terça-feira, 28 de fevereiro de 2017

Surreal with Venn - An Interview


Eu já comentei diversas vezes mas vale reforçar, o principal combustível que mantém vivo o TBTCI são as bandas, principalmente as novas bandas, é simplesmente delicioso quando nos deparamos com algo novo e extremamente talentoso, é exatamente neste momento que a magia acontece.

E esta máxima aconteceu novamente, não somente aqui no TBTCI, mas para inúmeras pessoas envolvidas com a atual e efervescente cena atual, os novatos do Venn com seu EP de estreia homônimo arrancaram elogios de gente como Krissy (Whimsical), Amber (When The Sun Hits), Greg Wilson (DKFM) e é mais do que merecido.

O Venn sutilmente unificou a beleza melódica tipicamente smithiana ao shoegaze clássico em quatro pequenas belezas sonoras.

Escute imediatamente e apaixone-se igual todos nós.


***** Interview with Venn *****


Q. When did Venn start? Tell us about the history...
Venn started in the spring of 2015 or so, we were just working out some little ideas, which ended up becoming maybe I'm a liar later on. But venn really began in maybe the end of 2014 by my desire to work with Julian on music. I knew him from high school when he and his brother were in a band, which I was a fan of, in addition to his side electronic project. He and I had some similar tastes in music after reaching out to him on Facebook. I thought we could make something good come of our similar outlook on art and music.
-Jon

Q: Who are your influences?
My influences are pretty vast. I've had a lot of phases in my music taste, most of which I'm embarrassed by now. But currently my musicianship is influenced mostly by classic shoegaze, so called "nu-gaze", dreampop, a lot of electronic music and also jazz/neo-soul. Pretty much anything ambient or lush or exciting or artistically dense. Some big ones are Slowdive, Cocteau Twins, Wild Nothing, m83, Angel Olsen, Whirr, plenty of others. I'm influenced by some artists from a lyricist perspective and some from a sonic perspective. A lot of songs that I love I don't even know the lyrics to. Sometimes just a single song has more influence on my taste than the rest of the artists catalogue. Sometimes I'm obsessed with one or two songs by an artist and really can't get into the rest of them. Music is fluid that way I guess.
-Jon

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else
Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me
Wild Nothing - Nocturne
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
-Holden

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I feel good. It's a good feeling being on stage, enjoying myself with my bandmates. And we get to get heard and hopefully people like what they're hearing. Time definitely feels different while performing.
-Holden

Q. How do you describe Venn sounds?
Venn's sound is characterized by dreamy guitars drenched in reverb, dreamy vocals, and atmospheric sounds. We try to maintain Shoegaze/Dream Pop stylistic elements, but still give our music a driving, dance-able nature. Musically, we try to generate interest through harmony and counter-melody, and sonically, we use reverb and delay, and the presence of many, many tracks to create a wall of sound-type recording.
-Julian


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We start with the guitar chords, bring in the drums, then the bass, and top it off with all the melodies, atmospheric elements, and vocals. All our patches have tons of reverb to sound dreamy, and we use things like multi-band compression to try to make it sound huge. In addition, almost every sound in our songs is made up of many layers playing the same part, and our songs heavily utilize stereo sound to expand the dimensionality the listener perceives.
-Gabe

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
We really like Aerial View, a band which is also a huge part of the DC indie music scene and writes some really cool stuff. Check them out!
-Gabe

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Smashing Pumpkins, Slowdive, MBV, and Burial are some acts we would like to cover. Additionally, often, when listening to music I hear it and imagine Venn doing it in their style, even songs that would not seem like Venn's style.
-Julian

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We want to try to expand the reach of our new EP to as many Shoegaze fans as we can. Soon, we will have physical formats of the EP available, so stay tuned for that as well. As we move forward, we want to write more music, and try to eventually release a full album. We would love to go on tour as well, but not until we have built as strong of a fanbase online as we can.
-Gabe

Q: Any parting words?
We hope you liked our songs and info. If you're a new Venn fan, check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud to hear our latest news and keep up with our work. Expect much more to come from Venn, and expect physical releases of the debut soon! We are 100% independent so far, and we couldn't do it without your support. Thanks!
-Gabe, Jon, Holden, Julian
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Thanks

https://venn-dc.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/venndc/Surreal

Tell Me What You See with Anatomy Class - An Interview


Quando amigos se encontram pra fazer um som, tomar umas bebidas e curtir esses momentos raramente algo pode dar errado certo? Certíssimo.

Este basicamente é o caso dos australianos do Anatomy Class, todos os caras tem suas bandas originais, exemplo, Paul faz parte do predileto da casa, Skullsquadron.

Em 2014 esses amigos se juntaram e criaram a banda, mas muito mais do que isso, recriaram suas essências noventistas, uma guitarreira melódica daquelas que amamos. Como eles mesmos colocam, dreampop muscoloso, termo mais perfeito para descreve-los impossível.

"Tell Me What You See" é o último trabalho dos caras, e precisa, veja bem, precisa ser escutado bem alto.

Aproveite os bons momentos da vida e aumente o som, uma das trilhas sonoras mais propícias pra esses momentos certamente é o Anatomy Class.


***** Interview with Anatomy Class *****


Q. When did Anatomy Class start? Tell us about the history...
A: Anatomy Class formed in mid 2014, through mutual friends – we were all separately playing music in one band or another. We got together to jam some new songs, and we just kept going from there. We’re all big music fans and really gelled through our shared love of indie-rock classics, live shows and generally making a racket together!

Q: Who are your influences?
A: Anyone with a tune and a heartbeat!

Our musical influences range from modern day sound masters (Cheatahs, Mute Math, Deerhunter), to 90’s heroes (Lemonheads, You Am I, Pixies, Underground Lovers).

Q. Make a list of top 5 albums of all time…
A: 1 Cass McCombs - Mangy Love,
2 The The - Soul Mining,
3 Blake Babies – Sunburn,
4 Big Star - Radio City,
5 Byrds - Notorious Byrd Brothers.
(Nick)

1 You Am I – Hi Fi Way,
2 The Beatles – White Album,
3 My Bloody Valentine – Loveless,
4 Lemonheads – It’s a Shame About Ray,
5 Swervedriver – Mezcal Head
(Ant)

1 My Bloody Valentine – Loveless,
2 Bjork – Vespertine,
3 The Cure – Faith,
4 Land of Talk – Cloak & Cipher,
5 Mogwai – Ten Rapid.
(Paul)

Q: How do you feel playing live?
A: Exhilarated and locked in! We love playing live. It’s a chance to really connect your audience and be in your own little world for a while. Even though we’ve all played in bands for years, it’s still a great buzz every time you get on-stage. For us, it’s not about being in a particular scene or fitting a particular style – it’s about writing great songs, engaging with our fans, and having fun doing it!

Q. How do you describe Anatomy Class' sounds?
A: Dream pop / indie-rock with muscle.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A: It all starts in the rehearsal room – we hone the songs in the practice room and at live shows before we get into the recording studio. With the recording process on the first album, we recorded a tight live version of the songs together, and then layered the hell out of it. Album number two may be a little more stripped back, but it’s hard to know until all the new songs are ready and we get back in the studio – we’re hoping to get some new tracks down in 2017.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A: Cheatahs, Flyying Colours, Roadhouses.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
A: Low

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Immediate plans are to keep playing live shows and tour the debut album, and at the same time, we’ll keep writing and road-testing new songs. Then the plan is to hit the studio and make album number two even better than the first.

Q: Any parting words?
A: Happy new year!

https://www.anatomyclassmusic.com
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Thanks

https://anatomyclass.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/anatomyclassmusic

segunda-feira, 27 de fevereiro de 2017

Denial with Violentene - An Interview


Aos primeiros momentos do primeiro single do duo Violentene intitulado "Denial" é absolutamente impossível não haver uma conexão direta dos os magos e deuses máximos da 4AD, Cocteau Twins.

As semelhanças entre a sonoridade do Violentene, seja das guitarras cristalinas e abençoadas de Roland ou, a voz angelical de Dani Mari são elementos característicos e marcantes dos Cocteaus, mas a aura do Violentene vai um pouco mais além desta comparação. Que sera comprovada quando vier ao mundo o EP "Denial" e seus demais elementos como a atmosfera pós punk e tracejos gazers.

Pouco menos de um mês separam vocês de "Denial", o EP, mas por hora, embarque na leveza e suavidade angelical de "Denial" a música, a alma agradece.


***** Interview with Violentene *****


Q. When did Violentene start? Tell us about the history...
Dani: Roland reached out to me last September about working together for the project Violentene. He sent me instrumentals of the songs and I loved them! I recorded vocals remotely in Brooklyn and sent them to him in Canada. He worked his magic and the EP Denial was born!

Q: Who are your influences?
Roland - I grew up on 4AD, then all sorts of electronic music - but all time faves would be Japan, Curve, Slowdive, Cocteau Twins and Bowie.

Dani - Radiohead, Slowdive, Sylvan Esso, Phantogram, Billie Holiday, Still Corners, Chelsea Wolfe

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Roland - 1. Disintigration, The Cure
2.Japan, Gentlemen Take Polaroids
3.Curve, Doppleganger
4.Slowdive, Souvlaki
5.Bowie, Heroes

Dani - Radiohead - Ok Computer,
Slowdive- Souvlaki,
Phantogram - Voices,
Memoryhouse - The Years,
Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Roland - I LOVE playing live, I miss it so much! The energy and excitement of being on stage is incredible! My last shows were with synthpop band Politique in 2011 so its been a while...
Dani: I enjoy playing live. I fell into the folk music scene in Philadelphia & had originally sang & played acoustic guitar for an audience. I switched to synth in a 5 piece dreampop band called Lockets and loved the feeling of playing with a full band. I'm now in the process of switching to electric guitar and loooove it


Q. How do you describe Violentene sounds?
Roland - A couple of ways - lush, huge walls of swirling effected Fender Bass VI, and stripped down, more bare mixes where the elements can breathe in space a little more...
Dani : Nugaze Dreampop music with a lot of feeling.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Roland - To me it all begins with a melody written on the bass or guitar, building on it, then getting right into drum programming, For this project that involved all acoustic "real" drum kit sounds.
I layer till it gets huge sounding for vocals and guitars, then strip them back if its muddy. Getting the mix down right takes a lot of time and care.

Dani: Roland emailed me instrumentals and I would email vocals back to him. Typically I would send about 5 tracks. I sent 2 takes of the main melody, a high harmony, low harmony and one track with "call and answer" vocals and fun sound effects. He chose the vocals he liked and added his magic. I sent a few additional takes for some of the songs when Roland heard a vocal phrase he wanted added to part of the song

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Roland - LOVE Drab Majesty, Still Corners, Metric - but I always go to the past because I sincerely think everything innovative has been done by this point!

Dani: Kristina Esfandiari of King Woman & Miserable is amazing, Vita and the Woolf, Japanese Breakfast. I also love I Am Snow Angel. We created an album made entirely by women from start to finish through Female Frequency and I've always been inspired by her music.Others are Big Thief, Chastity Belt, Escaper, Angel Olsen, Amy Leon, Madame Gandhi, A Dead Forest Index, Chelsea Wolfe, Menores, Valerie Orth and Omega Vague. I've had the honor of collaborating with Omega Vague as well.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of
Roland - Anything by David Sylvian, or Brian Eno

Dani: Sonic Youth

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Roland - To release another 5 track EP later this summer hopefully... could be full length with the amount of tracks I have semi finished now.

Dani: I'll be working on more music with Violentene and I'm in the process of recording music with Omega Vague. Last year I created a series of songs & videos inspired by Dario Argento's movies (Suspiria, Inferno & Mother of Tears) through Cruel Beauty, a project with saxophonist & producer Johnny Butler. I'll be working on the next trilogy of songs & videos with Johnny Butler this year. I'll also be working on an Ethereal Noise Pop EP & live shows in a project with Josh Steingard on drums.

Q: Any parting words?
Roland - Let love and compassion RULE in this fucked up mess of a world!! And MORE COWBELL!

Dani: Don't be afraid to try anything and be open to collaboration. I'm honored and inspired to work with Roland and many other artists. The music we have created has meant a lot to me and I'm excited to create and share more.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/violentene
https://violentene.bandcamp.com/

sábado, 25 de fevereiro de 2017

New Model Sex with Plastica - An Interview


Rússia, 1995, como em muitos lugares do mundo, garotos(as) ávidos(as) por descobrir os prazeres proibidos cresceram atrás de encontrar suas verdades, colégio, garota(os), drogas, música e outros aditivos que fazem parte da passagem da adolescência para a vida adulta são os mesmos independentemente de endereço, e, pouco importava o dia de amanhã. Basicamente esse é um resumo bem chulo eu sei, desta etapa da vida de todo e qualquer indivíduo, só, que ao meu ver, aqui vale uma vírgula, digo isso porque vivi esta época, nos 90´s, esta fase da vida, foi intensa, seja aqui no Brasil, ou na Rússia.

E é exatamente aí, que esse garotos russos, formaram uma banda, até aí, normal, muitos fizeram isso, mas esses garotos obcecados por MBV e o desmembramento shoegaze da época, e claro coloque aí Pixies, SY, e uma infinidade de gente fundamental que fodeu com a cabeça de todos nós, foram os pioneiros gazers na distante Rússia, aliás muito além da temática gazer, escute, e encontre ecos de Ministry, house, etc, etc....

Claro que obviamente ninguém os ouviu, nem eu, nem você, obviamente o trabalho deles ficou reservado apenas então somente para os iniciados e malucos garotos e garotas russos da época.

Só que o mundo musical tende a dar voltas, o melhor e fundamental exemplo é VU, e com o Plastica esta acontecendo a mesma coisa. Décadas se passaram e os discos deles foram remasterizados e estão agora disponíveis para eu, para você, para o mundo descobrir como era o submundo dos bons sons na distante Russia.

Bem, a partir de agora, esta história terá novos capítulos, e todos poderão acompanhar in loco o que o Plastica fará. 

Essa é uma história real e agora, todos poderão acompanhar, e, por favor, escute no máximo volume possível ok.


***** Interview with Plastica *****


Question: When did Plastica emerge? Tell us about the history.
Answer: This is the question that we are most frequently asked, given our popularity in small circles. Alexander and I started our first year on the Faculty of Economics at the University of Izhevsk right after school, in 1991. We were 18 years old. In the wake of our common interests in music arose our creative work. We wouldn't like to deprive the reader of the possibility to get to know the milestones of this story separately. Step by step the biography is presented on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PlasticaRU/posts/4022755434445266 where the history of the band is covered in sufficient detail.

Question: Who influenced you?
Answer: After this question is asked, people usually start searching your music for something that has already been composed and played. By the time the term “shoegaze” appeared sometime later, and the first time I heard it was somewhere around 1997, we hadn’t been that active in music. I even came up with a name for our music for myself – guitar ambient.

At that time surely it was MBV and their album “Loveless” that left an unforgettable impression with their innovative approach to music, and I still think it’s very modern and progressive, even after 25 years. A sort of a standard of aesthetics and the philosophy of the guitar overdrive effect.

I’m sure that for many people “Loveless” will remain their first love forever.

I’d also like to mention those bands that to my mind are very famous, both for their sound and innovative, at that time, understanding of such music. They’re Curve, Chapterhouse, Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Sonic Youth. I still like them.

Question: Could you, please, make a list of the top 5 albums of all time?
Answer: We doubt them being the best of all time, but we like them a lot:

1. MBV «Loveless»
2. Chapterhouse «Whirlpool»
3. Curve «Doppelgänger»
4. Cocteau Twins «Blue Bell Knoll»
5. Ministry «Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs»

Question: What did you feel when you were playing live?
Answer: Oh, it’s been so long… I think everyone who’s ever been on stage feels the same way. It’s a mix of euphoria and a slight thrill, support you feel coming from the audience that charges you emotionally and the contact with the listener. On stage time seems to fly swiftly.

Question: How can you describe the sound of Plastica?
Answer: The components of our sound are dense, heavily distorted sampled guitar sounds, electronic dance drum section, beautiful synthesizer background music and tranquilizing melancholic vocals in the background. In short, we played electronic music on guitars, however weird it might sound. Therefore, our sound production tends to be more like that of electronic bands rather than the traditional guitar bands playing rock or metal.


Question: Tell us about the process of recording songs.
Answer: We have our own studio, and there’s no producer breathing down our necks. We have the whole freedom of creativity, only somewhat restricted by our families and main jobs. We are not musicians at all – it’s more a hobby. But we love good music and we keep up with all the modern tendencies. In general, since the Internet and social networks began everything has changed: the audience, the music, the production and the approach to promotion. One can talk about it for hours, and we like this kind of development. I’ve mentioned what’s special about our sound. We love to experiment, look for new combinations of effects and sounds, make swirling layers of sound, select the right timbres until everything merges into a pleasant harmony that stirs you to a good kind of tremble. To make high-quality music you have to be everything at once, both a multi-instrumentalist and a sound designer, who can understand all the aspects of digital and analog devices’ and modern DAWs’ functioning.

Question: What new bands can you recommend?
Answer: We like Ringo Deathstarr, JAGUWAR, NOTHING among the new wave bands. Surely, there are a lot of other wonderful bands – thank god modern means of communication allow musicians to have direct contact with their audience. We’re always glad to talk to our fans and grateful for their opinions. It seems like we’re lucky: our fans are forward-thinking intelligent people, with an advanced understanding, they're able to listen and think finely.

Question: What bands would you like to cover?
Answer: We’ve got lots of our own ideas that we later turn into compositions. We’re forced to choose between our own tracks and their covers.

Question: What are your plans for the future?
Answer: You should’ve started the interview with this question.

Alexander and I created a new studio project COSme in 2015, we spent all 2015 building and equipping our own studio. We prepared our first debut album containing 10 tracks for mixing in 2016 and we plan to release it before the middle of 2017. We have already presented some singles and a debut music video “Five days of summer” to sophisticated audience on our Facebook and Youtube pages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMENxYOm6A0

I’m sure that our debut album will be a great continuation of Plastica’s work. We’re ready to work with labels and discuss the distribution of our debut album COSme.

Question: Anything to say in conclusion?
Answer: Thank you for taking interest in our music. Still, such music is more exotic in Russia, unlike in Europe, both Americas and Japan, where there are all the conditions provided for its development and a large public is ready for such music.
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Thanks

https://plastica-1.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/PlasticaRU/

sexta-feira, 24 de fevereiro de 2017

Scarlet Head with Glasz - An Interview


Quando Jim Evens do Helen Stellar e Jonathan Haskell do Seven Saturdays resolveram se juntar e montar um delicioso projeto chamado Glasz, explorando melodias e ambientações que passeiam pela sonoridade da Flying Nun, passando pela class of 86 e tornando-se simplesmente música pop com texturas sônicas de alta qualidade, basicamente não há como não começar a cantarolar o novo single deles lançado hoje, "Scarlet Head" é tudo isso que tentei descrever e muito mais.

Pérolas pop são assim, acontecem sem nenhum aviso e te fazem se apaixonar num piscar de olhos.

Que venham muito mais, nós agradecemos.


***** Interview with Glasz *****


Q. When did Glasz start? Tell us about the history...
A. Glasz became Glasz a little over a year ago. Jonathan asked me to be a guest vocalist on his most recent Seven Saturdays album and we realized we had this great creative chemistry. We started writing together and we became Glasz.

Q: Who are your influences?
Our influences are all over the map. We're really influenced by good songwriting, regardless of genre. I'll admit it, I'm a total sucker for big washy guitars, but if the song underneath it isn't good, then it's just a novelty- a sound.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. Playing live is fantastic - we love it. I, personally, never thought I'd be on stage, ever. I studied a few different things, in college, to be involved in music. First sound engineering (hated it), then graphic design, to make album covers (kinda hated it), then video production, to make videos (only sorta hated it). Then a friend gave me a guitar he no long wanted, as payment for helping him move. It was a junior Squier. I bought a distortion pedal and a reverb box and the rest was history. Turns out, I just wanted to be MAKING the music the whole time - not making someone else's video or album cover.

Q. How do you describe Glasz sounds?
A. The Glasz sound begins in the Ether - this perfect, little, sonic sweet spot somewhere between Jonathan's Rhodes speaker cabinet and my amplifiers. We try to capture the feeling of that spot as much as we can.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A. We record pretty traditionally, starting with live drums. We layer everything form there, but it starts with the drums. Ironically, we don't write the songs with live drums. Jonathan and I write guitars, Rhodes, and vocals and then add a simple drum machine beat, for reference. That makes it really exciting when we finally play through the songs with Joey, our live drummer, and Aly, our bass player. The songs fill out and really blossom into their full expression.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A. Glasz And Whimsical, too - they're pretty great.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Live, we used to do a nice, lushy version of Richard Hawley's "Young And Beautiful." That would be a good one to actually record. My last band, Helen Stellar, covered Lindsey Buckingham's "Trouble" and it was so fun and gratifying. Yeah, we might have to do a cover, soon.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A. We are going to keep writing and keep releasing a new single every month or two, until we write a full length record. We've put playing live in the rear-view for a while so we could write and get some recordings out there, but we're gonna start looking to book some shows this spring.

Q: Any parting words?
A. Thanks for reading this and enjoy the free download of our newest single, Scarlet Head
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/glaszmusic
https://soundcloud.com/glasz-321507797

quinta-feira, 23 de fevereiro de 2017

Cancion para Kim Gordon with Tropico Duclos - An Interview


Como e o que fazer quando uma banda chega até você e pede gentilmente sua opinião acerca de seu primeiro single? Mas não é o caso só de ser apenas o primeiro single, o que chama a atenção de imediato é o nome do single "Cancion para Kim Gordon". Bem é inevitável não ir diretamente a audição correto? CORRETO.

A banda chama-se Tropico Duclos, diretamente de Montevideo, Uruguai, e o single, bem o single é sensacional. Duas músicas, a primeira "TDA (Te dan anfetas)" e claro, "Cancion para Kim Gordon".

Preciso realmente dizer qual é a dos caras, não, não preciso, esta explicitado. E é foda.

***** Interview with Tropico Duclos *****


Q. When did Tropico Duclos start? Tell us about the history...
Tropico Duclos started in 2016 as a solo project. I wanted to put on tape some songs that I’ve been working on that didn’t fit with my other band (Cadaver Exquisito). I was lucky enough to get some really talented friends on board like Leandro (bass, synth) and Manuel (drums) and we started working as a band. The name of band comes from Henry Miller and the ancient name of my hometown (“Duclos Beach”, now called “Playa del Cerro”).

Q: Who are your influences?
My Bloody Valentine, Ride, The Cure, Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Slowdive, Ultra Vivid Scene, Sonic Youth, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
You made me realise (EP) (My Bloody Valentine)
A Thousand Leaves (Sonic Youth)
Give it back! (The Brian Jonestown Massacre)
Nowhere (Ride)
Pornography (The Cure)

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s my favourite thing in the world. There’s nothing like the excitement that you feel when you hear a loud guitar in your head with the drums pushing you forward. When I’m playing live I feel like “hell yeah, this is what I live for”.

Q. How do you describe Tropico Duclos sounds?
Tropico Duclos sounds like the place where the South Atlantic waves crash down on the River Plate…just rambling. Dreamy trippy music for headphones, lying down staring at the ceiling, riding the bus, and isolate yourself from angry pedestrians when you’re walking down the street , played by people who love My Bloody Valentine and Led Zeppelin at the same time.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Both of the songs of our single “Song for Kim Gordon” were recorded on a Tuesday night at the studio of a friend of us here in Montevideo. We played live (drums, bass and guitar), and then I overdubbed the lead guitar and vocals. We’re working in another songs which were recorded that way, others have been recorded in my room, in Leandro’s house, and one of them in Buenos Aires with our friends from “Cuarteles de Invierno”.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
“Cuarteles de Invierno” from Buenos Aires, “Las Cobras” from Montevideo, and “Giant Surprise” from California.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
Ride, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Cure.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We’ll be releasing our Single in vinyl on February, and by April we hope to have our first LP ready. We’ll be playing live in Montevideo in April, and we’re waiting for some tour dates in Buenos Aires and New York. We’d love to play all around South and North America.

Q: Any parting words?
We like to share our music like SST and Dischord Records did in the old days, we’re all about meeting new friends and bands. Thanks a lot!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/pg/tropicoduclos
https://tropicoduclos.bandcamp.com/releases

quarta-feira, 22 de fevereiro de 2017

Masquerade with Tourists - An Interview


Chega a vez do novíssimo indie pop britânico, algo realmente interessante e com conteúdo.

Sinergicamente melodiosos, sonhadores e densos de uma forma bem específica, o Tourists vem preparando sua invasão gradativamente, single a single, o mais recente "Masquerade" é uma belíssima pérola tal qual os Bluetones foram um dia.

"Drive" é dançante e cerebral sem perder o apelo pop, aliás, altamente pop.

Se a mídia prestar atenção no Tourists certamente e muito em breve os caras poderão estourar facilmente, a BBC já os descobriu, agora é sua vez.

***** Interview with Tourists *****


Q. When did Tourists start? Tell us about the history…
Although we have only been together as a five-piece since 2015 the writing process began a few years before that. Scott was looking for people to start a new band with and came across Jamie’s songs online. He instantly connected with them and they started writing music together. Tom, Matt and Lloyd were in other bands at the time (Tom a psych-rock band, Matt and Lloyd post-punk revival bands) which then split so we started jamming together. It’s cool because we’ve still got the buzz of being in a new band and the combination of our different styles and influences has been great.

Q. Who are your influences?
I think we are constantly being influenced by new stuff we here. We love getting excited by new music and weird/different sounds that we here, and I guess that naturally creeps into the stuff that we’re working on. Recent influences have ranged from DIIV to Drake to Bauhaus – it’s pretty eclectic. I think the deeper-rooted post-punk/new-wave influence is always there. That combined with elements of shoegaze/psychedelia and 80s synth-pop makes a good mix.

Q. Make a list of your 5 albums of all time
Radiohead – OK Computer
Beach House – Teen Dream
Tame Impala – Lonerism
The Strokes – Room on Fire
Interpol – Our Love to Admire

Q. How does it feel playing live?
Playing live feels like the ultimate validation of all the time and work we put in writing and crafting our songs. There’s no better feeling when you finally play these songs you’ve been working on to an audience and they’re digging it. Even if it resonates with just one person and it means something to them it’s worth it. We try to keep things interesting live and mix things up a bit, with some weird instrumentals and interludes. Some people told us at a recent gig that it was like we took them on a journey – which was a cool thing to hear.


Q. How would you describe Tourists’ sound?
If we had to choose a genre I guess it would be “dream-pop”… but with a darker, more sinister edge. “Endless layers of dreamy, melodic bliss” were BBC Introducing’s words to describe us – That will do.

Q. Tell us about the process of writing and recording the songs?
Part of the writing process is being patient and waiting to find the best melody to fit the song. Once you stumble on the right melody to fit the bassline you know. It’s not just about writing a nice tune – you want something that’s going to strike emotionally. We want people to feel something when they listen to it. We have been recording with producer James Bragg (Gengahr, Saltwater Sun, Grace Lightman) who is a real genius and brings so much to the tracks. He’s the 6th Tourist.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
We’re really into Froth at the moment. Fast, energetic krautrock with lo-fi, garage elements. The debut albums from Ulrika Spacek and Amber Arcades last year were great. The new C Duncan and Preoccupations records were really cool, and Lets Eat Grandma blew Tom’s mind last year – really interesting and innovative for their age. Apart from that… DIIV (obviously).

Q. Which band would you love to cover?
We have never really been into covers. It doesn’t come from the source and there’s always a disconnection. Radio 1 live lounge is the worst – it’s all just PR bullshit. You put in all this hard work, get on radio… then have to play someone else’s song??? Naaa.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
Right now we are focusing on writing and demo’ing tracks for our debut album. We have about 10 tracks ready to go already. Apart from that we have some cool shows and festivals
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/touristsband
https://www.facebook.com/pg/touristsband

terça-feira, 21 de fevereiro de 2017

Joku Kuuntelee with Rue Morgue - An Interview


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Pós punk caótico e doentio, onde o amanhã pouco importa, esta é a cartilha pela qual os finlandeses do Rue Morgue trafegam.

A história dos caras esta apenas no início e daí meus amigos, o segredo é acompanhar par e passo os caminhos que os caras percorreram. 

Motivos são dois, "Pimento" e Joku Kuuntelee", dois exercícios de demência dark e punk.

Não há espaço para misericórdia para o Rue Morgue, o apocalipse exige uma trilha sonora como a deles.

Aproveite enquanto ainda há tempo.

***** Interview with Rue Morgue *****


Q. When did Rue Morgue start? Tell us about the history...
Waldemar: Well, there’s not so much history yet to tell. Our first rehearsals were in January 2016. Then we have played couple of gigs, recorded an EP which is to be released by Svart Records in spring 2017. We are also planning a tour in Europe which would take place in autumn.

Q: Who are your influences?
Waldemar: Myself. I've got great ideas endlessly.

Julius: Prince. And everything around me. Mostly prince though.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Waldemar: Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju This is my all-time-favourite. Not a single weak track. Not a single weak moment. Hands down.

Terveet Kädet - Ääretön Joulu This record is the record to blame for me being a drummer. The beats are damn raw and fast. Same beat from the beginning to the end. No bullshit. This was the thing for fourteen year old me. Läjä Äijälä’s lyrics are also a thing to mention: so obscure and enigmatic.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Your Funeral… This album really got me when i was sixteen or seventeen. I was so intrigued by it. An album I’m certainly never going to get tired of.

Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus I really love Charles Mingus. This record has taught me so much about bass as an instrument. The mood in the songs are just right for me to drink lots of amounts of gin and tonic, smoke tons of cigarettes and write.

The Cure - Pornography ''It doesn’t matter if we all die.'' Yes, of course it doesn’t. But kindly reminded Robert! Oh, sweet teenage.

Julius: Father John Misty - I Love You Honeybear
His debut album is great as well. The new Bob Dylan for people who hate words like "the new Bob Dylan."

Marvin Gaye - Here My Dear
The most bitter breakup album ever. Great to play at parties.

Death Grips - The Money Store
A great tutorial on how to destroy conventional song structure, or just on how to destroy things in general.

Carole King - Tapestry
The ultimate authority on dadrock.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Listen to this on the bus.


Q. How do you feel playing live?
Julius: It's like playing a game with everyone in the room.

Waldemar: I feel nothing. Mostly I just pretend to have fun, but in reality, I just would like to go home and listen to Nick Cave.

Q. How do you describe Rue Morgue sounds?
Waldemar: Call for help. Last days are here.

Julius: Rue Morgue sounds like the final encore before the bomb drops.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Waldemar : We record all our parts separately. Not much of hanging out as a band. Pointless relations would kill the mood.

Julius: I hit the strings really hard.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Julius: I haven't had time lately to search for new stuff.

Waldemar: I’ve found some interesting new black metal acts. Don’t recall any names right now ‘couse they are always something like ‘’Insghtabörgähzörgä’’ etc.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Julius: I wanna cover the stuff I like, but those songs would need too much work to sound great in our style. That effort is best spent on new songs.

Waldemar: Yeah, Julius said it.



Q: What are your plans for the future?
Waldemar: To do shit that i care for. Obviously.

Julius: Hitting strings in front of people who enjoy watching that kind of thing.
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Thanks

https://ruemorguehelsinki.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/ruemorguehelsinki

Eulogy with Softer Still - An Interview


Uma pintura modelada e pincelada por doces e cintilantes melodias sonhadoras, é o que pode ser saboreado no ep de estreia dos ingleses do Softer Still.

"Eulogy" passeia por por entre devaneios de dreampop sofisticações harmônicas, descendendo diretamente de ícones como Chills e Go-Betweens.

Especialmente recomendado a solitários e apaixonados sonhadores.


***** Interview with Softer Still *****


Q: Who are your influences?
We have many influences but to name a few: Wild Nothing, Cocteau Twins, New Order & Ice Choir.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Tough choice, but in no particular order:
Nirvana - In Utero,
Ice Choir - Afar,
Drab Majesty - The Demonstration,
Wild Nothing - Gemini,
Big Troubles - Romantic Comedy.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We love playing live - for us, playing live is where it all starts. Whether that's just jamming together, or playing a show. Sometimes though it's difficult when you're tight on time to do what you need to do in the studio, and then focus on live shows at the same time. The two are totally different crafts, often that you can split bands into two categories - "live" band or "studio" band. The really exceptional artist can segue between both worlds, and this is what we're aiming for. We love the creative freedom the studio gives us and we make full use of it, but also we try not to let the limitations of our live setup limit what we do on record, so that's always the challenge for us - figuring out how to translate what we've created in the studio on to the live stage.

We're looking forward to our first tour whenever that may be so we can really spread our wings as a live band and focus 100% of our energy into putting on the best show possible. So after EP2 is completed this month, that's our goal.

Q. How do you describe Softer Still sounds?
To borrow some words at FadeAwayRadiate - Reverberating guitars and swooning synths, gentle lulling angelic voices, an escapist daydream with a nudge to melancholy dwelling on the past.



Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
So far the process has consisted of us getting together at our garage studio where we will record and work on ideas that've been floating around the practice room. Often we'll record a basic demo, mull it over in our own time, and then come back and re-record everything as best we can. Once everything has been tracked on the studio computer, we'll produce rough mixes, each making points on what needs to be improved. Eventually we get to a point where we're all like, "Sounds great!", and it's at this point we send the track to be mastered. There's a great sense of achievement when we reach this point.

The process for EP number 2 is going to be slightly different though. We've booked the whole of February off so we can "hole up" in our garage studio and spend as much time as we need to on this one.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
The Mary Onettes, Them Are Us Too  and definitely Drab Majesty, we can't get enough of his new album!

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We would love to do a cover of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We intend to keep writing and recording as much music as possible, play as many shows and festival as we can book, and generally just do whatever we can to get our music out there.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks so much for the support and interest in our music, and thanks to everyone for listening! We'd love to come back and chat again when EP2 is finished.
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Thanks

http://www.deezer.com/album/14472420
https://www.facebook.com/pg/softerstillband

segunda-feira, 20 de fevereiro de 2017

Paraíso with Adelaida - An Interview


Quando eu digo que infelizmente no Brasil ainda estamos engatinhando em relação a produção independente, salvo raríssimas exceções, não é a toa, veja o exemplo dos chilenos sônicos do Adelaida, uma discografia poderosa, um currículo invejável, leia-se, já foram produzidos pelo cultuado Jack Endino, já abriram por exemplo para o Motorama entre outros e soltaram um petardo, no caso seu terceiro disco, "Paraíso".

Uma chinelada bem no meio dos tímpanos, evocando Pixies, Swervedriver, Sub Pop e por aí vai. Um barulhenta esporro melódico e ruidoso ao mesmo tempo, cantarolável e berrado, tudo extremamente dosado e feito por quem sabe exatamente o que esta fazendo.

Aprendam com o Adelaida, uma verdadeira aula sônica sem perder a essência mas visando o mercado global.

***** Interview with Adelaida *****


Q. When did Adelaida start? Tell us about the history...
Adelaida started as a band around 2010 when Jurel Sonico (guitar & vocals) invited Gabriel Holzapfel – lele- to play the drums at a live show. The first formation included Gabriela Vazquez at the bass. Then and after, we started to play at lots of underground shows in Valparaíso and Santiago, Chile. Then we recorded our first LP “Monolito” at 2013 and relesed it on 2014. In 2015, we were invited to produce and record two songs with the legendary groung and rock producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney) and after that process was born our second album called “Madre Culebra”, recorded in Rubber Tracks Studios in Brooklyn. After a successful release of that album we received little by little excellent critics in Chile as well as abroad, beginning to expand our audience outside of Chile. At the same time, Adelaida expanded its audience on the national scene, which was reflected in important presentations or opening important international shows such as Motorama (Russia), Los Planetas (Spain), Suarez (Argentina) and Yawning Man (USA).

In April 2016 Natalia Adelina (our second bass player) left the band and in her replacement entered Naty Lane, with whom we started the new process of the band that resulted in our third album, Paraíso.

Q: Who are your influences?
The influences are quite broad as the musical universes of each member vary enormously. Anyway, we can found the most directs influences in grounge, post punk, dream pop and quite bit of stoner and alternative music from the 90`s. Obviously there are lots of classic bands and new ones that inevitably influence when it comes to composing. We are big fans of The Oh Sees, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Nirvana, Kyuss, the early Foo Fighters or Green Day, even Led Zepelyn, Queen or David Bowie. Rage Against the Machine, Pj Harvey and there is a huge list of artists that varies according to which member of the band you ask.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
The Beatles – Revolver
My Bloody Valentine – Loveless
Pixies - Doolittle
Radiohead - Kid A
Deftones – White Pony

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live shows is the best sesation of all, even when recording times or home process of essays and that stuff are also great moments, but live playing is superior becouse it is like a trance in which one achieves a deep communication with something that words cannot describe and that has to do with feeling alive and as a connector between emotions and collective sensations.

Q. How do you describe Adelaidal sounds?
Like a Chilean mixture of the first nineties with a blink of punk energy, own sentimentality to the shoe gaze and an own air of mellow pop mixed the rage saturated of the noisy movement. All this filtered through the personal universes of three young lovers of music in its broad spectrum.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Recording the songs goes through a long process that finds its genesis in the rehearsal room. That's where it all starts because we started putting songs together, adding or removing parts and then doing demos with those results. These demos are recorded in the home studio that Jurel mounted on his bedroom and each one takes the songs to listen to them calmly at home. Then, at the next essay, we know what is left or what is missing, and after playing the songs again we re-record them. That process is repeated until we feel that the songs are ready to enter the professional studio.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
We don´t now if consider them as “new” but actual bands we really like are Pond, Kurt Vile, Chad Van Gaalen, Autolux,

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
The argentinian master Charly Garcia and the song pasajera en trance o She Said, She Said from The Beatles.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We are planning a tour to Mexico and we hope that also leads us to present the new album USA. There are also plans to go to Spain and we dream of doing a tour trough Europe, but for the moment we are focused on releasing Paradise in Santiago, Chile in March and present it in different places of our country before leaving for Mexico

Q: Any parting words?
We want to thank this broadcast space and we invite you to follow the news of the band through our social networks (facebook.com/adelaidabanda or youtube.com/adelaidabanda). Also add that we can find our music on different digital servers like spotify and stuff so the doors are open to share our sound and enjoy it.
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Thanks

https://adelaidaperdida.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Adelaidabanda

domingo, 19 de fevereiro de 2017

Asphalt Ocean with The Mites - An Interview

Descendente direta das guitar bands noventistas, leia-se Velocity Girl, Madder Rose e das bubblegums indie bands britânicas do meio dos 80´s, no caso, Primitives, Darling Buds, entre outras, vem o quarteto de Santo Antonio no Texas, The Mites e seu mais novo single "Asphalt Ocean" que gruda na mente de tal maneira e é basicamente impossível não sair cantarolando a canção.

"Asphalt Ocean" sucede o delicioso EP "Bellows" de 2014 e serve como aperitivo do que virá pela frente.

Com o The Mites podemos esperar apenas uma coisa, amor em formato guitar band.


***** Interview with The Mites *****


Q. When did the Mites start? Tell us about the history…
A mite is like a small spider. Not sure when those started popping up but I’d be willing to bet it was a really, really long time ago. We’re just jumping on the evolutionary bandwagon.

Q. Who are your influences?
Books. Tons of books. We don’t really listen to music. Our imaginations make music through the act of reading large academic tomes.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time
1. Al Bundy
2. Dr. Carl Albun, MD of Hoffman Estates, IL
3. The White Albun by TISM
4. Nak’al Bun Elementary School
5. Laura Albun, Product Manager of DevBridge Group

Honorable mention: Al Bun-D Tha Great (35 views on YouTube, you’ll get there!!)


Q. How do you feel playing live?
We have never set foot on a stage to perform in front of other humans thus far. I cannot answer this question. If I had to guess, I’d say nervous.

Q. How do you describe The Mites sounds?
If you took the Necronomicon and painted its pages with pastel colored pencils you’d basically be listening to The Mites already.

Q. Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We do everything in-house. It’s hard to trust other humans that aren’t tapped into the hive mind of Mites. We’ve recorded in studios and had debates about riffs and drum beats in complete silence and the engineers never can understand where we want to go since they only communicate through auditory means. If we offered them the implant I don’t think they’d be able to handle the colors.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Not a one.

Q. Which band would you love to make cover version of?
This question is very interesting. Upon first read through, we are lead to believe that we are to speak on the subject of a cover version of a song that we would like to perform. However, towards the end of the sentence you use the term “made” which implies we have already performed this cover version. I commend your sly writing structural skills but I won’t fall for your trickery.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
http://www.mars-one.com/

Q. Any parting words?
Thank you for your time.
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Thanks

https://themites.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/themitestx

sábado, 18 de fevereiro de 2017

The Rolling, Driftless North with Vansire - An Interview


O duo de Minnesota, Sam e Josh ou se você preferir, Vansire passeiam sem cerimônia pelos doces e coloridos caminhos do dreampop em formato lo fi e com jeitão de ter sido concebido  no quarto de um dos dois.

Com inúmeros singles e um disco no currículo, os caras soltaram mais um trabalho em Janeiro, o EP, "The Rolling, Driftless North", um exercício de unificar o dreampop com um jeitão bem YLT de ser, mas que sendo bem sincero são apenas deliciosas e cintilantes pop songs.

Perfeito para dias ensolarados, passeios a beira do mar, com aquela brisa gostosa batendo de frente.


***** Interview with Vansire *****


Q: Who are your influences?
Josh: Beyond the inherent homage we owe to groups like Beach Fossils, Real Estate, The Drums, etc. and all of their respective spiritual predecessors (80s new wave acts, shoegaze titans and early jangle-pop purveyors) I think I can speak for both Sam and I when I say we draw a lot of influence from Steve Reich. In addition to the Minimalists, I owe a lot to early tape and musique concrete composers like Luc Ferrari and Pierre Schaeffer, alongside music like Tim Hecker, Oneohtrix Point Never, Stars of the Lid, and Ben Frost amongst others. I like trying to bridge the gap between the compositional music world and good old lo-fi bedroom pop, because I think the latter actually has a great deal of unappreciated complexity. The great thing about pop music is how it can be both ubiquitous and experimental at the same time; people/acts like Martin Newell, Daniel Johnston, Beat Happnening and R Stevie Moore paved the way for current torch-bearers like John Maus and Ariel Pink, and pop experimentation continues to grow.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Josh: Oh jeeze…
Madvillain - Madvillainy
Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein
Arthur Russell - World of Echo
Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

Sam: Youth Lagoon - A year of Hibernation
WU LYF - Go tell fire to the mountain
Mac Demarco - Salad Days
Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell
Tallest Man on Earth - Shallow Graves

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Sam: I get a nice warm feeling when all the parts just come together perfectly and our tone is just right. Our first show was a very memorable moment in my life. It was in my dorm room lounge, we snuck in all the equipment in and put on a little show. I was so excited I almost forgot all of our riffs! It was just very liberating to create something that people enjoyed and rewarding see people coming together like that and have a good time. Live shows are really beautiful because the music is so tangible in that moment and the energy from performers and audience is like a two way street that can act as a positive feedback loop, it builds and hopefully by the end of the thing everyone leaves with a sense of community.

Q. How do you describe Vansire sounds?
Sam: I think our sound is a healthy mix of the lo-fi/dreampop/jangle pop genres. Our sound is pretty reflective of the dream-like state that Josh and I operate in. Often there are moments of washed out, reverby layered guitar riffs which we like to sustain with some background synths. The vocals are a keystone part of our songs but generally aren’t the emphasis of most of our tunes as we try to get away from the popular mantra of, lead singer backed by a band, but rather we use the vocals as an instrument to add into the overall vibe of the song. But yeah most of the lyrics/riffs come from a rather reflective, introspective place within our personal lives and we hope to convey that through our music’s overall vibe, form, and color.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Josh: Our songs are often born out of a single guitar lick from when we’re messing around and looking for ideas. From there, they’ll just develop kind of naturally into a full blown song bit by bit as we go along recording, usually starting with guitars, filling in everything else, and finishing with vocals. Like on the song Driftless, Sam had that that twelve-or-so note lick you hear at the beginning in his head, and from there we got together, started recording and then came up with the rest of the song together as we went along. We switched that up a little bit on this EP though - I had written the lyrics and chord progressions Eleven Weeks and Four Portraits awhile before we started recording this new EP, which is kind of different for us. There was still a lot of experimentation and spur of the moment work with those, but I had a pretty clear idea of how I wanted them to turn out, so the creative process differed in that context. Going to college in different states is a bummer in terms of recording and writing (I’m in Ohio, he’s in Minnesota), but we make it work.


Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Josh: I’ve been digging this fella named Travis Bretzer lately. There’s also a group called Mini-Dresses that I stumbled across yesterday and I’m obsessed with now. Also check out a group called Boyscott. Oh, and there’s a cool dude named Justin making music as High Sunn, check that out too. And, a Finnish group called Eerie Summer, make sure to check them out as well. That’s just to name a few; it’s pretty intimidating and exciting how many incredible new bands are out there doing their thing! Beyond that, I’ll let same sing our praises for Acid Ghost and Castlebeat, because we could both go on forever about that.

Sam: Yeah for sure go listen to Acid Ghost, Castlebeat, High sunn, Movie Brain, Johnny Goth, Jade TV and Tape waves if you haven’t. Also for some really fresh Minneapolis groups listen to Happy Children of Normal Parents, Nomenclatures/lynn murphy and Good luck finding Iris.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Josh: I’ve got kind of a list of songs I would love to put a Vansire spin on - regardless of specific bands, I would have to point to Yo La Tengo’s Fakebook as the pinnacle of beautifully done, tasteful covers. Plus there will never be a better name for an album of covers.

Sam: Next christmas I think we will also release some dreampop christmas song covers :) I’d love to do some john denver covers also.

Josh: Yeah, a few years back Trevor Powers played “Goodbye Again” during a Sirius XMU session, and it was honestly one of the most poignant covers I had ever heard. Such a magical moment - he really brought an intense emotionality to it, and it was perfect in every possible way. That being said, if you ever see Vansire live, you may get to hear “Leaving on a Jet Plane”

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Sam: Hopefully we can line up shows over the summer and play as much as possible, around Minneapolis/Rochester and beyond. My dream would be to set up a lineup of shows to call it a tour sort of deal. But beyond that I think we will definitely continue to write and record music as long as we are able to do it together.

Q: Any parting words?
Sam: Be good to one another.

Josh: Conserve water
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Thanks                

http://vansire.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/vansiretheband

sexta-feira, 17 de fevereiro de 2017

Sleep to Dream with Whimsical - An Interview


Era uma vez no distante ano de 1997 quando uma preciosidade chamada Whimsical dava seus primeiros passos.....bem, se você acompanha as páginas do TBTCI sabe muito bem de quem iremos falar agora, e se quiser saber da história deles em detalhes, leia aqui.

Resumidamente, uma pérola que havia ficado perdida e escondida, sendo admirada somente por poucos e que graças a intervenção dos deuses da música retornou depois de um longo hiato, sim, o Whimsical dos queridos Neil e Krissy retornam as páginas do TBTCI exatamente uma semana antes de ser lançado seu tão desejado novo álbum, que na realidade não é tão novo assim, "Sleep to Dream" já deveria ter sido lançado há anos, mas perdeu-se juntamente com o término do Whimsical, mas para a felicidade completa da nação shoegaze a espertíssima Saint Marie Records, assinou com eles e fez o favor de propiciar este mágico momento.

Quando ao disco, bem, muito já foi escrito antes mesmo dele ter sido lançado, eu, prefiro apenas dizer que trata-se de algo que transborda beleza, seja da linda e majestosa voz de Krissy, ou, do primoroso talento de Neil, o trabalho de guitarras do álbum é algo que pode ser descrito como soberbo.

Tenham calma, que faltam apenas 7 dias para que "Sleep to Dream" nasça mas, saibam, o disco já nasce clássico mesmo sem ter sido lançado, podem acreditar.

O Whimsical deve e precisa ser adorado, mesmo que tardiamente, Krissy e Neil merecem.

Bons sonhos.....


***** Interview with Whimsical *****


Q. Hello Neil / Krissy, first of all, congratulations on the wonderful new album!! I'd like to hear from you, what's the feeling of releasing a new album after more than 15 years since the release of "Settings Suns are Semi Circles"?
Neil - Thanks Renato, we are happy that you like the new album. This album was written from 2000-2004 and mostly recorded at the end of 2004. We never thought it would see a release and for 11 years, we thought it was lost. Once I found the missing hard drive, Krissy and I decided to finish the album and here we are. We are very excited to finally have people hear this album. It took a very long time, but this 2016 version of the album is much stronger than the version that would have been released in 2005. Life is funny sometimes, but the wait was for the best in a lot of ways.

Krissy – Renato, first of all, we love you ;) Thank you for always supporting us!

We couldn’t be more excited about this album. It is truly a dream come true. To echo what Neil has said, the fact that what we once thought was lost and would never be heard by anyone (including us), is now being released, is almost surreal. Then, you add the fact that it is being released by one of our favorite labels (Saint Marie Records) and that makes it more than we could have ever dreamed of. We are very humbled by all of this & so grateful for the incredible level of support that has been shown for us.

I feel like I personally owe so much to Neil, for getting the ball rolling again with this in the first place. I’ll never forget him sending me a message saying that he found the hard drive, after all these years of thinking it was lost forever. At that point it was like “ok, WOW. Awesome! So, now what? Do we print up a few cd’s and hang onto them as a keepsake, to say that this is something we once worked on and be able to show our kids?” We really thought that would be the extent of it. Never, EVER, did I think we’d have a chance to properly finish the album & I surely never imagined it would be picked up by a label. I get teary eyed when I think about it. It means so much to me to have this opportunity to share our music with others, and if it weren’t for Neil’s determination, it would have never happened.

Kev Cleary (of the legendary Shoegaze, Dreampop, & NuGaze board) heard our first album and went above and beyond to promote a few of our songs on his board, also making us his “band of the week”. That pointed a few new listeners in our direction & was really inspiring for us to receive such lovely feedback. Around that time, Neil had also sent him a few of the unfinished songs from the “Sleep To Dream” recordings & Kev suggested that we send it over to Wyatt @ Saint Marie Records, to see if he’d have any interest in putting it out for us. Pipe dream? For sure. We never imagined it would actually happen. Yet here we are today. What was once just a dream has now become our beautiful reality!

(PS - We love you Wyatt Parkins & we will never forget the fact that you believed in us, were willing to take a gamble on us & stand behind the music we make!!)

Q. Tell us how was the recording process of "Sleep to Dream"?
Neil  -It’s a little hard to remember since it was mostly recorded at the end of 2004. I had a home studio at the time and we recorded everything there. Once we got about 90% of the music and most of the main vocals recorded, we sort of got burnt out. It was winter and had just turned 2005. We had been going full time since the summer of 1999. I think we just needed a break and I was busy with other bands. The band didn’t break up as much as fade away. I know I was not happy with how the drum performance was recorded and I remember thinking there was no point in going on. Once I found the missing session files and I was able to load them into Pro Tools back in early 2015, it became obvious that Krissy and I should finish the album. I was able to fix most of the mistakes from earlier and Krissy was able to finish her vocals. We built a small recording set up in her house and she learned how to actually record herself there. I mixed and mastered the album over the next year and kept in touch with all of the old band members for their input.

Krissy – Yet another dream come true for me. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be set up to record my own vocals at home, I’d have thought you were crazy. I am not the most tech savvy girl in the world, especially when it comes to things like this. The thought of learning how to work with recording software, and set up all of this equipment, was very intimidating to me at first. (I am actually submitting a photo of Neil and I on FaceTime, while he walked me through this set up process). There were many laughs to be had, that’s for sure. He was so patient with me though, and got me up and running much faster than I would have thought possible.

This all has created a monster now! Music is such a huge part of my life, and something I am so passionate about. Now that I am able to actively work on new music, it’s something I never want to see come to an end. This recording set up gave us the opportunity to work on all of the songs we released for “Brought to Light” last year, which was so fun for both of us. It has also given me the chance to work on some wonderful collaborations, writing songs with a few other amazing bands, such as: The Churchhill Garden, Pipes Not Dead, Seasurfer, The City Gates and Xeresa.

Q. Most of the songs are old, right? How did you re-recorded them now that Whimsical is a duo?

Neil -All of the songs are old and 90% was recorded as a 5 piece band. Krissy finished her vocals and I was able to fix mistakes and record some new keyboard and guitar overdubs, but what you hear on the album is still the old 5 piece version of the band that played on Setting Suns are Semi-Circles and Sleep to Dream. The current version of the band, being Krissy and I, have since recorded songs for our “Brought to Light” album. Those songs are the first to just feature the two of us as Whimsical.

Krissy – I don’t have much to add here. I will say that I was glad to be able to go back in and add some vocals to these songs. It was the “icing on the cake” that a lot of the songs needed, to round them out. The lyrics and vocals for “Leap of Faith” were actually just written in the summer of 2016. As a result, that song took on a new life. Originally, before I was set up to record, we thought that it was going to be released as an instrumental, because it was one of the songs that I had never gotten around to writing vocals for. We all love it so much more, now that the vocals have been added to it & it’s become one of my favorite songs on the album.


Q. I know you already have plans for a new album, right? Tell more about what's ahead, will it be different from "Sleep to Dream"?

Neil -Well, the new version of Whimsical is just Krissy and I going forward. You can get an idea of what we are doing with the songs on the “Brought to Light” album, which is mostly cover songs and a few old Whimsical songs. We are using programmed drums this time and now that I do not have the limitations of a 5 piece band, I can do whatever I want musically. I have started writing songs for the next album, but it is still very early for me to have an opinion on how it sounds. It still sounds like us, but I would say it sounds like a mix of Disintegration era Cure meets Siamese Dream by The Smashing Pumpkins. I have a way that I write guitar and bass parts and that is never going to change.

Krissy – Yes, Wyatt signed us for “Sleep to Dream”, and another album to follow. Sigh…that Wyatt I tell ya! J As for the music being different from” Sleep To Dream”, I would love to think that we are evolving as artists and will go on to write even better songs than what we have previously released. I think that we have a very unique sound, and I feel that any songs we work on will always have that distinguishable “Whimsical” signature. Neil and I both draw from such a large musical pool of influence, and I love that, because I think it helps to keep us from taking a “cookie cutter” approach to songwriting. We appreciate both the warm & fuzzy, upbeat & happy, dreampop songs, but also love the more melancholic, heartbreakers. My hope is that all of the music we work on will be a balance of the two of those things. Ultimately, as long as it will resonate with the listener, and pull on their heart strings in some way, then I feel happy about the music we are making.

Q. Now a question I am immensely curious to know. When will Whimsical perform live again?

Neil -Well, I am sorry to say that it might never happen. All five band members that performed on Sleep to Dream live in five separate states across the country. We have talked about maybe playing a Shoegaze festival at the end of 2017, but it all depends on if there is a demand. It would take a lot of work to make a performance happen and I just do not know if we have that sort of time in our lives anymore. We will see.

Krissy – All I have to say about that is this: Did we ever think this album would be released on Saint Marie Records? No. Did we ever think that we’d be writing new music together. No. Did we ever think that we would have the amazing support that we do? No. So, in my humble opinion, no dream is too big & nothing is outside of the realm of possibility. Never say never, (glaring at Neil, haha). It would take some work, of course, but I believe it will happen & I’m gonna hold on to that dream until it’s a reality. Assuming we’re a battery…who’s the negative, and who’s the positive here? Haha. Love you, Neil.

Q. About what is currently happening in music, not only in this new interest in shoegaze / dreampop but in general, how do you evaluate all this?

Neil - I have mixed emotions about modern day music. I sound like an old man, but I rarely hear many bands that make me excited anymore. I listen to many genres and sub-genres of music and the list of current bands that I love keep getting smaller and smaller. I am excited about the new interest in Shoegaze and Dream Pop, but it seems that what many consider Shoegaze and Dream Pop is not what I consider to be those genres. I have never been influenced by the radio or what is making money in music. Anyone who looks into my history of bands can see that, but I have no idea who many of these performers are these days. I feel and sound like an 80 year old man. My own father, who introduced me to bands like Slowdive, Ride, Lush, and MBV in 1991, knows more about current music than I do. I do check out many newer bands that I see others post on Facebook, and while I do listen to many newer bands, I still seem to go back to the stuff I grew up on. Krissy is much more into the newer bands, so at least one of us has an idea of what is going on around us. Haha

Krissy – It is safe to say that I have a polar opposite view here. I haven’t been this excited about music in such a long time. On an almost daily basis, I am finding SO many incredible bands, and new music that I am so in love with! It’s honestly almost overwhelming to keep up with, and that’s a great “problem” to have. I will, of course, always have mad love for the classic, innovative bands that blazed the trails for all of us in the Shoegaze & Dreampop scene. However, it makes me so happy to see, and even happier to hear, all of the beautiful new music pouring out of these genres, like an overflowing fountain.

I credit sources like TBTCI, “DKFM Shoegaze Radio”, “Primal Radio”, and all of the Shoegaze/Dreampop groups on facebook, for keeping me in the loop & helping me stay current with what is happening in music today. It’s like this addiction for me & I need my daily fix. Never fail, there is always at LEAST one new find, every single day, that drops my jaw & keeps me inspired to stay on the hunt. Tuning into “New Tracks Weekend”, on DKFM every weekend, is something I’m always excited about. I have found out about some of my favorite new bands that way, and I love that it is a weekend dedicated specifically to NEW music.

Q. What have you been listening to these days?
Neil - I am all over the place musically. I listen to everything from Seasurfer and Manon Meurt, to Nasum and Pig Destroyer. I love anything Dreamy like Minipop and Anne, but also bands like Boards of Canada, Manual, and Tycho. I am a huge fan old Death Metal, Black Metal, Grindcore, Horror Punk, Darkwave, Industrial, New Wave, Chillwave, as well as old IDM and Ambient music.

Krissy – I have love for SO many different types of music, but Shoegaze and Dreampop will always hold my heart first. My most recent obsession has been the 3 tracks just released by “Visiting Diplomats”, but I’ve had these other bands on a pretty constant rotation, with no plans to stop anytime soon: The Churchhill Garden, NEWMOON, Cigarettes After Sex, Crescendo, New Canyons, Daywave, The Mary Onettes, The Emerald Down, Rolemodel, The Blessed Isles, Swimming Tapes, MOLLY, Lillet Blanc, Acid Ghost, Tiny Fireflies (I could go on and on, AND ON…but I’ll stop there). I do think that 2017 is going to be packed with stellar new releases as well & I’m really looking forward to hearing them. In particular, I am SO excited for the upcoming albums from Slowdive, Airiel, Seasurfer, Cigarettes After Sex and Miniatures!!


Q. What are the plans for the future?
Neil - Krissy and I are writing songs for our next full length album as well as songs for another edition of Brought to Light. Our plan is to write more songs than we need for the full length and use the rest of the songs as B-Sides on Brought to Light 2. We obviously hope that Sleep to Dream is well received and that we start to make some sort of name for ourselves, but we are just happy to be making music and being creative together again.

Krissy – Just this once, I will tell Neil that I couldn’t have said it better myself. J Just this once. Haha. If it isn’t already obvious, we have a great friendship and are constantly joking around with each other. Being best friends for over 20 years has been a real blessing, in and of itself, but I think it’s something very special to be able to channel that bond into our music and write songs together again. We trust each other, we are very comfortable with one another & we have roots that run deep. When it comes to songwriting, we aren’t afraid to try new things, and we can be brutally honest, giving critique to one another, without there being any hurt feelings involved. I am so grateful to be able to work on music with Neil, and I have no plans to ever stop. Hopefully the future for Whimsical is only just beginning & will have no end.

Q. And finally, first of all, thank you very much for the interview, you are wonderful !!

Neil - Thanks Renato, we have always appreciated your support for Whimsical and it has been a great help to us since we have reformed.

Krissy – Thank you so much Renato! You have been one of our biggest supporters in all of this, and we will never take that for granted. We are so honored to have you in our corner & appreciate you more than you’ll ever know. So much love for you & what you do! <3 br="">*
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Buy Sleep To Dream here - http://www.saintmarierecords.com/products/584594-whimsical-sleep-to-dream