segunda-feira, 22 de junho de 2015

Remain in Light with Mute Swan - An Interview


De Tucson, Arizona vem o comboio neo psicodélico Mute Swan, bebendo nas mesmas fontes de Tame Impala, Temples e afins, os caras demonstram em seu ep de estreia Feel How It Seels uma sensibilidade melódica seja nas vocalizações ou nas composições que torna-se quase inevitável não sair cantarolando mentalmente as cinco músicas do disco.

Bela estreia e um futuro que desponta desde o começo para os caras do Mute Swan.


***** Interview with Mute Swan *****



Q. When did Mute Swan started, tell us about the history...
Mute Swan started in the Spring of 2013. We were playing together before MS, sharing members between two bands: Mombasa and Peaks. The line-up was kind of an experiment but we all had very similar music taste. We started with cover songs (The Black Angels, Maserati, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Black Moth Super Rainbow) to see how we played together, then spent a year writing material before our first show, opening for Pink Mountaintops on May 7th, 2014.

Q: Who are your influences?
For non-musical influences we like 90's television, sci-fi, optical illusions, hallucinations, mirages, dreams, visions, meditation, spirituality, nature... we've learned a lot from My Bloody Valentine, Animal Collective, Tortoise, Beck, Neu!, Cocteau Twins, The Talking Heads, Boards of Canada, Stereolab, The Sea and Cake, Deer Hunter, Cave, Tame Impala, lots of psyche, shoegaze and post-rock.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Top 5 albums right now would have to be:
Loveless by MBV,
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins,
One Bedroom by the Sea and Cake,
Remain in Light by the Talking Heads,
and Meddle by Pink Floyd.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is fun. We're definitely more comfortable at home writing songs and making weird noises together. But we always try to make it an experience for the audience with immersive visuals, etc.

Q. How do you describe Mute Swan sounds?
It's always hard to describe ourselves to other people! Maybe because we've spent so much time with the songs? To us it's really a process of putting this chord here and that melody there with this rhythm driving through and if it all feels good we'll keep it. But here are some words we might pin to ourselves: dreamy, hypnotic, psychedelic, romantic, energetic, optimistic, dense, melodic, modern...


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Mike (Barnett) recorded and mixed everything in his bedroom with the exception of the drums (recorded at Waterworks Studio). He tracked everything separately; guitars first, then bass, vocals and drums. A lot of time was spent getting the guitars to sound right with effects, etc. But even more time went into mixing everything. Mixing is hard! And it was all done in the middle of summer in Tucson with no air conditioning!

Q. Which new bands do you recommended
A few new bands we're into right now are Connan Mockasin, Wand, Them Are Us Too, Moon Diagrams, and Stephen Steinbrink.

Q: What´s the plan for the future....
Our plan right now is to continue recording the next album, make a couple music videos and go on tour. Although, the long-term goal is always to make better and better music.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for the interview! But also, we'd like to say one more thing, and we hope it doesn't offend any other bands who should totally be reaping the fruits of their labor. We feel like there have been too many bands coming out who take their style "note for note" from previous decades at the expense of pushing their music and music in general into the future. Are they clinging to these previous innovators because it's easy? Or because it sells? Or because they actually believe you can't top the oldies? Is Rock & Roll really dead? We hope not. We love the early innovators but the search for new inner experience goes on. Isn't that the whole point? We want something new! And if we can't find it, we'll try to make it.
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Thanks

muteswanmusic.bandcamp.com
soundcloud.com/muteswanmusic
https://www.facebook.com/muteswannn