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-3-ep

Q: Which bands you love to made a cover version?
We are mostly terrible at playing covers. I recently tricked the band into covering “Into Eternity” by Farah. I hope we record it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqlFTXFFV2o

Q: What´s the plans for future...
Take place in a 28 Hour Drone in Minneapolis (Drone not Drones) February 7+8 We are headed to the West Coast of the US with Carsick Cars and White +…so excited to break out of our shell and witness history. Finish this damn record. Then…build a sonic rainbow bridge to Europe.

Q: Any parting words?
Thank you for taking interest in us and supporting all of this fantastic music!
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Thanks guys

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flavor-Crystals/245453957509

http://flavorcrystals.bandcamp.com/album/three