quinta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2017

Chain Up the Sun with Neaux - An Interview


Quando uma banda cita o Laughing Hyenas como uma de suas influências, e mais, quando eles compõem um música chamada Laughing Hyenas, é basicamente impossível não ouvir atentamente, correto?

Corretíssimo!! E a banda em questão é o duo Neaux, de Nova Jersey, onde Sierra Kay (Versa Emerge), e Nick Fit (Trash Talk), respectivamente vozes e guitarras, dão vida a um verdadeiro esporro viciante chamado "Chain Up The Sun", segundo disco deles.

Obviamente que a referência a lendária banda de John Brannon fica apenas no quesito influências, sonoramente o Neaux, explode seu barulho se conectando a um Sonic Youth, Band of Susans, e por ai vai, um noisegazegrungeado, se é que podemos resumir desta forma.

Escuta alto, escute extremamente alto, e vá curtir a noite, só cuidado com o seguinte, não vá sair de carro, porque o Neaux é um aditivo potencial pra acelerar tudo, e aí meu caro, o perigo pode morar ao lado.

Um dos discos mais foda desse 2017, fácil.


***** Interview with Neaux *****


Q. When did Neaux start? Tell us about the history...
Neaux kind of started out of coincidence honestly. I had a previous band fall through and was sitting on a bunch of riffs and song ideas that I felt could potentially be turned into a new group. When I thought about who would sound over the songs I imagined a female voice best fitting the vibe. My first move to was to hit up Sierra and just ask if she'd be into doing a band. The terms were pretty open and I didn't really want any restrictions to be involved. Her response was positive and she asked to hear some of the ideas I had, so I sent her about 22 rough songs. From there we kind of just went with the flow and decided to record. In the span of 2 or 3 months we recorded about 25 songs. So far only 17 of those songs have been released. It's been fun and easy and hopefully it continues down the same path.

Q: Who are your influences?
My influences are pretty wide spread and I like to pull inspiration from all aspects of music. It may not seem like it when you listen to the band but there's hints of all genres in there. People tend to label us a "shoegaze" band or say we have a "grunge" vibe and that's perfectly normal to try and box a certain sound in but I like to think we embody lots of different sounds. There's pieces of hardcore, punk, noise, no wave, shoegaze, electronics, southern rock, brit pop and so much more mixed into a wild ride. Personally I think we sound like Nebula and Sonic Youth decided to get on stage and cover Cardigans songs. But then again I could be totally wrong.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is tough because I feel like anyone who has to answer this question always feels like they leave a crucial record out. I couldn't particularly name 5 but as of right now I could say that if I had to go to deserted island and could only bring 5 records it would be:

1. The Allman Brothers - Live at the Filmore East - One of the greatest band in the history of music.

2. Neil Young - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere - One of the greatest humans in the history of music.

3. Laughing Hyenas - You Can't Pray a Lie - Proved you could come from a hardcore band and not lose your identity even if the music didn't match the vocal style. John Brannon is a legend.

4. Spacemen 3 - Anything by them because there's so much good material from them.

5. Sonic Youth - Dirty - It's not SY's best record but it has a lot of my favorite moments.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
For me personally, playing live is the best part about being in a band. Writing and recording songs is cool but there's nothing like turning your amp up super loud and just having a blast. Sometimes people in bands get too concerned with how they'll come off to the watching audience so they might dial things back or just concentrate real hard on nailing every single proper note, but sadly that isn't me. I'm more from the school of let the music take over and live in the moment for as long you get. Sometimes you'll sound bad and sometimes you're going to sound amazing but it's the experience that matters. Never try and please someone else when it comes to expressing yourself. If your concerns are about the listener then you're missing the point in making music. It's not about acceptance per say but more about expression.

Q. How do you describe Neaux sounds?
Chaotic but beautiful. Hectic but maintained. Blown out, super loud rock music played by people who get it. Our sound is obtuse in a way because some people hear one thing and others hear something different. To me that is awesome because it should appeal to any and everyone based on what they're getting out of it. Once the music gets put forth into the world it's not longer ours to decide what people take from it. It takes on a different life depending on who's listening.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Recording was simple. My friend Tyler has a home studio and is pretty knowledgable in terms of recording and also he rips on guitar. I went to him with the songs and said here's what I got and he just said, "Let's go for it." That's pretty much what we did. I didn't really overthink anything and just went with any and all ideas I had while recording. The songs aren't supposed to be perfect or well produced, they're supposed to be a snapshot of what's inside my head at the times of writing and recording. We have two records out and I think people can find different things amongst both records but also there's a connective tissue that runs through both of them.


Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
There's tons of new bands that pop up every single day, every single hour probably. We're still relatively a new band so listen to us but here's 10 off the top of my head.

1. Supernatural Psycho - very much enjoy their vibe and the overall aesthetic they put forward. Very cool stuff.
2. Concealed Blade - put out an LP earlier this year that is incredible.
3. Death Bells - just released a great LP.
4. Hello Black Hole - weird Finnish art rock.
5. Spiritual Cramp - Bay Area dudes playing rad stuff.
6. Slow Fire Pistol - Hank seems to only do sweet bands.
7. Dreamdecay - Yu LP is awesome.
8. Railings - weird jazz rock band from NYC.
9. Latishia's Skull Drawing - Anything Matt Adis touches is gold.
10. Wild Side - My favorite Canadians. LP on Triple B sometime soon.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I've had ideas run through my head of doing covers of loads of things. I always come up with weird ones and then figure out how to pull it off but then forget about it if we don't try it. I've toyed with the idea of us covering a Negative Approach song. Also thought it would be cool to cover a Spacemen 3 song. Or maybe a Kyuss song. I like when bands step outside their comfort zones to cover a song, whether to pay homage or to completely make it their own. Maybe we'll try something in the near future and just throw it out there as a secret track of sorts.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
The future is unpredictable. I like to think that my friends and I will be making music in one way, shape or form. Neaux is an easy vibe to connect to so we will see where things go and try to reach as many people's ears as possible. I like the thought of taking Neuax to every place possible, whether that be in the live setting and playing shows or just stretching our musical boundaries and writing and releasing loads of material. Being in a band is a journey that has its ups and downs and the ability to ride them out and see where you end up is the fun part. But all I hope for in the future is to still be inspired to write and make music.

Q: Any parting words?
Grab a guitar. Convince your friends to join you. Everyone grow your hair out and make lots of noise. Don't be discouraged by others, play what you want and with who you want. Listen to more Laughing Hyenas.
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Thanks

https://neaux.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BandofNeaux/

quarta-feira, 29 de novembro de 2017

Sunset Of Youth with Sad S - An Interview


O ucraniano, de Kiev, Serj Kost é a mente por trás do sombrio Sad S.

Como se os tempos da batcave retornassem das catacumbas dos 80´s, e aparecem em pleno 2017, menos teatrais e sombrios, e mais claustrofóbicos e caóticos, tal qual o tempo em que vivenciamos.

Ao lado de Bleib Modern, Ash Code, Second Still, Sextile, o novato Sad S se mostra como um dos melhores antídotos para a musiquinha alegre e hipster que se ouve por aí,

Note, apenas dois singles, pouco mais de seis meses de atividade, e uma intensidade poderosa, olhos e ouvidos atentos no Sad S.

***** Interview with Sad S *****


Q. When did Sad S start? Tell us about the history...
1. Well, It's all started in March 2017 when I found some guitar riffs that I wrote in July 2016 and recorded them in March-April and realesed my first demo on the first anniversary of relations with my bride.

Q: Who are your influences?
2. First gothic albums that I have listened was The Cure's Pornography and Only Theater Of Pain by Christian Death, later I found such groups as Siouxsie & The Banshees, Veil Of Light and Bleib Modern.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3. The Cure's Pornography,
Hyaena by Siouxsie & The Banshees,
Only Theater Of Pain by Christian Death,
Antagonism by Bleib Modern
and... I don't care actualy.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4. I'm feeling that I do what I must.

Q. How do you describe Sad S sounds?
5. In my music you can hear diferrent sides of post-punk\goth music from coldwave and synthpop to darkgaze and deathrock. I'm using a lot of guitar effects such as chorus, flanger, reverb, delay, overdrive, octaver, etc. That gives me opportunity to experiment with my sound.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6. I'm working at the studio, so there is nothing special. I'm doing all by my own, recordind, mixing etc.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7. I love Bleib Modern, Veil Of Light, Second Still, Baical, Ash Code. Also I recommend to you my friends by stage: Garden Krist, The last passenger, Old Cats Drama, they are realy cool and nice guys and Tripping You / VVV this is my spanish mates, i wish to play with them someday.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8. You will hear soon)

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9. I will release an album and I want to play some gigs in europe.

Q: Any parting words?
10. I'm preparing an album which is comming out soon!
Stay tuned!

Your Sadess =*
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Thanks

https://sads2.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Saddestthansad/

terça-feira, 28 de novembro de 2017

Maybe In Another Universe I Deserve You with GYHT - An Interview



Faça um exercício de imaginação agora, pense em Dean Garcia e Toni Halliday (Curve), Trent Reznor (NIN) e Elizabeth Frasier e injete aquele guitarreira melancólica praticada por gente como Nothing e Whirr. Mentalizou? Bem agora, dê play no EP "Maybe In Another Universe I Deserve You", finalizando volte na discografia dos filipinos do GYHT, e experimente a audição do álbum "A Force of Habit".

Após estes exercícios, chega a conclusão que o trio GYHT, cresceu bebendo na fonte electro industrial do NIN, mas sempre teve os pés no shoegaze, tudo envolto á aquela tristeza melancolicamente da passagem da juventude para a vida adulta.

O fato é que o GYHT, envolve, seduz e por hipnose sonora, te pega pela mente.

Deliciosamente apaixonante.


***** Interview with GYHT *****


Q. When did GYHT start? Tell us about the history...
Patrick: The three of us were officemates and became friends. We have same taste in music and eventually we clicked.

James: Pat and I decided to form an electronic post-rock project. I produced the samples and I also played synth and Pat played the guitar. Later on we asked Rosan to join us. Then we called ourselves Goodbye Yesterday Hello Today aka GYHT.

Rosan: There was this upcoming gig and they need a vocalist so they asked me if I can play with them. They also asked me to write the lyrics for the two songs (Morning Noise and Danse Macabre) they created a week before the gig! The rest is history.

Q: Who are your influences?
James: One of the main reasons we formed GYHT is because we have mutual likeness to certain bands. We were influenced by Nine Inch Nails for synths and electronic samples, Deftones for thick guitar tone, Jesu for that sludge-y feel.

Patrick: Actually, we started as an electronic/post-industrial band. Our early tracks were inspired by NIN and How To Destroy Angels (https://gyhtband.bandcamp.com/album/a-force-of-habit). Our recent album was more influenced by shoegaze/dreampop bands like Depreciation Guild, Nothing, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine.

Rosan: I personally admire Elizabeth Frasier's voice and although I don't sound like her, I put a lot of reverb in my voice effects to have that "ethereal feel" to our songs.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time
Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails
Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws
Deftones - White Pony
Nothing - Tired of Tomorrow
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Patrick: We love playing live especially with friends.

Rosan: Playing live is always a learning experience to us. Every gig, we discover how to improve our sets and to balance the tone from guitars to voice effects. We usually record it with a video cam.

James: We always try something new during our live sets. Sometimes we do electronic set and sometimes we do full band setup with our session bassist Dem and drummer Gibson. At one point we did an acoustic live set.

Q. How do you describe GYHT sounds?
James: We incorporate post-industrial sounds mixed with shoegaze noise and sludge.

Rosan: I will quote these from our friends in the music scene:

"If you forced Trent Reznor to play nice and use all the reverb to play pop music" - Sleeping Boy Collective

"GYHT had considerably beefed up their sound that night which I could best describe it as the bastard child of Curve and Godflesh with real live drums to boot." - The Flying Lugaw

Patrick: We still have that electronic feel from our recent album but it evolves into a more mellow and dreampop-ish vibe.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
James: Sometimes we improvise during our practice sessions and create electronic backing like drumloops and synth lines. Afterwards, we make a pre-production setup and polish the tracking with different kinds of guitar pedals.

Rosan: We talked a lot in Facebook about ideas and inspirations then we incorporate those stuff when we meet. Our recordings, ever since, are all DIY. We record all the materials at James' house then he edit and finalize the tracks.

Patrick: It's often the music first before the lyrics. All the lyrics were inspired from personal experiences and our admiration to parallel universe haha!

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Rosan: There are so many bands out there who are freakin' good. I mostly discover it through Bandcamp and Spotify. Hmm I would say, you should listen to Miniatures' new album Jessamine.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
James: One of our favorite covers is from Joy Division (included in our EP) which is "Atmosphere".

Rosan: Recently we covered The Dead Are Dumb by Nothing. I love it.

Patrick: For me it's The Hand That Feeds by NIN, our very first cover.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Rosan: We will be releasing physical CDs of our recent album this December, yay!

James: Next year, we are planning to write new songs. Same recording process but in this EP we will try to incorporate live drums and bass.

Patrick: Maybe try to incorporate something different or new from our sound.

Q: Any parting words?
Rosan: Thanks to people who appreciate shoegaze music and indie bands like us. Thanks to this blog for giving us the opportunity to have this interview. We're such a big fan!

Patrick: Please check our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/GYHTband
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/GYHTband/
https://gyhtband.bandcamp.com/

Child of The Sun with Coffin Problem - An Interview


Um pesadelo sônico exala do álbum de estreia do quarteto de Grand Rapids, Michigan, Coffin Problem.

Algo entre uma colisão sombria entre Swans e Spacemen 3, pairando sobre drones, repetições, climas cinzentos, gerando uma catarse hipnótica e desesperadora.

O Coffin Problem é psicodelismo despido de cores envolto a um noise denso matematicamente repetitivo, experimente se puder.

***** Interview with Coffin Problem *****


Q. When did Coffin Problem start? Tell us about the history...
Coffin Problem is:
Sean - Guitar, Vocals
Trevor - Guitar
Billy - Bass
Ben - Drums

Several years ago my friend Bill (who runs 1980 records out of Chicago) asked me if I wanted to put out a tape. It was a small collection of covers and a few original songs, and that came out under the name Coffin Problem. I was playing with the bands Shores and Haunted Leather at the time, and didn't really have any plans to start something new. Both of those bands eventually stopped playing, and in the summer of 2015 a friend from Heaters asked me if I had a band that could play a show. I said yes, even though I didn't, and that's when Coffin Problem became a full band. I asked Billy to play bass because I had played with him in Shores. I asked Trevor and Ben if they wanted to be involved, and that was that. We spent 4 or 5 practices getting a set together and played the show. That night Dizzybird records said that they wanted to put out the album, which we recorded that November, and it was released in July 2016.

Q: Who are your influences?
Personally I'd say that my influences are Swans, Wooden Wand, Low, Wovenhand, etc etc. I've also been really into stuff like Scott Walker and Carla Bozulich lately. The other guys each have their own that differ completely from mine. I think that is one of the reasons why this band works, is that we each have fairly different tastes in music so we bring different things to the table when it comes to writing. There are some overlaps, but for the most part we all listen to different things. We are also conscious about not letting our influences affect our music too much. If we're writing a song, and a part sounds too much like another band, we'll scrap that part and rewrite it.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Oh man, um...
Angels of Light - "New Mother"
Einsturzende Neubauten - "Halber Mensch"
Six Organs of Admittance - "Asleep on the Floodplain"
James Jackson Toth - "Waiting in Vain"
Pharoahe Monch - "Internal Affairs"

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We always have a great time playing live. It's the best when you hear your sound filling the whole room and the crowd is attentive and responding well. I'm usually super nervous about live shows, but as soon as I'm up there and we start playing that all goes away. Getting positive energy from the crowd makes you play better and more intuitively, and the whole band gets into sync with each other. It's great.

Q. How do you describe Coffin Problem sounds?
Huge, loud, quiet, dynamic, drone, fuzz, slow, spacey. Kinda like heavy, droney, shoegaze.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
For the first album we went into the studio and recorded live. We laid down all the instrumentals one day, and the next day we did vocals and overdubs. It went really quickly, but that was a good way for us to get the first album done. For our upcoming second album, we went in to the studio for four days straight, and tracked everything separately. We had most of it ready to go, but we wanted to build the album piece by piece this time. This gave us more time and leeway to get into the zone of recording, allowing for new ideas to come to fruition.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
White Shape, Lost System, Cloakroom, Sara Davachi, Dion Lunadon

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
We always talk about doing one of Beck's really old songs, or this one Waylon Jennings jam. In the past we've done "Somedays" by Tess Parks, and "Pissing" by Low.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We're just about to finish up mixing the new album, so hopefully that'll be out by the late winter or early spring of 2018. Other than that we're going to keep writing new songs and playing shows.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for listening!
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Thanks

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

segunda-feira, 27 de novembro de 2017

Where We Were / Where We Are with Double Jackal - An Interview


O lirismo poético de um Morrissey, ou, de um Lloyd Cole, com roupagem gazer, assim são os israelenses do Double Jackal.

Um raro momento de inspiração latente passeando por entre guitarras altas e estridentes, sem have a necessidade de ruídos extremos, apenas servindo como pano de fundo para a inspirada e intensa vocalização de Nimrod Dvir.

"Where We Were / Where We Are", o debute deles, lançado mês passado, é, infelizmente, daqueles álbuns que poucos ouvirão, mas os que ouvirem, dirão, tal qual o TBTCI dirá agora: sensacional.

Épico, resume.

***** Interview with Double Jackal *****


Q. When did Double Jackal start? Tell us about the history...
1. We started playing together when we were juniors in high school when we were 16-17 year olds. Matan and Nimrod were good friends and decided they wanted to form a band. Matan and Yair met in Math class and somehow got to discuss music and switched some music recommendation. Seeing that Yair came to class every now and then with a guitar case, Matan asked him to join the band he and Nimrod formed. Michal joined about a year later when we needed a bass player and knew she played in some bands in our area and that she was a good bass player, so we asked her to come join the band and it all somehow worked out.

Q: Who are your influences?
2. We are all inspired by very different types of music, Yair is inspired by a large array of musical influences from noisey rock and shoegaze acts like Sonic Youth, Pinkshinyultrablast, Whirr, Metz and Dia Malo to the entrancing ambient loops of William Basinski and the soft, rich and melodic guitars of Bill Frisell, Ben Monder and Gilad Hekselman. Matan's lyrics are inspired by Morrissey, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst, Paolo Giordano and his drumming is mostly inspired by Matt Helders.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3.
Yair;
(In no particular order)
Sonic Youth - Dirty
DIIV - Is The Is Are
Swirlies - They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days In The Glittering World Of The Salons
Grouper - Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Matan;
The Smiths - The queen is dead
Leonard Cohen - New skin for the old ceremony
Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
Bright Eyes - I'm wide awake, it's morning
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular

Michal;
Sleater Kinney - Dig Me Out
Heavens to Betsy - Calculated
Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
Slowdive - Catch the Breeze
Angel Olsen - Burn Your Fire For No Witness

Nimrod;
Cocteau Twins - Treasure
Cocteau Twins - Heaven Or Las Vegas
The Cure - Disintegration
New Order - Movement
Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4. In our live shows we tend to give out every bit of energy we possibly can to the crowd. The live show, very much like the album, has almost no gaps between songs keeping the performance more of an experience-centric one rather than just a list of songs we play that has no connection to one another, so playing these kind of shows is very demanding physically and requires us to really feel the music as we play it to make sure it comes out as naturally and as satisfying to the audience as we hope it does.

Q. How do you describe Double Jackal sounds?
5. We sound like that feeling you get before you go to sleep and start reflecting on your past failures.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6. Our album's recording process was a clusterfuck that somehow found it's way into working out after being stretched out for about 3 years. We recorded some or most of the guitars at home, then added vocals, then recorded the drums in the studio and bass in the end, going against every rule in the album producing book. Yair is the recording engineer of 99% of the record, and being able to record most of the guitars at home always makes it the first thing to be recorded. About 60% of the recorded material was recorded by Yair at his home studio but since he also works at a recording studio we weren't always having a problem with a studio budget or time limit. Being able to record at any time lets a lot of creative producing ideas emerge while not being pressured by a time limit or budget issues, enabling us to get wild in exploration of sounds and ideas.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7. Pity Sex, Alvvays, Creative Adult, Wild Moth, Soft Hair, Total Control, Ballet School, Eagulls, Twin Peaks. Wand, Atalefim, Kadawa, La Luz, The Lemon Twigs, Hideous Towns

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8. We toyed with the idea of covering Depeche Mode's Break The Silence in our last practice session, Matan wants to cover Echo And The Bunnymen's The Killing Moon. We also covered Julee Cruise's Falling (the theme of the TV show Twin Peaks) in the past. Nimrod does a fucking killer Morissey and nailed There Is A Light That Never Goes Out at a karaoke one night if that counts.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9. We're currently working on promoting our album 'Where We Were / Where We Are', but after that we plan on recording another album that will be a hundred times better. Hopefully. Then maybe touring abroad, getting outside of Israel for a bit.

Q: Any parting words?
10. Thank you for having us and letting our voices be heard!
To everyone reading this; explore music from weird places, you might find some cool shit outside of the obvious musical capitols.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/doublejackal/
https://doublejackal.bandcamp.com/releases

domingo, 26 de novembro de 2017

I Can Feel the Weight with Silver Liz - An Interview


Quando se menos espera, a magia da sonoridade perfeita chega colossalmente, sem freios, e vai penetrando rapidamente mente adentro, deixando a pessoa sem a menor defesa, onde, a única coisa a fazer é ser abduzido por completo. Assim são os grandes álbuns, sempre aconteceu comigo desta forma.

E, obviamente, isso aconteceu desde que "I Can Feel The Weight", primeiro disco do duo, Silver Liz, começou a reverberar por aqui, mas precisamente, desde 31 de Outubro, data em que esta pequena preciosidade veio ao mundo.

Sonoramente, o estrago entre sonhos derretidos por pedais, que o Silver Liz comete, faz uma certa conexão com o Fleeting Joys, e logicamente remete a MBV, mas isso fica, apenas como norte para seguir flutuando desde os primeiros momentos de "Prelude", passando por contemplamentos celestiais como "Him", "Hazy Daisy", "Float" até o grand finale com "Visitor".

Um trabalho sublime, essencial, mágico, essencial para todo e qualquer, fã de shoegaze, ou nem precisaria ser fã do gênero, mesmo porque o Silver Liz, tem o segredo mágico, do encanto, simples assim.

Acima.

***** Interview with Silver Liz *****


Q. When did Silver Liz start? Tell us about the history...
M: Well okay, shortly after Carrie and I got married in September 2015, we wrote and recorded a demo of our first song "Talk to You Soon" when we lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. We didn't think of ourselves as a band yet -- we just shared the song with friends. My cousin Mark Hunsberger who is an amazing jazz drummer also played drums on the song. Anyways, Carrie and I moved to Chicago in October 2015 because she wanted to study comedy writing at the Second City Theater and I just wanted to be in a city. Before that, my original plan was to go to grad school for music composition, but then I turned down an offer from New England Conservatory in Boston because it was ridiculously expensive and I was losing interest in the "contemporary classical" thing anyways. So, as a result of having no musical direction when we first moved to Chicago, I just started recording song ideas on the guitar, with the intention of having Carrie sing and write lyrics later on. In September 2016, we finished writing "Float" and were really happy with it, so we wanted to send it to blogs. We obviously needed a band name, so we went with "Silver Liz" because when we visited the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Carrie saw it was the name of one of Warhol's screen prints of Elizabeth Taylor and thought it sounded like a cool band name, so that's how the name happened.

The formation of our live band and our first show happened unexpectedly and serendipitously. My friend Gus, who I met while studying abroad at Goldsmiths, University of London, is in Kero Kero Bonito and he posted a status on Facebook about needing an opener for their Chicago show at Subterranean back in October 2016. So I told him we'd be interested in the future, but not this time since we only had two songs and no band. He still invited us to make it happen for that show, so we said 'yes' even though we had no plan. We had only three weeks to write, like, three more songs, find a bassist and drummer, and rehearse the songs. We used our Southwest credit card points to fly my cousin Mark to Chicago to play drums. We found our bassist PD Young because we saw him playing bass in church one day, and without even knowing him, we just went up to him and asked him if he'd play since we were desperate to find a bassist for the show. He said 'yes' and it turns out we all have similar taste in music and he is a really cool guy, so he has been in the band since. The soundcheck at Subterranean was actually the first time all four of us were able to rehearse together. Anyways, it was a sold out show and we had a blast! People actually seemed to dig it! Drew Flippin, who is in PD's band Country Priest, has been playing drums with us after that show and we've played five shows total.

Q: Who are your influences?
C: Well, I would say the influences for this album were Slowdive, Cults, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Beach House, Alvvays, and Tamaryn. Our other influences in general would be Elliott Smith, Radiohead, and Sufjan Stevens to name a few.

M: Yeah, I definitely agree with all the artists Carrie listed. For me, Sonic Youth was also a huge influence on this album; I invented my own Sonic Youth-influenced guitar tuning for a lot of these songs. It is basically a just a major triad with each note doubled so you get that thick, droning, slightly out-of-tune sound you hear in so many Sonic Youth songs.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
C: I don't consistently listen to albums all the way through as much as I listen to particular songs (and my top five favorite songs would be almost impossible for me to decide), so I'd probably be able to better name my top five favorite bands/artists:

My Bloody Valentine
Elliott Smith
Beach House
Mac Demarco
Alvvays

M: For me,
Elliott Smith - Either/Or
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Beatles – The White Album
My Bloody Valentine – m b v
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation

Q. How do you feel playing live?
C: Still very nervous at first but I typically warm up after the first few songs. It also depends on the audience. For our first show when we opened for Kero Kero Bonito, there were four hundred people in the audience. Even though that was one of my most nerve-wracking experiences, it was also one of the best nights of my life. We fed off of the energy from the audience--they were so supportive and fun. But we've also played to an audience of eleven people so uhh yeah it's a mixed bag.

M: I have a lot of fun playing live. I feel like I can really let loose and express myself when I'm on stage with a loud guitar, ya know? I get really antsy right before the show and mostly just worry about everything sounding balanced, but I don't really worry about messing up anymore. I've had so many truly awful performances when I studied music in college that I've learned screwing up live is pretty much inevitable and life goes on. Nobody really notices when it does happen either.


Q. How do you describe Silver Liz sounds?
C: Gritty noisy guitars contrasted with echo-y, light vocals.

M: Yeah, I think aside from the adjectives commonly used to describe pretty much any band in our genre, one aspect we try to achieve with every song is unpredictability. Carrie and I have very similar ideas about what makes music boring or not boring and a lot of time it has to do with the harmonic progressions. We try to use interesting and unpredictable harmonic progressions in every song and we hope that doesn't go unnoticed. Same thing with song structure and phrasing.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
C: It varies but typically Matt will come up with a tune on the guitar and I will come up with the lyrics and modify the tune and melody.

M: On the technical side, it was very unprofessional. We recorded most of the guitar, bass, and vocals in our apartment. Most of the guitar is recorded DI out of a Vox Valvetronix amp. For the tracks where Mark plays drums, we recorded those at his house in Harrisburg, PA in one long nine-hour session. It was our first time recording a whole drum kit using, like, six mics and some Scarlett 8-channel interface we bought. We recorded them in this office room with walls with wood paneling. I think the drums have a unique sound as a result of our inexperience. For the track "Him" that Drew plays on, we recorded the drums in the balcony of a church so there's this great natural reverb happening. The mic I used for the vocals and guitar is this $50 MXL 990 condenser mic I've had since before high school. There was a hole in our pop filter, so I put pantyhose over it and that fixed it. Everything was recorded into Ableton Live.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
C: Our bassist's band Country Priest and also Lazy Legs.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
C: Long, Long, Long by The Beatles. Also--Cherry Coloured Funk by Cocteau Twins. I love the unpredictability and range of vocals.

M: I think it’d be really fun to cover some John Maus songs because they are the truth. But yeah, Long, Long, Long by the Beatles is the greatest song ever for sure.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
C: Keep making music, and hopefully tour if/when we get a larger fan base!

M: Yeah, we are going to just write a bunch of songs in all different kinds of styles this winter and then after we have, like, forty, we’ll see which ones fit together as an album.

Q: Any parting words?
C: Thanks for asking to interview us. :) Hope we can come to Brazil some day!

M: Thank you so much for the interview and for the kind words about our album!
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Thanks

https://silverliz.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Silver-Liz-1279061452118124/

sexta-feira, 24 de novembro de 2017

Slow Wave with PVLSR - An Interview


Desde quando o Ride soltou sua obra prima, leia-se, Nowhere, já estava evidenciado a aproximação do shoegaze com o pós punk gélido e melancólico do The Cure, circa Disintegration, e desde então, as duas obras vem servindo de alicerce criativo para uma infinidade de bandas, exemplo destas influências são os mexicanos do PVLSR.

Com dois singles no currículo, os caras convertem suas referências óbvias em deleites melancolicamente guiados por guitarras sussurrantes, caso de "Slow Wave", mas não é tudo, o PVLSR ainda flerta com a tendência mais moderna e sonhadora do pós punk contemporâneo, escute "Black and White" e perceba uma conexão com os russos do Motorama.

O PVLSR é umma banda ainda em busca de suas verdades, mas, que, pelos primeiros passos, nos deixa bem ansiosos pelos próximos.


***** Interview with PVLSR *****


Q. When did PVLSR start? Tell us about the history...
A. PVLSR started in 2013 in Leon, Mexico, with the brothers Humberto and Benny. Humberto on vocals and guitar, Benny on guitar, then Amadeus on bass and currently Manzana on drums. We had difficulties with the drummers, we hate them, haha, but we love Manzana, it's a blessing.
Decided not to play "covers" we started to create our own songs, originally they were only instrumental and in 2016 we formalized the band, Humberto composed the lyrics and recorded our first demo called "Hold me" in September of that same year, we uploaded it to SoundCloud and liked the local people.

We dedicate ourselves to perfecting the songs and we debuted in January of 2017 in Guanajuato a city close to ours, we had afterwards several presentations in other nearby cities and in ours from January to June.

In July we decided to record our first EP titled "Desolation" which will include 7 tracks including "Black and white" that we just released this September 30 and a remake of our demo "Hold me". We plan to release the EP in early 2018.

Q: Who are your influences?
A. Well, we are all influenced by bands of post-punk, shoegaze, dream pop and garage like: Beach Fossils, Beach House, The Cure, Motorama, Soviet Soviet, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Jaded Juice Riders, Blank Dogs. I think these bands are our biggest influence, we admire their work a lot. Although we also listen to and are inspired by the classic post-punk and dream pop bands like The Smiths, Jesus and Mary Chain.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time ...
A. The order does not matter, but for us they would be these:
1- In Rainbows - Radiohead
2- Loveless - My Bloody Valentine
3- Girlflight - Jaded Juice Riders
4- Alps - Motorama
5- Total Life Forever - Foals

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. To play live is our best experiences, the feeling of freedom, interaction with people, see how they enjoy what we do is undoubtedly the best of live play.

Always nervous, always thinking and hoping to give the best of us up on stage every show.
It is one of the greatest pleasures to do what you like, and the public enjoy it.

We always end up exhausted by moving on the stage, jumping, dancing, pulling, going down with the audience, chanting our songs is somewhat exhausting because we certainly do it with a lot of energy, with all our strength, we always end up drenched in sweat, with our arms and legs tired and throat, sometimes breaking the strings of the guitar and on one occasion breaking the guitar, and seeing how people respond to your energy motivates you to give more and more and at the end of the show and people applaud, excited, is the best thing that can happen to you. That feels to play live.


Q. how do you described pvlsr sounds?
A. Much reverb, energy and melancholy. We like clean guitar sound, we love the sound of excessive reverb, the sound of the chorus, rhythms faster than make you move and dance and we combine that to create our own sound, our identity.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
A. The truth, it's hard, we know as it sounds in our mind, but explain producer as we want to sound that's what complicated: "put more reverb", "a little less to the battery", "a little less to the voice", "put more to the other guitar", are some things that tell him. It is also a little slow because we don't you can go all the same day to studio, so one day we recorded bass, guitar and battery, and other day voice and the other guitar. Sometimes we do not like as is some line and we return to record it again. Hear ourselves there in the studio always we fill of new ideas, and is the process.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A. Okay, Clan de Venus, DUVVII, San Charbel, PVLSR haha. Should listen them.

Q. Which band would you love to made to cover version of?
A. Alison - Slowdive, no doubt.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
A. Able to carry our music to different parts of the world, record new material and find happiness.

Q. Any parting words?
A. Thank you, don't forget us...
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/PVLSR/
https://pvlsr.bandcamp.com

quinta-feira, 23 de novembro de 2017

The Motion of the Ocean with Wrip - An Interview


Em alguns momentos, tudo que se precisa, é estar a beira do amor, sentindo aquela brisa, e ouvindo algo simples, sem extremos, algo que te embarque na vibe, uma música dançante, cantarolável, harmônica, sonhadora, enfim, um belo indie surf pop cairia como uma luva não?

Pois se para este verão estava faltando a trilha perfeita, você acabou de encontra-la neste exato momento: "The Motion of the Ocean" debute dos garotos da Califórnia, de onde mais, Wrip.

Se o Lúcio Ribeiro ouvir esses meninos, vai traze-los pro Brasil como a mais nova celebridade indie do momento, e eu digo a você, não seria nada mal, porque se todo indie fosse como o Wrip, tudo ficaria melhor.

Bom verão com o Wrip.

***** Interview with Wrip *****


Q. When did Wrip start? Tell us about the history...
1.) Wrip started back in December of 2016. Originally it was an idea Hendrik and Cole had; to just bang out a few songs with Reise’s help because he knew how to record. That resulting in them literally being up all night putting together four songs in a bedroom that later became our demo “Easy Swimmers.” Reise, Hendrik, and Cole toyed around with name ideas and eventually came up with Wrip (which honestly doesn’t have a solid meaning behind it, just sounded cool). Once they really listened back on what we ended up with, they thought that it’d be a good idea to bring in other members and make it a full band. That is where Danny and Jonny then stepped into the picture. Immediately after we all had our first practice two days later we quickly developed a synergy that made it all the more easier and ultimately an experience we will all hold close. From then we all played our first show in Santa Cruz at what was formally Cafe Pergs (RIP) and a few more following. Later we began sending each other song ideas for what was our next step, an LP. Once everyone was able to come together, we took advantage of our summer breaks from College to put together 11 songs that turned into “The Motion of the Ocean.”

Q: Who are your influences?
2.) We all have a bunch of influences that range from a lot of difference genres. For Wrip’s sound though, our influences include:
- Porches
- Turnover
- The Beach Boys
- The Cure
- My Bloody Valentine
- Diiv
- Lots of other bands that fall into those categories (we listen to a lot of music).

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3.) That’s a tough one, our top 5 (in no specific order) would have to be:
- Green Day - “Insomnia”
- Bob Iver - “For Emma, Forever Ago”
- Fall Out Boy - “Take This To Your Grave”
- Rage Against The Machine - “Evil Empire”
- Nirvana - “Nevermind”

We’ll probably rethink this later.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4.) Playing live is a great feeling especially when we’ve worked really hard practicing beforehand. Seeing people really liking how we sound and responding to it is something we love to experience every time we play.

Q. How do you describe Wrip sounds?
5.) Wrip sounds like someone took a beach ball and brought it to life, some days at the beach are overcast and some are bright and sunny. We sound like a pop band due to our sounds of the 808’s but also sound ambient and melodic at times. In other words, just straight up surfpop.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6.) Recording is done by Reise because he has the equipment and experience. For the most part we just stick ourselves in someone’s bedroom until we finish a song and feel satisfied with it. We stick to bedrooms because we don’t have an existing budget for studio time.

Like recording, writing also involved a free house and an entire night. We usually stay up as a group and throw around ideas that we all agree to build upon.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
8.) Listen to our homies from Fringe, Strange Tides, Westpoint, and Get Married!

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
9.) There are a lot. We almost became a cover band due to all of us wanting to cover a song we all love. A few we have done so far are:
- The Beach Boys - “Surfin’ USA”
- Joy Division - “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
- Happy Diving - “Head Spell”
- Weezer - “Undone (Sweater Song)”
- OutKast - “Hey Ya”

Q: What are your plans for the future?
10.) As of right now we’re just celebrating our first LP release and playing as many shows as we can and are gearing up to do our first tour in January with a band called “Get Married.” Later on we’ll be coming together to figure out some new songs.

Q: Any parting words?
11.) Thank you to you and your blog for the support, we really appreciate it. Also we would like to thank our friends, family, girlfriends, and bands that have supported us from the start. Make sure to check us out on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music, and all that jazz. Get a shirt, get a tape, and have yourself a great day!
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Thanks

https://wrip.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/wripdudes

quarta-feira, 22 de novembro de 2017

Randomness and Order with Tradecraft - An Interview


Sonhos sonoros, também conhecidos como dreampop, é, a meu ver, um dos subgêneros mais complicados de se caminhar, pois, a linha tênue entre o elegante, sofisticado e belo, pode facilmente desandar completamente tornando-se piegas e fútil.

É exatamente nesta delicada linha, que o quarteto filipino, Tradecraft tece suas canções, e o debute deles, o EP "Randomness and Other, lançado no mês passado, oferta aos indies, o lado elegante, com sutis inserções de um certo pós punk pop, algo como o The Cure, pós a trilogia desesperadora, aliado a ícones do dreampop contemporâneo como Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils, entre outros, com isso o suave dreampop do Tradecraft ganha em brilho e movimento, saindo assim, do meio comum.

Uma trilha sonora perfeita para aquele encontro a dois, deixando o Tradecraft de fundo, e o resto é contigo. 

***** Interview with Tradecraft *****

Q. When did Tradecraft start? Tell us about the history...
We started as Tradecraft in late 2013 but before our band name was finally established, our members had other bands that played different genres. Though both the lead guitars and rhythm/vocals have been playing together since 2007, it was only in 2012 that the two played the same genre as Tradecraft but had different band members back then. The band finalized the lineup in 2013 and the same members continue to play together until today.

Q: Who are your influences?
Our Musical Influences vary from bands which belong to the indie, post-punk, new wave, shoegaze, and alternative rock genres. Bands like Minus the Bear, Bloc Party, The Cure, Slowdive, Radiohead, and The Doors to name a few.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Haha this is difficult, this list will be much longer if we could choose more than five albums.
But for only five albums, here it is...

1. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
2. Minus the Bear - Menos el Oso
3. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
4. Radiohead - Kid A
5. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures

Q. How do you feel playing live?
During our live performances we like to play loud. We have a mix of emotions we usually deal with especially euphoria, thrill, trance, and anxiety.

Q. How do you describe Tradecraft sounds?
We would like to think that the band's sound can be best described as a modern take on the 80's new wave, with the upbeat feels of the post-punk and post-punk revival era and a bit of shoegaze.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Like what most bands do, we start from scratch through our recorded raw sound to the mixing and mastering of the tracks. First, guitar sounds from clean to effected samples. The vocals are all recorded using a desktop PC software - a recording interface for the guitars and a cardioid USB mic for the vocals. The drum tracks follow, which are recorded in a studio. And lastly, the bass tracks are recorded using the same recording interface and software. After all the raw tracks, mixing and mastering then follow as the final process. We recorded everything except for the drum tracks at home.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Beast Jesus, Tramonto, We Ride Dynamite and Sound Architects to mention a list of bands we are familiar of.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We would love to make a cover version of any songs by The Cure as their sound definitely depicts one of our core influences as a band.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
As for future plans, we'd like to play live more often and overseas perhaps if given the chance. We want to write more songs and generate new sounds and ideas from the writing process. For now, we are hoping to have a physical release of our EP with an artistic value to it to make it more unique and pleasant to own. That way, we can share and promote our music in more events and performances.

Q: Any parting words?
Let's just continue to appreciate and listen to music as time helps evolve our taste for our musical preferences. We too can make a big difference in each others' lives. As they say, "for the love of music".

Thank you, Renato, for this interview. It is our pleasure.
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Thanks

https://tradecraft.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/tradecraft082

terça-feira, 21 de novembro de 2017

Slow Dunes with Wind Mile - Interview and Premiere


Um sopro refrescante de leveza pairando entre sonhos, mas com tonalidades cinzentas, assim é "Slow Dunes" novo single do duo Wind Mile.

Antonin e Marie evocam beleza e leveza suavizando os tempos caóticos do nosso cotidiano, e "Slow Dunes" é daquelas canções pop perfeitas, para serem degustadas ininterruptamente.

A mente e o coração agracedem.

***** Interview with Wind Mile *****


Q. When did Wind Mile start? Tell us about the history...
Antonin : It started when I composed my first 30-second tunes 4 years ago I guess. And since then, it is somehow shaped by all the musicians I met, one in particular, Marie, with whom I built up the project. We started playing together in September 2015, when we moved to Lille. Again, we met wonderful musicians, and the tunes kept evolving.

Marie : That is when the adventure took a new turn. We extended the compositions together and created others. The tracks were waiting for voices and lyrics, and I was glad to bring some feminin vibes to the project.

Antonin : It took us approximately a year to make full songs. The line-up changed many times, but today we are only the two of us on stage, playing the tracks we composed.

Q: Who are your influences?
Marie : The project in itself is full of influences mainly from alternative music, as indie-rock and dream-pop. But the artists I find particularly inspiring are for example RY X, Sigur Ròs, Beach House... and in terms of voice, I would say Julia Stone, Aurora, or Daughter.

Antonin : First, the bands my parents used to listen to : The Cure, Placebo, Interpol, The Wedding Present, Arcade Fire, Wu Lyf… And then, a hometown band, the Concrete Knives, which introduced indie music to me. Lately, I extended a lot the genres I listen to, and went into bossa nova, ambient, jazz… But I guess it doesn’t reflect on what we do yet. However, it’s tough to know what shapes the music you make among what shapes who you are.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Antonin : Well, let’s say 5 of the most reminded albums in my past life for now :
Wu Lyf - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain
Red Hot Chili Peppers - By The Way
Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils
Bob Marley - Legend
DIIV - Oshin

Marie :
That's not an easy one, but I would go for :
Elliott Smith – Either/Or
Ben Harper – Live From Mars
RY X – Dawn
The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
Agnes Obel - Aventine

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Marie : It is always a mixture of apprehension and euphoria, but I guess the second wins. I mean, I really love playing live because it's so rewarding to share our music with people, to get their impressions and feelings, but we don't really compose primarily thinking about how it will be in live, the most important for me is being sincere. But then you expose yourself and this sincerity in front of people, and this is not an easy task, because it's not only your music they're listening to, it's feelings, memories, weaknesses, that you share with them.



Q. How do you describe Wind Mile sounds?
Marie : Hard question. Especially since each has its singularity which prevents us to make a general description that would suit each of them. Some are tinted of melancholia and cold waves, when others are warmer and summer related. But people agree to say that it is airy and bright. We believe that is relevant.

Antonin : I try to make instrumentals to listen to while drifting in a rowboat under the sun.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Antonin : We keep it homemade : we recorded and mixed our first tune ourselves. The main reason is that I am not the clearest when it comes to the sound I think about, so I prefer spending more time on it and mixing it myself. I am eager to learn from others as I am making a lot of mistakes during the process, for Slow Dunes I worked with other people to get more feedback.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Antonin : Let’s name a few : Lately, I discovered a dream-pop rapper called Jimi Somewhere. Pretty cool feelings. There are also a passionate artist that makes shoegaze, Pastel Coast, who is also in the same music collective as us called Noord Sfeer Records, and an electronic music artist from my hometown in France, Caen, named Superpoze. They both make beautiful tunes that awake more senses than earing.

Marie : Since Pastel Coast has already been taken, I'd say.. Modern Pleasure, and CHAMPS !

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Antonin : From way back I think about covering an old hip-hop instrumental. We played Still D.R.E’s one with my first music friends three years ago after discovering alt-J’s cover of it, and it was very cool to express ourselves on a track that wasn’t ours at the beginning.

Marie : Actually it's been awhile we are talking about it. We have not decided yet which band it would be but I'd really love making a new version of a vintage song, or from something really far from our music.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Marie : We moved in Norway not so long ago. Travelling is always very inspiring, that's when we find new ideas. So we thought : why not living abroad for a while ? We both had the opportunity to leave, so we took it.

Antonin : We are working on adapting our live set, from 5 real musicians to Marie and I. We are also composing new songs and want to enhance our live playing here. In the long term, I want to do more and more music.

Q: Any parting words?
Antonin : Thanks for the interview and your work Renato. And... disorder is out of tune, isn’t it ?
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Thanks

Facebook : facebook.com/wind.mile/
Twitter : twitter.com/wind_mile
Instagram : instagram.com/wind.mile/
Bandcamp : www.wind-mile.bandcamp.com/
Youtube : youtube.com/channel/UC9Bk48tSQn…wkOrox0nJSMA/videos

Chasing The Sun with Lost Echoes - An Interview


Entre delirantes atmosferas e paisagens espaciais, "Chasing The Sun", o debute do trio de Oregon em Portland, Lost Echoes, veio ao mundo com o intuito de fortalecer o derretimento dos aficionados em shoegaze e psicodelismos densos.

Com fortes doses de experimentos fluindo de pedais e demais efeitos, o Lost Echoes, segue a linhagem de bandas como MBV, Jessamine entre outros mestres.

Obrigatoriamente o "Chasing The Sun" deve ser escutado alto e em fones de ouvido para melhor captar toda sua essência.

***** Interview with Lost Echoes *****


Q. When did Lost Echoes start? Tell us about the history...
Lost Echoes began writing songs in late 2016. We were birthed with the idea of a return to our early 90’s roots of guitar based psychedelic shoegaze. Now, as more experienced musicians, the focus is on what excites us the most - good songwriting. The hazy sounds that blanket each song follow easily this time around. Since we have all collaborated together for years prior in the electronic music scene, primarily in the realm of dark underground Techno, Lost Echoes would also embrace synthesizers, drum machines, sampling and remixing as a part of the style and sound.

Q: Who are your influences?
Our influences are vast. They span decades of music that we have absorbed through life. We can easily say that it starts with 60’s psyche & garage rock and moves through 70’s krautrock and classic rock, 80’s goth and synth pop and into the 90’s shoegaze movement. But it doesn’t stop there. Ambient, IDM, Techno and especially the current revival of the shoegaze sound are also very influential to Lost Echoes.

Some favorite bands are obvious - Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure. But, with a deeper listen you might sense a love for Seefeel, Boards of Canada, Bowery Electric, Nirvana, Bauhaus, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Swervedriver, Echo & the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode. Some heavier influences would be ISIS, Cult of Luna, and Caspian.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
1. Slowdive - Souvlaki
2. Seefeel - Quique
3. The Cure - Pornography
4. Whirr - Sway
5. The Church - Starfish

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is exhilarating! There is something special when the energy and vision of several people blend together to make something happen live. It is sometimes an emotional experience as it happens. So very different than making music with machines and computers. It is something special. A moment in time. That sound and feeling of guitar tones bathed in reverb and delay bouncing out of multiple amplifies and speakers placed around the room. This is what made us want to come back to playing live together as a band.

Q. How do you describe Lost Echoes sounds?
Lost Echoes is spaced out, drenched in reverb but simple at the core. The wall of sound is what we are about. The goal is to bury this in our recorded versions but live there is a different approach. Our live sound is loud, fuzzed out and hazy. This gives our songs about love, loss, time and hope for the future a stronger sonic emotional context as you are enveloped in the sound.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We have all individually been engineers and producers since the 90’s. I’ve worked as a mixing and mastering engineer, professionally, since a young age. This makes the initial recording process fairly quick for the most part. We will often have several versions of the mixdown trying to find the right balance. We tend to use large diaphragm condenser microphones run through Apogee mic pre’s and A/D converters. There is the occasional use of Urei 1176 compression in that path. The recording platform is Pro Tools with a plethora of plugins for processing during the mix.

The stems are shared among us for remixing, which occurs with the use of Ableton Live, Electron Octatrak, Novation Circuti aand a good bit of other hardware including a Modular Synth setup.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Stargazer Lilies, New Fumes, Cheatahs, Marker, Belong, Vaniish, Houses of Heaven, Dead Leaf Echo, Visiting Diplomats, Deafcult, Sun Colony, Firefriend, Vibrasae, A Place to Bury Strangers, 93milionmilesfromthesun, Blankenberge, Black Nite Crash are a few current favorites.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A super spaced out version of Soundgarden -4th of July is on our list.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We have finished an album and are working through details for release on all digital platforms and vinyl. Playing this material out live is to follow. Writing and recording is a constant thing for us currently, as the inspiration is very high. There is so much great music happening right now - it keeps the creative energy always flowing.

Q: Any parting words? Thanks again and talk soon
It is a really exciting time to be involved in the Shoegaze scene. We have so many more outlets these days. The internet is an amazing thing. We have purveyors such as The Blog That Celebrates Itself and DKFM that helps to push all the new artist’s music out and it keeps the scene so vibrant. It has brought the far corners of the world’s music scene together. Thank you for that!!!
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/echoes-pdx
https://www.facebook.com/lostechoesmusic/

segunda-feira, 20 de novembro de 2017

Life Inside a Vacuum by Routine Death - Video Premiere


"Life Inside A Vacuum", primeiro single do duo Routine Death, onde seus dois integrantes vivem há 7000 milhas de distância, um em Gothenburg na Suécia e a outra metade em Austin, Texas, é segundo eles: "inspirado pelo sentimento de estar constantemente em movimento, mas que nunca realmente vai a lugar algum, como andar em uma caminhada lateral em constante mudança".



Um pós punk bruto, sem lapidações, cinzento e denso, sem a menor existência de luz. Um belo e instigante aperitivo para ”Parallel Universes” o debute deles que virá ao mundo no ano que vem.

domingo, 19 de novembro de 2017

Secrets of the Maze with Endless Sleeper - An Interview


E a Russia novamente estampa as páginas do TBTCI, desta vez representada pelo trio Endless Sleeper.

Tudo começou a pouco mais de um ano, quando a Amina, esposa do guitarrista e vocalista Sergey decidiu começar a tocar bateria, e se juntaram ao amigo de longa data Vladimir, e começaram por puta diversão seus ensaios nas garagens da cidade natal deles, Krasnodar.

E assim um EP, homônimo lançado ano passado e o mais recente single, "Secrets of the Maze" são os cartões de visita deles. Sonoramente eles passeiam por entre o indie rock sonhador com guitarras acentuadas principalmente na saborosa "Mistery Chain".

Que venham os próximos passos do Endless Sleeper, estaremos atentos com olhos e ouvidos no aguardo.

***** Interview with Endless Sleeper *****


Q. When did Endless Sleeper start? Tell us about the history...
[V] To start over with, endless sleeper is some kind of music family. Amina (drums) and Sergey (guitar/vocals) are married to each other and I am their friend. Sergey and me are playing together in a lot of other bands from metal to esoteric-punk. Meanwhile, Amina was a photographer until the last year when she decided to play drums. All has started from simple jams in our garage and got together pretty quickly, and since then we're doing songs about dreams and memory vibes and we're having a great fun.

Q: Who are your influences?
[V] My own influences in bass are grunge and metal bands, and I'm pretty concerned that in order to play in some genre you have to study 10 others. It's just the way it is, for example there was no punk-rock before it was made by someone who heard only other music and decided to create something new. Anyone who created something new and beautiful had to master all the previous knowledge.

[S] Universe, traveling, time, dreams.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
[V] Nirvana – Bleach
Black Flag – Slip It In
Converge – Jane Doe
Primus – Sailing In The Seas Of Cheese
Slayer – Reign In Blood

[S] Blueline Medic – Text Bomb
dEUS - The Ideal Crash
Sparta – Trees
Mars Volta – De Loused In The Comatorium
Standstill – Adelante Bonaparte

[A] Thrice – Alchemy Index Vols. I & II
Sidewave – Glass Giant
My Vitriol – Fine Lines
Мои Ракеты Вверх – Nuclear Weapon Mushroom Potato Chips
Failure – Fantastic Planet

Q. How do you feel playing live?
[V] It's the most appreciated thing in my life and I love it. Never felt more confident anywhere than on stage.

[S] For me it's a big challenge everytime and also a signinficant part of creative process.

[A] I haven't played on stage yet and I got drumsticks falling from my hands%)

Q. How do you describe Endless Sleeper sounds?
Distorted bass, space guitars and monolith drums. It all comes up as a thick music substance.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
[S] Our friend Sasha from Barracuda Records is helping us with all the recording stuff. We've done our first EP live, in our garage, but we decided to go other way with our upcoming release "Deep Wave" where we're recording instruments track by track. It all comes up simple: we're bringing mixer, computer, sound card, mics and good mood. Yes, we're getting nervous sometimes but most of the time we're happy with all the magic we have.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
[A] The Wytches, Newmoon, Pale Honey, Panda Riot

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
[V] The Life And Times – Day Nine

[A] Dasher – We Know So

Q: What are your plans for the future?
To play music, create and record new tracks, shoot videos and tour. Have fun!

Q: Any parting words?
Believe in miracles an yourself. And travel more!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/endlesssleeperband/
https://endlesssleeper.bandcamp.com/

Idolatry with Corrections - An Interview


Ao levantar nesta cinzenta manhã de domingo, a primeira vontade do dia foi fazer um café e escutar imediatamente algo que venho ciclicamente ouvindo.

Desde que o amigo Richard Farnell do predileto da casa, The Suncharms, me introduziu a "Idolatry" primeiro trabalho do australiano Corrections, tenho entrado mais a fundo no álbum.

Uma intensa fusão entre For Against, Field Mice entre outras referências, ou seja, um pós punk melódico com estruturas densas mas que soa deliciosamente sedutor.

Uma grande pena que poucos irão se embrenhar em conhecer essa pérola chamada Corrections, talvez quando o fizerem seja tarde demais.

***** Interview with Corrections *****


Q. When did Corrections start? Tell us about the history...
Corrections started about five years ago. I was recording tracks bi-monthly at my parent's place, attempting to imitate My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins. These tracks have since been deleted from SoundCloud. I'm glad I recorded them, but they were ultimately noise experiments with a drum machine, and very little structure.

Since then I've been teaching English and recording music in my spare time. Idolatry took two months to record, mix and master.

Q: Who are your influences?
During high school, I was listening to a lot of Joy Division and Interpol, mainly due Peter Hook and Carlos D respectively who were both huge influences for my bass playing. During university, I got into The Sound and The Chameleons for the atmospherics and angst-laden lyrics. There was a jazz and hip-hip phase in there somewhere.

Recently, I've been finding a lot of inspiration in John Maus and Ariel Pink and the way they approach making music and crafting an aesthetic.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
In no particular order (with a heavy post-punk bias):

1. The Horrors - Primary Colours
2. Wire - 154
3. Duran Duran - Rio
4. Interpol - Antics
5. Tamaryn - Tender New Signs

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Funnily enough, none of the tracks from Idolatry have been performed live. I plan to form a group when I arrive in the UK next year and translate Idolatry into a live setting.

Q. How would you describe Corrections sounds?
I've dubbed Corrections 'post-dream pop' because I’ve borrowed elements of post-punk and dream pop. But the album is so much more than the way it sounds.

I'd describe Idolatry as the sound of one person, in isolation, attempting to make sense of where they are in their lives. It sounds washed out, dreamy, and often strained, which is how I was feeling when I made it. I spend a lot of time staring out the window, and dreaming of another world.

It's always difficult to describe the music you are making, as you're completely in control of how everything sounds. I prefer the listener to decide for themselves. Sonically, the album reflects isolation, and romantic notions of love which have plagued me for the last six years.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Recording Idolatry was all-consuming. 'This Week' was the first track recorded, inspired by the Beach Fossils song, 'This Year'. After that, I spent every evening after work recording and mixing tracks. 'Coasting' was recorded in a single night, as was 'Shout', while 'Underground City' and 'Moving Through' took a bit longer. The other tracks were recorded in a similar fashion – quickly and efficiently.

If I wasn't pleased with the way a track was sounding, I'd scrap it and start over. I spent the bulk of the time re-listening to tracks and re-recording instrumental/vocal parts. I wanted Idolatry to flow like my favourite albums do. There were many discussions with my friend Lachie about where tracks should go, and whether they 'worked' or not. The album flows because of his input. I’m grateful for that.

On the other hand, all I thought about during August and September of this year was making music. It was a bit crazy because I was starting to lose focus at work and plan out tracks in my head. Turns out pouring 4-8 hours into music after work and forgetting to eat is exhausting and unsustainable as a lifestyle.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
AUTOBAHN and Nite Fields on felte are on high rotation for me at the moment. Excellent post-punk music with industrial and shoegaze influences alike, whilst remaining unique. I'd also highly recommend A. Savage, the Parquet Courts side project.

Q: Which bands would you love to cover?
Mainly under-appreciated bands from the eighties. I'd love to cover some For Against or Christian Death tracks when I get a band together. Then again, I'd also love to cover some jangle-pop era R.E.M. or a forgotten pop gem.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Recording a second album by the end of next year that is a little more varied and accessible than Idolatry. Then touring Europe and getting a bit of a following.

Q: Any parting words?
Special thanks to Renato for the interview. It’s always a pleasure for someone to contact you about your music.

Checkout Idolatry on Spotify. At 30 minutes in length, it'll make your (evening)!
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Thanks

https://corrections.bandcamp.com/