Awkwardwards by Frana

Os esporros gritados dos italianos do Frana retornam em grande estilo, ou melhor, em potência alterada. 

"Awkwardwards", primeiro disco dos caras, expele raiva, angústia e barulho, barulho gratuito e sem limites. Usando todas suas conexões como inspiração, leia-se Husker Du, Fugazi, At The Drive In, Unwound e tudo que for irritantemente estridente, fazem parte do cardápio dos caras.

Se você quiser, e eu aconselho, que deve, conheça mais sobre o Frana aqui.

Sobre, "Awkwardwards", os próprios caras explicaram do que se trata essa martelada no centro do crânio.

"Awkwardwards" by Frana

Awkwardwards, self-invented word which sounds terrible and it should mean sth like towards the awkward, it has been written in 10 months more or less, it talks about social awkwardness, communication problems and severl kind of personal discomfort.

On top, with this record, we tried to leave, musicwise, our comfort zone, trying to do something which we haven't done before, expecially with the songwriting, and expecially for me with the vocals.

As influences I would mention, the Greys, Meatwave, Metz but there's much more than that, but I definitely "suck" at influences.
- Frana
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https://www.facebook.com/frana.band/
https://franafrana.bandcamp.com/

Arrows with The Longcut - An Interview

Para quem esta ambientado com as histórias e sonoridades do submundo dos bons sons, não deverá estranhar o nome The Longcut, que existe desde os primórdios dos anos 00´s e teve seus dois primeiros álbuns, "A Call and Response" e "Open Hearts", lançados respectivamente em 2006 e 2009, sendo amplamente indicados pela crítica especializada como preciosos objetos da nova música.

Mas, quase dez anos se passaram e o The Longcut entrou em um hiato gigantesco, deixando em fase de hibernação seu mix de eletrônica caótica atrelada inserções espaciais, algo como se Fugazi, DJ Shadow e Spiritualized se unissem e tivessem um rebento.

Mas, uma luz foi lançada em Fevereiro, o The Longcut soltou um EP com remixes diversos de seus trabalhos, um sinal ao que viria acontecer, até os primeiros dias de Abril chegaram e com eles o The Longcut apresentou "Arrows".

A demora, valeu extremamente a pena, o trio parece estar ainda mais conectado com as novas concepções da música contemporânea, sem perder a essência, o que faz de "Arrow" ainda mais instigante.

Se por algum descuido você não conhece o The Longcut, a hora de corrigir esse erro enfim chegou.

***** Interview with The Longcut *****

Q. When did The Longcut start? Tell us about the history.
We have a very long history by now but I’ll stick to the early years…we all moved to Manchester as students in 2000, half the reason for coming to Manchester was because of the music scene and the opportunities for meeting like-minded people that you don’t often get in the towns where we came from. I’d met a singer and we’d tried playing covers with a few different guitarists, but we were struggling to find anything that really clicked or felt exciting. After about six months another friend of mine gave me a demo tape of a song Lee had written (Spires from our first album), and I thought it was great, it reminded me a lot of Storm In Heaven era Verve that I’d only recently discovered. Our singer had met Jon around the same time and we rented a room in Ancoats to try playing together. The first time we played through Spires as a band it just came together completely naturally, and we continued to work on new ideas and write our own music from that point. Eventually it became clear that it wasn’t working with our singer and we parted company with the three of us intending to continue as an instrumental band, but we started to experiment more with drum machines and synths and I started to sing in a few brief places, eventually doing more and more until we ended up writing some songs without any live drums at all. It’s strange how something so unusual developed so naturally, but we didn’t stop to think at any point whether what we were doing was ‘correct’ or not, or to care whether people thought it was weird, we were just enjoying writing and playing together.

Q: Who are your influences?
We all came from quite different musical backgrounds, although there’s probably a fair bit of crossover. I grew up listening to more metal/hardcore but had recently started to listen to more nuanced bands like Sonic Youth, Fugazi and Sleater-Kinney, Lee was more into UK bands like Stone Roses and Spiritualized, and Jon listened more to older music, from Neil Young to Led Zep to the Beach Boys (with some Wu Tang thrown in). When we first met we shared a lot of music and our tastes became a lot more broad, some of the albums I remember us all getting into at around the same time were Agaetis Byrjun by Sigur Ros, Dirty by Sonic Youth, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow, Relationship of Command by At The Drive-In and Young Team by Mogwai. We’ve always also shared a love for Oasis and Radiohead. When we first started there were a few Manchester bands playing in the smaller venues that hugely influenced us, bands like The Sonar Yen, Tsuji Giri and Oceansize, who gave us the confidence to try something different.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time.
This is a very subjective question and my answers would change on an almost daily basis, I can't say that these are the ‘best’ albums (there’s a whole history of music that I’d have to exclude) out some of my consistent favourites are (the afore-mentioned):
Relationship of Command by At The Drive In
Come On Die Young by Mogwai,
The Shape Of Punk To Come by Refused,
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space by Spritualized
and OK Computer, naturally.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s incredible, I wish we could do it more often. We practice regularly, but a lot of our songs are quite fast and intricate and we’re not amazing technically, so often we’re teetering on the verge of collapse, which is where it’s really exhilarating. When you manage to make it out the other side into a less tight section of the song in one piece and you can really go for it it’s such a rush, especially when the crowd reflects that tension and release. Over the last few years we’ve been putting some of the new songs in the set to see how they work, and it’s always tricky when you’re playing new songs that people won’t have heard before. Now that Arrows is out and we’ve been getting more comfortable playing the new songs I can’t wait to play them live, along with the old favourites. We have a great balance and we’re really excited about getting into some sweaty venues again.

Q. How do you describe The Longcut sounds?
You could ask twenty different people and get twenty different answers to this question. For anyone that’s never heard us I normally go for the midway point between New Order and Sonic Youth, but obviously there’s a lot more going on than that. To me the new album has a bit more of a psychedelic edge, with the structures being a bit looser and the sounds looping and building the way that they do, a lot of that we take from post-rock and a lot of euphoric dance music. We spent our formative years veering between different clubs in Manchester so I think we’ve absorbed a lot of lessons in how to build intensity in music from a load of different sources.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Each of our three albums has been recorded very differently. Call and Response was recorded in very high end studios with an amazing producer (Johnny Dollar), Open Hearts was recorded in our practice room in Salford with our good friend David Jones from Nine Black Alps producing and mixing, and Arrows really had a very long and complex recording process, with most being done by ourselves in snatches where we could. A lot of the songs are built up from the original demos, and it’s not always clear where the demos end and the final versions begin. We’d recorded and mixed a first attempt at the album ourselves in 2012, but this was (rightfully, in retrospect) rejected by the record label. About half of the songs ended up on Arrows, but at the time they were underdeveloped and our inexperience in recording/mixing was a bit too obvious. Over the next few years we continued to write and record where we could until we had what we thought was a good enough collection of songs, and luckily at that point our old live sound engineer Chris Snow managed to bag us some free studio space and offered to spend a week recording drums for us, which kicked off the final batch of recordings. We recorded a few more guitars and vocals at Jon’s house (often fuelled by whisky and with very understanding neighbours) but we realised that we would need someone else to mix it. We’ve known Tom Knott from the Earlies for a few years and he’d previously co-produced some B-sides and sessions. We sent him Deathmask to try out as it was the song we’d always struggled most to get right, and the first mix that came back just sounded immense. After that it was such an easy process, he just made everything sound great. The final flourish was the trumpet that he added to Popic - we’d recorded some rudimental brass emulator on the final section but he’s a trumpet player himself and he added his own arrangement, which just completely blew us away.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Unfortunately we don’t get the chances to see as many new bands these days, but we always like to recommend our friend’s band Claw The Thin Ice, who just write fantastic songs and are a lot of fun live. Their new album Wanderlust Of Venus is out soon (https://clawthethinice.bandcamp.com/), well worth a listen. Kagoul from Nottingham are a great young band making some very interesting guitar music. Through trying to book Glasgow gigs I’ve also recently discovered a Scottish band called A Sudden Burst Of Colour, who deal in a very muscular brand of post-rock. Another band I’ve recently really got into, who actually broke up a few years ago, are Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love, two brothers from Buxton who made very heartfelt folk music backed with walls of feedback and saturated drums. Bliss.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We have some vague plans for recording a few covers in the near future, to clear the slate a bit before we start working properly on new songs. Some popular songs, some very obscure, a few surprises, keep an eye out. A few years ago we recorded a cover of John Cooper Clarke’s New Assassin, for a tribute album that never ended up happening. I love and and it’s never been released properly, but it’s available as a free download on our website.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
At the moment it’s very open, we have a few gigs lined up in late April/early May but no concrete plans following that, we’ll see how the album does and what we can afford to do but hopefully some more shows and festivals later in the year. We don’t want to spend another nine years making a new album, we have some good ideas that we’ll start to pull together. I’m hoping we can surprise some people with the new material, it’s taken us a bit by surprise at how different it is from the Arrows material.

Q: Any parting words?
Just to say thanks to everyone who has stuck by us for all the years that we’ve been struggling to finish this album, and given us the encouragement to keep going even when it seemed like there was very little chance of it ever seeing the light of day. We hope it was worth the wait!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/thelongcut/
http://thelongcut.com
https://thelongcut.bandcamp.com

Interview with NONN

O sueco, Christian Eldefors é conhecido nos meios ácidos do psych moderno por conta de sua banda, o The Orange Revival, que grava através da mecca do estilo mundial, a Fuzz Club Records.

Mas, os ares frios e gélidos da Suécia, certamente devem ter guiado Christian para aventurar-se por outras batidas, muito mais sombrias das que sua banda principal passeia.

E assim surgiu o NONN, com Christian encabeçando uma trupe de freaks que agora, buscam referências na escuridão melancólica do pós punk. Mas o NONN vai além, somado aos synths minimalistas, os caras inserem batidas krautianas e toques de acidez, o que gera um resultado ainda mais sombrio e caótico.

O debute deles nasceu ano passado, também via Fuzz Club, e é um convite a regressão, é facilmente possível ao ouvir o disco se sentir na Londres dos 80´s, ou Berlin, ou São Paulo e seus porões escuros.

Esqueça as flores e as cores, aqui, a única coisa que você achará é sombras, assim é o NONN.

ACIMA!

***** Interview with NONN *****

Q. When did NONN begin? Tell us about the history...
It began back in 2015. I moved down to Stockholm for a while. And rented an apartment with a small studio in it. There I worked on sounds without any plans on a new project or album. But by the time I moved out I had pretty much everything done on what become NONNs debut album. But it took until spring 2017 before anyone heard it.

Q: Who are your influences?
Don't know really it can come from wherever. But mostly it's from all the talented and creative people around me. When you see or hear people make great thing that gets me inspired to make thing on my own.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Thats a hard one, lets make a list of album we in the band listen to at the moment:

Amen Dunes – Freedom
Suuns – Felt
Taylor deupree & Marcus Fischer - Twine
Dope Lemon – Honey Bones
Alabama shakes - sound & color

Q. How do you feel playing live?
At first I never thought I would play live with this project. But when I got great people joining me, Hannes Nyling and my brother Alexander, then it felt good. They are so talented so they made it easy for me. Now I really like it, and I love to travel, so that great!

Q. How would you describe NONN sounds?
I say its quite dark but still melodic. It's all about a feeling. We are all listening to so uch different type of music, and no one listen to the kind of music we end up making really. We just trying do make something that feels new and interesting to us, its all really spontanius.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
As I said its spontanius, for the first record I was alone, just trying to find a sound that feelt interesting to me. I had no idea of what I was doing, and that was a very fun process. For this new album we are making now, we are the 3 of us. And it usually starts with an idea for a beat, when that is set you kind of fast get a feeling on where the song needs to go.

I like to write as we go, build the song bit by bit. When it feels right, then it is a fast process.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I don't listen to that much music. But I can recommend my friends great bands: Medistation, Lejonsläktet, Vulture Vulture, Dead Vibrations

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Oh I have no idea. We are playing this The Cure night soon, thats the first cover we will ever do.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We are finishing up our second album right now. Then we are touring again this fall.

Q: Any parting words?
Hope to see you all soon!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/nonnband/
https://fuzzclub.com/portfolio/nonn/
https://fuzzclub.bandcamp.com/album/nonn

Drain the maker with uuskhy - An Interview

Por entre toques de modernidade sem perder os ares nostálgicos, o projeto uuskhy, escrito em caixa baixa mesmo, existe desde 1999, e não se identifica, creio eu, com nada feito atualmente, ok, pode até se conectar em determinadas passagens mas o resultado final soa estranho se a intenção for rotular o trabalho do uuskhy.

"Drain the Marker" é o mais recente trabalho, sucessor de T+d (ego-d suuite) do ano passado. A grande diferença aqui é a adição mais intensa dos vocais, e o uso cada vez mais carregado de samplers. Tudo é combustível para o uuskhy, seja o industrial oitentista, seja baladas quase bregas também da década perdida, a escola Wax Trax chegando até beirar algo como Moby.

Inclassificável, complexo e instigante, assim é o uuskhy.

***** Interview with uuskhy *****

Q. When did uuskhy begin? Tell us about the history...
uuskhy began in 1999, with a composition entitled 'the hunt' (which was never released). the project has generated musical material under myriad monikers, but materialized as uuskhy once the mixing/mastering engineer decided to refrain from claiming personal responsibility.

Q: Who are your influences?
uuskhy's main influences are 'the conspiracy against the human race'by thomas ligotti, and empathy.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
uuskhy will never have enough knowledge to decisively create such a list. however, 'luxury problems' by andy stott is playing right now.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
uuskhy has performed once. it felt cathartic. it was both the greatest and worst show they ever played.

Q. How do you describe uuskhy´s sounds?
a pastiche assembled thru growing up in midwest america and being very confused by the weather.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
all uuskhy songs are recorded in the dark with nothing but a computer, logic pro 9 (academic version), and a strict set of parameters. only a webcam microphone was used in the recording of 'Drain the maker'.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
uuskhy listens to 'nemui pj', 'the department of anytime', and 'iverson 2.1.4'

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
uuskhy would love to be covered by tara the android

Q: What are your plans for the future?
additional videos will be created for 'Drain the maker'. the next one will take place at a chicago cubs baseball game.

Q: Any parting words?
thank you for listening to 'Drain the maker', and for your interest in my words.
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Thanks

https://uuskhy.bandcamp.com

Double Dark with Cody Noon - An Interview

De Reading, Inglaterra, vem o duo, Charlie Butler e Suzy Antoniw ou Cody Noon para os iniciados.

Pairando por entre um slowcore melódico e instrumental, soando como um intrínseco cruzamento entre Codeine e Slint, o Cody Noon depois de singles e EPs, chega a seu primeiro disco, o intenso e intimista, "Double Dark".

Nuvens e camadas escuras dão o norte do trabalho. Sufocante e angustiante o disco chega a ser perigoso, principalmente se você ouvinte, não estiver com sua estima em níveis equilibrados.

Slowcore em letras maiúsculas.

***** Interview with Cody Noon *****

Q. When did Cody Noon begin? Tell us about the history...
S: To answer this properly is quite long. Charlie has been writing and playing music for his entire adult life. We met at a music festival, Charlie spent a long time trying to put moves on me that I was just emotionally incapable of registering, then he asked me out, and that worked out really well. A few years later I got a bass and very soon after that we played our first gig, during which I slipped a disk in my lower back. For years we struggled, either to hold an instrument or to find rehearsal space. But two years ago we moved out of London to Reading and finally go it together enough to release our first album this year. Now we can’t imagine stopping — its just part of who we are as a family - ugh that sounds so corny.

Q: Who are your influences?
CN: We like a lot of music and we’ve been inspired to write big emotional songs by many great instrumental and stirringly emotional bands: post rock (Mogwai, Slint), slowcore (Codeine, Low), US Indie rock & emo (Yo La Tengo, Appleseed Cast), shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine) and sparse doom (Earth, Boris). More often than not we get compared to completely different bands - its one of the great things about putting music out there - it’s different for everyone.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
CN: Vee Vee, Archers of Loaf
Spiderland, Slint
Young Team, Mogwai
Frigid Stars, Codeine
I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One, Yo La Tengo

Q. How do you feel playing live?
S: Nauseated. I am hypercritical of my playing live and worry about every mistake but afterwards it always feels worth it.

C: It can be nerve-wracking as our music is sparse and slow. However, once we have started and eased into a song it feels hypnotic. It feels great when you know you’ve made a connection with the audience.

S: Once a fan threw a tampon at us - it was the best!

Q. How do you describe Cody Noon's sounds?
CN: We’re definitely minimal and emotional. Since we developed our sound very organically and unintentionally, we never put much thought into what we should sound like. So now every time someone else describes us it makes us realise a new aspect of our sound. One favourite is that we sound like a slower, heavier Yo La Tengo, another is that we sound like a Cat - maximum effect, minimum effort.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
CN: For “Double Dark” we recorded the songs almost entirely live in an awesome studio/converted barn in Oxfordshire. This made the recording process more ‘high stakes’ than all our previous releases (where we recorded things separately and did more overdubs) but the extra tension resulted in a more intimate, atmospheric and raw sound.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
CN: We listen to these artists a lot lately, it feels like they’re doing interesting things with words, music, feelings: Car Seat Headrest, The Spook School, Human Hands, Self Defence Family, Doe, LVL UP, Cayetana, Helms Alee, Sumac, Arkless, Healing Powers.

We’ve also played with these guys quite a bit and really love their sounds: Typical Hunks, Sun Skeletons, Workin’ Man Noise Unit, Monster Movie.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
CN: We recently recorded a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark (we’re still looking for a way to release it). It’s fun to play with artists we love that don’t have that much in common with our sound. Sometimes it leads to surprising new directions, like when we covered the Lavender Town theme (on the Bobowler EP) from Pokemon Red and Green. We found an emo riff hiding between the notes like a ghost.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
CN: We plan to play some gigs this Summer - in the longer term we would love to tour further afield. And we are about four songs into writing our next release - so far its about wrestlers, motorways and having sex with ghosts.

Q: Any parting words?
CN: Thanks for taking an interest in our music and asking us to do this :.) Feel free to check out our music here: https://codynoon.bandcamp.com
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/codynoonband/
https://codynoon.bandcamp.com

Existential Anxiety with Reveries - An Interview

Walla Walla, Washington, 2016, e barulhons melancólicos começaram a nascer sob a alcunha de Reveries. Jonathan, Jesse, Ryan e Jose formam a coluna vertebral da banda.

Seguindo a cartilha, já conhecida, de barulho, melancolia, angústia e raiva, com o grande expoente atual chamado Nothing, os caras chegam ao seu debute, o EP homônimo é guiado exatamente por todos os sentimentos colocados com uma grande propensão a paredes e mais paredes de barulho e experimentos.

No caso do Reveries a fórmula do shoegaze mesclado ao post hardcore ganha em vários momentos contornos mais extremos, flertando por vezes com as atmosferas do post rock, mas sem as armadilhas do gênero, aqui o Reveries se apropria apenas das partes estimulantes.

Um debute de extremo respeito concebeu o Reveries, e obviamente, o artefato deve ser apreciado alto, bem alto.

***** Interview with Reveries *****

Q. When did Reveries begin? Tell us about the history...
(Jesse Flores) ​Mid to late 2016​, ​Jonathan hit me up to jam and he had a handful of song ideas already recorded on GarageBand so we decided to work on those. The style of these songs were almost NOTHING like the stuff we have out now. Originally the plan was to start an indie band that would be suitable to play local wineries since that’s what is HUGE here in Walla Walla. We jammed once or twice with a drummer which went well but some artistic differences and lack of musical chemistry led to a quick fizzle-out, so Jonathan and I went back to the drawing board and focused more on our writing. As we accumulated more and more effect pedals, a different sound emerged from our songs which consequently began to shape the sound of Reveries. Jonathan took to online searching for a drummer via Craigslist, I believe. Not too long after, we got a response from Ryan of Richland, WA and we set up a time to jam with him in Jonathan’s basement. Being a good fit, and being down for anything Ryan became the next member of the crew regardless of the 1 hour commute to each band practice and local gig. (Thanks, dude!) We needed some low end to our set so we reached out to a long-time buddy/ex-bandmate/Cousin-in-law (is that a thing?) to see if he had the time to commit to a project as he is in Nursing School, had a baby on the way, and also lived an hour away. Despite being as scheduled as he is, Jose agreed to come and learn the songs with Jonathan so we could play a local house show in Walla Walla. Ever since, he’s always carved out the time to make practice and shows and became a staple member of Reveries. (Thanks, dude!) After a handful of house shows and an open mic gig, we set sights on getting our songs recorded and did so beginning late September 2017 which eventually came to fruition just a few short days ago on 4/14/2018. And here we are!

Q: Who are your influences?
(Jonathan Avila) I am heavily influenced by 80’s Pop music and 90’s Alt-Rock/Shoegaze. Sade, Robin Guthrie, Kevin Shields, Stevie Nicks, Kurt Cobain, Tom Petty, Johnny Marr, Matt Talbott, and Chino Moreno.

(Jose Zaragoza) Chi Cheng, Dan Briggs, Carlos D., Thundercat, Fredrik Thordendal.

(Ryan Cuillier) John Bonham, Blake Richardson, and Steve Clifford

(JF) ​Bands that influence my playstyle for Reveries would probably be: This Will Destroy You, Moving Mountains, Hammock, bands like that. Anything with Post-Rock/Ambient characteristics really. Vocally, I like the styles of Whirr, Citizen, Hundredth, and Nothing.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
(JA) The Cure - Disintegration. MBV - Loveless. The National - High Violet. Third Eye Blind - Self-Titled. Deftones - White Pony.

(JZ) This Will Destroy You - Self-Titled. Deftones - White Pony. Meshuggah - Catch 33. Interpol - Turn On the Bright Lights. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

(RC) BTBAM - Colors. Circa Survive - On Letting Go. Scary Kids Scaring Kids - The City Sleeps in Flames. Fear Before the March of Flames - Any album. The Used - Self-Titled

(JF) ​Young Mountain- This Will Destroy You; Waves- Moving Mountains; Handmade Cities - Plini; The Earth Pushed Back - Have Mercy; Self-Titled - This Will Destroy You

Q. How do you feel playing live?
(JA) Playing live almost makes me feel like falling in love again. I get stage fright, unsure of what to say, the feeling of uncertainty/anxiety (the good kind?), and at the same time knowing that this is where I want to be.

(JF) ​I love playing live. It gives such a good feeling. Even just practicing, the loud sounds, the rumbling of the bass that you can feel, the hits of drums, together it brings me a certain happiness that only music can provide. It gives me an opportunity to let loose for 20+ minutes or so. Plus hauling our tube amps and Jose’s speaker cab is a good workout so there’s bound to be some physical health benefits to it as well :)

Q. How do you describe Reveries´ sounds?
(JA) I think we’ve set our foundation right between Shoegaze and Post-Hardcore, erected walls of Post-Rock, and insulated thoroughly with the R-value of Dream Pop. Something like that.

(JF) ​I’ve heard the terms “Spacey” and “Dreamy” thrown around at our shows.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
(JA) I contacted Bryan Henry because he had recorded a few bands here in town. He knew what to do and wasn’t afraid to let us know what worked and what didn’t. Our sound wasn’t quite there yet, and our effects didn’t reflect as much in the original mixing. Mind you our style is foreign to most people here in town. We wanted more control over the sound we were trying to achieve. When we got a hold of the files we went with the design-build method on half the songs. “That sounds great, but what if we played it like this…”. It’s not something I recommend unless you’ve got your own recording gear. We re-recorded our guitars, and made the effects really stand out. And for that I would like to thank Jesse for investing his time. He poured hours and hours into this EP.

(JF) ​A lot of writing was done in the recording process. We had a small setlist somewhat formulated at the time of our first show. But our songs have developed into so much more from our first gig to the time the EP was done. The recording process gave us a “canvas” to put our songs on and shape them to our liking. We initially laid down 4 of the songs we had “completed” in Jonathan’s basement with a guy we know, Bryan Henry, who engineered the majority of the demo.

After listening to the tracks, we realized there was more writing needing to be done before we put these tracks out into the world. Bryan hooked us up with the stem files of the recordings we did with him and thus, the rebuilding began.

I, at the time was taking an audio engineering course out at our local community college and was investing in recording equipment of my own so as the writing and re-tracking progressed, I felt motivated to tackle this thing head-on and DIY our EP. Over the last several months, individual members of the band would come over to my place and record their instrument parts in my makeshift home studio set up in my spare bedroom.

We kept the original drums tracks recorded by Bryan and I replaced the snare and kick tracks with Virtual MIDI samples, and did a blend of the original and MIDI on the first track of our EP, “Hits My Eyes.” Vocals were also recorded over a length of time, usually knocking out one song’s worth of parts per session. After Jonathan would lay down the main melody and go home, I would try and come up with and record the harmonies a day or two later.

As for the instrumental tracks on the EP, those were a result of just playing around with looping on my Boss RC-30. After solidifying the parts, I then recorded those as well. I really wanted to incorporate some interludes that served as a segway into another song, as you can find on “Still” foreshadowing the opening riff of “Here With You”, as well as a transition onto the next album with “Passing”.

After tracking, I would send the progress of the mixes via Dropbox to the other dudes until all were happy or until I didn’t get any further input (haha).

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
(JA) Madeline Kenney: I think she’s the next big thing. Start with her song “Witching Hour”. Cloakroom: they’ve helped me break out of writer’s block. Eliot Sumner: I’m hoping for a new release this year. Information was a great album. Not new, but I think everyone should give Anne a listen. They’re not together anymore. They put out “Dream Punx” while I was living in Portland, Oregon and in a sense they’re the ones responsible for introducing me to Dream Pop and Shoegaze.

(JF)​ I’m usually late to the party with music discovery and find bands after they’ve been out a while. So some bands/artists (not necessarily new/Not necessarily similar to us in any way) that I would recommend giving a listen to, would be: Prawn, NRTHRN, From Indian Lakes, and They Say We’re Sinking.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
(JA) Silversun Pickups, Neil Young, and The Cure.

(JF) ​Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups would be fun to cover.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
(JA) We want to keep releasing new ideas, and sharing them.. We’re talking about doing mini-tours throughout the west side of the USA. Eventually we hope to make it to the East Coast.

(JF) P​lay more shows, Write more songs, record more songs, meet other bands, maybe play a festival if possible!

Q: Any parting words?
(JA) Respect each other and your planet. It’s our job to keep improving and move forward. Set the example. It’s a start and the easiest contribution. Thanks to Renato for reaching out to us! Thanks for taking the time to listen to our new EP. Take care!

(JF) ​Thank you for interviewing us! Our Self-Titled EP is out now and can be found on iTunes, BandCamp, Spotify, and more to come soon!
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Thanks

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

Bars Beneath Your Skin with Guillotine Sunbeam - An Interview

Yoni Collier é o a mente por trás do projeto Guillotine Sunbeam, sua mais nova aventura sonora que difere da tendência eletrônica de sua ex banda, Deuce & Charger, a qual Yoni abandonou em Setembro do ano passado.

Com o Guillotine Sunbeam, Yoni explora atmosferas sonhadoras, por entre o dreampop e o shoegaze, camadas de guitarras e eletrônica guiam seu primeiro single, "Bars Beneath Your Skin", que recebeu atenção inclusive da BBC.

Por entre luzes e escuridão, o Guillotine Sunbeam nasce, e que cresça e floresça, pelo aperitivo inicial, os sabores que virão apontam para algo deliciosamente saboroso.

***** Interview with Guillotine Sunbeam *****

Q. When did Guillotine Sunbeam begin? Tell us about the history...
I was in an electronic act – a trio called Deuce & Charger – until last September. At that point we went our separate ways, as I think we all had different ideas of where we wanted to go musically. Guillotine Sunbeam was basically born the morning after I left Deuce & Charger. When you’ve been making music with people for a long time and then you suddenly stop, it’s a bit like going through a breakup! It felt very strange, but also liberating, to be writing songs completely on my own. I wrote and recorded a full song that first day – ‘Bars Beneath You Skin’ came a few weeks later.

Q: Who are your influences?
I grew up listening to guitar music, but around 10 years ago so much of the guitar music that was popular was so boring and derivative, I started listening to and making mainly electronic sounds… Over the last few years I’ve been gradually falling back in love with the sound of the guitar! Re-discovering old bands and discovering amazing new bands too. In terms of who has influenced the Guillotine Sunbeam sound… Slowdive have been pretty big for me the last couple of years, and I’ve got back into listening to those early Verve albums too. The electronic music I’ve made is still with me too – I love really deep sub-bass and interesting soundscapes, so I guess artists like Burial and Blanck Mass also have an influence.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This list changes for me pretty much every day. Today, it feels like these 5:

David Bowie – Low
Scott Walker – Scott 4
Nas – Illmatic
Nick Cave – Abattoir Blues / The Lyre Of Orpheus
Daft Punk - Homework

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I haven’t actually played live for a couple of years – when I last toured with Lone Wolf. That was a really special run of shows, and it ended with the last ever Lone Wolf show at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds – my absolute favourite venue in the world. It sounds cheesy, but there are moments playing live when you get completely lost in the music and that’s what I like most about it – I’m going to try and get a Guillotine Sunbeam live show together before too long!

Q. How do you describe Guillotine Sunbeam´s sounds?
I like really dense guitar textures, but really deep bass and electronic soundscapes are an important part of my sound too. Contrasts are important to me – dark and light, loud and quiet, I want things to sound dynamic.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
I record everything in my studio. The process varies a lot. Sometimes a song starts when I’m sitting at the piano, sometimes I get a synth sound in my head, and the first step is trying to recreate that with my equipment, and the song starts there. I play everything myself, and I produce and mix the tracks too. I’ve never done anything like this before – I’ve always been in bands so the process has been much more collaborative. Guillotine Sunbeam is more about me getting the sounds out of my head and onto record!

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Is Bliss are a band from my home town (Portsmouth in the UK) that I think readers of TBTCI will like a lot.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I don’t think there’s much point in doing a cover unless your new version is very different to the original – so I guess it would have to be someone that sounds very different to me. So maybe Sister Sledge. Maybe Slayer.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
I should be bringing out an EP in the summer, and I’m going to be working on an album as well. It would be nice to play some live shows as well, so I’ve got to look into getting that side of things together!
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Thanks

https://www.guillotinesunbeam.com/
https://guillotinesunbeam.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/GuillotineSunbeam/

Startled Waking Heart with Isn´t - An Interview

O lado cru, sujo, pesado e rápido do shoegaze, aquele que se assemelha muito mais a guitar bands americanas, sempre foi objeto de adoração mundo agora, logicamente que adorado por um seleto grupo de iniciados, bandas como Swervedriver, Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, e mais recentemente Cheatahs, Infinity Girl entre outras pegam suas guitarras e aceleram a barulheira.

E endossando este coro, chega agora as páginas do TBTCI o trio de punksgazers, Isn´t, e junto com eles o primeiro EP, "Startled Waking Heart". Quatro petardos em pouco mais de 12 minutos mostram o poderio de ataque dos caras. Riffs esporrentos, guitarras estridentes, tudo acelerado, soando como descendentes diretas de "Son of A Mustang For".

Isn´t é pra escutar alto, bem alto seja em seus fones de ouvidos ou no carro, preferencialmente andando no talo. Foda!

***** Interview with Isn´t *****

- Q. When did Isn´t start? Tell us about the history...
- Isn’t began as a bedroom project in 2016, but I really wanted to turn it into a proper band. At first I had a hard time finding the right people. Members came and went for a bit, but it finally coalesced into the current line-up late last year. We clicked almost immediately and headed into the studio for 3 days in March to record some songs as a band (as opposed to me doing everything like the previous demos). The result was “Started Waking Heart”.

- Q: Who are your influences?
- I was into shoegaze the first time around, heh… so I am still influenced by the greats like MBV, Ride, Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh, and especially Swervedriver… but these songs are probably equally influenced by the new crop of bands like Cheatahs, Deafcult, Kestrels, Infinity Girl, Rei Clone, etc.

- Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
- Rather than of all time (too hard), here are the 5 albums I was listening to the most while writing this album:
- Cheatahs - Cheatahs
- Kestrels - Kestrels
- Infinity Girl - Somewhere Nice, Someday
- Rei Clone - Wet
- Deafcult - Deafcult

- Q. How do you feel playing live?
- I guess we don’t know yet! This band isn’t taking the usual path. We recorded the EP first before even playing a live show. I guess that’s the influence of transitioning from a bedroom recording project. We are planning on playing live soon, it just wasn’t as important to us as recording.

- Q. How do you describe Isn´t´s sounds?
- We jokingly refer to ourselves as “three punks playing shoegaze”. Chris (drummer) and myself have mostly played in punk/hardcore bands in the past, and Phil (bass) is from that scene as well. We think it informs our sound in more than just the volume and the tempos of the songs.

- Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
- We wanted to re-record the songs with the actual band instead of just me in my bedroom… so we booked three days at Echidna Studio. We finished all the drums the first day, and the bass, guitars, and vocals on the second. Things went great. Then on the third day we tried mixing the recording with the engineer that recorded it. That didn’t go as well. It was just hard to communicate what we wanted mix-wise. The next day I collected the recordings from the engineer the next day and admitted that I am a massive control-freak. Over the next two weeks I mixed the recordings myself at home. I had a lot to learn vs my bedroom recordings, but I think in the end we got what we wanted. I am very happy with how it all turned out and I think it’s how we will record from now on. Track at a studio, then mix it ourselves.

- Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
- I have already talked a lot about some of the newer bands I love, but since Australia has some of the best bands in the genre in my opinion… I would wanna call out: Terra Pines, Blush Response, Wild Meadows, Deafcult, Lowtide, etc

- Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
- Swirlies! They have been one of my favourite bands of all time since first hearing them back in 1992.

- Q: What are your plans for the future?
- To play some live shows! Seriously though, I just really want to get our music out to people and enjoy doing it. We make music cause we like music. We just want people to put on our records or whatever because they feel like listening to it.. the same way we put on other bands ourselves. Simple as that.

- Q: Any parting words?
- For sure… to start with, a huge thanks to Renato and The Blog That Celebrates Itself! Feels pretty special to be in such illustrious company. Also, thanks to anyone that helped support me or the band up to this point. We hope we can bring you a little musical joy!
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Thanks

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

Everything Will Be Fine with Tapeworms - An Interview

E, esta semana os franceses literalmente dominaram as páginas do TBTCI, depois da grata surpresa barulhenta com o Kill The Moose, chegou a vez de ser destaque por aqui o trio de Liile, Tapeworms.

Barulhentos mas com os sonhos em distorção no DNA, o Tapeworms, pega a dissonância da escola Sonic Youth de barulho aliada a fritação sonhadora do MBV e joga tudo num caldeirão e voilá a receita esta perfeitamente completa.

Sonoramente eles se conectam muitas vezes com o Autolux, principalmente ao se degustar o mais novo EP deles, "Everything Will Be Fine", uma bordoada bem no centro do crânio, mas com espaço para flutuar também.

E ainda tem gente que não existe nada novo que preste, pobres coitados, essas pessoas precisam ser amordaçadas e serem submetidas a sessões de Tapeworm, quem sabe assim mudem de opinião.

Escute alto.

***** Interview with Tapeworms *****

Q. When did Tapeworms begin? Tell us about the history...
Margot - We started the band about two years ago. At first, Theo and I were playing in his room in Lille, recording ourselves on a small cassette tape player and dealing with an online drum machine. Eliott, Théo’s brother plays drums since he was 8 so we though it would be nice to play with him rather than with a drum machine that kept fluctuating with the wi-fi connection issues… So we just started to rehearse, on Sundays in their grandma attic. It just felt right and easy playing all together so we decided to go a bit further.

Theo - First songs we played were covers of Bon Voyage, Sparklehorse and Drop Nineteens. We were pretty bad at playing other bands songs, so we decided to write our own songs and see if it would be better ! Tapeworms really started at this moment.

Q: Who are your influences?
Eliott - Even though we all share a common music background I do not really listen to the kind of music we are playing with Tapeworms. I am more into hip-hop or jazz inspired bands like BADBADNOTGOOD or Lushlife.

Théo - I am surely influenced by 90’s noise bands like My Bloody Valentine or Smashing Pumpkins, they definitely marked my teenage years. Now, I’m really into experimental pop bands, like Cornelius, Deerhoof, Blonde Redhead or Pram. Bands that write unusual pop songs, where everything sounds complex and so simple at the same time, with too many good ideas. I like it when the best ideas seems effortlessly. I also love Moonshake, a genius band. They changed a lot of thing for me.

Margot - I am into a lot of lo-fi stuff like Astrobrite, Swirlies, Medicine or Sparklehorse, I like their sound with a bit of crazy, noisy experimentation but still catchy melody. I am also into heavier bands like Dinosaur Jr or Helmet. I love Toko Yasuda and all what she did with Enon, The Lapse or Blonde Redhead. Also I wish I could write like Daniel Johnston and scream like Godzilla.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
If all of us had to agree on the same 5 best albums of all time that would be :

Rage Against The Machine - The Battle Of Los Angeles
Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
Blonde Redhead - 23
Broadcast - The Noise Made by People
Autolux - Future Perfect

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Eliott - Actually for me it’s the best part in making music. I like the idea of being exposed to the audience judgment. Being on stage, hitting the drums the louder I can and trying to do my best is the best feeling !

Théo - As we are three, it took some time to find a heavy and powerful sound without feeling something was missing but I think we are getting better and better as we know better what each of us is able to do.

Margot - So scary at first, it was really new for me ! But it’s getting more and more exciting and funny ! It’s a crazy experience actually, the alchemy of getting on stage just the three of us, doing our stuff, connected. I think I do really like it now, sometimes I even miss being on stage.

Q. How would you describe Tapeworms´ sounds?
Theo - It’s a great sum up of the three of us. Adult themes seen through child eyes. A lot of distortion, with groovy and heavy-compressed drums parts. Between all this, Margot and I quiet voices.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Margot - We recorded the last EP during summer 2017. We started with drums in grandma attic. We borrowed mics to a lot of our friends so we didn’t have to spend a lot of money. Then, we recorded bass and guitar parts in our room, same with vocals. In fact, all songs on Everything Will Be Fine are basically demos.

Theo - During all the recording and mixing process, Margot used a little voice recorder to catch a lot of ambient sounds. Mostly city sounds, like traffic, elevator or subway. We mixed them with the original songs or created new ones, I think it adds a lot to the EP atmosphere. It reflects where we were, and what we felt at that moment.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Eliott - No Joy, Death Of Pop, Denzel Curry, Ringo Deathstarr or George Clanton are some of our favorite new artists doing interesting stuff.

There are also a lot of French new bands like Aneth Penny, La Peste, T/O, Th Da Freaks, Albinos Congo or En Attendant Ana, part of Buddy Records Label.

We’re also part of Collectif Nothing, that promotes French scene with great bands like La Houle.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Margot - Our latest cover was Save Me by Remy Zero. Next time we would love to make one of Helmet.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Theo - Definitely to tour more and further, maybe to make an album which means also getting better and crazier at writing songs.

Q: Any parting words?
Cook better, take more time to watch great movies and keep our plants alive.

And also many thanks to our friend Clement Fortin, the fourth wheel of Tapeworms, who mixed and mastered our EP, to the coolest Buddy Record and Dirty Slap Record for their great work and their help.
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Thanks

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

The World Is Your Oyster with Kill The Moose - An Interview

E a França volta a atacar nas páginas do TBTCI, agora send representada pelo quarteto de Nice, Kill The Moose.

Pairando por entre barulheiras melódicas noventistas, e, uma aura melancolicamente herdada do pós punk, o Kill The Moose constrói seu caos sonoro.

Três anos se passaram desde que iniciaram, e a banda parece ter definitivamente alcançado sua essência,  o que se comprova no mais novo trabalho, o EP "The World Is Your Oyster", intenso, barulhento, escuro e desacelerado, é exatamente aqui que os franceses deram seu grande passo rumo ao futuro.

Reverenciando os clássicos mas com os olhos no futuro, o Kill The Moose é mais uma daquelas bandas a serem acompanhadas atenciosamente.

***** Interview with Kill The Moose *****

Q. When did Kill The Moose begin? Tell us about the history...
Kill The Moose began during the summer of 2015, Elisabeth sang in a pop rock band and they were looking for a new guitar player. I played in this band for a while but Elisabeth and I were interested in playing louder full of reverb songs. We created our band when we played for the first time with Pierre, the drummer who was a university mate. After a couple of tests with different bass players, we hit it off with Chris our bass player! Then, we have released two EPs and made a lot of gigs.

Q: Who are your influences?
Shoegazing of course! I am definitely smitten with My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Slowdive but I am fan of Ringo Deathstarr, Tokyo Shoegazer and A Place To Bury Strangers. As for Elisabeth influences are Pj Harvey, Lush, Belly, Salad or Curve and all the British scene of the nineties. The second aspect of our influences in our music (bass and drums) is old hard rock of the seventies like the first albums of Black Sabbath or Deep Purple.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Very tough question! The main album that I would take on my desert island is Loveless, I have listened to this album twice a week for years and each time I do I discover a new subtlety. The second one is Sister by Sonic Youth for their masterpiece Schizophrenia! I cannot make a choice for the third album because it’s too tricky to choose between the last Slowdive and Souvlaki… The fourth one is Push the Sky Away by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds which is the album that made me dive into his universe. Finally, the last album of this selection is Sunn O))’s ØØ Void for the massive wall of distortion and noise as well as its cavernous ambience!

Q. How do you feel playing live?
There are two kinds of feelings, depending on the gig. When we play in a small-sized place, it’s always a pleasure, it’s electrifying, punchy, we are close to the public, friends... Feeling the amp vibrations in your back because you are stuck to it ! We love playing on this kind of stage, it’s usually where we introduce our new songs. We also like to perform on medium and large stages but it’s another feeling, with all the strong lights, strobe, monitors. In any case, we just love being on stage to communicate our energy.

Q. How do you describe Kill The Moose´s sounds?
I can describe it as a pure and melodic voice contrasting with a huge wall of noisy guitars backed by a strong bass / drums like God is a Messed up Guy or The World Is Your Oyster. Sound is the primal essence of our music, we spend hours at the beginning of every rehearsal trying to get it right !

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
It takes a long time to finalise a song. We like to improve it during gigs. It is our way of taking a step back with our music, we record it live to listen to it later. We like the EP format, it allows us to produce releases regularly. We record the songs in a studio on the French Riviera, close to Cannes and Saint Tropez, near the sea front with a great Sound Ingineer, Bill, who has strong skills in recording indie bands. We really love testing during the recording, we experiment some weird stuff with microphones or playing with layers of reverb.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I would like to recommend My Diet Pill, a local band, even if it’s not a recent one ! I also recommend listening to the japanese band Oeil, it’s a massive wall of reverb full of etherate melodies! I am also very fond of Your Friends Polymers, featured in the Mars compilation.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
I would really love to make a cover version of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds like From Her To Eternity or The Mercy Seat or even more recent songs like Mermaids. The second option, is to cover one song written by Mc Cartney during the Beatles. I grew up with his voice and I have always loved songs like Eleanor Rigby and Penny Lane. The last one has a special meaning for me, Liverpool is where Elisabeth’s family are from.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We are recording a new EP. For this one, there will be my currently favourite song, with loud guitars.Another song which is a tribute to Warren Ellis’ tricks. We are also looking for a label which can help us play in the UK ! We plan for the future to produce a compilation of tracks made by indie and alternative rock bands from our region. Finally we really wish to be on one of your tribute compilations !

Q: Any parting words?
A Møøse once bit my sister... No realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge - her brother-in-law - an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands of an Oslo Dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink".
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Thanks

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

Run Through The Underground with Pinemoon - An Interview

Amigos são preciosidades, e quando amigos de mais de vinte anos juntam-se para fazer música, pouco importa o tempo de existência da banda, o que diz muito, é o conhecimento um do outro, o saber o que que um quer.

O duo dinamarquês, Pinemoon funciona exatamente desta maneira, Steven Stern Steward e Christoffer Schultz se conhecem desde os tempos de colégio, quando curtiam tirar um som fazendo covers de baluartes do britpop, mas o tempo passou, os caras cresceram e desenvolveram sua própria personalidade sonora, explicitada através do primeiro EP deles sob a alcunha de Pinemoon.

Algo pairando por entre o shoegaze e o slowcore, com tendências psicodelicamente viajantes, os caras simplesmente acertaram em cheio. O EP homônimo é encharcado de melancolia embarcada por trips delirantes.

Uma estréia de gente grande essa do Pinemoon.

***** Interview with Pinemoon *****

Q. When did Pinemoon begin? Tell us about the history...
A. The two of us have known each other for 20 years, so in a way it started back then at this boarding school where we would play cover songs by britpop bands like Oasis and Blur. Later we were in a rockband called Campsite for 9 years. Christoffer has had some solo projects as well. But on the side, we’ve met just the two of us and made music in various genres, for the past 5 years. Only the last year have we really tuned in on what is now Pinemoon. And we absolutely love it. Feels like we finally got to where we wanted.

Q: Who are your influences?
A. We have a lot of musical influences individually. Some of the once we both love and are inspired by are bands like Slowdive (obviously), Low and David Brent.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
A. Uh, that’s difficult. We have chosen three albums that we can agree has had a huge influence on our musical motivation and has served as a sort of eye opener when it comes to playing music ourselves:
Blur – The great Escape
Smashing Pumkins – Adore
New Order – Get Ready

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. We still haven’t played live with Pinemoon yet, but we expect it to be great. We have both switched to new instruments compared to what we played in previous bands, so that makes it even more new and exciting for us to come out and play live. So far we have a gig in the fall and we expect an actual tour once we get our coming album out.

Q. How do you describe Pinemoon´s sounds?
A. Pinemoon is dreamy noise rock with a dark and melancholic vibe to it.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A. For the EP we recorded most of it in a basement with our own equipment by ourselves. For some tracks we invited friends to come and play. Like the Cello, some guitar and some female vocals. At the moment we are working on demos to bring to the studio and record our full length debut ablum.

Q: Which band would you love to do a cover version of?
A. Probably a christmas classic. ”Carol of the Bells” for instance. We could make a cool dark version of that one.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A. To record a full lenght album before not too long and then hopefully some live shows.

Q: Any parting words?
A. If you are going to gaze, why not gaze at your shoes…
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/pinemoon
https://www.facebook.com/pinemoon.dk/

Mad Panther Gone Insane with Master Of All Four Elements - An Interview

Um daqueles easy listenings pra tranquilizar corpo e mente, conduzindo sempre por synths, envoltos em uma atmosfera blasé oitentista, o duo alemão, Master Of All Four Elements acaba de soltar seu quarto álbum. Pois é, o quarto de uma carreira que mal tem dois anos.

Prolíficos, o MOA4E, é um casal, Eric e Leah, e ao vivo alguns convidados, tudo no maior clima lounge, sem haver a menor contra indicação.

O MOA4E, é synth dream pop cerebral para refrescar o dia o dia.

***** Interview with Master Of All Four Elements *****

Q. When did Master Of All Four Elements begin? Tell us about the history...
Eric: I had been playing bass for a couple of years in a few bands that all tended to have a more aggressive sound. In between I wrote and recorded some songs on my own that did not fit the sound of any of those bands (Most of them ended up on the first two MOA4E albums) . So I basically sat on these songs for a few years until I met Leah and we became a couple. I noticed that she could sing really well so I showed her my demos and asked if she wanted to form a band and she said yes! We had recently moved to a bigger place and I'd gotten some new recording equipment so we quickly recorded an hour's worth of material. We were surprised when all our musician friends really liked what we did because it was so different to what they were playing. Then we were asked to perform live so we recruited my old friend Pascal to play bass and guitar and help produce new music. He dropped out recently to pursue other interests.

Leah: I guess it started just a few months after Eric and I met. We actually wanted to something really stupid and funny that had nothing to do with a real band. The idea at first was just us recording some weird chants and stuff like that but then we started writing actual songs. Then we needed a band name and at that time we were watching Avatar - The last Airbender. We just went through the whole opening monologue looking for a name still thinking we would do it just as a joke. Well but here we are now, still Master of all four Elements but with real songs. Who could've known

Q: Who are your influences?
Eric: It's hard to say really, when I started playing bass I listened to lots of 70s and 80s Jazzfunk and Fusion and when I was a Teen I listened to everything from Britpop to Thrash Metal. I guess purely from a songwriting perspective I'm most influenced by classic Pop like the Beatles. But I also love the weird and kinda trashy aesthetics of bands like DEVO, B52s or the Pixies and the randomness of for example Yellow Magic Orchestra. You know, one album might be great pop music and another one is just strange sound experiments. As a Teen I loved Blur and Gorillaz because every album would be so different from the last one and you didn't know what to expect. Also, videogame music has had a huge influence on me especially the late 80s/ early 90s SNES/Genesis era. I basically first started writing music to produce soundtracks for my own little games I made on my PC.

Leah: My influences are just everyone around me I think. When I write songs it all depends on what I'm feeling in that moment and what was keeping me up at night. For like other musicians I'd say Solange, Hindi Zahra, Tyler the Creator and so on. There are so many great artists and they all influence the songs that I write.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Eric: Just off the top of my head: Beatles - Revolver, Pixies - Doolittle, Wire - Chairs Missing, Frank Zappa - Apostrophe, Prince - Dirty Mind

Leah: System of a Down - Mesmerize, Amy Winehouse - Frank, Death Grips - Exmilitary , Crustation - Bloom, Solange - A Seat at the Table

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Eric: It's the best feeling ever. The songs really only come alive on stage. Right now Synths and Drums still come from a Laptop but we want to extend to a full band sometime soon. We already have a drummer and a keyboard player but no money to afford a place to practice. But yeah lots of people have come up to us and told us they like the live versions of our songs even better than the recorded versions!

Leah: I still have get used to it. I'm not really outgoing and took me a while to even sing in front of friends or family. I'm always super nervous before shows and I can't really say if I like it or not. It's cool to see that people actually come to see you perform.

Q. How do you describe Master Of All Four Elements´ sounds?
Eric: It's a mixture of the artificial and the organic I guess. Then whole 80s angle is kinda weird because production tended to be pretty bombastic in pop music back then (it still is of course) and that sound clashes with our overall lofi approach I think. I don't want that 80s thing to be that pronounced anyway, I just love wobbly keyboard and chorus-y bass and guitars and lots of melodies that can get stuck in your head. A few of our Songs are just straightup dream- and electropop but other's cannot be easily categorized like 'Mountain' from Free Bs for example. I wrote 'Secret Place' from 'Blue Water' as a homage to Djavan but other than that I don't really think about other music when I'm creating my own. I really don't know how to describe our sound but one concert promoter called it 'Weird Wave' and I quite like that !

Leah: Kinda 80ies sound with a whole bunch of synthesizers and lots of reverb.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Eric: I write most of the songs and the lyrics while playing the guitar. Sometimes Leah plays bass when I'm trying to come up with something and sings along. Once we got something I start by making MIDI Drums and Synths and then we record Guitar, Bass and Vocals. For the next release I'd like to record in a proper studio with a full band!

Leah: Eric is the guy to make most of the backing tracks because I have no idea how to do anything with a computer. Some songs that I wrote were just recorded on my mobile phone and then I sent them to Eric. But for the most part we just sit in our little bedroom studio and see what we come up with and then record it.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Eric: Ella Guro, Suddenly The Goat, bombo, World Brain, Braindead Wavelength

Leah: Herero Rache, Pirates of Suburbia, R- Moon, Kalis Uchis

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Eric: I would love to make a cover version of YMO's 'Nice Age' or any kitschy Todd Rundgren song.

Leah: Any 90ies banger

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Eric: Put out more albums, get better. Play a show every week. Shoot a video. Record with a full band.

Leah: Just make more music

Q: Any parting words?
Eric: Thanks for having us, support your local scene !

Leah: Thanks for the interview, not as easy as I thought :D
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Thanks

https://masterofallfourelements.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/MOA4E/

Hope with Seaside Caves - An Interview

Em tons eloquentes, grandiosos e épicos o quarteto de New Jersey, Seaside Caves cria suas pérolas, herdeiras diretas do pós punk clássico.

Quando, cito pós punk clássico, leia-se obras fundamentais do estilo, cito, "Ocean Rain", "Faith", Real To Real Cacophony" e "Script Of The Bridge".

É exatamente nesta aura de grandeza que desde 2010 o Seaside Caves vem criando sua história, que no ponto de vista do TBTCI, deveria atingir níveis de abrangência muito maiores.

"Hope" último disco dos caras, lançado no ano passado, é grandioso, tal como as obras citadas acima.

Resumidamente, se você aprecia música em níveis de adoração plena, o Seaside Caves certamente atenderá a todos os seus pré requisitos.

***** Interview with Seaside Caves *****

Q. When did Seaside Caves begin? Tell us about the history...
1. Seaside Caves began as an idea around 2010. I was making these 4 track recordings and was basically homeless. I was partying way too much and it got out of control. Half living in a New Jersey party seaside town, where there's a lot of bars, rentals and cheap drug infested motels and also half living in NYC, where I was creeping the streets at night and getting deep into addictions, I decided I had to at least get something out of what I was doing, so I started making these weird 4 track recordings. That led me to forming an actual band to play some shows. I went through several different line-ups before meeting James, who has played drums with me for the past 6 years. Then eventually we got Matt on synths and Kenz on guitar to fill up the sound. The four of us have been together for like 4 years now. And it has turned into something special.

Q: Who are your influences?
2. Our influences are all generally the same. We all like a lot of English bands and shoegazey noise for the most part. Bands like Jesus And Mary Chain, The Cure, Sonic Youth, Echo And The Bunnymen, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Mogwai. Matt and Kenz have been in punk/hardcore bands, so they are into a lot of that stuff as well.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3. Top 5 albums. That's always been a tough question for me.
The Cure "Disintegration" number 1 for sure.
U2 "The Joshua Tree",
Sonic Youth "EVOL",
Interpol "Turn On The Bright Lights",
Lou Reed "Transformer".

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4. Playing live is always a weird thing for me. But I think that's what I like most about it. You never know what's going to happen. Sort of like life in general. It also depends on what kind of show it is. I like to have fog and cool lighting for sure, to create a mood. We really try to connect with each other when playing live, and share our feelings and emotions with each other and purvey that to the audience. I think the crowd always gets that by the sounds we make. I am always as honest as I can be when playing live. I love loud synths.

Q. How would you describe Seaside Caves´ sounds?
5. Our sounds. It is said that we have a "hopeful sound". And again, it's very honest and is an extension of our emotions.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6. The recording process usually starts with demos that I do at home. We have tried a few different approaches in the studio. Now we are trying to keep it as fresh and simple as possible. Creating art and not necessarily making a record. When making a record, there's just too much pressure to come out with something really good and it's easy to forget about why you're doing it in the first place. I just love recording sounds and making these weird little songs. So I stick to that and try not to over analyze it anymore. That's what got me here in the first place.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7. New bands. Hmm. There's so much stuff out there these days. I like that band Preoccupations a lot. There's this band from NYC called HEAVEN that I really like too. Other than that, there's so much out there that it's hard for me stay with one thing these days. Bands come and go so quickly now. The older I get, I go back to the stuff I liked when I was younger.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8. Yeah...Ha ha. I want to do an 80's hair metal cover band. Like RATT or something. Those guys were having so much fun back then and everything wasn't so serious.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9. As far as the future...I don't know. We just put out a single "Rage" that we did in James basement. I've had this band going for 8 years now. The other guys are busy with life....having kids, other bands and stuff. We have a lot of newer stuff, some done and some still not finished. But it's been more difficult getting together lately. I'd like to get this newer stuff recorded and put it out there. We've finally honed in on our sound, so it would be nice to represent that. I've gotten back into bedroom recording a lot more these days. That is what I enjoy the most. So we'll see. There's always someone asking for us to play a show.

Q: Any parting words?
10. My parting words are... I just want people to be more kind to one another and remember where and who we are. Keep life simple and enjoy what is here already.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/seaside.caves/
https://seasidecaves.bandcamp.com

Wild Notion with Night Flowers - An Interview

Vamos começar diferente, usualmente eu finalizaria a introdução para esta publicação da seguinte forma: "Se sua estima estiver baixa, o melhor antídoto atualmente é "Wild Notion", debute dos ingleses do Night Flowers, mas vamos iniciar assim, principalmente pra já deixar claro, que se você precisa realmente de algo sonoro para trazer esperança, felicidade e bem estar, vá na certeza, dê play e melhore seu dia imediatamente.

Dito isto, vamos lá, o Night Flowers esta na estrada desde 2013, com vários singles no currículo e chamando atenção dos iniciados naquele indie pop sonhador pegajoso e luminoso, mas só depois de 1 EP e seis singles, eis que o debute nasceu, e, não poderia ser da melhor forma.

"Wild Notion" é um colírio sonoro, simples assim, luminosidade melódica para assim, salvar seus maus momentos.

Apaixone-se com o Night Flowers, e viva feliz!!.

***** Interview with Night Flowers *****

Q. When did Night Flowers begin? Tell us about the history...
We started out in 2013 and since then have released a 4 track EP, 6 singles and are just about to release our debut album, ‘Wild Notion’. The band has given us some incredible experiences so far, meeting some amazing people and playing shows all around the UK, Europe and also a tour around Japan which was absolutely incredible.

Q: Who are your influences?
We have way too many to name, but ones that spring to mind right now are Ride, Ash, Teenage Fanclub, MBV, Belinda Carlisle, The Lemonheads, Oasis, The Cure, etc etc..

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
It’s hard to pick these personally never mind on behalf of the other members, but ‘Be Here Now’ by Oasis or ‘Beer Now’ (as we like to call it) is a favourite of ours whilst we’re out on tour. So I’d have to say..
Be Here Now
Be Here Now
Be Here Now
Be Here Now
& Beer Now

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We love playing and writing music together, so to get up on stage and play our music to a crowd is always an exciting experience. At our most recent shows, we have had people in the crowd singing along to the words of our songs, which is awesome!

Q. How do you describe Night Flowers´ sounds?
We are often described as ‘dream pop’ which sounds kind of fun, whatever that is?! We’re suckers for catchy pop hooks and big glistening crunchy guitars. The new album isn’t all about that though and we do have a more brooding/darker side. I think it’s the beauty of Sophia’s voice that brings it all together and gives it that overall sparkling touch.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
To record ‘Wild Notion’ we recorded the main body of it playing live together and then began recording overdubs, extra percussion and the vocals. Our producer Adam Jaffrey didn’t want to lose the organic feel of the record by over polishing and over treating the sound too much and I think in the end the overall balance of the album has turned out great. We’ve trusted Adam all along and have always had great results when working with him.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I like what I’ve heard from Shame who we played with in Camden once, they’re amazing live and also our hometown mates LIFE who are making waves at the moment. Both bands have a political message/approach which I think is important right now. Alvvays latest album is also great and also check out Japanese Breakfast, we toured with them last year and they’re pretty awesome too.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We recently released a cover version of Jane Wiedlin’s ‘Rush Hour’ on to cassette with our new single ‘Hey Love’. We love the song and Jane Wiedlin, so that’s definitely one to check off our wish list.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We will be promoting our new album far and wide. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point and are ecstatic to be finally releasing our debut. It’s been a long time coming and we’re all really happy with it, so we want to ensure it gets the credit it deserves.

Q: Any parting words?
Buy our new album, you’ll love it!
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Thanks

http://nightflowers.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/wearenightflowers/
https://nightflowers.bandcamp.com