Everything You Imagine Is Real with The Durty Wurks - An Interview

Pouco antes do dia de Natal no ano passado os escoceses prediletos daqui do TBTCI soltaram no mundo seu mais novo trabalho, "Everything You Imagine Is Real", simplesmente um saboroso alucinógeno sonoro, infectado logicamente pela influência de Anton Newcombe e seu BJM.

Inegavelmente os Durty Wurks além das óbvias matrizes psicodélicas sessentistas tem no BJM seu DNA.

O disco é arrastadamente viciante, como aquele momento pré alucinação durante a viagem de LSD, as canções vão te sugando e quando menos se espera você esta literalmente inserido dentro do álbum.

Uma viagem, mas uma boa viagem, escute alto, se é que você me entende....

***** Interview with The Durty Wurks *****

Q. Hello , first congratulations on the new EP, it's really brilliant, what is your analysis after conclusion of EP? Are you happy with the result? How was the process of creating Everything You Imagine Is Real? 

Thanks a lot! We are sincerely glad you like it, it genuinely means a lot, especially coming from you. We are extremely proud of 'Everything You Imagine Is Real' ourselves and are glad to release something a little more true to our own musical tastes. The way our own musical influences have come together on this EP is quite pleasing to us, a feat that has taken us some time to perfect but I suppose experimentation is all part of the fun!

I guess, no one likes to listen to their own music (do they?) but we feel even we can enjoy this record as it's very similar to the music we listen too in our own time.

Q. What are the main differences between Everything You Imagine Is Real and Strung Out On Heaven's High?
Well, as you know, we produce all our own stuff with very little knowledge, experience or equipment but creating this EP was a strangely seamless process. The songs, recordings, structures and melodies all came pretty naturally. We opted for a slightly more methodical approach to the layering of each track apposed to our usual live recordings of previous releases. The extra time and care spent on each track, we feel, has raised the quality of the recording as a whole and we couldn't be more happy with the outcome.

Q. What were the influences for creating the new album?
Apart from the recording process and overall sound, I guess the main difference between Everything You Imagine Is Real and our previous releases is the sheer fact that we have matured in life as well as a band, our 'trial and error' approach is beginning to pay off and we feel we are beginning to prove what we set out to initially, that real music is not dead, anyone can do it. We genuinely could hardly play our instruments when we first started, production wise 'Somebody's Got To Do It' is pretty ropey, we've never been shy of that. "Strung Out On Heaven's High" has some great pop songs but we can't help but feel we could have done it better. That been said, we are happy for people to see how we have progressed and how far we've come. If we were signed/manufactured band, no doubt, we would be 'advised' to remove some of our old stuff but we want people to appreciate it. We don't do anything, anyone else couldn't do, from the comfort of their own homes.

Q. What are your plans for 2017?
Well, 2016 has been a pretty shit year for most people but to be fair, it has helped shape a lot of the matters addressed on this record.'The World's Changed' is a song wrote in anger of the ways of the modern world and as a result of those ways, 'Insane' was wrote, (on a more personal note) regarding struggles with mental illness, a struggle more and more people seem to face these days. Besides losing one of our members, the death of many great musical influences and some bewildering political results, 2016 has given us two Durty Wurks releases and come to think of it, has been turbulent, sobering at times but mostly reassuring. We have gone from strength to strength and have the luxury of some really strong support from our fans. Also this EP has provided us with some encouraging glimpses into our future and to be honest, we can't wait to continue this momentum. We look forward to 2017 like kids do Christmas!
*
*
*
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/pg/TheDurtyWurks
https://thedurtywurks.bandcamp.com/

Coasting with Invisible Days - An Interview

Delicioso guitar pop com aquele wall of sound e sensibilidade melódica que faria Phil Spector e os irmãos Reid abrirem sorrisos de ponta a ponta, com tudo devidamente equilibrado, sem nunca pender para o barulho ensurdecedor ou a calmaria praiana extrema, o trio do Brooklyn, Invisible Days soube e continua a dosar perfeitamente os dois lados da música pop que mais soam perfeitos na face da terra.

Declaradamente fãs de Lilys, o Invisible Days caminha com suas perfect noise pop songs, lançando singles, EPs e colhendo poucos mais entusiasmados admiradores ao redor do submundo dos bons sons.

Faça um favor para seu dia se tornar mais especial, dê play no último trabalho dos caras, o EP "Coasting" e sinta o frescor do barulho adocicado.

***** Interview with Invisible Days *****

Q. When did Invisible Days start? Tell us about the history...
A: We were actually all in a different band prior to Invisible Days called The Walkup based in Brooklyn, New York. We (Alex (Vocals/Bass), Sean (Vocals/Guitar) and Michael (Drums)) got tired of playing the kind of music we had been playing with that band so in 2009 we started a new band (Invisible Days) with a less poppy, more experimental noise guitar sound. We've put out 3 EPs 2 vinyl 7"s and 2 cassettes so far.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: We have lots, but some of the biggest are Lilys, My Bloody Valentine, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Deerhunter.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
A: Lilys - In The Presence of Nothing,
Ride - Nowhere,
Deerhunter - Microcastle,
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds,
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A: We love playing live. It's the best high ever and one of the best parts of being in a band.

Q. How do you describe Invisible Days sounds?
A: Noisy guitar rock with shoegaze influences and pop sensibilities.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A: We've recorded a bunch of different ways, from having producers to recording everything ourselves and having someone else mix. When writing songs Sean and I (Alex) usually write on our own and then come to the band to flesh everything out. We'll usually play them out live a bunch and then when we feel they're done, record them.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A: Not exactly new, but Kurt Vile and Ty Segall are some of my favs. Alvvays put out a great record last year. Also really into the new record "Awaken, My Love" by Childish Gambino.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
 A: We did a pretty cool cover of Lilys - February Fourteenth, it's on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVPUMED_fOU.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Write, record and release new music. We just released a 5 song EP - Coasting. We'll be working on some new material in the near future.

Q: Any parting words?
A: Thanks for the interview and checking us out! Look out for more music from us in the future. https://invisibledays.bandcamp.com/
*
*
*
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/invisibledays
http://invisibledaysmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/invisibledays

Iron Flowers with Repeater - An Interview

Sofisticação é o melhor adjetivo que pode descrever o quinteto californiano, Repeater.

Indie rock como deve ser, melódico, pegajoso, harmônico, tocante por assim dizer. Conexões com uma imensidão de gente, de Bowie a R.E.M., de Peter Gabriel a Cure, de Chameleons a Editors, de pós punk a dream pop, tudo tem espaço na fórmula do Repeater.

Experimente urgentemente o álbum homônimo de 2015, uma daquelas preciosidades que somente o submundo dos bons sons podem ofertar a você.

***** Interview with Repeater *****

Q. When did Repeater start? Tell us about the history...
Repeater came out of a band I had with Rob Wallace, The Main Frame. We were a 4-piece synth, post punk revival, darkwave sort of band. When that band dissolved we decided to start a bigger, more open sounding band. At the time, we were inspired by bands like Mew, more angular bands, shoegaze and alternative, and of course the Cure, New Order, Smiths, et cetera. We definitely wanted to take those sounds and make a bigger, more lush type of music than we had made before. We were able to form a 5-piece band pretty quickly and started writing in about 2005. Over about 10 years, we changed a lot of members and traversed a few styles as well. We made several albums and EPs as a traditional band. We had label interest and dealt with several labels and companies over the years - but all of our creative output has been very, very DIY. We have been lucky to work on shoestring budgets with talented engineers and producers even on our demos and early EPs. Our last album, 'Repeater', was more of a project album, but all the talented people involved in the recording did play together as a band.

Q: Who are your influences?
As a band we took most of our influences from indie music and post punk bands. I am the singer and main songwriter. I think R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, and David Bowie, were really big influences on my singing and lyrics when I started, along with indie rock like Pixies or Jawbreaker and more aggressive music like post rock and post hardcore, as I adapted to the styles of my bands. But Repeater does not sound that way as a band. We created a very big sound from simple parts and avoided rock cliches like drum fills and solos. The band took influences from post-punk, darkwave, lots of indie, shoegaze, post-rock, and newer bands like Interpol, Arcade Fire, Editors, that sort of thing. New Order, Joy Division, Cure and Chameleons have always been a pervasive influence on our sound. On the last album, 'Repeater', we explored a few more styles, since it was a project album and we used a lot of programming and overdubs and further explored some dreamy and British styles. Repeater's song structures are simple, but we have always tried to be inventive and to break one or two rules with every track. We have always had a bit of a progressive side even though the music is simple.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Here are some albums that particularly influenced my writing in Repeater. This is more revealing than a personal best-of list.

Leonard Cohen - The Best Of
The blueprint for good lyrics. Cold, romantic, distant, on the edge of breaking, but somehow still in control. Beautiful, delicate and simple music, beyond folk into something more plain and minimal.

R.E.M. - Document
I listened to a lot more R.E.M. than Smiths when I was young. This record doesn't have the fuzzy jangle of their earlier work, but it is more spacious, serious, political, and abstract. A fully realized alternative album in 1987.

Blonde Redhead - Misery is a Butterfly
Very haunting album with drama and atmosphere. Darkly themed indie rock with some post-hardcore influence. Repeater could meet the same description, sometimes.

Mew - Frengers
This album was very influential on Repeater's formation, especially the drum patterns and the two guitar, orchestrated sound. 'Snow Brigade' is a really good template for a melodic, loud band to follow for arrangement.

Low - Things We Lost In The Fire
A great minimal creation from Low and Steve Albini. Sparse in every way, and lyrically crushing. Beautiful and dynamic - turn it way up!

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I have always loved playing live. I have been in some band every year since 1998, until 2016. I have not toured extensively, unfortunately, but touring the West Coast and Southwest USA has been a great experience every time. I like getting up there and doing my best, and all my anxiety seems to drift away when the show starts. I've gotten to play in other local bands as a sideman or guest member and I have always enjoyed it. I even got to sing live in a very heavy project, Fear and the Nervous System, I recorded an album with some really amazing rock musicians. I only got to play a few shows with that band but I treasure the experience. Right now I'm just in a Joy Division cover band called Boy Division playing bass guitar. We don't play many shows but it's very fun. Repeater played many shows over the years, from bars to clubs to larger venues on occasion. We were well loved in Long Beach, California, our point of origin. Repeater shows always had good dynamic sound. good tones and a loud, even playing style. We got to play with lots of up and coming bands and some high profile shows. I feel like we were always competitive, no matter where we played, or with what kind of band.

Q. How do you describe Repeater sounds?
Spacious indie rock with a lot of 80's and experimental rock influences. A little bit of 'new rock revolution'. Dark and moody, but often aggressive. 2 guitars, synth, bass, drums and vocals, for most of the songs. Many pop structures and dramatic arrangements using simple parts. Guitar sounds inspired by British indie and post-punk bands. Driving picked bass with plenty of bright overtones. Synth with classic analog and 80's sounds, tasteful and minimal like The Cure. Vocals, raw, expressive, brooding. Pop structures with long builds and interludes on some songs. On 'Repeater' (self titled LP 2015) female harmonies (from Tess Shapiro) and additional percussion and drum programming add layers of sophistication to simple pop compositions. A wide range of styles exists across all of our recordings.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Everything we have done has been somewhat DIY - to us that meant no label, no management, little to no budget, no long term marketing strategy. We have worked with good producers, notably Ross Robinson and Christopher Fudurich. Robinson produced our most gritty album, We Walk From Safety. Fudurich produced our Iron Flowers album and our last album, 'Repeater'. He joined the band as bass player for the last album as well. Except for that album, the songs were mostly written as a band in the rehearsal space. I have always been the main composer and songwriter, but the band members always have had a major part in creating the sound and structure of each song. Even on the last album, which I composed mostly myself, all the people involved had some say in the process and production. Most of our recordings mix elements of low, mid, and hi fidelity recording techniques, good instruments, bad instruments, great vintage gear, consumer grade stuff, and lots of work in Pro Tools. We did lots of layering on synthesizer on most recordings, and piano and percussion when necessary. I do a lot of subtle harmonies in the studio but the leads are mostly solo voice. In Repeater, I always valued the lyrics and the substance of the song more than the feel and vibe of the song, so I always keep the vocals dry enough to understand every single word. It isn't cool, but I value my lyrics.

As a band, we were able to recreate almost every single recorded song very effectively live. The band who played the shows with me for the last album deserve a lot of credit for building that pop sound into a DIY live act.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
There are always so many good bands, if you look hard and find what you enjoy. People like you, with your Blog, expose so much good old and new music. I'll recommend some locals with brand new material. Tennis System, dreamy, gazey, pop punk and emo inspired. Night Nail, a dark, romantic band I'm working with on a new recording. LITRONIX, a highly sophisticated solo act by Kevin from a band called Dance Disaster Movement. Psychic Temple, the jazz-rock project of Chris Schlarb. MODERNS, future/retro synth music from Christopher Fudurich and his musical partner Rosie Okomura. SARRK, solo dark electronic compositions from Scott Martin, a reputable musician. I could recommend pages of only local music - these ones have recent or upcoming releases in my memory.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I have not done too many covers, and Repeater only did a few live Halloween sets with Joy Division and Clash covers - those were executed pretty well, and we did a few JD songs for encores once in a while. I have played covers with other bands I have played in as a guest. I am doing more in the recording arts lately, and I would like to do covers to test my skills at production and engineering. I think the Ramones would be good to cover, because they have really good simple songs underneath their monolithic sound, and it would be easy to transform one into a very different style. There are many other artists I would like to cover, of course.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
I would like to produce new music as soon as possible, this year, I think. I have all the tools to start writing and making demos and I am just trying to decide on a particular direction. I don't want my new music to sound like Repeater. That is a certain style of songwriting and singing I would like to leave behind, although I am very proud of everything we made. I feel the calling of the Kraut and Proto influence, and Iggy, and Talking Heads. I want to play music that is somewhat more primal and extended, and maybe even fun at times. If I succeed in creating a good sound, then I will think about playing with a band. Besides that, in music I'm trying to help other people record and produce songs and I'm developing more skills in audio, electronic music, and some composition. I've been learning a lot of mixing skills and I am trying to make fewer and fewer mistakes.

Q: Any parting words?
I appreciate this little interview. Thank you for letting me share this story with you. In no particular order, many thanks to Rob, Matt, Alex, Christopher, Jeff, Ross, Tess, Charlie, and Peter. And Paul.
*
*
*
Thanks

http://repeaterband.com
https://www.facebook.com/Repeaterband

Eclipse with Guillermo Sexo - An Interview

Viagens hipnóticas, por vezes sônicas, em outras ensolaradas e por vezes delirantes, este é o cardápio sonoro que o quinteto de Boston, Guillermo Sexo oferta a nossos tímpanos.

Neste caldeirão psicodélico há ingredientes como Sonic Youth, Stereolab e Spiritualized como matrizes para dar o sabor exato ao último trabalho lançado ano passado. "Eclipse" é o nome da viagem em formato disco, com dez quitutes apetitosos para a sua satisfação plena.

Aprecie Guillermo Sexo sem moderação, e boa viagem.

***** Interview with Guillermo Sexo *****

Q. When did Guillermo Sexo start? Tell us about the history...
Guillermo Sexo started sometime in 2004. I started the band with a girl named Jess and two members from the band Appomattox on drum and bass. After the first album, Oh Wow," Jess left the band, and I recruited Noell (one of my best friends from college). We've had different lineup changes, but she's been a constant since 2006, and we've released a total of 6 albums.

Q: Who are your influences?
Some of my musical influences include Sonic Youth, Guided By Voices, PJ Harvey, Spiritualized, Broadcast, Stereolab,Blonde Redhead and The Kinks.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
This is very tough...but i'll mention 5 that come to mind at this moment (in no particular order)

-Spiritualized- Lazer Guided Melodies
-Guided By Voices- Bee Thousand
-The Zombies-Odessey And Oracle
-Sonic Youth-Dirty
-The Velvet Underground

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I love playing live with Guillermo Sexo. It's definitely one of those indescribably feelings especially
when everyone in the band is on the same musical high.

Q. How do you describe Guillermo Sexo sounds?
I think one of the great things about being in a band for like 10 years is that you really develop a unique sound.

Guillermo Sexo has it's psych, punk, noise, rock influences, but there is a vibe that the 5 of us can only capture together. The songs have a lot of alternate tunings, we play loud, while utilizing dynamics.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We are selective in the songs we put out. We always strive to make records we think are great throughout.

So, before we go into the studio, we generally have songs we've put a lot of work into, etc..
The first 5 albums were recorded with Justin Pizzoferatto, and for those albums I was the only guitar player and there were many guitar layers. Besides the guitar layers, and Noell's vocal experimentation, we track everything live. For the new album, "Eclipse," we have a 2nd guitar player, and there are less layers as a result. Recording is like being in a magic room of creation. I love it.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Some newer bands I've been listening to this year are:

Doug Tuttle, Suuns, White Lung, Parquet Courts, Steve Gunn, Beach Slang, Preoccupations, Minor Victories, Morgan Delt, No Joy to name a few...

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We did Ride's "Seagull," for an awesome RIDE compilation put out by Clicky Clicky music blog.
https://soundcloud.com/clicky-clicky-music-blog/seagull-performed-by-guillermo

We talked about covering some Stereolab songs once for a halloween show...that would be rad.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
At the moment things are quiet for a bit with Guillermo Sexo. I guess we are on a hiatus of sorts. I just moved from Boston to Atlanta, so lots of changes for me. I am currently doing a solo thing called Emerald Comets- https://emeraldcomets.bandcamp.com/
I would love to make another Guillermo Sexo record in the near future, and play shows/tour, etc..I certainly have more Guillermo Sexo songs to put out....so, we will hopefully find a way..

Q: Any parting words?
I am very proud of the new Guillermo Sexo album. Check it out: https://guillermosexo.bandcamp.com/
Also, check out the epic space video we did for the song, "Graffiti Sky,"-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu-hUS7_96k

Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me, and thank you for listening to our stuff! Happy New Year!
*
*
*
Thanks

https://guillermosexo.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/guillermosex0

Blue Sunshine with Powder Pink & Sweet - An Interview

Cris Verso ou, para os íntimos, Powder Pink & Sweet, se tornou a mais nova musa do TBTCI.

Uma beleza sonora que cativa intensamente. Hipnótica, sonhadora, apaixonante, assim é "Blue Sushine" single de estreia da moça.

Uma pequena pepita que merece ser apreciada sem moderação.

E que venham urgentemente mais novidades e pérolas do Powder Pink & Sweet, ou como a própria Cris define sua música "música sonhadora para pessoas sonhadoras". Simples assim.

***** Interview with Powder Pink & Sweet  *****

Q. When did Powder Pink &Sweet start? Tell us about the history…

Hi, Powder Pink & Sweet started maybe 2 years ago. A couple of other bands I was playing in were ending, and I started to experiment with writing and recording on my iPad...and then I moved over to a computer. In May of 2015, my mother passed away and I started writing songs to express my grief...and also to distract me from thinking about her no longer being here. I also let go of a lot of fear about writing, and just started writing any kind of songs I felt like. After a few songs, the sound started to take shape and I started to focus more on what you are hearing today.

Q: Who are your influences?
There are many! I love a lot of different types of music, but more specifically the influences for PP&S are The Cure, Interpol, Depeche Mode, Beach House, DIIV, Slowdive, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Knife, Grimes, the XX, Portishead, Jamie XX….dreampop, electronic chill music, goth, dance music, etc.


Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Hmm…just off the top of my head the albums that I am really into right now are:
Interpol "Turn on the Bright Lights",
Grimes “Visions",
The Cure “Disintegration",
Beach House "Depression Cherry",
Depeche Mode “Black Celebration”
 and The Smiths “The Queen is Dead” ( I listed 6, sorry!)

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I am currently putting a band together to play the songs live in 2017. I love playing live, and am especially excited to bring these songs to the stage!

Q. How do you describe Powder Pink & Sweet sounds?
Dreamy dreampop and electronic pop. Dreamy music for Dreamy people

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
So far it has been just me sitting down with my guitar and messing around, and then putting a beat and building up from there. Or starting with a beat and a synth sound, and then building from there. I usually have something then hum a vocal melody...words are usually last (and the most difficult for me).

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Well, I am not too up on new bands right now, but ones I am recently discovering are Pre-Occupations, Kero Kero Bonito, Kedr Livanskiy, SURVIVE, Tacocat, Cherry Glazer, Sofie Tukker, Steady Holiday and Perfume Advert

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I haven’t put much thought to a cover, but I have been trying to do a few Depeche Mode covers. Or maybe I’ll just end up covering a "yacht rock” style song from the 70s.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
To record and finish more songs, and to get the live band together to start playing shows.

Q: Any parting words? Thanks again
Thank you so much for your interest and having me a part of your blog!
*
*
*
Thanks

http://www.powderpinkandsweet.com
https://www.facebook.com/pg/powderpinkandsweetband
https://soundcloud.com/powder-pink-and-sweet

Seance with Tangible Rays - An Interview

Já no primeiro dia de 2017 deu pra perceber que o ano promete. 

Cortesia do enigmático Tangible Rays, e seu segundo álbum, "Seance", que como disse, foi lançado nos primeiros minutos deste ano.

Um petardo que vai fritando acordes e sonhos a cada canção. Um poderoso e barulhento mix entre MBV e Astrobrite, com doses caprichadas de psicodelismo.

Com "Seance" o Tangible Rays disse feliz ano novo em decibéis elevados. Ouça no volume máximo.

Feliz 2017!!

***** Interview with Tangible Rays *****

Q. When did Tangible Rays start? Tell us about the history...
Tangible Rays started out in the winter of 2014 as a band that only existed in my head, called Grow House. I originally set out to make really noisy, harsh, blurry guitar oriented pop. It was around this time that I recorded about 9 or 10 songs on an old Tascam Porta02 that was literally held together by duct tape. That material became my first LP, Grow House. Thankfully I have acquired better recording equipment since then. I later changed the name to Tangible Rays, which is actually a secret anagram..

Q: Who are your influences?
Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, Brian Wilson, Kevin Shields, 1960's psychedelic rock/sunshine pop

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
5. Astrobrite - Crush
4. Yellow Balloon - Yellow Balloon
3. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
2. Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
1. The Beach Boys - SMiLE

Q. How do you feel playing live?
It's great. I love it.

Q. How do you describe Tangible Rays sounds?
Loud. Energetic. Blurry and melodic.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
It usually starts out with a melody, and I structure chords around it. It all kind of falls into place after that. I record everything myself in my home studio.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Japanese Breakfast, Pinkshinyultrablast, Hoops, Daguerreotype, Kero Kero Bonito.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I think it would be really fun to cover Here Today by The Beach Boys

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Keep writing songs, record new material, play shows.

Q: Any parting words?
TBTCI is one of my favorite blogs. We should do this again sometime.
*
*
*
Thanks

https://growhouse.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/noemiemarquer
https://soundcloud.com/tangiblerays

Songs of Joy with Picturebox - An Interview

Depois de ouvir e ouvir novamente e após algumas outras tantas audições, cheguei a conclusão que o título do último trabalho dos ingleses do Picturebox faz completo sentido, "Songs of Joy" exemplifica em palavras o que é a banda.

Canções tipicamente inglesas, conexões com Blur, Kinks e Beatles claro, melodiosos, harmônicos, suaves, sarcásticos, e com aquele inegável senso britânico sonoro.

O Picturebox pode facilmente ser chamado de Brit Pop, o que faz todo sentido a essência dos caras, mas o tal "brit pop" no caso dos caras é altamente prazeroso.

***** Interview with Picturebox *****

Q. When did Picturebox start? Tell us about the history...
I've used the name Picturebox for musical things going way back into the 90s, but this line-up goes back about 2 or 3 years, around the time I got involved with Gare Du Nord Records. I've played with Ben (gtr) from the start, Ian I met drumming with Robert Rotifer's band when I was playing bass. Guitarist Alex has been a fixture of the Canterbury/Whitstable scene for ages.

Q: Who are your influences?
It kind of depends when you're asking. I've always loved The Beatles, people like Blur, Belle and Sebastian, Pulp, Syd Barrett, The Canterbury Scene, Brian Wilson, REM... Really hard to say. Easier to say who isn't!

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
The Beatles (White Album) - The Beatles
There's A Riot Goin' On - Sly & The Family Stone
Control - Janet Jackson
Parklife - Blur
Oh Mercy - Bob Dylan

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I've been getting into playing live more in the last couple of years. It's always different, even when you're playing somewhere you've been before. It's different every time. A few songs have bits for improvising built in but even the more arranged ones are never exactly the same. If you get bored easily, that's a good thing. It's always fun playing live if you can get it together. Being flexible is a good idea. Flexible and adaptable.

Q. How do you describe Picturebox sounds?
It's all pop. I'm a pop fan. Pop with funny sounds and funny words sometimes perhaps, funny haha and funny peculiar, but it's always pop. Probably quite British sounding.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Often I'll start something, then get Ben and Alex in to add bits. Or I'll get a track going with Ian and go from there. It depends on the song and what needs to be on it, really. Sometimes it's a mixture of home and studio recording. It's important to have as much freedom as possible and not get stuck doing the same things over and over again. Whatever makes the song or tune work is the right thing.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Well, Papernut Cambridge are great but I'm in them. FXU2, doing a GB lo-fi version of soul,funk & disco, but I'm in them too. We've played with Pit Ponies a few times and I like them a lot. Very heartfelt and soulful, energetic, 'Upminster Soul', they call it. Definitely see them live if you can. Meilyr Jones is nothing like any of the above and he's brilliant.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
That's a tricky one. Pulp, maybe. We've done the odd Pulp song live, here and there. The Wombles?

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Keep on keeping on. Don't stop 'til you get enough. Hopefully, carry on recording and playing gigs with Picturebox, but also with the other people I'm involved with, and even new set ups that aren't even thought of yet. Do more music, better music. There's a single I've done with Deerful, who is also on Gare Du Nord and is very talented, which should be out soon. That's the next thing which will be appearing.

Q: Any parting words?
Love and mercy. Be nice. And thanks very much for getting in touch.
*
*
*
Thanks

https://picturebox.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Pictureboxmusic/
https://twitter.com/pictureboxsongs
https://vimeo.com/picturebox

Sussex with Disco Volante - An Interview

Impossível ao iniciar a audição do debute do quinteto de Portland, Disco Volante, não vir imediatamente a cabeça os dois primeiros álbuns do Interpol, tanto na intensidade, na melancolia, na eminente auto destruição, enfim, "Disco Volante", o álbum é como uma sequência lógica de "Turn On The Bright Lights" e "Antics".

Desconsiderando a similaridade do Disco Volante com o Interpol, obviamente que a matriz de ambos esta logicamente em Joy Division e outros ícones do pós punk britânico. Mas veja, o Disco Volante não nega sua reverência a banda de Paul Banks, vide a lista de álbuns dos caras, o ponto é que a banda capta a essência e projeta para si mesma.

Uma bela estreia de uma jovem banda que esta a procura de sua própria identidade sem renegar suas influências.

 ***** Interview with Disco Volante *****

Q. When did Disco Volante start? Tell us about the history...
Joel: Thomas and I met while studying at Portland State University in 2011. We shared common tastes in music and decided to get a band going. We got together to jam a few times and I was pretty ecstatic about his Ludwig jazz kit from the mid 1950’s. I’m a sucker for vintage gear. For a while, it was just us two and we co-wrote songs in a Lennon/McCartney fashion. Our sound really started to develop once Jordan came aboard and Jayme followed soon after.

Thomas: We spent a lot of time finding our sound, working on our writing, and generally being patient until the right people came around. Jordan joined us on bass when he came home from college in 2014. He clearly understood the sound and had all the right instincts for writing parts.

Jordan: I had jammed with Joel many times before and he invited me to join when I moved back to Portland. I didn’t have a bass so we bought this cheap Hofner viola bass knockoff that we lovingly named ‘Paul’. I knew Jayme from Oregon State University and he had already recorded his own music projects that we were all impressed by. He joined us for a practice and we all just synced really well. Everything fell into place.

Jayme: That was essentially the birth of Disco Volante back in 2014. We gigged sparingly and mostly invested our time composing in our rehearsal studio. Ben joined us on keyboards earlier this year and has added a lot of depth to our sound.

Q: Who are your influences?
Thomas: Bryan Devendorf, of The National. I’ve listened to them since I was very young. Once Joel and I started writing songs that more resembled post-punk (the obvious influences being Interpol, Joy Division, The Strokes, etc), I naturally tended towards a more linear drum style. The National have also been a heavy personal influence on my songwriting and lyrical style.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Jordan: This is obviously one of the most difficult questions out there, but these are 5 albums that we all agree have influenced each of us and the music we create.

Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division
Alligator - The National
Songs Of Love And Hate - Leonard Cohen
Turn On The Bright Lights - Interpol
Rubber Soul - The Beatles

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Thomas: I want more of it. Luckily, I don’t get nervous. I enjoy the pressure and the attention. There’s an addictive quality to it.

Q. How do you describe Disco Volante sounds?
Joel: Our sound is tight and uniform. We’re not an improvisational jam type of band. We perform our music the way it was composed and a song will sound the same live as it does when we record it in the studio. I think one of the more attractive qualities of our music is the relationships between each instrument. I’ve always really liked the versatility of twin guitar parts. In Matador, Jayme and I play these descending and ascending melodies that create an impression of distance but is unified by the bass and percussion.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
Thomas: We connected with producer, Jordan Richter online and teamed up for a live, session-style recording. We spent one full day in the Hallowed Halls main studio. It was a massive hall in a beautiful old building in NE Portland. We were told most bands record no more than two or three songs a day. Foolishly, but successfully, we recorded all eight in a very demanding and exhausting 10 hours.

Ben: It was challenging but educational.

Jayme: The Hallowed Halls have an amazing natural reverb that meshes with our sound so well. Jordan Richter helped us get a lot done in a short amount of time while being patient, knowledgeable, and helpful along with making the process as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Thomas: Another full day was spent at Richter’s personal studio, Room 13, for vocals and piano overdubs. Richter had access to a chapel with a grand piano, so we were able to match the acoustics of the previous day. Richter did a one-day rough mix for us, and that was that.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Thomas: We’ve all recently been on a big Future Islands binge, but they’ve already hit the big time. We just played a show with Starover Blue and they were awesome!

Joel: I have a friend who is the drummer of this Costa Rican band, Los Waldners. They’re pretty rad.

Jayme: The And And And.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
Jordan: At work a few weeks ago, I heard the band Cake do a cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs. After that I made everyone promise that we’d never do a cover.

Joel: I can’t really picture us doing a cover anytime soon. I mean, it can be done well. The National just recently assembled this really fantastic Grateful Dead tribute.

Thomas: We generally don’t have an interest in covers, but I would really like to play some Depeche Mode inspired gothic synth pop.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Thomas: Our focus has redoubled since releasing our demo. We’ve received an unexpected amount of positive feedback, as well as helpful criticism. The last few months have been spent refining the eight songs we knew we wanted to record. I think the next few months will be spent completing the half-dozen we didn’t. My goals right now are to write and play as much as possible and to connect with more local bands.

Q: Any parting words?
Ben: From what I gather, the beautiful culture of Brazil rivals its breathtaking flora and fauna. I hope we get the chance to visit some day soon.
*
*
*
Thanks

https://disco-volante.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/discovolantepdx

It´s Wearing Off with Egoism - An Interview

Não é de hoje que a Austrália tem nos brindado com excelentes e maravilhosas pérolas, vide Deafcult, Miniatures, vhs dream e outras tantas preciosidades, certamente algo de especial anda acontecendo por lá, e nós agradecemos.

E eis que a mais nova paixonite do TBTCI atende pelo nome de Egoism, quarteto formado em Sydney e que prepara para o próximo dia 17 de Fevereiro seu EP estreia, "It´s Wearing Off", e o aperitivo é nada mais nada menos do que a deliciosamente envolvente "Reason", um perfect pop com nuances de shoegaze, que me remeteu diretamente ao Pale Saints e ao The Sundays, a canção é encantadora, simplesmente assim, um colírio para os ouvidos e um calmante para a alma.

Se existe a primeira grande expectativa deste que vos escreve, é pelo dia 17 de Fevereiro, o Egoism perigas virar uma daquelas, chamadas, prediletas da casa.

***** Interview with Egoism *****

Q. When did Egoism start? Tell us about the history... 

1. Egoism actually began as a shitty ukulele ensemble we started when we were 15. After a while we were the only two people coming to rehearsal anymore. It kind of forced us to realise how shit we were, so we ditched the ukeleles and spent the next 2 years trying to write actually decent music. Eventually we met our old drummer dylan and we started rehearsing in his dad's record store where we played our first gig in early 2015. Then it was just 2 years of playing as many weird DIY shows as possible, slowly releasing singles, and going through about 4 different bass players.

Q: Who are your influences?
2. My Bloody Valentine, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, School of Seven Bells, Radiohead, Elliott Smith and too many local Australian bands to count.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3. We asked the band to give one each
Lucy: Gorrilaz - Demon Days
Olive: Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Scout: Joni Mitchell - Blue
More band picks: School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms, Nick Drake - Pink Moon.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4.Lucy: "Electric."
Scout: "I'm either completely euphoric or completely disconnected."
Olive: "Mostly just concentrating really hard in the hard songs and resisting the urge to jump on something in the easy songs."

Q. How do you describe Egoism sounds?
5. Down-to-earth dual vocals, big spacey guitars, and slow laid back drum beats. Emotionally, our main goal with most our songs is to capture this euphoric heartbreak kind of feeling and sustain it throughout the song.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6. Olive will make at least 5 different demos of all our songs before we come anywhere close to recording. Then it's just a matter of time until we get into the studio, where we just layer everything on with a click track. Everything we've released in the past year and a half has been recorded has been recorded at our friend's studio Mindfield.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7. Beast & Flood for some out of this world genre-defying music. DEAFCULT and Flyying Colours are without a doubt the two best shoegaze bands in all of australia. And Capewolf's last couple singles have been ridiculously exciting.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8. We were actually just talking about maybe doing some intense noisy cover of something from Bowie's Blackstar.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9. Our debut EP "It's Wearing Off" is coming out on the 6th of February 2017. We'll be launching it in Sydney and then heading down to melbourne to play a couple shows there.

Q: Any parting words?
10. Thanks so much for having us! :)
*
*
*
Thanks

https://egomusictime.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/egomusictime
https://www.facebook.com/egoness

Spiders with Spotlights - An Interview

O casal Sarah e Mario Quintero formavam o Sleep Lady, originalmente, daí eles se mudaram para o Brooklyn e surgiu a possibilidade de colocarem em prática uma antiga ideia do casal, e assim nasceu o Spotlights.

Um shoegaze metalizado, ou um dreampop endemoniado, algo como o Autolux colidindo de frente com o Failure, os os Pumpkins tentando ser o Cure. Esse esporro todo esta explicito em "Tidals" debute deles, ou no mais recente EP, "Spiders" ambos do anos passado.

Não há outra alternativa, pra entender o Spotlights tem que ouvir alto,bem alto.

***** Interview with Spotlights *****

Q. When did Spotlights start? Tell us about the history...
The idea of Spotlights technically started in 2009 when Sarah and I decided to write and record a song (050809) together in my old studio in San Diego. After that, our band Sleep Lady was doing a lot, so Spotlights didn't really start again until we moved to Brooklyn in 2013.

Q: Who are your influences?
We have a lot of influences ranging from Melvins to the Cure and then some. I really think that we are constantly being influenced though. Every time you hear an interesting band or song or even a terrible song, that can influence your music. Even just current events or daily happenings in your life can be very influential to writing music.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Sarah:
Melvins - Honky,
Failure - Magnified,
Faith no More - Angel Dust,
Gaza - No Absolutes in Human Suffering,
Molly McGuire - Lime.

Mario:
 Helmet - Meantime,
Quicksand - Slip,
Mew - And the glass handed kites,
The Cure - Head on the door,
Jawbox - Jawbox.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We love it! It's our favorite part of being in a band along with recording.

Q. How do you describe Spotlights sounds?
It's always tough to describe your own band's sound. I think of it as a mix of the heavier side of Post-hardcore mixed with a bunch of other stuff.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
We usually start out demoing the songs at home DI with programmed drums and then work on them until we're happy. Then record the real drums and amps. For the most part we have recorded everything ourselves in our rehearsal room and I mix them at home.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I guess It depends on what you mean by new, but we really like Sumac, Mutoid Man and He Who's Ox is Gored.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We recently recorded a Mew song on our SPIDERS EP and that was a lot of fun. There are a bunch of other bands that I'd like to cover eventually but it takes a lot of work to make a good version of an already great song.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We're working on our follow up to TIDALS and hopefully will continue to tour the US as well as the rest of the world.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for the support!! Hopefully we will be playing Brazil soon!
*
*
*
Thanks

https://spotlights.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/spotlightsband

Sentimentale Jugend with Klimt1918 - An Interview

Uma das mais cultuadas bandas do underground italiano certamente é o Klimt1918 que depois de um hiato de 8 anos soltou seu quinto álbum "Sentimentale Jugend", foi lançado em Dezembro do ano passado.

Conceitual é o que pode-se atribuir ao disco, que pode ser degustado nas versões "Sentimentale" ou, em sua outra face, "Jugend" mas a junção de ambos é o que o torna uma peça épica, obrigatória aos adoradores não somente de shoegaze, mas todas as variáveis sonoras do submundo dos bons sons. Há conexões óbvias, seja com The Cure, ou com Slowdive, ou ainda com Mogwai, mas o Klimt1918 consegue imprimir sua identidade mesmo depois dos longos oito anos entre "Just in case we'll never meet again" de 2008 e "Sentimentale Jugend".

Shoegaze em tonalidades épicas.

***** Interview with Klimt1918 *****

Q. When did Klimt1918 start? Tell us about the history...
A. Klimt1918 started in 1999 with Marco and Paolo Soellner. After a few years the band recorded a demo called "Secession makes post modern music" and in 2003, after getting a deal with the italian label "My Kingdom Music" the full album "Undressed Momento" came out. With that album, the band got the attention of the "Prophecy Production", starting the recording of "Dopoguerra" that came out in 2005 and then "Just in case we'll never meet again" in 2008. Now, after 8 years , finally "Sentimentale Jugend" is out.

Q: Who are your influences?
A. Our influences, if we talk about music, can be related to shoegaze, post rock, new wave, ambient and soundtrack music. There are so many bands and artists that I could mention but we also get inspired by movies, books and lives.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
A. It is really hard to answer this question because all of us would answer differently, but for me, I'll try to say:
1. The Cure- disintegration
2. Black Sabbath - sabbath bloody sabbath
3. Michael Jackson - bad
4. Tears for fears- songs from The big chair
5. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. We like to play live, especially if it's about festivals where we share the stage with other artists that we admire.

Q. How do you describe Klimt1918 sounds?
A. I think our sound is a mix of our influences and experiences, that once again I want to say that are very different because we all have different tastes. Our sound wants to be something particular, let's call it a drone reverberated guitar wall of sound.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A. The idea of a song usually starts with a Marco's vocal and guitar composition. Then, we built up the song together in the Rehearsal room , trying to find the perfect dress for the mood of the composition.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A. Ah the moment I would say "Daughter" and "A winged victory for the sullen". They are not super new but kind of.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A. Brian Eno, for sure!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A. We are trying to play live more for this album than we did for the previous one and maybe to visit some new places to meet friends we did not have the chance to meet before.

Q: Any parting words?
A. I just would like to thank all the old and new friends who keep on supporting us after all this years!
*
*
*
Thanks

https://klimt-1918.bandcamp.com
http://www.klimt1918.com
https://www.facebook.com/Klimt1918

Den Mothers with Purepleaser - An Interview

Bryan Newruck é um brasileiro que caiu fora daqui e foi para Los Angeles há 25 anos, mas pode também ser chamado de Purepleaser.

Pois é, Purepleaser é seu projeto, que diga-se de passagem, é altamente prolífico, contendo uma série de trabalhos, entre EPS, singles e um destaque especial para "Den Mothers", álbum lançado em Setembro do ano passado, que pega suas energias em matrizes de pós punk (gringo e também nacional), o cara é fã de Legião Urbana, por exemplo, e acrescente aí, sheogaze, Bowie, Prince, e todo tipo de boa música produzida durante mais de 5 décadas de bons sons.

Um caldeirão sonoro, é o que pode definir a salada musical do Purepleaser, o que é altamente favorável para Bryan.

Experimente imediatamente.

***** Interview with Purepleaser *****

Q. When did Purepleaser start? Tell us about the history
… Purepleaser is me so, “when I was born?” seems a lil’ cheeky as a response; though on a headier level, sure. Purepleaser started when I lived in Brasil and taught myself how to play guitar. I was a drummer and a “ singer” but had so much going on in my brain in terms of musical ideas and hearing things that had yet to be created; sounds, soundscapes, etc. I began learning guitar on a classical guitar that meu irmao Brasileiro had; lots of Legiao Urbana, the Smiths, the Wedding Present, and lots of other English bands. Purepleaser officially began in 2001 when I found myself in California (I’m originally from Pennsylvania) and hadn’t anyone to collaborate with. I bought myself a digital 4-track and started “laying down” all of the music I had rattling in my brain at the time. I submitted and was subsequently featured on a Velvet Blue Records Unsigned Band compilation with an original track called , “Ladykiller”. (https://velvetbluemusic.com/shop/various-artists-unsigned-band-compilation-4-strength-in-numbers/)

Q: Who are your influences?
…My influences are fairly eclectic, ranging from hip hop, trip hop, shoegaze, punk, madchester, mostly English bands but artists that stand out are David Bowie, the Beatles, Legiao Urbana, De La Soul, Pink Floyd, Nenhum de Nos, the Smiths, the Wedding Present, Prince, Stone Roses, Chapterhouse, Psychedelic Furs, A Tribe Called Quest, the Cure & Cocteau Twins. Though, I must admit, as a child growing up in semi-rural Pennsylvania, at that time, my parents were getting into contemporary country rock and I absolutely hated it. Driving in the car with them was a nightmare. Once I was able to assert myself a bit more I would ask to change the radio station. Ultimately, we could all agree on the “oldies” station. So, the likes of “Doo-wop” and early 60’s rock had a profound impact on me.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time
… Pelo amor de deus! Detesto essa pergunta! If I have to pick only 5 albums then:
Purple Rain - Prince & the Revolution,
Abbey Road- the Beatles,
Combat Rock - the Clash,
Seamonsters- the Wedding Present,
Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins.

/////// Jesus & Mary Chain - Psycho Candy,
the Smiths - Louder than Bombs,
the Stone Roses - the Stone Roses,
De La Soul - 3 Feet High & Rising,
David Bowie - the Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust

(I grew up in a time of cassettes. So, it was very common to have two albums on one cassette; hence a list comprised of ten albums.)

Q. How do you feel playing live?
...I love playing live; very visceral reciprocal experience. I enjoy shifting/altering the environment and wrapping people up in soundscapes, imagery, and feeling. I used to get nervous. There was a show where I was now the “lead” guitarist or whatever for my friends “Sandra Black” (used to play drums) (https://sandrablack.bandcamp.com) where my hands were shaking so bad that all of my quarter notes became eighth notes. But prior to playing live, I remind myself that people, myself included, get really weirded out and uncomfortable when people sing to them solely in a crowd of people. So, I tend to shine and blast faces. I’ve never really been into the whole rock & roll swagger, stuff your spandex with socks, type of approach. I’ve always much preferred the stylings of Bowie, Robert Smith, & Bjork: cute, playful, yet intense.

Q. How do you describe Purepleaser sounds?
 ...I don’t ever. That’s me being absolutely blunt about it. I only concern myself with creating Purepleaser sounds not describing them/it. I leave it to the listener. I can honestly say that I’m writing music for me. Any notion that I’m pandering can jog on.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
...Have you ever been on the dole or not able to grocery shop but hunger prevails so you head to your kitchen and use whatever you have available? That’s my process. This process also includes the eating and digesting of whatever was created in a bare bones pantry. I record everything from home. Modern technology is brilliant! 25 years ago, I had to work and save for what seemed like forever to get a 4 hour block of time in the studio; only to deal with a studio engineer that was running on 4 hours of sleep, hated you because he loved to hate stuff, and would take 20 minutes correcting an error that he made. Now, I wake up and glide over to my other lover; my computer. I love my computer. I play everything so it’s a lengthy process of adding, stripping, adding, stripping, etc. If there’s ever something that I want but am at a loss on how to achieve it, I’ll ask one of my besties, NIck, to write and record something.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
...Not sure how “new” these bands/artists are but the Veils, Shlohmo, Giraffage, Hospitality, Working for a Nuclear Free City, Hot Sugar, Clams Casino, Ela, Unholy Other, XXYYXX, Ex-Cops, and he’s a friend of mine but he goes by “Good Sport” (https://goodsport.bandcamp.com/album/still-friends) I really dig what he creates.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
...I’m very keen on making covers. 2016 saw me release 4 singles all with cover versions. One of these days I’ll have the yarbles to cover Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones"

Q: What are your plans for the future?
...Continue being a conduit, continue finding happiness & balance, and write an album that makes it on someone’s “5 albums of all time” list.

Q: Any parting words?
...Why? Am I going somewhere?
*
*
*
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/Purepleaser
https://purepleaser.wordpress.com/
https://purepleaser.bandcamp.com/

Deja Vu with Jennifer - An Interview

Londres, 2015, psicodelismo, conexões sonoras com Screamadelica, BJM, Oasis, 60´s, ácido, viagens, tudo em doses desaceleradas pra que a viagem seja suave e duradoura, esta é a receita dos caras do Jennifer.

"Deja Vu" lançado ano passado é assim, um doce que deve ser saboreado debaixo da língua com os olhos fechados e lentamente, as cores dessa viagem vão passando uma a uma sem pressa, embaladas por aquele encantamento lisérgico saboroso.

Aprecie o Jennifer sem desespero e pressa, e boa viagem.

***** Interview with Jennifer *****

Q. When did Jennifer start? Tell us about the history...
- Jennifer started in 2015 after that Pier's ( vox, guitar) and Clod's (drummer) old band imploded.
Sean ( guitar ) joined few months later through common friends and after we sacked our old bass player we found Kam.

Q: Who are your influences?
- I like to think I'm more influenced by albums and not by bands. in general we sound probably very 90's and 60's. But I'm very naive, I like to think every song is different (which obviously isn't aha).

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
- It's really hard to decide for 5 but I would go for:
Definitely maybe by Oasis,
Revolver by the Beatles,
Velvet Underground and Nico by the VU,
Screamedelica by Primal Scream,
Moon Safari by Air.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
- We love playing live unfortunately in London it's very easy to be on the same bill of 3 completely different sounding bands which can be frustrating.

Playing live is the reason every band starts I would say. We definitely don't play enough live as I would want to, there are so many bands in London with a small amount of respectable venues where to play.

Q. How do you describe Jennifer sounds?
- As mentioned before our influences come from those 2 decades so definitely we have a bit of that.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
- We just go in the studio start with bass and drums and then lay the other instruments on top.
I want to try something different next time and record everything on top of my guitar guide track, I read Marc Bolan form T Rex used to use this technique.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
- LSD And The Search For God, I like them at the moment.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
- I love Fame by David Bowie, that would be my choice ... said this I hate covers, ahah I don't know any song by any other band .. what is the point anyway?

Q: What are your plans for the future?
- My plan for the future is to record an album in a week max probably in January, make some videos, promote it play live and then move the band to Los Angeles in the sunshine.

Q: Any parting words?
- Peace
*
*
*
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/jenniferinabsentia
https://jennifer3.bandcamp.com

Gender Balance with Pool Art - An Interview

Shoegaze em tonalidades épicas é o que melhor pode se dizer dos novatos ingleses do Pool Art.

Duas canções apenas que servem de aperitivo para o que os caras vão aprontar neste 2017, "Gender Balance" o mais recente single é descendente direto do ataque sônico sonhador do Ride, fase Nowhere, "Don´t Feed Me To Them" segue nas mesmas proporções eloquentes, com guitarras estridentes e sonhos sendo aniquilados a cada acorde, esta com influências sórdidas de APTBS.

Por hora o Pool Art é a revelação deste 2017 aqui no TBTCI. Olhos e ouvidos atentos neles.

***** Interview with Pool Art *****

Q. When did Pool Art start? Tell us about the history...
Scott: Last year, we'd been playing some more electronic influenced stuff and decided to go back to more stripped back raw live instrumentation. I'd neglected my guitar for too long, but I'm not a fan of traditional guitar sounds really so I like to run it through a lot of effects.

Q: Who are your influences?
Scott: It's a lot different these days where I find inspiration to write. I used to love records like 'Tin Cans With Strings To You' by Far but nowadays I'm probably more influenced by movies I see, articles I read and podcasts I listen to. I love the recent 'Alice Isn't Dead' podcast, made by the people who do 'Welcome To Night Vale'. Both of those podcasts have such a fascinatingly strange aura, created just with subtle music, a voice and some sound design. The soundtrack to Alice was incredible too, each episode ended with an original track.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Scott: Favourite and best are probably slightly different for me. It changes a lot, sometimes I grow to hate albums that I later learn to love again. I'm just gonna do from 2016 as it's ever changing:
Julianna Barwick - Will
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - EARS
A Place To Bury Strangers - Transfixiation (might have been 2015 actually)
B Boys - No Worry No Mind
Mitski - Puberty 2

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Scott: I've been doing it with various bands for years but I still feel nervous, I doubt it will ever go and it probably fuels me more anyway. The strongest feeling though is pure unfiltered excitement, such a rush, it's addictive. I'd love to play longer sets in the future as its all over in a flash with 30 minute sets.

Q. How do you describe Pool Art sounds?
Scott: Lot's of people have been confused about what we're doing, but we don't mind, it's probably because we've never made a clear plan for how we want to sound. I listen to rain or ambient music in bed sometimes, that's something I've tried to create with guitar albiet in more volatile ways. I'm very interested in experimental noise making pedals, anything that can self oscillate or shriek without interaction, then it's about trying to retain some sort of control over it because I'm a big fan of strong melody too.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We're starting to get more interested in the spaces we record as this can have a huge influence over the songs, like the new EP we're doing partly in a warehouse and partly in an art gallery. We like to make decisions before recording, only to throw it out the window when things change in the recording environment. We look to create interest and intrigue within minimalist structures and that can involve capturing sounds from different places and introducing them subtly in a mix. For instance our first single 'Don't Feed Me To Them' starts with an insanely long time-stretch of a fire alarm I recorded on my phone. We're also quite selective about what we release, some songs that we've worked on a lot don't make the cut so no-one hears them.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
We've seen some great ones in Manchester recently, False Advertising and MUMS are excellent noisy live bands, then Age of Glass do an awesome live dub-rave thing, we need to catch them again soon, it's been too long.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Animal Collective or Panda Bear, that'd be challenging.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We're making an EP in the first quarter of 2017, then going to do loads of shows to spread the word. Hopefully we'll end up at some festivals too. It'd be great to play Kendal Calling, Sounds From the Other City, A Carefully Planned Festival or something like that.

Q: Any parting words?
Yeh, people are saying they can't understand the lyrics in our songs. Yes we do want to use that much reverb thank you very much, you're just not listening hard enough.

Our new EP will be due out later this year supported by some live shows.
*
*
*
Thanks

http://www.poolartmusic.co.uk/
https://poolart.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/poolartmusic

Amber with Everything is made in China - An Interview

Max Fedorov é o único atual membro do ex trio russo Everything is made in China, um nome altamente curioso, aliás tudo soa exótico neste projeto.

O EIMIC, para os íntimos de novo não tem nada, já esta na ativa desde 2007, ano de lançamento do primeiro álbum, "4", depois da estreia mais dois discos, "Automatic Movement" de 2009 e "Amber" de 2013, todos seguindo uma lógica dançante/cerebral, evocando tanto dreampop como standarts clássicos como Heaven 17 e Human League.

Entre beats, loops, sonhos e devaneios o EIMIC prepara seu quarto álbum para 2017, e certamente deveremos receber outra carga de sonhos dançantes.

Se por ventura você não os conhece, siga o conselho do TBTCI, dê play e relaxe.

***** Interview with EIMIC *****

Q. When did EIMIC start? Tell us about the history...
1)Eimic was founded in 2005 in Moscow with the full band name Everything is made in China.In 2007 first album "4" was released and gained wide audience very fast. Later another two albums were released: "Automatic movements" in 2009 and "Amber" in 2013.

In 2017 EIMIC is going to release it's 4th album under its new official title EIMIC.

At first, Eimic was a three-piece band, but now it's one - member project. The coming album was mixed and co-produced by Russian producer Korney Kretov (aka Kapus).

Live shows are planned to be supported by famous Russian drummer Serge Govorun, well known from his project «MRV».

Q: Who are your influences?
2)Regarding things that inspire EIMIC, there are plenty of them both in literature, art and music. Jhon Coltrain or Flying lotus, Kamashi Washington or Chemical brothers, Fink or Can and many other.

In art these inspirations could be Magritte or Van Gogh, Schiele or Rothko, Malevich or Bosch.

There is also a long list of authors from different times and cultures that contributed greatly, here just few of them: Joseph Bodsky, Bob Dylan, Franz Kafka, Fedor Dostoevsky,Sergey Dovlatov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the list could be much longe… It really hard to choose only one direction or a person when talking about inspiration . It's more like a unique stream of inspiration mixed and formed by different outstanding personalities and masterpieces.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
3)Here is the list. Here should be 100 albums, but let's make it 5:
Beatles - Revolver
Radiohead - Kid a
Moderat - Moderat
Chemical Brothers - Surrender
The Doors - L.A. Woman

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4) A lot has changed in the recent years, but still we love to play live gigs. It is still electronic synths music with greater part of live touch and of course video art.Live shows are planned to be started in February 2017 in Moscow, then St' Petersburgh and other Russian cities and also in Europe in the upcoming summer.

Q. How do you describe EIMIC sounds?
5)Electronic synth music with the life touch. Songs with not typical view, I hope so. 
Rythm, mood and melody that's the formula that I try to follow.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6)The process of composing depends greatly on several issues. It's a kind of special chemistry happens in this moment but also a bigger part of hard work. There are some common ways of doing it, here are some. One way starts from the melody, vocal part supported by piano or the guitar and then comes the arrangement as the bigger part of work.

Another way of composing starts with an electronic loop, reef or arpeggio, then vocal part and after that again big part of arrangement.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7)On Russian stage these are: Gnoomes and Pinkshinyultrablast. The latest interesting discoveries were: D.d dumbo, Kamasi Washington, Kiasmos, Rival Consoles.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8)Trying to remember,what bands we want to cover, here are bands: Smashing Pumpkins, King krimson, Chemical brothers, Joy division, Broken social scene, Rival schools, No knife, Bjork.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9)First of all I'd like to finish everything for the upcoming album: music, production and everything for the cover and art. Album covers has always been an important part of EIMIC. And our new album has different covers for every single and tells a vision of metamorphosis in art that we regard very important in our days.

Art work is done by really interesting and talented disingers grup " The Bakery". And I really like what we have now. Soon everybody will see this story.

Q: Any parting words?
10)Thank you for your interest! I hope to see you once on EIMIC live show. Love music! Have fun!
Happy New Year!
*
*
*
Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/eimicmusic
https://eimic.bandcamp.com