Before You Go Remember Me by The Telescopes - An Interview with Stephen Lawrie

Ok, vamos fazer o seguinte, uma banda que gravou Taste, 2nd Album ou The Telescopes, #4, uma cacetada de eps fenomenais como 7th Disaster, Preicous Little, To Kill a Slowgirl Walking, Everso, Celeste, Auditory Illusions, fez historia na virada dos 80´s para os 90´s e continua mantendo uma padrão de qualidade intocavel, viajando por diversos caminhos e como o proprio genio Stephen Lawrie diz "telescope house has many rooms.", não há como não se render ao ataque sonoro seja com guitarras assassinas, ou encharcado de psicodelismo ou ainda envolto a drones, é fato que Stephen Lawrie compos a trilha sonora perfeita para muita gente, e eu me incluo diretamente ai.

Eles já passaram por aqui no TBTCI, e meu culto e fanatismo sobre a obra jamais parou, e como que envolto ao redescobrimento do classico album Taste que esta acontecendo graças a bandas como One Unique Signal, 93MMFTS que andam tocando com Stephen em Londres e revivendo aquelas canções na integra, tentei, e para meu espanto total, Stephen Lawrie me concedeu uma mitica e misteriosa entrevista, então, para tudo, vamos ler o que o mestre diz:

***** Interview with Stephen Lawrie from The Telescopes *****

Q: Let´s talk about the old years…when did Telescopes starts, tell us about the history...
A. 86/87. a lot of people have been and gone, but the intent remains. corrupted and pure.

Q: Who are your influences/heroes?
A. all the great explorers.

Q. How do you describe Telescopes sounds?
A. with my hands or my mouth.

Q. Taste is classic, do you agree?
A. glad you like it. i'm enjoying rediscovering those songs live at the moment.

Q. The 2nd album is radical change from Taste, that´s begun at Everso and Celeste Ep´s, why happens this?
A. if you listen to early bsides, the melody was there from the beginning. telescope house has many rooms.

Q: To me the best Telescopes songs are not include in the albuns like Precious Little, To Kill a Slowgirl Walking, Celeste, Everson, and for you what´s the best Telescopes ep, song, album....etc..
A. usually it will be something i haven't heard for a while that takes me by surprise. i'm too critical otherwise.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording your songs..
A. each song is different. it's a process of finding a way in.

Q Every Telescopes album has a different sounds, How Third Wave was created?
A. i recorded basic song structures, then me and my friends improvised over them, and kept the best bits.

Q. #4 and Infinite Suns sounds too kraut and spacier, do you agree?
A. not really. #4 is claustrophobic and infinite suns is volcano music.

Q: Tell us about the Telescopes´ gigs...how was it?
A. they're never the same. you have to be there.

Q. About Unisex, How was the experience to record Stratosphere?
A. it was a long goodbye.

Q. What´s the most important thing to play with bands like 93 Million Miles From the Sun, One Unique Signal and the forthcoming tour with The Fauns?
A. chaos magic.


Q: Which bands would you love to make a cover version?
A. i don't really spend much time thinking about it. but we're doing a couple of elevators songs for an evening dedicated to roky erickson soon.

Q: Which new bands do you recommend?
A. bridget hayden.

Q. Here in Brazil there´re a several Telescopes fans, and a compilation was realese in the mid 90´s from Midsummer Madness Label, Do you know this Telescopes´ brazilian adoration?
A. yes, i know the midsummer madness gang and done zine, i get lots of requests to play.

Q: What´s the plans for future....new records, a tour....
A. always a possibility.

Q: Any parting words?
A. keep a watchful ear.

*

*

*

Thanks Stephen....

www.myspace.com/thetelescopes

The Telescopes - Rarities
The Telescopes - 7th Disaster, The Perfect Needle, To Kill a Slowgirl Walking, Precious Little Eps

Ok Computer with Messias

A história de musica alternativa brasileira é deveras difícil e cheia de altos e baixo, mas nada se comparando a carreira de Messias frente ao patrimônio chamado brincando de deus, muito já se falou, comentou, opinou sobre a importância, os álbuns, os shows, a postura, as letras, o messianismo envolto a banda, entretanto o projeto que chegou em minhas mãos diretamente do mentor é algo absolutamente surreal em se tratando do malvisto mercado nacional que há muito esta de mal a pior, salvo raríssimas exceções que sobrevivem no underground, o fato é que o tão misterioso e aguardado álbum solo de Messias é uma obra prima conceitual poucas vezes vista tanto no Brasil como fora daqui. Porque? Alguns fatores podem responder facilmente a questão, 1º o projeto gráfico, 2º CD Triplo, 3º A musica e seus criadores.

Vamos por partes, primeiramente a concepção gráfica é algo de encher os olhos, um package de alto padrão, bom gosto apurado e acima da media com um booklet com letras e informações pertinentes, a de se mencionar a concepção a cargo do próprio Messias e a o design de Ricardo Sans.

A segunda e terceira parte das justificativas são conjuntas, visto que “escrever-me, envelhecer-me, esquecer-me” é um álbum conceito em 3 partes como o próprio nome o sugere, como um trovador Messias destila toda sua poesia existencialista no decorrer das 3 partes, oras em português oras em inglês, reunindo músicos dos quais a brincando de deus esta também presente e principalmente seu co produtor e parceiro do projeto Andre T., Messias traz todos os seus já conhecidos gostos pessoais e ressurge no cenário com uma proposta de vanguarda, mesclando estilos e os unificando, temos a clássica inspiração da poesia com Smiths, lo-fi, rock, electro-jazz, dub, guitar bands, shoegazer e claro brincando de deus, facilmente eu diria que Messias é um trovador moderno tal como Thom Yorke o é, genialidades a parte, vamos ao album.

O álbum sugere o que vira a ser o novo rumo ao qual Messias e a brincando de deus devem seguir a partir do ponto do qual pararam, e é bem nítido principalmente em “escrever-me” onde os destaques já aparecem como Who I Should Be, Resilience, Offbeat e na belíssima Avenida Contorno um ode a Salvador e ao próprio Messias lifestyle, Run The Risk (too) é outra que de tão singela e simples seduz e inspira.


Envelhecer-me inicia com a já conhecida The Machines are My Family as guitarras e a ambientação com o arranjo sublime das cordas exprimem a letra profética, sem contar na anotação que consta no cd feita a mão por Messias “my computer is asking who I am”, soberba, destaques para a shoegazer Symmetry , a gritante They Drug Me Everyday e a mais brincando de deus de todas Daily Goodbyes com o pegajoso refrão “i fight with daily goodbyes, with myself” que mal acaba e começa Orbiting you...dificil dizer se “envelhecer-me” é mais ou menos intenso que “escrever-me” ....mas ainda falta a 3 parte...”esquecer-me”...

God, if you can hear me abre a ultima parte da obra, modernidade é o temática aqui, fundida sim com as obsessões messiânicas do mentor, “will they save my life from me? And Will they save a seat in heaven for me?...Oh God, I had intended not to complain….”, particulas remetem a Jason Pierce, a sequência com A Half-Life mostra que o clima lounge, dub e intimista prevalece em “esquecer-me” o que de fato é uma realidade Como Cometer Erros surpreende os mais puristas como eu, o que de nada influi na grandiosidade da canção, entre viagens, colagens o trovador volta novamente em When Life is Not Enough, o shoegazer moderno reaparece em Vesperas, em ares de despedida até o ultimo lamento em a Ultima Tarde de um Imperio em Chamas.

Uma obra singular e atemporal, para cativar os poucos que o ouvirem e vou mais adiante, logicamente que sou suspeito para tecer comentário, chegando a ser dificílimo a imparcialidade para fazer esta resenha, visto o fã de longa data que sou, mas posso garantir que quem ouviu o álbum e não conhece nada da historia de Messias e da brincando de deus adorou, amigos e amigas minhas que desconhecem a origem teceram os seguintes comentários, “nossa Renato que musica legal”, “não acredito, ele é de Salvador?”, “coloca o do meio novamente, é o melhor”....resumindo os fatos, o trovador Messias certamente não contava com isso, ou se contava acertou em cheio o objetivo.

Messias - Escrever-me, Envelhecer-me, Esquecer-me

Low Life with The Floor

Conheci esta gema preciosa do pos punk moderno através de meu camarada Az do barulhento Stellarium, dai pesquisando mais sobre os caras, infelizmente, tomei conhecimento que já não existem mais, uma pena, pois os canadenses do The Floor são daquelas bandas que rapidamente se tornam prediletas, primeiro porque, o som é pos punk escuro, denso e ciclico, totalmente 79, 80, claramente as tonalidades negras, cinzas remetem aos baluartes ingleses da epoca, The Sound, Comsat Angels, Joy Division passando por nuances mais dançantes que te remetem ao A Certain Ratio e New Order, o debut Autonomy On/Off é assim da cold wave de Drown Inside ao climão Factory em Impossible o The Floor junto ao The Prids são indispensaveis para qualquer fã de pos punk classico ou moderno, ah sim o segundo dos caras, Personnel você pega na biblia Amor Louco, audições indispensaveis.

The Floor - Autonomy On/Off

A Thousand Stars Burst Open with Project Skyward

Se o termo space rock pode ser utilizado para alguma banda realmente, escute Project Skyward e tenha a noção exata do que talvez esse termo possa te sugerir, literalmente Ryan Field o sujeito por detrás da banda, que é nada mais nada menos do que graduado em Astronomia, e ciencia holistica em NY, ouviu muito Brian Eno, FSA, Can, Neu!, Faust, Slowdive e synth pop, porque o resultado do debut Strange Synchronicities é assustadoramente espacial, como se o FSA pegasse carona em algum asterioide e seguisse viagem galaxia afora, ou se pudessemos conversar com fantasmas, uma literal viagem a mundos inabitados, audição dificil, mas prazeirosa para quem se atrever chegar até o limite do que se convencionou chamar de musica, o presente é exatamente a ultima musica The Future in Our Hands, sublime é palavra para definir essa magia de canção. Se o espaço for assim, pegarei minha passagem na esquina mais proxima.

Project Skyward - Strange Synchronicities

Victorialand with Eccovilage - An Interview

Um carrosel de texturas, colagens, 4AD, shoegazer, dreampop, synth, enfim, ouvir o debut dos suecos do Ecovillage é exatamente colocar todos os gerenos acima dentro de um liquidificador sem pitadas a mais de um ou outro genero, o resultado deve ser degustado por algumas audições, visto ser um album longo, climatico e repleto de detalhes que vão sendo assimilados a cada audição, eu basicamente levei um bom tempo para inclusive poder coloca-lo aqui, simplesmente porque não havia digerido-o por completo, mas é evidente que canções como Here and Now, Lost in The Tides of Time exprimem bem a caracteristica e direção do Ecovillage, dream pop na mesma concepção que Keith Canisius (Rumskib) caminha, inclusive eles são da mesma gravadora, um album etereo que facil facil faz com que Emil Holmström, Peter Wikström tenham um futuro altamente promissor pela frente.

Aproveitando a deixa, os caras me contactaram e fiquei sabendo que usualmente passam aqui no Blog, e que adoraram a entrevista com o Mr Canisius, dai, logicamente cravamos mais uma entrevista daquelas que deve-se ler de imediato.

***** Interview with Ecovillage *****

Q: When did Ecovillage start, tell us about the beginning…
A: We formed our band in 2006 after coming home from a journey that changed the way we looked at music and life forever.

Q: Who are the influences for your band?
A: We are influenced by almost everything, lately we have been very into film and Tarkovskys movies have been a huge influence these days. Also the environment, people we meet and the feelings we get from different experiences means more to our music then music from other musicians. However Boards Of Canada and Cocteau Twins have meant allot for us musically.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording Phoenix Asteroid?
A: Of course its always very time consuming to create a album, but with this album we think that everything went very smoothly considering how much that can go wrong. It was also very inspiring to work with Syntaks and Manual on this album since we have listened a lot to their music over the years. The only part that was a bit tricky was the mixing part, some tracks on the album have over 100 layers and everytime you mix the track you get a completely new one.

Q: Tell us about the Swedish scene from shoegazing sounds
A: Not much to tell really, there are hardly any shoegaze bands here in Sweden except for us, the only shoegaze band that I can think of at the moment is Radio Dept.

Q: Which bands would you love to make a cover version of?
A: To be honest, we are not that interested in making cover versions of other tracks. If we like the track a lot its probably so perfect that we wouldn't want to change anything of the track. Well if we had to make a cover, it would be quite interesting to make a cover version of some of Talk Talks tracks from Spirit Of Eden or Laughing Stock, maybe Believe In You. Maybe cover something from Aha, Stay on These Roads.

Q: Which new bands can you recommand?
A: Jonsi and Alex is the only fresh new band we can think of (Jonsi from Sigur Ros and his boyfriend Alex new project).

Q: Whats the plans for the future? New record, a tour...
A: We recently finished an ambient album called Alella and we hope to release it this year, if not that's ok...we are in no rush to release it since it's very special to us and it sounds timeless so it doesn't matter when we release it. We are currently working on a new album and EP, which is less ambient and psychedelic then Phoenix Asteroid, instead it focuses more on emotional aspects. We would also love to get out there and do as many gigs as possible, so if anyone is interested just contact us on ecovillage.music@gmail.com.

*
*
*
Thanks Ecovillage!!!

www.myspace.com/ecovillagemusic
http://darla.com/index.php?fuseaction=item_cat.ecom_superitem_detail&item_cat_id=36775

http://darla.com/index.php?fuseaction=item_cat.ecom_superitem_detail&item_cat_id=36789

Incubus Sucubus with Autodrone - An Interview

Quando o Autodrone passou por aqui, foi uma devastação completa, mesmo porque o debut Strike a Match é daquelas obras ficam, de tempos em tempos você pega e começa a ser abduzido pela massa dissonante do album e pelo clima soturno e angustiante, além obviamente da sedução que a musica transparece. Convidei a banda para uma entrevista antes do lançamento do novo album que ocorrera em meados de 2010 para melhor entender o caldeirão sonoro que Jeremy Alisauskas, Angel Lorelei,Dennis Lehrer, Katherine, Annika Frances desferem a nós reles mortais.

***** Interview with Autodrone *****

Q. When did Autodrone form, tell us about the beginning…
A. Autodrone formed in 2002. We came together with idea to learn how to be a band, but do something different than what was at the time happening in new york city. we never really intended to perform live or do much recording, it was really just four friends hanging out, experimenting with different types of sounds and levels of technology. Now, all these years later, we still have the same goals, to be a band, to experiment with different sounds, and textures, and to see if we can shape them into some kind of music. We operate under the premise "that which is not slightly distorted lacks sensible appeal: from which it follows that irregularity - that is to say, the unexpected, surprise and astonishment, are an essential part and characteristic of beauty."

Q. What are the band’s influences?
A. For us, the influences are always changing depending on our moods and what we are listening to day to day. Our music pretty much sounds the way it sounds because we are limited by what we are capable of producing. The guitar sound that you hear on our CDs, the analog synth textures, all of that is just a natural expression of ourselves, some of us are classically trained and capble of a great deal of technical ability, some of us however are not. So we just try to work together to find a common meeting place and musically interpret our environment. So we don't choose the way we sound, the way we are is almost inevitable.

Q. Tell us about the recording process Strike a Match?
A. It all happened really quickly, especially when compared to other recording projects we have done, we allotted a couple of weeks of our lives during which we did the entire CD from start to finish with help from our friend/producer Eric Spring. We worked out of Dubway Studio in NYC. After we finished it, we sent it off to a bunch of labels, but Clairecords was the first one to write us back. We agonized over the decision for about two hours, before ultimately deciding that it would be a good idea to sign with them. We didn't want them to think that we made hasty decisions though, so we waited about a day before we wrote them back and emphatically said "yes!"

Q, Tell us about playing live.
A. We are very lucky to have gotten to do some of the things we have done live. Other things that we have done live have been experiences that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Live, we are reckless and full of energy.

Q. How did last years gigs go?
A. Our last gig was opening for Datarock at the Highline Ballroom in NYC. You can see pictures of it here: http://www.nickydigital.com/index.php?/gallery/album/C1702/ it was easily one of our better gigs, and we are very thankful to Datarock (who were wonderful), the shows organizers, and everybody involved. It was a lot of fun.

Q. Which songs by other bands would you like to do cover versions of?
A. We would like to cover the song "Magic Man" by Heart and "All Along the Watchtower" by Bob Dylan

Q. Which new bands you recommended?
A. There aren't a lot of new bands who I feel like I have much in common with, however - I like Telltale a lot. As well as Flaming Fire, The Shackeltons, Fever Ray, Mahogany, The Swirlies.

Q. What are the plans for the future?
A. Record another record, its about time. We plan to work with Eric Spring again. We would like to travel to Europe, the UK, Asia and Brazil!

Q. Any important news to tell us…
A. If you are near New York City, you can catch us with Mahogany on March 18th at Webster Hall (Studio), if you aren't, than just be patient, one day soon we will be knocking on your door.
*
*
*
Thanks Autodrone!!!!

www.myspace.com/autodrone

Throw Aggi Off The Bridge by Black Tambourines

Black Tambourine "For Ex-Lovers Only" from Slumberland Records on Vimeo.

Claramente uma das maiores bandas de todos os tempos, o Black Tambourines é tão pegajoso e viciante, que toda santa vez que escuto, é impossivel largar. Tomei conhecimento de um lançamento com faixar ineditas deles deste ano, que tem cover de Buddy Holly e do Suicide, além de duas proprias e duas versões demo uma de For Ex Lovers Only que tem um video absolutamente classico ai cima e letra lá embaixo, e outra da absurdamente essencial Throw Aggi off The Bridge, que entra no meu top five das melhores musicas de todos os tempos facilmente, daquelas coisas indescritiveis, a perfeição esta toda nesta musica, basicamente para ser mais claro eu já ouvi a preciosidade inumeras vezes na vida, e calhou de eu pegar esta nova compilação que tem o Complete Recordings na integra além das demos, covers e ineditas, mas ouvir Throw Aggi off the Bridge é insuperavel e viciante, nestas e outras estou desde de manhã ouvindo varias coisas e de repente coloco de novo, e de novo, e de novo...e agora e tenho certeza que quando acabar vou colocar de novo...deus salve Pam Berry, Brian Nelson, Archie Moore e Mike Schulman por terem criado isso, ah logico a musica é uma tiração de sarro com Aggi e Stephen Pastel, a letra hilariante.

*
*
*
i see your smile in my memory
driving your songs on my mind
it's hard when you live across the sea
but one day i know you'll be mine

so throw her off the bridge
just toss her in the drink
she's coming in between us
you know the girl i mean
it's time we were together
it's clear that i'm the one
so throw her off the bridge
you just know it's gotta be done

i trace your curves with my fingertips
your perfect face on my sleeve
maybe you're singing your songs for her
but soon you will sing them to me

so throw her off the bridge
it´s toss her in the drink
she's coming in between us
you know the girl i mean
it's time we were together
it's clear that i'm the one
so throw her off the bridge
you just know it's gotta be done
*
*
*
Throw Aggi off the Bridge - Black Tambourines
*
*
*
Yes you know why I had to go cool and civil.
See, you're lying...again.
Driving me down. You mention that and so you just say that you are trying.

Please don't cry I'd like to die just turn around and say goodbye.
Please don't cry I'd like to die just turn around and say goodbye.

Who's to blame? You think you know but then don't tell me.
I see you spying.
You can deny your jealousy but thats just a lie that I am not buying.

Please don't cry I'd like to die, just turn around and say goodbye.
Please don't cry I'd like to die, just turn around and say goodbye
*
*
*
For Ex-Lovers Only - Black Tambourines

In A Different Place with Dead Mellotron

Vamos iniciar da seguinte forma, escute a Intro de 6:11 min, cheia de reverberações que remetem logicamente ao Loveless, dai chegaremos onde quero, I Remember Everything e Youth Camp na sequencia, duas belissimas, mais belissimas mesmo, daquelas canções que te jogam sentimentos e sensações do mais puro prazer, e o pior, ou o melhor tudo isso feito por um cara só Frazier ou Dead Mellotron que depois do Ep Ghost Light Constellation totalmente do it yourself, vem com o homonimo album, e para alegria disponivel no Myspace para baixar na integra ou no link ai embaixo, o fato é que o Dead Mellotron segue a linha classica do shoegazer mesmo, Ride, Pale Saints, Slowdive, MBV não dá para não exaltar o trabalho do DM, depois de umas 5 audições diretas é tipo, predileto da casa.

Dead Mellotron - St

Last Train to Satansville with The Jealous Type

I Blame Everyone but You é o debut dos americanos do The Jealous Type, até ai beleza, alguém vai vir e falar, legal Renato, mais uma banda shoegazer então, uma pancada de wall of sound, J&MC, MBV, etc, etc, etc, etc....hmmmmm sim e não, para estes caras o shoegazer é agressivo e abrasivo, tem Telescopes fase Taste, Dinosaur Jr, Afghan Whings e Pixies na receita, muito Swervedriver, mas muito mesmo, um album longo, as guitarras as vezes lembram Catherine Wheel também, mas a veia americana deste album é muito forte, J. Mascis e Greg Dulli são referências claras junto as road songs do Swervedriver, dai logicamente que esta porrada é indicada para ouvir alto, bem alto, quer colocar seus headphones? coloque e prepare os timpanos, porque a pancada é forte, um discaço, Lucky Girl é fantastica junto a 1500 Miles Beneath the Earth que é outra que só pelo nome já faz conexão com Adam Franklyn é companhia....prepare o folego e o air guitar e manda ver!!!

The Jealous Type - I Blame Everyone but You (Part I)
The Jealous Type - I Blame Everyone but You (Part II)

Taste the Floor with The Sunday Reeds - An Interview

Quando conheci o Sunday Reeds no ano passado, foi a amor a primeira vista, veja o porque aqui, desde então é habito pegar meu Drowning in History colocar no carro, em casa e logicamente em alto e bom som, não há como ficar imune ao feedback continuo do album, desde já um clássico.

Convidei recentemente Romana Ashton, vocais e baixo, Drew Jones, guitarras e Andy Dawson para uma entrevista, explicando as origens, influências, o futuro, enfim...diretamente de Melbourne, Australia para o mundo, The Sunday Reeds;

***** Interview with The Sunday Reeds *****

Q. When did Sunday Reeds form, tell us about the beginning…
A. Drew and I formed The Sunday Reeds officially in 2006 but the idea for the band and the sound was brewing for a while before that. We spent some time writing songs and some of them ended up on 'Drowning in History'. Andy joined us at the start of 2009 after we saw him play with another band. I thought he had a certain kind of charisma and he was partial to throwing his sticks around which I liked. I got his number and that was that.

Q. What are the band’s influences?
A. Our main influences are of course The Jesus and Mary Chain but equally Joy Division, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, a little bit of The Cure, The Cramps, Nirvana, Hole, The Saints, anything that has some kind of underlying substance or grit but has a great pop sensibility too.

Q. Tell us about the recording process for Drowning in history?
A. Drowning in History was recorded throughout 2008 in our apartment in Balaclava, Melbourne. We used a four track and a music program on our PC to do the album. It was just Drew and I. We'd lay down tracks and add feedback to give it warmth. Guitar feedback is like sex to us. Better than sex depending on the sex you're having. ; )


Q, Tell us about playing live. How did last years gigs go?
A. We played our first gig with Andy on June 27, 2009. It was Drew's birthday which is why I can remember the date. It was fucking terrible. The club owner was this arrogant, sleazy pig with snake-skin patterned shoes and a white suit. He had a matching BMW parked outside. I'd say he liked 'white' things. We played the gig to a mostly unappreciative crowd and vowed never to set foot in that place again. We played some good gigs last year in Melbourne and also in Brisbane though. Thankfully we never had a gig as bad as the first one we played. We keep things simple with live shows and we don't use samples. It's just your basic rock line-up and we focus on getting the right kind of energy or chemistry going. That's the most important thing to us. The last gig we played was at 2am at a club called Pony and it was extremely loud apparently. A friend of mind overheard a guy in the audience say to another guy about Drew's guitar feedback "He's doing it on purpose!" Very amusing to us. We play to people who have never even heard of JAMC or probably any of the bands we like so it's always interesting to see how people react. Things are very 'safe' at the moment in the so-called indie world.

Q. What do you think about the classic shoegaze era?
A. Of course we like some bands from what people call 'shoegaze', though sometimes I find it difficult to understand why such vastly different bands are classified under one genre. It happened with 'punk', 'grunge' etc. I know Andy likes the first album from My Bloody Valentine and Drew and I like some of that as well. We like JAMC because they had a punk attitude but just great pop songs. But I don't see that My Bloody Valentine and JAMC are anything alike really apart from the fact that both could be very loud and use feedback. I kind of get bored with shoegaze bands that write tracks that are too dragging or that don't have a pop feel. I get bored easily.

Q. What´s your top five albuns from all time?
A. Of 'all time'. That's a difficult one to answer. It changes all the time. Um, maybe The Saints' 'Stranded', Joy Division - 'Unknown Pleasures', The Ramones first album, The Jesus and Mary Chain - 'Psychocandy' and The Beach Boys - 'Pet Sounds'. I want to add more, it's too hard to answer!


Q. Which songs by other bands would you like to do cover versions of?
A. The Ramones' 'I Just Wanna Have Something to Do' and 'I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement', JAMC- 'Kill Surf City', Joy Division's 'Shadowplay', The Carpenter's 'Superstar', maybe The Archies' 'Sugar, Sugar'.

Q. Which new bands you recommended?
A. I'm not sure how 'new' they are but I like Brooklyn's Young Boys because they've got some great pop tracks, The Vacant Lots have some great tracks also, I like Singapore's Stellarium, UK bands The Blanche Hudson Weekend and Insect Guide. I don't get that much time to listen to a lot of newer bands even though I would like to.

Q. What are the plans for the future?
A. We're going to try not to kill each other before we get overseas for some shows. We were planning to go to the U.S. and UK in June but some unfortunate events happened and now we're planning to get to the UK in September.

Q. Any important news to tell us…
A. We should have our follow-up EP 'Dark Rainbows' out in May and we'll have a website with some t-shirts and badges and music for people to buy at that time as well. We're already thinking about an LP after this EP though. We've got some strong ideas and songs for that but you won't see that album until 2011 and we've got a lot of work to do between now and then.

*
*
*
Thanks Sunday Reeds....all the best!!!

www.myspace.com/thesundayreeds

Got That Feeling with Ceremony - An Interview

Algumas coisas são completamente indescritiveis, mais ou menos assim, vamos pensar que você, no caso eu, fã confesso de Skywave e logicamente das duas vertentes diretas depois que a banda se dissolveu, ou seja, A Place to Bury Strangers e Ceremony, não consigo mensurar qual é mais ou menos importante, o que dá para se dizer que é, o APTBS vem galgando a passos largos a trilha para atingir um publico cada vez maior e com isso a lenda do Skywave vem junto, já no caso do Ceremony os passos são em menor escala, mas vejam só, colocando as 3 bandas lado a a lado, tendo como patrimonio maximo o Skywave, o Ceremony é o que mais se assemelha a sonoridade assustadoramente fenomenal do Skywave, com alguns detalhes há mais, o lado eletronico do Ceremony esta mais latente, mas o noise, o Phil Spector e seu wall of sound, o lado post punk, J&MC, New Order esta todo condensado em seus dois albuns o homonimo e Dissapear ambos irretocaveis, sem contar com o spli junto ao SVI e ao ep da emblematica Never Last Goodbye.

Então ok, quem me conhece sabe que Skywave é banda de cabeceira e que tanto o APTBS como o Ceremony são idolatradas por mim, agora algo simplesmente sensacional é o fato de poder conversar diretamente com Paul Baker e John Fedowitz sobre toda a história desde os primordios do Skywave passando por influências, como eram os shows, o relacionamento com Oliver e saber que eles são grandes amigos até hoje, como o Ceremony começou, o que eles sentem em tocar ao vivo, os planos futuros, enfim, dá para notar o tamanho da felicidade deste que vos escreve sobre o quão importante foi poder viabilizar o que vira nas linhas abaixo.

Sras e Srs, com você Paul Baker e John Fedowitz, do Skywave para o Ceremony para o mundo:

***** Interview with Cememony *****

Q: Let´s talk about the old years…when did Skywave starts, tell us about the history...
Paul - Oliver and I met in school in 1992 when I moved to Staffordshire. We didn't always agree on things, but eventually became best friends. We started a band and tried out people for drums and bass, but no one really worked out so we recorded our first demo in 1995 with me playing drums and our friend Mike Mirza doing additional drums. John Fedowitz and Jamie Drake recorded us, and through process of elimination John became our drummer, because he somehow understood our mindset.

John - I remember when I first heard Skywave, it wasn't a bunch of guys getting together starting yet another local band. I was excited to hear they needed a drummer and I seemed to fit in. Paul's uncle had lent him a classic old Ludwig 1966 drum set and I was fortunate enough to borrow that for the first few years I was in the band. I finally bought my own drum set in 1998, and the first song we recorded with that was "Under The Moon" on Paul's 4-track.

Paul - I always thought we had an original sound based on such disparate elements as noise rock, shoegaze, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound, and underground lo-fi pop, but with our limited technology we did the best we could. Which most of the time was really good.

John - Playing those songs, I thought it was best thing I'd ever heard. I never expected anyone else to appreciate it as much as I do.

Q: Who are your influences/heroes?
John - I love the Ramones, the Misfits, Kraftwerk, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, and everything else one would expect.

Paul - I'm a big fan of A Place To Bury Strangers, Slowdive, Oasis, Ladytron, Lee Hazlewood, and what John said. I don't really have any heroes.

Q: Tell us about the Skywave´s gigs...how was it?
John - In our hometown, terrible, but when we left town they made us feel welcome and appreciated. Playing live with Skywave was always physically exhausting. Paul and Oliver pushed me as a drummer to play harder and faster than anyone could be expected to play, but I loved it.

Paul - We played some really great shows and had some awful shows, but I think we always tried to bring something to the audience that was lacking in every other show. Basically, we were bringing energy and excitement, and even in the underground press at that time, nobody cared about us providing the noise and the songs at the same time. I'll always be grateful for the fans that made us feel appreciated wherever we went.

Q. How do you describe Skywave sounds?
John - Not very different than Ceremony sounds; loud guitars, great songs. I feel like Skywave never stopped, we just changed our band name. I would love for Oliver, Paul and I to make music together again sometime.

Paul - At the time, our music was a reaction to all the garbage coming out in the music scene. We didn't belong anywhere and didn't care where we might have fit in. Still don't. We always wanted to be the loudest and yet most melodic band anyone could ever hear.

Q: In your opinion what´s the best Skywave´s ep, song, album....etc..
John - I think "Synthstatic" was our best album and never thought it would be our last. I always thought there was so much more we could have accomplished, but the EP we released in Poland indicated where we were headed. I thought "Over and Over" was perfect as a demo, but I never thought it could sound as good as it did after Paul and Oliver re-arranged and recorded it. I was amazed at how they transformed it into what it became.

Paul - "Synthstatic" was our best album, I also think "Don't Say Slow" 7" is one of our best releases because of the B-Sides. I think a lot of our best songs were resigned to B-Sides for some unknown reason, maybe just to sabotage ourselves.

Q: Too many people consider Skywave one of the best bands ever and the reason for the ressurection of shoegazer....what´s your opinion about it?
John - I'm so flattered by this question, but at the time Skywave existed we were making music for ourselves. Very little music coming out at that time appealed to us, even in the underground scene. But when we played shows with Alcian Blue and Aerial Love Feed they were always exciting and gave us hope by giving us something awesome to listen to and experience.

I don't mean to leave anyone else out, but those were the two bands who always put a smile on my face.

Paul - Overall, I think shoegaze music is very boring. I like some of the soundscapes some groups are able to create, but it doesn't mean anything without a song. The song is what makes me feel something. Without that, it's a waste of everything. I think that as Skywave and Ceremony we've always been a rock and roll group first, with shoegaze as an element of our sound. I like the Ronettes, Dusty Springfield, and Hank Williams Sr. just as much as any shoegaze band. For me it's great rock and roll songs first, effects second, if at all.

There are some really fantastic groups making great music now, such as Then (from Spain) and obviously A Place To Bury Strangers. Shoegaze seems to be a label that fits too many groups with which we have nothing in common.

Q: Tell us about the end of Skywave...
John - There was never really any talk of us breaking up, but Oliver wanted to move to NYC and I wasn't prepared to move my wife and two young boys to NY. I always understood him getting out of his hometown, as there's not much to do here.

Paul - I knew we'd be better off as a band in New York, but at that point I was disillusioned and depressed and wasn't having any fun being in Skywave. I just let it go because I didn't really care anymore. I think we were the best band happening at that time and I wouldn't change anything we did, but due to my mental instability I couldn't do it any longer. But now I wouldn't write off the idea of a Skywave reunion tour of some kind, if John and Oliver are into it.

Q. Do you still have contact to Oliver?
John - Yes, we're still great friends and I talked to him yesterday.

Paul - Of course, we never stopped being friends and I consider him one of my oldest and best friends. I'm really excited for his success in A Place To Bury Strangers. His motivation was what made Skywave as popular as it was.


Q: When Ceremony starts?
Paul - In 2003, John already had a bunch of songs he'd written and recorded on his own, and when Skywave fell apart he asked me to play some live shows with him. We didn't have a name or a band exactly, but we figured we'd play with a drum machine and it just progressed from there. The first show went really well and we thought we'd just try to make a band out of it, and it led to regular shows, albums, the next thing we knew we were an actual band.

John - I felt like we should keep on going because we were both writing and recording. Skywave tried out the drum machine thing without much success, but I think we were able to make good use of drum machines for Ceremony. I started playing bass and everything just seemed to click. It seemed so simple having a two-piece band, as we agreed on things 98% of the time. There was never any odd-man-out mentality.


Q: What´s the fundamental difference between Skywave and Ceremony sounds?
John - The third opinion. Before we used to talk and talk, always second-guessing ourselves. Now it seems much easier and we move along more quickly with less stress.

Paul - Now we just trust our instincts. I was overly self-conscious back then, but now I realize I can only give it my best effort and try to please myself. We're more comfortable being ourselves now, and I really enjoy what we do.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the albums?
John - We work on our songs together in our studios. On my songs, I usually record everything until it seems just about finished, and then I get Paul to record something, a guitar or vocal, to bring the different elements together to make it sound complete.

Paul - A lot of our songs are almost solo projects, merely due to necessity because of schedules, but we do play and sing on each other's songs very often. Our best songs happen when we work together, without question. Especially when we're on different pages musically, one of us will bring some sound or idea into the song that the other wouldn't ever have thought to incorporate. That's when things fall into place very unexpectedly.


Q: About Ceremony gigs, how do you feel playing live?
John - I really like playing live, but I don't like the way my stomach feels before playing a gig. While we're actually playing I feel like it's the way it should be. Our albums do feature a lot of overdubs, but we end up performing the songs pretty accurately , considering that we barely practice...

Paul - Playing live is kind of nerve-wracking, but I still enjoy it. I feel like I enter some kind of trance when we're playing, which is very strange. When it's over I can barely remember anything that happened. Given that mindset, sometimes it's hard to talk to people after a gig. What it comes down to is that I just want us to play our songs the best we possibly can, and everything else is secondary. We're not good at selling ourselves, we just want our music to speak for itself. Hopefully it does.

Q: Which bands would you love to make a cover version?
John - We have covered songs by the Cure, Jesus and Mary Chain, Lee Hazlewood, Depeche Mode, we've always talked about doing a Chemical Brothers song. The problem with that would be that there wouldn't be any vocals and maybe nobody would get it but us. It's usually fun to play songs that aren't the bands' most popular songs, but one exception would be playing My Bloody Valentine's "You Made Me Realise" with Alcian Blue when we were still Skywave in Canada. All 7 of us were playing. Who knows what that sounded like, or if it was even recognizable, but it was a blast!

Paul - I recorded a version of the Paris Sisters' "I Love How You Love Me" with Rita Botts that I'm really happy with. Jake Reid and I also recorded a version of the Jesus and Mary Chain's "On the Wall" that I think sounded really cool. Maybe someday that will come out on something.

Q: Which new bands do you recommend?
Both - Screen Vinyl Image, A Place To Bury Strangers, Oblisk, December Sound,
Then (from Spain), Was She A Vampire (from Russia), My Dead Girlfriend (from Japan), The Silent Section (from Denmark), and we love the recordings by The Offering, the coolest band that we've ever known in Fredericksburg. Stellarium are awesome, and we're really excited to have a split 12" coming out with them soon on Custom Made Music. Samideani are a really cool band from Italy that we listen to a lot as well.


Q: What´s the plans for future....new records, a tour....
Both - Our new album "Rocket Fire" is set to be released April 27th on Killer Pimp Records, and we're really excited about that. It has a lot of songs we've been working on for quite some time and it's about time they're finally being released properly. There's the first single, "Someday" which has the B-Side "Cracked Sun" not available on the album, and the second single "Leave Alone" and it's B-Side are also exclusive to the 7". We also have the split with Stellarium coming out in a few months and we have enough material for another album within a year, hopefully.

We're currently working on a tour with Screen Vinyl Image and our labelmates Soundpool, covering the eastern USA and maybe a bit more. Our next plans include the UK and Europe,as the reception in Japan was so warm.

Q: Any parting words?
John - Thank you for giving us the time to bore you.

Paul - Thanks for letting us set some things straight. We really appreciate everyone who listens to our music, and we're very grateful for the chance to play our music for anyone who likes it. We're huge fans of music and to anyone who wants to make music, just be yourself.
*

*

*

Paul & John many thanks for all!!!!all the best!!!....Renato

www.myspace.com/ceremonytheband

Ceremony - Our Last Goodbye EP
Skywave - Don´t Say Slow EP

Sweetness and Light with The Fauns - An Interview

Bristol, Londres é o lar desta unanimidade dentre os grandes lançamentos do ano passado, é fato que o debut do The Fauns é um album daqueles que te fascinam desde a abertura até o fim, dreampop, shoegazer, aquele ar tipicamente 4AD permeia o album inteiro, as vezes mais etereo, as vezes mais barulhento esse sexteto composto por Alison Garner, Michael Savage, Thomas Adams, Elliot Guise, Matthew O'Connor, Lee Woods, impressiona em momentos sublimes como Lovestruck a sintese perfeita da banda, eterea e psicodelica, The Sun Is Cruising o lado wall of sound da banda pede licensa aos momentos cristalinos, Fragile e Road Meets The Sky mostram o porque ao lado de Daniel Land & The Modern Painters o The Fauns concebeu uma das obras primas do dreampop do ano passado, ou melhor da decada.

Para entender abrilhantar o futuro destes ingleses, 2010 promete, vide a turne européia que eles farão como banda de abertura para ninguém menos do que os Telescopes, não é para qualquer um diga-se de passagem, dai aproveitei o momento e os convidei para uma entrevista que de imediato foi aceita por Michael e Alison, então nada mais interessante do que colocar o album e aproveitar a oportunidade.

***** Interview with The Fauns *****

Q. When did the Fauns form, tell us about the beginning…
M: The Fauns began as one man and a plan in 2007 and we're a six piece three years later. It's been enjoyable but incredibly hard work getting it to the stage that we’re at.

A: For me the Fauns started when Mike asked me if I would be interested in being involved... I think he’d heard me singing around a Butlins chalet we’d shared once and thought I’d do!

Q. What are the band’s influences?
M: The obvious influence is that of the 90s UK shoegaze scene but we have a pop sensibilty which is important i think. People react to pop, it can't all be gloomy soundscapes.

A: Each band member comes from a very different musical background which serves to create interesting and ever evolving music. Our diverse influences allow us all to bring different elements to the sound, and ensures we always challenge ourselves to move forward.

Q. Tell us about the recording process for the debut album?
M: The first album was recorded over eighteen months between various bedrooms. The album charts my learning experience with recording equipment. At the outset i literally did not know what i was doing, there were a lot of happy accidents on the first album. The forthcoming second album is a progression from the first stylistically and technically but you'll have to wait until the winter of 2010 to hear it. It's sounding very good.

A: We’ve all learnt so much, it’s been fantastic fun and I’m so so proud of it.

Q, Tell us about playing live.
M: We have a complicated set up and the live mix needs to be just right for our music to be represented properly. We had problems initially playing live because the different engineers had their own idea as to how we should sound. As a band you can rehearse to perfection but it's the engineer on the night who holds the key to whether you'll sound good or not. We solved this by getting our own engineer who knows our sound.

A: For me playing live is the fun bit!... There’s nothing better than the feeling that you’ve really engaged and connected with an audience… it’s even better than chocolate.

Q. How did last years gigs go?
M: Last year we played some fantastic gigs. We've really started to notice a swell in the size of our audience too, also where we used to be booked as support we now generally headline. We must be doing something right. Last year it was a dream to support The Pastels and The Telescopes, two of my favourite bands of all time.

A: I’ve enjoyed myself so much over the past year, our home town of Bristol has been so supportive. This year I can’t wait to play different cities and festivals and reach more and more people. Touring Europe in September is going to be amazing!

Q. What do you think about the classic shoegaze era?
M: It was a very short period in musical history lasting maybe three years before rave and Britpop conspired to extinguish it. Genre revival comes in cycles and it was only a matter of time before the original scene was reappraised and a whole new generation of bands would come along... The Fauns hit this wave of interest at the right moment.

A: If I’m completely honest, I hadn’t even heard of shoegaze until I joined the fauns My influences are very different, so im relishing in the discovery of something entirely new to me. I like to think of our sound as being influenced by and not dictated by the shoegaze genre.

Q. Tell us about bands in the current shoegaze scene…
M: The modern shoegaze scene draws on past elements but there is a definite fusion with new technology. The guitar pedals and feedback are still important but it's very common to see a glowing Apple logo on stage too. I see it as yet another layer in the beautiful noise, for me the resulting sound is more important than how you achieve it.

Q. Which songs by other bands would you like to do cover versions of?
M: Maybe a cover of something by Serge Gainsbourg... I love soundtracks so i'd like to do something that uses elements of the "Blade Runner" soundtrack... Not exactly a cover version. The opening theme from 70s sci fi flick "The Omega Man" has some very interesting elements too.

A: I agree, I’d love to play around with some soundtracks, the marriage of film and music is such a powerful and emotive thing.

Q. Which new bands you recommended?
M: I've been listening to A Place To Bury Strangers, Le Volume Courbe and Daniel Land & The Modern Painters all of whom i think are fantastic. Also look out for 93 Million Miles From The Sun and Presents For Sally, both of these bands are releasing albums later this year on Laser Ghost Recordings (my label).


Q. What are the plans for the future?
M: Completing the second album, a tour around Europe with The Telescopes, more gigs and it's a priority for us to move into television and film soundtracks.

A: Although we would love to move in that direction it’s also so important for us to keep on developing our live sound and connecting with more and more people, for me that’s what it’s all about.

Q. Any important news to tell us…
M: Hmmm, i heard that David Bowie got pecked to death by a flock of angry swans, the price of rabbit food is set to soar... Also Nasa have invented a new Space Shuttle powered by orange juice...

A: …Oh and that we now have a super pretty pink vinyl version of our debut album out…
*
*
*
Thanks Alison & Michael

www.myspace.com/thefauns

The Fauns - Road Meets The Sky - Live At BBC

Sound of Confusion by The Voices - An Interview

Entrevista das mais bacanas que consegui fazer, é esta com o Chris do The Voices, na realidade uma conversa postuma, porque infelizmente uma das bandas mais bacanas da recem resgatada shoegazer scene sucumbiu a divergências internas e deixou um legado de 3 albuns, todos essencias, alias os galeses já passaram por aqui na ocasião de seu fim, veja o texto, e reforçando o que eu havia colocado, uma releitura magistral dos mestres Spacemen 3, Loop, Telescopes e maciças pinceladas de Kraut, assim era a sonoridade do The Voices, que deixou orfãos admiradores como eu, e para prestar uma homenagem a esta bandaça nada mais bacana do que saber sobre tudo, e ninguém melhor do que Chris para nos explicar.

***** Interview with Chris, The Voices *****

Q. When did the Voices form, tell us about the beginning…
A. In 2005 myself and Chris Pompa decided to write our own songs having been a drummer (me) and a singer (Chris Pompa) in other bands. We bought a guitar each, having never played before and just started writing some songs. Clare Pompa then joined to sing, play keyboards and drums.

Q. What are the band’s influences?
A. Everything-really everything. Chris Pompa was listening to a lot of jazz and has great musical taste- and I was, am still am listening to Tom Waits every day, early blues and lots of pop too! I was never really into shoegaze and we didnt realise we were a shoegaze band until people started telling us we were. When we started the band i owned 1 Spacemen 3 album and Chris Pompa owned no shoegaze stuff! Of course i had heard all the bands but never really got it. Once people started talking to us about shoegaze I went and bought loads of albums.... and the classics are great and other i think are over rated. I'm not trying to say we ever thought we were original. As i said before we didnt know what we were doing. My head was all a mess and I wanted the music to sound like this! I love My bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3 from shoegaze and loads of new bands like Autolux, The Warlocks, Fleeting Joys, Arboreteum- the list is endless

Q. Tell us about the recording process for the albuns albuns?
A. Again- no idea what we were doing at first- the first album was written with one guitar, a delay pedal, a cheap microphone, a fuzz pedal and a keyboard. No expenisive preamps, compressors etc. I just plugged everything into this £200 eight track recorder and used a dodgy drum machine. The second album was similar with a few more pedals for the guitar but nothing else really. I then spent some time to learn a bit more about mixing and the studio and now have a nice home set up with some better gear and a computer set up. The third album was recorded on this and I am beginning to get to understand recording and try to make the mixing a little better. Everything was recorded , produced and engineered by The Voices- we tried a few other producers but they didn't get what we wanted.


Q. Which is your favourite Voices´album?Why?
A. The first one- i think our third album has some great songs but I love the naivety of the first album and the lo-fi sound- its also slightly more depressing too!

Q, Tell us about playing live.
A. We played all around Britain for four years- I hated playing live and the other two enjoyed it! The set up was Chris Pompa and myself on guitars,and vocals, Clare Pompa on keyboards, some drums and vocals, and the rest of the drums from a sampler. We were extremely loud, would never have a break in between songs, and played in darkness with strobes and lights- classic shoegaze i guess! I have a great video of the band playing live which i will upload one day

Q. What do you think about the classic shoegaze era?
A. My bloody Valentine are amazing!, Spacemen 3 have written songs I would love to write, . I love early Jesus and mary chain, Cocteau twins , early telescopes. I still think of shoegaze as british but Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr also are fantastic and have that sound for me!


Q. Tell us about bands in the current shoegaze scene…
A. The fleeting joys are amazing- check them out, air formation keep writing brilliant songs. Lots of the new bands to me have elements of shoegaze mixed with other influences- again its not for me. Oh yeah and Sereena Maneesh- I love their first album. and Autolux too -although not as shoegaze in my head. Also check out The december sound, cosmic dust. Some of these arent so new I guess!


Q. Which new bands you recommended?
A. as above-

Q. Why the Voice R.I.P.?Explain the end..
A. unfortunately I am unable to discuss this- it was a sad time and a bitter story to tell

Q. What are the plans for the future?
A. Chris Pompa and Clare Pompa are working in a country band. I am working on new projects more like The Voices. They will be out and about and released some time this year I hope

Q. Any important news to tell us…
A. keep listening!
*
*
*
Thanks Chris...

www.myspace.com/thevoiceslostinconfusion
http://www.lostinconfusion.com/

Psychotic Reaction with Singapore Sling - An Interview

Patrimonio absoluto da recente cena alternativa noise, psicodelica, shoegazer, os islandeses do Singapore Sling construiram uma imagem como poucos conseguem, trilhando passos a´la J&MC e outros rockers outsiders de plantão, eles resgataram a crueza e o estilo rock´n´roll envoltos a maxima, sexo, drogas e rock´n´roll o Singapore Sling é bem isso, tudo do melhor das surf bands 50´s e 60´s, Stooges, Cramps, J&MC e MBV em volume maximo, eu como sou fanatico por essas coisas é obvio que sou viciado nesses caras, e para ficar mais bacana ainda, nada melhor do que uma entrevista diretamente com os caras. Pegue seu drink, aumente o som e saiba o porque, quando e onde tudo começou e é claro os proximos passos, Sras e Srs, Singapore Sling:

***** Interview with Singapore Sling *****

Q. When did Singapore Sling form, tell us about the beginning…
A. I had been writing music and recording it on four track for some time, and didn´t quite know what to do with it. Then I met Einar, who I knew was a guitar player, and we became friends. I played him the stuff I´d recorded and he loved it, so we formed a band so we could play it live. It was just a bunch of friends, always been like that although the line-ups have changed.

Q. What are the band’s influences?
A. Well.. all the great stuff I have ever loved is an influence. Suicide, Link Wray, The Velvet Undergound, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Loop, Spacemen 3... etc. Surf and kraut-rock.

Q. What´s your top five albuns from all time?
A. The Ultimate 50s and 60s rockin horror disc is one of my favourites. There´s a few great compilations out there that I love, like Songs The Cramps taught us, Rockabilly psychosis and the garage disease....

I have hardly listened to anything but Link Wray since last summer, the early recordings. The Cramps Psychedelic Jungle, Psychocandy by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Suicide´s first, White Light/White Heat by the Velvet Underground... Jamboree by Beat Happening, Autobahn by Kraftwerk. There´s a lot of great stuff.. this springs to mind right now.


Q. Tell us about the recording process for the new album and what´s the difference between Perversity Desperation And Death from the others?
A. Well.. the first record was recorded mostly with a live band foundation. The second one in different ways. The third one recorded by me on 8-track and for the last one I had my own pro tools to work on. So there weren´t any demos made. I just worked on the original takes. Mostly it was recorded with a drum machine providing rythm, then Bjössi (the drummer) drummed over it. Also some live stuff.... unfortunately when and where we were doing the live stuff, we had a big flood. A lot of stuff got soaked, like my old 8-track, so I lost the songs I had on there.

Q, In your opinion what´s Singapore sling´s best album, song?
A. Well, I think they get better with each album. Still, maybe Taste The Blood... Favourite song, let me think... Well, I guess I´ve written a lot of good songs. It´s hard to choose. The songs I wrote with Hákon (guitar player) are all favourites (Long Past Crazy, Blues in Black, Demoniac).

Q. Most of people consider Singapore Sling a cult band, what´s your opinion about it?
A. Singapore Sling can probably be considered a cult band.

Q. Tell us about the shows, what´s the feeling?
A. Well, its different between shows. We always give a great performance if we are comfortable with the sound.. And therefor enjoy it. We always appreciate the crowds, our fans.


Q. Which songs by other bands would you like to do cover versions of?
A. We have done Evil Hoodoo by the Seeds and My Baby Cried All Night Long by Lee Hazlewood.. and some others. I always enjoy playing rockabilly and surf covers. Can´t think of anything right now.

Q. Which new bands you recommended?
A. I recommend my own projects The Go-Go Darkness, Hank and Tank, and Dead Skeletons. And Hákon´s project The Third Sound, and Bíbí´s project Blanket of Death. I recommend The Meek. I recorded an EP with them last fall... it should be released this spring. Also The Virgin Tongues who I have been recording with. And The Two Step Horror.

Q. What are the plans for the future?
A. This summer we will release an EP. I am also working on different projects.


Q. Any important news to tell us
A. Perversity is now available to download in Brazil! We will keep our fans posted on myspace.

Best wishes,

Henrik Björnsson
*
*
*
Thanks Henrik, long live to Singapore Sling...

www.myspace.com/singaporesling

Coldbeat by Veil Veil Vanish

A segunda aparição do Veil Veil Vanish por aqui é consequencia do lançamento do seu debut alias que album, para quem já havia se curvado a sonoridade do ep de estreia, Into a New Mausoleum, onde a resenha esta aqui, agora com o trabalho cheio os californianos mostram que realmente vieram para colocar tonalidades acinzentas e negras aos dias atuais.

Pegue toda a cold wave, de The Sound, The Cure, Comsat Angels, Bunnymen passando rapidamente pelos momentos mais gelidos de Slowdive e Ride, este Change in the Neon Light, vem engrossar o momento de grandes lançamentos que estamos vivendo neste inicio do ano, é obvio que o Veil Veil Vanish se mantera distante das listas de melhores do ano ao contrario, pouquissimas pessoas deverão comentar sobre o debut dos caras, mas é fato que este, para quem tiver a oportunidade de escuta-lo a fundo vera que Anthem For A Doomed Youth poderia certamente ser uma das musicas do ano tamanho o potencial da musica, gelida até medula, daquelas de se ouvir repetidas vezes e em alto e bom som, outro destaque facil é Modern Lust, como se os 80´s estivessem mais perto do nunca além da propria Change In The Neon Light que nos joga direto ao mundo dark dos primordios de Robert Smith.

Change In The Neon Light o album, é assim, para devotos da cold wave e dos bons sons, um album essencial.

Veil Veil Vanish - Change In The Neon Light