segunda-feira, 8 de outubro de 2018

Emetophobia with Abdomen - An Interview


Seguindo a tradição estridente de prediletos como Jesus Lizard, Mudhoney e se conectando com gente mais nova do naipe de METZ, Moaning, o trio holandês, Abdomen pratica literalmente o barulho.

Noise garageiro, na melhor tradição Sub Pop velha guarda, os caras soltaram há pouco menos de um mês atrás um daqueles discos que são absolutamente necessários de ouvir e comprovam que existe esbórnia no submundo dos bons sons.

Desnecessário dizer que o Abdomen é feito para ouvir especialmente alto.


***** Interview with Abdomen *****



Q. When did Abdomen begin? Tell us about the history...
We started in 2015 and played some shows. In 2016 we released our first single called System.

That same year we released another single called Wrong. It was more the direction we wanted to go. In the beginning it was more simple garage-ish kind of music, but through time we developed as a band and started to create a style and sound of our own.

Q: Who are your influences?
It really depends, lately I’m really into bands like No Trend, Girl Band, Yak, METZ, The Jesus Lizard, Chad van Gaalen, So Pitted, Moaning and Die Nerven.

When we recorded the album I got really inspired by bands who also recorded there, bands like Eagulls and Bad Breeding. We got a weekend off in the first week of recording and we went to a small festival in Bradford in the 1 in 12 club. That’s where I saw Sievehead for the first time. They have had a big influence on my guitar sound.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Germs – (GI)
METZ, II
Bad Breeding, ST
Sonic Youth- Sister
Black Flag – First Four Years

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I don’t really know, when we play live it just feels like its over in 5 minutes.

Its fun to do but also really exhausting.

Q. How do you describe Abdomen´s sound?
It’s loud but also clear. It has something dark and noisy but also has something catchy I think.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
It went really good. We had a month to work on it so we had time to experiment with amps and all kinds of extra stuff. The first week we played all the tracks all at once, just like in the practice room. We like to play all at once so we get the live feeling into it. The weeks after that we recorded the vocals and we did a lot of re-amping. We put the dry guitar signal trough bassamps and weird pedals, stuff like that. So it’s all our live take, but with lots of extra sounds. We also recorded a lot of guitar noise and a wheelbarrow to put under the snaredrum, it sounds like a broken snaredrum. We slept in the studio for four weeks. Because of the alarms and stuff we had a small room where we would live in. We only had a water cooker and a microwave in there so we ate microwave meals and noodles for 4 weeks. Roel, our drummer, got sick after eating microwave curry after 3 weeks.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
The Snivellers https://gobnation.bandcamp.com/album/the-servile-worm-demo

Shit Kid, Its not new but i love her music and i think she will release new music soon!

Yak also released a new single! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jffqE-6kUsg

Bad Breeding released a new EP and its great. https://badbreeding.bandcamp.com/album/abandonment

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
The Germs – We must bleed.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Selling recordsand play shows to make enough money to record our second album

Q: Any parting words?
Listen to the music, don’t listen to the trends
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Thanks

http://abdomenband.com/
https://abdomen.bandcamp.com

quinta-feira, 4 de outubro de 2018

XTR Human, "Reflections" - Track by Track


Os alemães do XTR Human depois de hibernarem durante 3 anos, data de seu último trabalho, o EP, "In Circles", voltam a carga com um poderoso EP.

"Reflections" soa muito mais orgânico do que seu trabalho antecessor e também de "Atavism" debute dos caras. O enfoque nas guitarras é notadamente a grande mudança, não que os synths tenham simplesmente desaparecido, mas ficam aqui, em segundo plano.

Desta forma o pós punk casca grossa e sem firulas do XTR Human, vem mais encorpado, flertando por vezes, com o shoegaze, mas veja, apenas flertando, nada mais.

Johannes Stabel, mentor e dono das vozes angustiantes e brutais da banda, dissecou "Reflections" em detalhes para o TBTCI, sendo desvendado os segredos e mistérios por trás do retorno de uma das grandes bandas do pós punk da atualidade.

Escute alto e a noite, preferencialmente.

***** XTR Human, "Reflections" - Track by Track *****


Immersive Spaces: It’s a tradition to open a XTR HUMAN release with a moody intro. I wanted to stick to that.

Disturbia: Along with “Courage” this is one of the older songs of the EP. We first had a much more punk-ish version with a lot of fuzz sounds. Live we probably killed some guys’ ears during our shows. It was definitely a good idea to reduce that in order to create a more sophisticated sound experience and avoid the danger of tinnitus. Tip: listen to the chorus. It’s Lemmy of Jaguwar crooning these sexy backing vocals.

True Lies: Not only did I show my deep respect for the one and only Arnold (if you don’t know what I am talking about - use Google!) but also musically, to the incredible „A Place To Bury Strangers“(again, use Google or YouTube it if necessary). We wrote the song a while ago when we used to play live with at least five different fuzz pedals. I guess we had to compensate the simple structure of the song with the aggression of fuzz sounds. Anyway the different noise layers are building up dynamics and tension, aren’t they?

Courage: I guess this is the oldest song of the EP. I wrote it maybe one and a half years ago, so we have probably played it live many times. The structure, again, is as simple as possible, so it was necessary to work on the melodies instead. Bass and guitar fight each other and create a brisk sound on the one hand and an energetic powerful one on the other hand.

Limelight: Maybe this is the song that has the closest connection to the songs of our recent releases. After I went through the whole back catalogue of Factory and Creation Records, it finally were the mighty Lemon Drops that inspired me to this song. First I wrote the guitar lick of the verse and found the relating vocal line the next day. In the recording studio we used a Fender twin reverb amp for the rhythm guitar. I liked the sound a lot so I bought the amp for myself afterwards. In the final chorus we used a synth with some guitar effect pedals and sent its signal through my tube amp. The result is a very organic sound that almost sounds like a shoegazey guitar.

Reflections: The last song and obviously the title track of the EP. I always find it difficult to sum up the development of my music by myself, especially in terms of genres. So, I would say this song is the answer to the question of what the band musically stands for right now. One could say we opened up our sound to do pop music. But I am totally fine with that. Also I noticed a tendency of writing songs with a less complex chord structures while concentrating more on catchy melodies and hooks. But this really is something I just see in retrospective. For me this song just developed in a natural way. Maybe this is the core of the EP, that things shouldn’t be forced too much rather than letting them develop as they deserve it. Everything takes its time, and everything has its time.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/XtrHuman/
https://blackjackilluministrecords.bandcamp.com/album/reflections
https://www.xtrhuman.de/

Not Always But Sometimes with BÜNNI - An Interview


BÜNNI é o projeto paralelo dos dinamarqueses do Eerie Glue. Mas, esqueça a inclinação pelo shoegaze, aqui Bünyamin Eroğlu conduz seus devaneios de forma melancólica, com uma limpa melodia, talvez algo próximo de um dream folk, seja isso lá o que for.

Sai o MBV e afins, e entra, Beach Boys, Cohen e outros trovadores.

Em breve o BÛNNI soltará seu debute, já devidamente batizado, e "Permanent Vacation", o disco, já tem seus aperitivos, comprove "Cemetry Lily" por exemplo, e desacelere.


***** Interview with BÜNNI *****


Q. When did BUNNI begin? Tell us about the history...
I started writing songs and recording material about 2 years ago.

Q: Who are your influences?
People.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Death of a Ladies’ Man - Leonard Cohen
All Things Must Pass - George Harrison
Blackstar - David Bowie
Teenager of the Year - Frank Black
Pet Sounds - Beach Boys

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I enjoy it and it’s nice if the vibe is good, but I prefer writing and recording.

Q. How do you describe BUNNI´s sounds?
Melancholic, dreamy and fun.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
I write and record all the songs by myself, usually I do each song in one go. If it doesn’t feel right I move on.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
The Lemon Twigs Khruangbin Courtney Barnett Boundaries (DK)

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
 Any Eurythmics song. Abba.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Write more, record more and play more shows.

Q: Any parting words?
Be good.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/bunniofficial/
https://bunnisdeath.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/bunniofficial/

quarta-feira, 3 de outubro de 2018

Go Go Pepper with The Hannah Barberas - An Interview



Quando se ouve uma banda como os ingleses do The Hannah Barberas, um verdadeiro alívio toma conta de mim, explico: o pop perfeito de outrora, praticado a exaustão por pequenos gigantes da eterna Class of 86, anos depois seguidos pelo "padrão" Sarah Records de qualidade e, depois ainda, pela Slumberland, sem contar pequenos selos independentes que continuam respirando o frescor da canção pop perfeita.

Assim caminha o The Hannah Barberas por entre seus dois EPs, "The Hannah Barberas Are Here At Last" e "Go Go Hannah Barberas", respectivamente primeiro e segundo, ambos lançados neste ano, são um sopro de melodias pegajosas e cantaroláveis, unificando tudo mencionado acima, e, claro, as eterna girl groups dos 60´s.

A receita é perfeita e o resultado idem.

Para ser saboreado a toda hora e, em qualquer lugar. Go Go The Hannah Barberas!!!!!


****** Interview with The Hannah Barberas ******


Q. When did The Hannah Barberas begin? Tell us about the history...
The band kind of started by accident! In November last year, Damien was approached to record a Christmas song for Emotional Response’s festive album. He then asked the rest of us if we wanted join in. It was a blast and we had such fun we ended up doing a whole album’s worth over five nights. The initial idea was to give it to friends and family. It was the first time we’d recorded in the basement, and we were really pleased with the sound we got, so we were like, why not carry on? It was May this year before we actually got together again and came up with a name, but by then we had a bunch of songs written.

Q: Who are your influences?
We all love post-punk and early 80s indie. Bands like Buzzcocks and labels like Postcard were putting out records that no major label ever would have. They were self-financed, self-recorded and even self-distributed - taking boxes of records around the country to deliver by hand to the record shops. 90s cassette culture too was really important to us as well. Bands that had no chance of any sort of commercial success, but were really, really loved by a handful of people.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is so difficult! Ok, let’s go with…

Orange Juice - You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever
We just love Edwyn and James Kirk’s guitar playing, and they both have such great voices. You could never get tired of hearing this album.

REM - Murmur
They became such a huge band of course, but on the Chronic Town EP and the first couple of albums they just sound like four people playing in a room. But playing truly amazing songs, of course.

Sam Cooke - Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963
This album crackles with live energy - the band are so tight and Sam’s voice is incredible, but it’s the sound of the audience that makes it such a compelling listen. Such stomping crowd pleasers, it’s great record to play loud and dance to. And it makes you want to shout YEAH! Unbelievable that this recording lay unreleased for so long.

The Mamas & The Papas - 20 Greatest Hits
Ok, not a proper album, but played it to death, it has certainly been a huge influence. 10 songs on each side, all bangers. Cost 75p from Barnardos. TheLovin’ Spoonful’s Greatest Hits too. Really varied, and great song-writing.

Pixies - Surfa Rosa
Weird songs, great sound and the best backing vocals in the business.

Erm, I think we sneaked in six albums there!

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We have yet to play live as The Hannah Barberas, not in front of other people at least. We have done in previous bands which was great fun, but we’re not bothered about doing it again just yet. We’re like The Beatles after 1966. Just focusing on recording new songs. Yes, we did just compare ourselves to the Beatles!


Q. How do you describe The Hannah Barberas´ sounds?
We like to think we sound like you’d expect a band called The Hannah Barberasto sound. Varied, but always catchy, fun and fast. Not just the playing, but the recordings too. We try and record mostly live with as few takes as possible. That way, when we’ve finished we are still excited to hear the songs again. It means they’re not perfect, but they have an energy. At least, we think they do. We love the sound of the old Peel Sessions, where there was often a more stripped-back sound. The bands would do fours songs in an afternoon, so had less time to seek perfection or record a thousand overdubs. Adrenaline becomes part of the mix. The live sessions on KEXP capture a similar sort of energy.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We record everything at home on an 8-track, usually late at night. Although at the moment two of the tracks don’t work, so it’s more like a 6 track. We need to save up for a new one really. What’s great is recording a song, mixing it in a week or so, and then putting it out there. Sites like Bandcamp and Soundcloudmake it so easy to share your music. There’s no waiting like there is with physical releases. The immediacy of it is really appealing. We’re recording our third EP tonight, and it’ll be on Bandcamp in a few weeks. That’s cool isn’t it?

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Not a new band, as such but the new Sauna Youth album is brilliant. They are completely ace live too, such an energy. Also Hairband. They're a sort-of Glasgow super-group. Their first EP is out soon on Stephen Pastel's Monorail label, and it's just ace.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We’ve done a few covers already. We pick songs that a fun to play and haven’t been done to death. We did Go Go Pepper by Tip Top Planets. It’s over twenty years old, but we don’t think anyone else apart from them had ever played it. But it’s an insanely good song. The band were really supportive of us, which was dead nice. Because of Naomi's beautifully strong Japanese accent, the words were quite tricky to make out in places, but her and Koji were really helpful and sent us the lyrics. When we read them there were lines like “my heart feels like sneezing with joy”, which we just thought were wonderful and made us love the song even more. So, let’s say we’d love a Japanese band to cover one of our songs in twenty years’ time. That would be ace! Or Taylor Swift. Then we could buy a new 8-track with the royalties!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
As we said, the next EP is going to be out in November, a few weeks earlier on Bandcamp. We want to do another Christmas song. Maybe with Taylor Swift?!

We do want to put out a full Hannah Barberas album next year, but we’d like to release it on vinyl. Another thing to save up for. Or to take out of the Swiftie Christmas royalties!

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for listening!
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Thanks

terça-feira, 2 de outubro de 2018

II with Spectrums - An Interview


As novas aventuras do trio de Washington DC, David Barker (guitarras, e synths), Simon Ley (bateria) e David Nicholas (guitarras), ou, Spectrums, atende pelo lógico nome de "II".

Como uma banda estritamente instrumental, os caras destilam em doses equalizadas,  cascatas sonoras por vezes adentrando ao universo pós punk e, em outras, flertando com o ambiente krautiano.

Um sútil mix de Interpol com NEU!, sem excessos, ou devaneios experimentais, ou ainda, sem doses carregadas de melancolia e angustia, a síntese é combinar os synths com o elaborado andamento entre guitarras, deixando a bateria conduzir ambos elementos.

O Spectrums é uma experiência altamente benéfica, que destoa do universo das bandas instrumentais.


***** Interview with Spectrums *****


Q. Hello David, first congratulations on the new EP, it's really brilliant, what is your analysis after conclusion of record? Are you happy with the result?
Thanks. Yes, hopefully it captures a step forward in our writing. Some of the early reviews have picked up on the songs being more tuneful and getting right to the hooks. Writing more economically was important to us, so it's nice to hear that is coming through. A good example of that is "Catching Dart" which we are releasing as a flexi-single in mid September for the vinyl listeners.

Q. How was the process of creating "II"?
We recorded at Inner Ear Studios, which has a long history in the hardcore and punk scenes of DC. For us, it meant we had access to lots of good drum sounds and a really comfortable room. It was still very much a live recording, but this time we were able to add a few extra guitar layers and try different drum treatments. Almost all of the songs had been performed live prior to recording so that helped make the session go quickly.

Q. What are the main differences between "Thanks For Your Kind Words" and "II"?
This time we took a whole day and a half for all the tracking, compared to "Thanks For Your Kind Words" which was tracked and rough mixed in one evening. Being an instrumental band, we try to use dynamics to build and release tension; these songs seemed to push us in that direction and also hit a little harder than before.

Q. What were the influences for creating the new record?
We tried to build something that has enough diversity that you can keep finding new things in each time, like designing the layout for your ideal house, or a film that stays with you, or place in nature that keeps changing no matter how many times you visit. Those are some of our interests individually, so they probably showed up in the sound of "II", especially as we edited ideas.

Q. What are your plans for 2018?
Playing more shows and we'll see what new sounds we can develop. We're introducing keyboards more into the new writing so that could push us into another new direction. Obrigado!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/SpectrumsDC/
https://spectrumsdc.bandcamp.com

segunda-feira, 1 de outubro de 2018

Modern Meta Physic with Peel Dream Magazine - An Interview


Pense em Stereolab, Pram ou American Analog Set, claro, retorne um pouco no tempo e junte o quebra cabeças com doses de kraut obviamente, tudo organicamente simétrico, repetitivo.

Acrescente nesse tempero o selo de qualidade Slumberland Records, e você agora sim, pode ser apresentado ao Peel Dream Magazine, que tem seu debute com data marcada para lançamento, mais precisamente dia quatro de outubro.

O TBTCI vem saboreado a pepita já há algum tempo, quase que periodicamente, como a sonoridade sugere. O clima retro é inegável, muito por conta das teclas do responsável por basicamente tudo, Mr Joseph Stevens.

Hipnótico, envolvente e viciante, o Peel Dream Magazine, uma clara homenagem ao mestre John Peel, é um verdadeiro refresco para os ouvidos.


***** Interview with Peel Dream Magazine *****


Q. When did Peel Dream Magazine begin? Tell us about the history...
A: Peel Dream Magazine started as a moniker I wanted to go by about a year and half ago. I had a dream pop project called Cherry Coals that was sort of falling apart, and I wanted to end the project . . . start from scratch. When you want to write music, or make art more generally, there is this overarching question of "what's new", "what isn't being done right now". I was really wrestling with myself over what I wanted to do musically, and one day I had this epiphany one day that I was tired of making Cocteau-esque dream pop. Everyone was trying to do this same thing as I was. It was out of that that I started getting into the more 90s stuff, cleaner and more squarely located on planet earth. I think dream pop focuses a lot on surrealism, hugeness, and concise, pretty melodies. "Let's build a fucked up beautiful world from scratch" With the flip of a switch, it was like I was into the exact opposite things. I started getting really into krautrock stuff, the Velvet Underground, Spacemen 3, Galaxie 500, Stereolab. There was no road map for it, I wanted to go off on my own thing and trust my instincts. What I liked about these bands is that they reflected a different value system, one that does not pull all of the levers of traditional rock music. They all used emotion in a different way, they presented a kind of Brechtian, "meta" version of rock and roll. I like it when people are onto some new shit. Song structure is an example, I love when bands break rules and stop trying to create a cathartic emotional response from listeners. Its a form of tyranny when a song forces listeners to prepare for an epic sing-along chorus, or to "relate" to the singer, or to expect the "perfect guitar solo at the end", etc. I wanted to make some songs with weird vibes, hushed singing, repetitive, uneventful song structures. Its almost designed to make people hate it in certain ways, and that's what I absolutely love about it. Like, use your brain, decide for yourself if it's important. Peel Dream Magazine is pretty much an instant repellant for anyone looking for a traditional, emotional rock band. The specifics of how the band start are probably quite boring to most. A friend, Shaun Durkan, passed my record along to Mike Schulman at Slumberland Records, and by a chance encounter we got to meet for lunch in Oakland during January 2018. That's when we shook on everything. It was before I even had players to play live with, and way before I had booked a show. I guess you could say I lucked out.

Q: Who are your influences?
Neu!
Galaxie 500
Spacemen 3
Serge Gainsbourg
Stereolab
Unrest
Velvet Underground
Kraftwerk
My Bloody Valentine
Nick Drake
Jesus and Mary Chain
Belle and Sebastian
Broadcast
Beach Boys
The Sundays
Felt
Lo Borges
The Go Betweens
Francois Hardy

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
oo this is hard, here it goes.
1 Beach Boys: Friends
2 Stereolab: Peng!
3 Belle and Sebastian: 3.. 6.. 9 Seconds of Light
4 Cocteau Twins: Love's Easy Tears
5 The Cure: Seventeen Seconds

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A: I have mixed feelings. I really hate anything vaudevillian--so that element of performing makes me feel a bit like an alien. Just like my music isn't meant to strum the emotional heartstrings in a typical way, our live shows are not fist-pumping events. I don't like talking to audiences or even looking at them much. That being said, there is something instinctual about playing music live for other people. Its a beautiful thing when we get it right. I do love to connect with people, I can be a very social animal.


Q. How do you describe Peel Dream Magazine´s sounds?
I would call it post rock, heavily informed by British indie pop from the 80s and 90s. We use tons of organs . . . a real Farfisa, DX7, a Hammond B3 emulator, a bit of analog monosynth (Arturia Microbrute). We don't really use effects on anything, except for fuzz on guitar. Shoegaze, twee, 60s pop -- these are all elements that are floating around.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Well, Peel Dream Magazine started as my home studio middle finger to the entire music recording universe. Everything I'd done up until this point had been a stress-filled, expensive failure. Now, I record as I write . . . demos ambiguously turn into actual recording sessions if I like them enough. My studio is part of my girlfriend and I's bedroom. I use fake drums (Kontakt samples) and fidget with them until they sound realistic. I overdub lots of drones, and I do all my guitars through my sm58 microphone.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Hm. Do you mean current bands, or literally new? Sometimes I'm a bit too closed off from new music, which is really sad. It's easier for me to learn about bands live, which I don't do as much as I used to. I'm a huge fan of Baltimore/LA's Wildhoney and Oakland/Brooklyn's Weekend. We played with an indie pop band called Strange Passage that is very much down the same pike of like "old school indie pop". I work with Alexis Georgopolous of Arp and I'm a huge fan of his. I also work with Adam Markiewicz of Dreebs / PC Worship / Lea. His stuff is really cool. Been listening to Hatchie. Tony Molina, Smokescreens. Big Bliss are NY homies, as are Pale Joyride.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Probably no one? I've never really been interested in playing any music other than what I write. I read a funny interview with Robin Guthrie where he talked about how outside of his own songwriting, he completely hates playing music. I guess if I had to pick, it could be fun to do Beatles songs on the piano. Something light, simple, and gorgeous like that.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Make at least a few more records! Do a bunch of touring. There's still a bunch that I have to get off my chest. We'll see.

Q: Any parting words?
Nope!
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Thanks

http://peeldreammagazine.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/peeldreamzine/

quinta-feira, 27 de setembro de 2018

Harps, "ORDERINCHAOS" - Track by Track


Os parisienses do Harps retornam as páginas do TBTCI depois de um grande hiato, na realidade, desde 2014 os caras não soltavam suas pedradas, mas a demora foi enfim suprida e estridentemente suprida.

No início do mês, mas precisamente em 7 de Setembro, o primeiro álbum dos caras conheceu o mundo. "ORDERINCHAOS" é o nome da criança, que já nasce esperneando por entre toneladas de barulho.

Junte o padrão de qualidade, de selos como Touch and Go, SST e Blast First e você tera a dimensão das bigornadas que o Harps criou.

Como tem sido praxe por aqui, para discos como "ORDERINCHAOS", se faz necessário desvendar os segredos e mistérios, e os caras a convite do TBTCI foram a fundo na tarefa.


É post hardcore, é post metal, é post rock, é post grunge, é post tudo, mas que uma coisa fique clara, o barulho agressivo e angustiante permanece sendo a temática do caos do Harps.


***** Harps, "ORDERINCHAOS" - Track by Track *****


Murmurs of Earth
Where it all begins, where the album, the concept behind it takes birth.
The first atom containing everything that is to come.
We wanted this tune to be heavy and thick, after an intro referencing some of our inspiration and layering various elements of composition, we try to paint this sort of cosmic landscape or at least our perception of it.

Who better than Sagan to greet you into that journey?

Murmurs of Earth is directly referencing the Voyager program and the famous Golden record that compiled an excerpt of some of mankind’s finest creations carried out in space, but what it really is is inviting us to an inward exploration and to question our place in this vast universe.

Spitting Acid
It’s a caustic piece with a punky tempo and aggressive playing
With this one we wanted to give the loud and slow pace of Murmurs a sort of exact opposite that would play in contrast and make the audience return to a cold, grounded reality.
It’s vaguely about a story on how the mafia treat people of their own family after they have break the omerta and at the same time it serves as a parallel with the environmental issues we are currently facing on Earth and the hypocrisy surrounding the expected solutions, hence the last chorus repeating : corrosive seas will submerge the last parcel of truth in this world, eventually.

End Feelings
Contrasts and various shades are a main focus in our writing, so again with this one we were looking for this effect, but this time within the same track length.

A two section track, and the most shoegazy we can get within the first part, with the use of clean vocals and reverb overall.

It’s kind an introspective song, about what is driving us as human beings, throughout the course of history; what really builds us as a society and what will ultimately lead us to meet our fate, both as individuals and as a species.

Hubris, jealousy, and rage, as screamed at the transition with the second instrumental part, are among our main traits, luring us into trying to achieve « great » things and therefore, should we not learn how to deal with those inclinations, we’ll be held responsible for ending all future and all hopes. And when there’s no hope left, false prophets will guide you towards a path of death, manipulating you with lies and deceptive promises. (The excerpt you hear at the end is from Heaven's Gate guru Marshall Applewhite)

Mammoth-1
We felt the album needed a break with convoluted tracks here, we wanted something more straightforward and also kind of elevated in its content, far from all form of self awareness or psyche exploration: so this track is just an hommage to a space entity that scientists have determined to be amongst the most massive and powerful in the whole universe, but with no explanation on what is fueling it.

We just hope this track reflects such an amazing power.

People
I suppose we must associate punk and noise genre with society subjects and political standpoints because this one is only doing that: observing that on this earth and in that day and age, some people and their governments are choosing to let other people die rather than offer them shelter and assistance.

As often we are more inclined to raise walls and barriers than to learn and share from other’s differences. Ther’s no judgement here, merely a sad observation.

Gaza Gazers
This one has been around for a long time.
Just like the conflict that inspired its writing has. That’s my personal favorite: it’s mean, it’s groovy and it’s loud, and all that in its own chaotic terms and structure.

This is war and it perfectly follows up the end of People and unfortunately still echoes the current status on site.

Infinity Must Have Started Somewhere
We felt the need for something epic and went for it!

We could play that one an infinite number of times and still not really grasp all its subtleties or master the various shifts it’s embedding. Just like the visible sky and what we perceives of it, this studio version is only a snap of what this piece was at the precise moment of the recording.

We can’t play it twice the same, it’s ever evolving just as our universe does.We wanted it as an ending because it comes last in the track listing but mostly as an opening to many things: the cosmos, of our inner and outter spaces, an invitation to wander in thoughts and dreams, and also an invitation to another listening of ORDERINCHAOS. An exploration of our deeper soul.
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Thanks

http://www.harps-official.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HARPSband/
https://harps-official.bandcamp.com

quarta-feira, 26 de setembro de 2018

Melancholy Daze with Sunbather - An Interview


A história de um projeto focado em um certo dreampop psicodélico, nascida da cabeça de um baterista de bandas de metal e hardcore que resolveu explorar novos sons, novas batidas e novas pulsações.

E a partir daí surgiu o projeto de Joseph Picataggio, o Sunbather.

O novo trabalho do cara, "Melancholy Daze" se sintoniza com propostas sonoras mais modernas, algo como um híbrido de Tame Impala e DIIV.

Experimentações a serviço de sonhos levemente borrados, sem necessidade de extremismos, o que o Sunbather propõe que a viagem seja leve mais espacialmente sedutora.

Aperte o play e boa trip.


***** Interview with Sunbather *****



Q. When did Sunbather begin? Tell us about the history...
Well before Sunbather started, I'd been playing drums in local metal and hardcore bands for the last 10 years, and drums in general for the last 15 or so. Being a drummer first and foremost, I started Sunbather as a way to teach myself how to play other instruments, as an outlet to explore other genres I love, and to express and push myself in more ways than just smacking the drums around to power chords in my basement. And aside from one or two classes, I'd also slowly been teaching myself to produce, so I use Sunbather as an outlet to experiment and grow in recording as well. I started writing Intrapersonal in 2015, but I officially started Sunbather in November 2017 in Kingston, Pennsylvania, USA, and then relocated to Durham, North Carolina only a few months later. I spent the latter half of 2017 and the first half of 2018 working on new material for a full length, and in August released Melancholy Daze. Now I'm just pushing it and getting it to as many ears as I can.

Q: Who are your influences?
I'm obsessed with Tycho. I'd say he's a big influence in more ways than just music. His attention to his visuals, details in his jams, and apparent DIY ethic attract me and act as a guide for the independence and work ethic I'd like to strive for. He's the king right now. Dive is a perfect record. Additionally, I have a lot of influences in varying genres, but the ones who influence the Sunbather sound the most are bands like The Smiths, Blur, and newer bands like Tame Impala, Washed Out, Diiv, The Contortionist, etc.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
In no particular order...
1) blink-182 - Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
2) Beastie Boys - Licensed to Ill
3) Slayer - Reign in Blood
4) Fair to Midland - Fables from a Mayfly
5) Turnover - Peripheral Vision

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I love it. I've been playing shows in terrible bands with my best friends since I was 17 years old. My bands never gained a following, but just loading up and traveling around with my friends, playing to like 20 people in the back of book shops, basements, churches, clubs, backyards, art spaces, etc., then hanging out and eating pizza and drinking beer after were the best. We unfortunately haven't done that in awhile, but maybe this could get us back together someday.

Q. How do you describe Sunbather´s sounds?
Dreamy Whatever overall genre that word takes shape in, whether it be pop to shoegaze to hardcore, as long as I can make it fit that aesthetic, I'm open to write in virtually any style for Sunbather. For instance on Intrapersonal, I wrote it at a time when I was inspired by progressive metal and post-rock bands like The Contortionist and Karnivool. So some of those sounds are on the heavier, more aggressive side, but blend with a very relaxed and spacey atmosphere. The new record, Melancholy Daze, is a more straightforward shoegaze/pop-rock sound, which is different enough from Intrapersonal, but has that overall dreamy vibe so I think it still makes sense sitting next to it.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Since I'm just one guy, Sunbather is a studio based band. I'll grab my guitar, plug it into my interface, load up an amp-sim, and just noodle away until something sounds even remotely cool. I'll record that little noodle quick, then start building things on top of it step-by-step; drums, second guitar, synths, keys, bass, more guitar, more guitar, more guitar... Then I'll sit down, write lyrics, and (try to) sing on it. Then after all that, if it doesn't' work or I'm not 100% down with it, I'll scrap it all and try again. After I get a collection of demos I'm happy with, I'll go in and re-record them at a higher rates then add some polish and spice to make them sound nice, listen to them to what feels like 1000 different times, then mix, then master.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Go check out Saint Slumber (I think they're from New Jersey?) My old bands' played a couple of shows with those kids back when they were called The Soviet. Really talented indie rock/pop stuff. Their new record comes out in a few weeks. I'm really hype on them right now. And I wouldn't call these other bands new, but I've been spinning them a lot right now... * Wild Nothing * Title Fight * Beach Vacation * Shallou * FM-84

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
I'm actually in the middle of doing a cover of a Tycho song, but I've also been thinking about doing covers of a Beastie Boys or a Smiths song. For me, covers are cool to experiment with sounds and learn, but I don't think I'll do anything official with them. We'll see.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Keep writing music. Keep pushing forward. Maybe shows as a full band, or maybe I’ll find a way to just jam by myself at some point, but who knows.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks again to TBTCI for asking me to do this. Please listen to 'Melancholy Daze' on Bandcamp, Spotify, Google Play, etc and follow me everywhere and tell all of your friends. Let's grow this thing together
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Thanks

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

Trip To Saturn with Keep Care - An Interview


Doces cintilantes suspiros sonoros aterrizam diretamente de Montreal, Canadá nas páginas do TBTCI.

O duo, Keep Care e seu EP homônimo de estreia servem como sedativo para os percalços caóticos do cotidiano. Por entre paisagens tranquilas e serenas, as melodias sempre introspectivas deles acalentam e acalmam a mente.

Perfeito para um anoitecer em boa companhia.

***** Interview with Keep Care *****


Q. When did Keep Care begin? Tell us about the history
The two of us met years ago through the internet, and we became such good friends that we ended up moving to Montreal together. We decided to start Keep Care in September of 2017, and have been slowly making songs together ever since.

Q. Who are your influences
Our biggest influence would definitely be Beach House, we’re really inspired by the way they have made such grand sounds with just two people. With us just being a duo as well, this is something we aspire to do as we continue to make music. Other big influencers for us are Feist, Cat Power and Sufjan Stevens

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time...
1.Beach House – Teen Dream
2.Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
3. Judee Sill- Heartfood
4. Feist – The Reminder
5. Cocteau Twins – Treasure

Q. How do you feel about playing live.
We haven’t actually played in front of an audience yet but we are eager to! The butterflies are flappin!

Q. How do you describe Keep Care’s sound?
I think we would describe our sound as lo-fi, since we have limited equipment (guitar, piano, microphone) and drawing inspiration from artists like Beach House and Feist, we’re going for a dreamy/folksy sound. But in the end, we just sit down together and play things that we like the sound of.

Q. Tell us about the recording process.
Everything is recorded in our apartment. We usually record the guitar and piano first and then add vocals at the end.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend
Devon Welsh (from Majical Cloudz) recently released a solo album which we have been listening to religiously. Also Haley Heynderickx and Suno Deko.

Q. Which band would you love to made a cover of?
We’ve talked about covering either a Cranberries or Judee Sill song!

Q. What are your plans for the future?
Currently we’re just preparing for playing live, and working on new songs for our next album!

Q.Any parting words?
Don’t take any wooden nickels!
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Thanks

https://keepcare.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/keepcareband/

terça-feira, 25 de setembro de 2018

Dissimulation with Emmaline Twist - An Interview


Tudo começou após um show tributo New Order para os estadunidenses do Emmaline Twist, isso tudo em 2016.

Fincado-se sob o espectro dark oitentista e a onde gaze que invadiu o submundo dos bons sons no início dos 90´s, o quinteto lançou em 2017 seu primeiro EP Dissimulation povias digitais, como a grande maioria das bandas independentes atuais. Após certa atenção local "Dissimulation" ganhou versão estendida em versão vinílica, com faixas extras e assim, o Emmaline Twist vem ganhando mais e mais notoriedade.

A grandiosa e eloquente base sonora serve de guia para a voz, simplesmente maravilhosa, de Meredith McGrade e é exatamente este um dos grandes diferenciais do Emmaline Twist.

Sofisticação e elegância em tons cinzentos fazem de "Dissimulation" um elixir para os ouvidos.


***** Interview with Emmaline Twist *****



Q. When did Emmaline Twist begin? Tell us about the history...
Emmaline Twist began in 2016 after a failed attempt by Meredith and Krysztof to work up a New Order tribute band. We basically just decided we'd rather create our own music together, but in that vein of "dark 80's" music, with the heavier groove and denser guitars of the 90's shoegaze sound. Kristin and Jon were the perfect rhythm section for such a musical idea, and the "laid-back urgency" sound of the band was formed. Just recently, we added Alex on keys to make out live sound even bigger, which our latest album reflects.

Q: Who are your influences?
Probably our biggest direct influence from the Shoegaze side of things would be Slowdive, and from the Dark-80's would be The Cure. From there it's just a "family tree" of similar kinds of bands!

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
These may seem obvious, but, some of our favorites are :

"Disintegration" - The Cure
"Slowdive" - Slowdive
"Power, Corruption, and Lies" - New Order
"Strange Times" - The Chameleons
"Mezzanine" - Massive Attack

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We love playing live, actually. We work very hard on the presentation of our songs and our sound, and love each other as friends, so something truly magic happens when we get on stage and support each other and these songs.


Q. How do you describe Emmaline Twist´s sounds?
I'll use this phrase "laid-back urgency" to describe our brand of Shoegaze / Dreampop, again. We have been very fortunate to find each other as musicians, and somehow know how to build these big, driving, textural soundscapes in a laid-back and introspective manner. While some darkwave or post-punk bands strive for a colder sonic palette, we attempt a richer, warmer feel with our songs.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We demo all the songs out, first, and get to know them as a band in rehearsal and onstage long before recording them. We want them to become as fully realized as they can between us so that when we go into the studio, we're just trying to capture that magic rather than using the studio to figure them out. It's more exciting for us to do it that way, and makes it much more focused and collaborative a process since we all know precisely what we're trying to capture. The only goal we have in the studio, really, is to make sure we capture the "bigness" of the sound.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Here are some great bands we're listening to : Tamaryn, Ariel, Vaadat Charigim, Still Corners, Death & Vanilla, The Life & Times.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We've been toying with a cover of Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?" just because it would be fun to task something so different from our sound and to turn it into one of ours.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We'd love to do more regional festival dates, and more touring, in general.

Q: Any parting words?
We're grateful for the attention, and look forward to bringing everyone more of what we do!
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Thanks

http://www.emmalinetwist.com/
https://emmalinetwist.bandcamp.com/album/dissimulation
https://www.facebook.com/EmmalineTwistKC/

segunda-feira, 24 de setembro de 2018

Winter with Sacred Blue - An Interview


Atmosférica(mente) envolvente.

O termo acima talvez seja o que melhor se aplicará ao ser que envolver-se com os australianos do Sacred Blue.

Um certo relaxamento mental vai tomando conta lentamente, conforme "Inside The Snow", faixa extraída do primeiro single deles, vai fluindo. Conexões com Galaxie 500, Damon & Naomi, Mazzy Star e Opal são basicamente inevitáveis, mas todos estes citados servem como norte para o Sacred Blue.

A outra canção do single "Winter", é "Seasonal Variatons", com uma pegada que lembra e muito o já citado Opal e a Pasley Underground.

Um single gigante, e absolutamente viciante, simples assim. Que venham rapidamente os próximos passos do Sacred Blue.


***** Interview with Sacred Blue *****


Q. When did Sacred Blue begin? Tell us about the history…
We officially came together in June of 2017, however, the history of the band dates back to 2015 when Annie (guitar + vox) and Vincent (drums) met on Tinder and started jamming on and off. After a while we decided to pursue a band, and hit up long-time pal Joel (bass). One thing led to another and we came together from there!

Q: Who are your influences?
Annie: John Frusciante, Galaxie 500, John Maus, anything Flying Nun Records

Vincent: Stevie Wonder

Joel: late 90s post-rock i.e explosions in the sky, godspeed you! Black emperor.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
1. On Fire by Galaxie 500
2. Disintegration by The Cure
3. Floating Into the Night by Julie Cruise
4. Closer by Joy Division
5. The Will to Death by John Frusciante

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s great when we play to a crowd, especially one that really vibes off our music. It’s a lot of fun, and Brisbane is home to a very wholesome audience.

Q. How do you describe Sacred Blue´s sound?
90s shoegaze/alt rock influenced, stripped down, chill. I feel like our recordings and releases are faithful to our live sound.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We recorded our single at Bedlam Studios in Brisbane. We all play off each other, and part of our sound comes from the live recording aspect. Then we layered vocals. We knew how we wanted it to sound, so we decided to mix it ourselves. None of us had any mixing experience so it was a learning curve, but something we will most likely continue doing.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Brisbane has a great little music scene, we’ve played with Lying Down (Bris) and they have a fantastic EP out, Local Authority (Bris) just put out his first song, Death Bells (Sydney) and the other artists on Burning Rose (record label), Treehouse (Hobart).

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
Sugarhill Gang, or some other 90s rap group.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Keep writing music, release a Spring single by mid-October (and finish off the seasonal theme), wait for someone to tell us to come to Brazil (then subsequently tour South America).

Q: Any parting words?
Rock on! \m/d(^_^)b\m/

Love from Annie, Joel and Vincent
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Thanks

https://sacred-blue.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/verysacredblue/

sexta-feira, 21 de setembro de 2018

Warn the Dark with Heavydive - An Interview


Da longínqua, Calgary, província canadense de Alberta vem o trio Heavydive.

Como muitas bandas atuais, os caras unificam elementos do shoegaze clássico, no caso aqui, o Nowhere do Ride dá a conexão com as guitarras, alem do pós punk melancólico de Cure e Joy Division, adicione a raiva sonora do SY, e você terá a equação dos caras.

"Warm The Dark" é o debute do Heavydive, e soa exatamente como o descrito acima. Sua audição vai ganhando tonalidades épicas conforme as guitarras vão subindo. Por vezes me lembram Doves, em outras Model Morning, muitas conexões são sentidas, depende muito de sua referência.

O fato é que o Heavydive faz de sua estreia, um belo sopro melancolicamente barulhento.


***** Interview with Heavydive *****


Q. When did Heavydive begin? Tell us about the history...
Although Heavydive is based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, we are not all from here. Our guitarist, Juan Ortiz, and drummer, Santiago Ortiz, are Colombian born brothers who were raised in Canada, while Randall Squires (vocals and bass) was born and raised in Calgary. The three of us got together through a mutual friend and realized that we had the same drive to make music. We started our first band together in May of 2014, however, Heavydive did not really begin until June of 2016. Heavydive was potentially our final attempt to make music together after forming two consecutive bands that failed to leave our rehearsal space. During the years prior to Heavydive we wrote and threw out a little over 10 songs before we wrote the first official Heavydive song, Room 213.

Q: Who are your influences?
All three of us have quite different influences.

Randall: The Smiths, Radiohead, Pixies, the Killers, Interpol, Pasteboard, and Savages.

Santiago: Nothing, Title Fight, Turnover, Death of Lovers, DIIV, Citizen, and Joy Division.

Juan: A Place to Bury Strangers, The Mars Volta, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dinosaur Jr, and At the Drive-In.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
In no particular order, our top 5 albums are:
- Relationship of Command by At the Drive-In
- Rare by Hundredth
- Sam’s Town by The Killers
- Souvlaki by Slowdive
- Viet Cong by Preoccupations

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s one of the few moments in our lives where we can feel truly in the moment. While performing you are putting yourself out there emotionally and technically. It’s the only time we can truly feel free.

Q. How do you describe Heavydive´s sound?
Thick reverberated guitar, delicate yet detached vocals, and heart-racing rhythms.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Warn the Dark is our first album recorded in a professional studio. Everything prior was recorded live off the floor in our rehearsal space, but once we were in the studio we no longer felt the restrictions of being a three-piece band. The ability to orchestrate many guitars, layer several digital and analog effects, and add depth through stereo mixing allowed us to form a richer atmosphere in each song.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Melted Mirror, Palm Haze, Paradise (Calgary, AB), Nêhiyawak, Dead Soft, and Did You Die.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
When You Sleep by My Bloody Valentine

Q: What are your plans for the future?
At the moment we are planning to record a full length album and tour Europe within the next two to three years.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for interviewing us, Renato, and for introducing us to your audience! Let’s keep shoegaze alive!
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Thanks

https://heavydive.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Heavydive/

Memoir with Optloquat - An Interview


É sabido que os japoneses tem verdadeira adoração pelo Loveless, não há novidade alguma nesta afirmação.

E novamente por esta máxima, uma nova, e novata banda surge por lá endossando esta máxima. O quarteto Optloquat, de Tókio, declara paixão total pela obra icônica de Mr. Shields, além do fato dos seus integrantes terem nascido, todos, no ano em que Loveless nasceu.

Mas, apesar de toda a rasgação de seda pelo disco, o Optloquat sonoramente, não tem absolutamente nada a ver com MBV, pelo contrário, os japoneses estão muito mais próximas do Asobi Seksu e do Ride, traçando assim seus devaneios sonoros de forma mais sútil.

Pegue o debute dos novatos, "Memoir" e deixe fluir, relaxadamente, não há contra indicação, apesar de que a sensação de que já ouvimos isso antes é evidente.


***** Interview with Optloquat *****


Q. When did Optloquat begin? Tell us about the history...
We formed Optloquat in April 2018. Three of us (Gt/Vo: Ryo, Gt: Uiru, Dr: Toshiaki) went to same university in Yokohama and belonged to the same music society. However, we did nothing special together at the time because all of us had totally different preference of music(eg; I was stuck on kind of technical, like HM/HR). After 3 years later, we somehow found ourselves together and decided to start a postrock / shoegazer band. We spent about half an year making songs without the bassist, so our first gig was called ‘too trebly’. In April 2018, we finally found our bassist Nomeko, who was Toshiaki’s friend and from another shoegazer band called‘cattle’. Each of our music preference still differs, but we believe that's what contributes uniqueness to our music. We all were born in the same year when My Bloody Valentine released ‘Loveless’, by the way.

Q: Who are your influences?
@Ryo My biggest influencers are probably ‘MUSE’ from UK and ‘The Yellow Monkey’ from Japan and many so called guitar heroes.

@Uiru As a guitarist I look up to Shinichi Ito from ‘Sparta locals’ and Hisashi Yoshino from ‘Eastern Youth’. Focus on the sound making, we refer to the shoegazer sound/ 90's emo. In addition, we are also influenced by mathrock like american football and TTNG.

@Toshiaki ‘Stephen Bruner’(from Thundercat)!!

@Nomeko Too many to list up…

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
@Ryo
MUSE-Black Holes & Revelations
THE YELLOW MONKEY-8
Kyte-Kyte
Yanakoto Sotte Mute- Mirrors
Steve Vai- Real Illusions

@Uiru
RIDE- nowhere
Yanakoto Sotte Mute- bubble
mineral- the power of falling
Bloc party- A Weekend in the City
american football- american football

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s difficult to find the right words… Somehow, we feel that we are warmly surrounded / hugged by our sounds. We always not only feel excited but feel great appreciation for our audience listening to us.

Q. How do you describe Optloquat´s sounds?
Basically our elements are from shoegazer and post rock. We try to create an imagery through our music, focus of being ‘lyrical’, and create sounds that are ‘indescribably comfortable’, something like that. Please let us know how you feel towards our music and help us define ourselves in a few words in English!

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Firstly, Ryo, Uiru or Toshiaki makes a blueprint and we do a kind of test. If the song passes it, we start to build on it. Our debut mini album ’Memoir’ was completely home recorded by using a Logic Pro X.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
@Ryo Yanakoto Sotte Mute, hygia, umph, Kyte

@Uiru superorganism, snail mail, toe, climb the mind, CSTVT, pinegrove, caspian, Letting up despite great faults

@Toshiaki Flying Lotus

@Nomeko Hector Saves the Night

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
@Ryo Slowdive, Kyte

@Uiru chapterhouse

@Toshiaki A$AP Rocky

@Nomeko Maroon 5

Q: What are your plans for the future?
・To show up on shoegazer/postrock music scene.
・To perform at a famous music festival/gig.
・To perform abroad.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks a lot for digging/listening to us!!

You can find us as @optloquat on Twitter and Instagram, please follow us.
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Thanks

https://optloquat.bandcamp.com/releases

quarta-feira, 19 de setembro de 2018

Maybe Sometime Soon with Trillion - An Interview

 
Sidney, Austrália, 1993, o shoegaze por lá naquela época simplesmente inexistia, a não ser para o quarteto Trillion, que passeava às margens do apogeu do grunge e do hard rock, gêneros que ditavam as normas na Austrália nos 90´s, mas os caras tentaram, lançaram um EP, mas sucumbiram-se em 1998, perante a situação não confortável a eles.

Mas a história dá voltas, depois de vinte anos, os caras voltaram, e o responsável direto por isso é o Slowdive, por conta de um show deles no início deste ano.

E parece que o tempo de hibernação fez bem ao Trillion, a sede em colocar guitarras altas veio em alta voltagem, é só preparar os tímpanos para o poderoso, "Maybe Sometime Soon", enfim o primeiro discos dos caras.

Uma paulada estridentemente melódica, tendo como alicerces sonoros, conexões óbvias com Swervedriver, principalmente, aquelas guitarras em um clima road trip dão o acento do álbum.

Perfeito para ouvir alto e, claro, on the road.


***** Interview with Trillion *****


Q. When did Trillion begin? Tell us about the history...
Trillion as it is at the moment is
Steve Hartley/ guitars, vocals
Darren Barnes/ bass, vocals, drum machine.

Trillion began in Sydney, Australia way back in the early days of 1993. We played a lot of shows and released a debut EP called Satellite. Shoegaze never really took off in Australia the first time around. It was all grunge and hard rock at the time and we ended up putting the band on indefinite hold in 1998. Me and Steve, who were the driving force behind the band, stayed good friends. After a Slowdive concert earlier this year we decided it was time to start jamming again. Three months later we realised we’d written about 12 new songs and were really enjoying ourselves again.

Q: Who are your influences?
I feel like this is going to be a pretty obvious answer.....but here goes anyway! My Bloody Valentine, Swervedriver and Sonic Youth are and have always been very large influences for us. We also listen to a whole bunch of other music, and have been influenced by genres like trip hop and artists like slackwax.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is a really hard one and Darren and I could debate this endlessly! We're going to do something a bit different than the obvious ones (loveless, raise, etc) - and given there two of us we've up this to a top 7 list!
The Pixies - Come On Pilgrim
Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
The Clash - London Calling
Pink Floyd - The Wall
Sonic Youth - Goo
The Reindeer Section - Son of evil reindeer

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It’s a great feeling when you’ve played a show and played well and have been appreciated. The adrenaline rush can be euphoric at times. On the flip side it can also get very frustrating, technical difficulties with so many pedals can be very harsh.

Q. How do you describe Trillion´s sounds?
We aim to write songs that have a strong groove to then. That sounds strange for a shoegaze band, but we both really like music that draws you in. Layering guitars so that the parts start to blend and merge in different ways, but also so that there's space. That sounds contradictory but when it's done well, your brain starts to hear melodies and interplay between the different parts that may or may not actually be there. And a strong bass line to keep the song driving along is always important.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Since we live about 2hours drive from each other we’ve been writing and recording over the internet. We haven’t had any time in the same room yet! The EP was recorded/mixed completely on iPad GarageBand and mastered using an app. There’s no way we could have done this first time around, technology has really changed the game! Vocals were sang into an iPhone, crazy! Not a cent spent, total D.I.Y ethos.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I think Blankenberge are the best of the new breed of shoegaze bands. They blew me away the first time I heard them. Trauma Ray sound very good also.

There’s a few Australian bands really standing out at the moment like Holy Forrest and Blush Response, but Deafcult are terrific, I think they are the big cheeses in the Aussie scene. Big shoutout to my buddy Dave from Lost Echoes in Portland, Oregon too!

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We’ve never really done any covers before, but I’ve always wanted to do a big version of Pink Floyd’s ‘Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun’....so nobody steal my idea ok!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We’ve recently expanded from a 2 piece into a 5 piece band and are about to start rehearsing. Our aim is to record something in a studio this time and get out and play some shows again. After that who knows where we’ll go or what will happen, as long as it’s fun and not too serious.

Q: Any parting words?
Blogs like this one are what is making the scene worldwide so keep up the great work you are doing Renato! And thanks for the opportunity to get ourselves out there a little bit more. We’ve had so much support from all around the world so thank you to everyone that’s taken the time to at least listen or download our music.
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Thanks

https://trillion1.bandcamp.com
https://mobile.twitter.com/trillionshoega1

terça-feira, 18 de setembro de 2018

Payday Flowers with Sugarplum Fairies - Interview and Video Premiere


Desde de 1999, Silvia Ryder conduz com sofisticação sua fornada a frente do Sugarplum Fairies.

Nativa de Vienna, Austria, Silvia originalmente formou o Sugarplum Fairies ao lado de seu marido Ben Bohm, e ambos construíram em conjunto a trajetória da banda até que em 2014 o casal se separou e Silvia iniciou uma nova fase do Sugarplum Fairies com um time de músicos se revezando nas gravações.

O mais recente trabalho é "Payday Flowers", lançado em Julho deste ano, e segue de forma lógica a trajetória do Sugarplum Fairies, um certo neofolk ensolarado e melancólico, evocando por vezes Mazzy Star, Cowboy Junkies sem deixar de lado o mestre Lee Hazlewood. Arranjos em formas de orquestrações cinematográficas são a tônica das criações do Silvia.

Eloquentemente grandioso, o Sugarplum Fairies é daqueles raros prazeres que infelizmente possuem pouco reconhecimento, infelizmente, mas não aqui no TBTCI, pelo contrário, o Sugarplum Fairies é objeto de admiração.

Ah sim, fora a entrevista, de quebra Silvia brindou o TBTCI com a premiere de seu mais nova vídeo, contemplando a bela "Boudoir Poet".

Escolha seu lado e bom retiro.

***** Interview and Video Premiere with Sugarplum Fairies *****


Q. When did Sugarplum Fairies begin? Tell us about the history...
Sugarplum Fairies originally started in 1999 as a duo with me then husband Ben Bohm as co-writer/guitarist. We had both moved from Vienna/Austria in 1991 (where we were born). Back there I used to work as a journalist for a print magazine and dabbled in writing lyrics for other bands while Ben was signed to a major label since his early 20’s.

Ben and me parted ways personally and musically in 2014 which culminated in me assembling a rotating line-up of co-writers and guest musicians.

Q. Who are your influences?
There are many genres and personalities that influence my music conceptually, rather than sonically: French movies from the 60s, Anna Karina, Jean-Luc Godard, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Nico, Jean-Pierre Melville, the movie Girl On The Bridge, Anton Corbijn, Chet Baker.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Lee Hazlewood: The LHI Years: Singles, Nudes & Backsides 1968-1971
Johnny Cash: American III: Solitary Man
Tori Amos: Under The Pink
John Lennon: Double Fantasy
The Velvet Underground & Nico: The Velvet Underground & Nico

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I do not play out live anymore, I never enjoyed it. I prefer to create in solitude, kind of like Harry Nilsson.


Q. How do you describe Sugarplum Fairies´ sounds?
The sound of SPF tries to bridge the transatlantic gap with an amalgamation of European pop sensibilities and waltzing Americana folk rock.

On the latest album, ‘Payday Flowers’, SPF veers from sleepy shoegaze to eclectic Vaudeville, featuring Lee Hazlewood reminiscent horn arrangements alongside languid soundscapes.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Since I am purely a lyricist and singer I collaborate with other songwriters/musicians which are part of “The Fairies Family”. They send me melodies and I create stories around them, which is a very solidary process. I always record/produce my own vocal tracks in my home studio, which is in an early 1920’s townhouse with great acoustics. Then I bring in various musicians to layer the tracks.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Gold Star, Son of the Velvet Rat, Dylan Luster, Lael Neale, Korey Dane.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
I usually include at least one cover song on all of my albums; on the current release it’s “Life’s A Gas” by T.Rex. Not sure yet what it’s gonna be for the next one.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Start working on a new album this fall and expanding on the visual aspects that come with being a recording artist. I have always created the artwork for SPF, but I just recently started producing and directing my own videos.

Q: Any parting words?
"If you're afraid of the dark, remember the night rainbow. If there is no happy ending, make one out of cookie dough." - Cooper Edens
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Thanks

https://sugarplumfairies.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Sugarplum.Fairies/
http://www.sugarplumfairies.com/