sexta-feira, 31 de agosto de 2018

This Time I Got It Figured Out with Distractor - An Interview


Os freaks do Distractor depois de três anos, enfim, soltaram seu segundo disco, novamente pela classuda Burger Records.

"This Time I Got It Figured Out" é o sucessor do sensacional "Devotion" de 2015, e a única diferença aparente entre ambos, é que o novo é teoricamente mais acessível, tirando este pequeno detalhe, o Distractor segue com seu synth pop punk, evocando Talking Heads e Devo em doses variadas.

Aqui tudo é diversão, se existe pretensão na música dos caras, sinceramente deve estar por entre as entrelinhas, porque tudo soa como se fosse feito absolutamente com o único intuito de curtir a vida.

Se Ferris Bueller fosse adolescente em 2018, certamente sua banda predileta seria o Distractor, fácil, fácil, resumindo faça como Ferris e seu lema, "a vida passa muita depressa, e se as vezes não pararmos para curti-la ela passará e nem veremos". Faça isso ao som do Distractor e bom divertimento.


***** Interview with Distractor *****


Q. When did Distractor begin? Tell us about the history...
Distractor began some night of 2014. We would be smoking spliffs and playing World of Warcraft every night in Glen's garage, and if Will was there he would be relentlessly playing his mini Yamaha keyboard along with the built-in drum patterns. at one point Glen started singing along with something Will was playing.. "all the fuckin thiiiings dude" and that was it. it was just a way to laugh at all our stress, and we wanted to show everyone.

Q: Who are your influences?
Brian Eno, poopylungstuffing, "sister christian" by night ranger, "think" by kaleida, david byrne, rudy, death in june, and bands that aren't entertaining

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
duty now for the future, hold your colour, the pleasure principle, the low end theory, talking heads cbs demos

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Its the best. there's no right way to do it. we get 30 minutes or so to go nuts. our chance to make people laugh, and forget about work tomorrow.

Q. How do you describe Distractor´s sounds?
Clumsy and natural


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We use the same process as most bands. drums first, which is the easy part cause we use a drum machine. a couple spliffs for good measure. then bass, keys, and guitars. followed of course by singing, along with more beers and spliffs. then we send it all off to sean so he can make it sound like we know what we're doing.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Not sure if they're new but: the garden, chai, rinse and repeat, big fun, mom and the mailman, ottofix, the memories, paste, venetian blinds, kevlar

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
To cover a whole band? maybe the frogs. or if its just one song we always want to play "bottled up" by devo but the chords are kinda tricky

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Oh man that's a tough one. we're bad at that sorta thing. we're looking forward to a trip to cape canaveral to see Glen's ashes be taken into orbit by the falcon heavy. we have some new songs that we need to record. also looking to get into the toy business, a Distractor lego set would be cool.

Q: Any parting words?
Yea, doodies. its a fun word to say. doody. and maybe schlep. you might need to schlep some stuff up some stairs. jetpack is another fun one. JETPACK! also thank you. thank you for talkin to us, and a big thank you to everyone who listens to our music. we hope it makes you laugh.
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/distractorofficial
https://distractorofficial.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Distractormusic/
https://pomogitecommunity.bandcamp.com/album/this-time-i-got-it-figured-out

quarta-feira, 29 de agosto de 2018

Cotton Candy with Cashfire Sunset - An Interview


Uma barulheira das boas saiu de Milwaukee recentemente e caiu diretamente no gosto pessoal do TBTCI.

O Cashfire Sunset, é um quarteto de jovens que tem J&MC e SY no DNA, e inclua aí doses de uma certa anarquia sessentista, cortesia do Farfisa e sua conexão com os Animals de Eric Burdon., mas o que realmente os caras mandam, é um guitar surf noise dos bons.

Quando se lê "bons", imagina que o Cashfire Sunset tem uma conexão espiritualmente sonora com o Times New Viking, pra quem não conhece, é fuzz noise de baixa fidelidade, e sem contra indicação.

O debute dos caras conheceu o mundo no meio de Maio, e passeia nessas praias, por vezes esfumaçadas, mas sem com a brisa estremecida.

Escute alto e vá se divertir.



***** Interview with Cashfire Sunset *****

Q. When did Cashifire Sunset begin? Tell us about the history...
We began working on Cashfire Sunset in early 2017.

I was working on a band with a friend of mine before that in which I was playing noisy guitars and writing noisy songs, but in 2017 I broke my arm in January and broke 3 fingers in March (both were skateboarding injuries). Had to take break from music.

One day I was hanging out with Ray Chi at a neighborhood concert when he casually commented that he wanted to start playing music regularly again. I still couldn’t play guitar for a while due to injuries so I bought a Farfisa Fast 3 organ in Chicago for $300 and a Carvin full stack and we started finding other musicians to work with.

Raj’r Taim (bass) and Sam Lozoff (guitar) are long time friends of mine who were in the zone to play at the perfect time.

It takes so long to get a band going...by the time we had the right people and the right songs together I could play guitar again. So there are 2 Farfisa songs on the album from the broken bones time.

I really wanted to do a loud band. I think we are pretty loud.

Q: Who are your influences?
I feel like, in our case, when you bring together all of the preferences, limitations, and personalities of the band members, you arrive at the sound automatically.

But there are definitely influences...

There’s Sonic Youth, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Small Faces, My Bloody Valentine, The Animals, Brian Jonestown Massacre Stereolab, Deerhunter, Times New Viking, Simon and Garfunkel, Guided By Voices, American Analog Set...

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Me (Jason) vocals, guitar:
Times New Viking - ‘The Paisley Reich’
American Analog Set - ‘The Fun Of Watching Fireworks’
Sonic Youth - ‘Evol’
Jay Reatard - ‘Watch Me Fall’
Joy Division - ‘Unknown Pleasures’

Ray Chi, drums:
Minutemen – ‘Double Nickels on the Dime’
Miles Davis – ‘Bitches Brew’
Wu-Tang Clan – ‘Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers’
Arvo Pärt – ‘Tabula Rasa’
The Residents – ‘Commercial Album’

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is great. We have a lot of amplifiers, so it’s easy to get engulfed in sound, which is the main goal I suppose.

Q. How do you describe Cashfire Sunset´s sounds?
Beach distortion with cathedral reverb.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
The goal was to have it very loud and washed out. Whenever possible I oversimplify things in the recording process. Also we recorded two songs at a time, instead of doing the tracking for one instrument for every song on the album at once. So I would re-setup the drum sound everyday. Re-mic the amps everyday. It’s more like recording a series of singles that way, and everyone can stay in the vibe of a specific song until it’s done.

I record the drums with only one full frequency microphone. It’s very liberating to commit to a sound right away. This approach favors the kick, snare, and rack toms and makes the cymbals quieter and more in the background. On a couple of songs we overdubbed some cymbals.

Bass was recorded with a Shure Beta kick drum mic about 20 inches from the speaker.

Guitars were recorded with large diaphragm condenser and a dynamic mic right next to each other. Sam uses an Ampeg ss140-c and an Ampeg ss70 which are solid state amps, and I use a Carvin x100-b tube full stack. I really like how the 2 guitars layer together with these amps. Some of the guitar melodies I record thru a Zvex Fuzz Factory and then direct line in with no amp. This lets it cut through in a special way with all of the distortion already in there from every angle.

Drums and bass are recorded playing together. We will never use a click track. Let the tempo drift and be free!

Then it’s vocals which are recorded in a standard way but then adding several different reverbs and echoes. And then layering harmonies.

At the end I master it with a lot of compression. Cheap digital compression. I roll off lots of high end and low end. I’m really interested in the texture of the music sounding cheap and nearly broken, as if it were played through faulty equipment or a terrible stereo system. I love the worst formats. MP3s and cassette tapes and walkmans and phone speakers take away all of the “beautiful frequencies”, and to me this is a new and interesting sound that I want to embrace. I want it to be just the essence of the song coming through a polluted haze. Like a Beatles cassette in a battery powered tape player when the batteries are almost dead. I like that. I’m trying to achieve that. I couldn’t care less if someone’s music was recorded through a Neve 8078 console with a Neumann U67 mic to 2 inch tape. Let that stuff die already. Music should be cheap, sound cheap, act cheap.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I recommend Gallery Night from Milwaukee USA.

Also Deafcult, The Daysleepers, La Luz, and Castlebeat.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
My latest fantasy is to try to do a very loud and lazy version of “Crocodile Rock” by Elton John, but I don’t know if I can get it to sound comfortable enough to feel ok about it. And even though it may amuse me to take that song out of its context and place it in a different one, I’m not sure it’ll be a great decision...we’ll try it in rehearsal and see I suppose.

But I’m really not a good enough singer to do covers I think...it always just sounds forced and disappointing to me.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We are happy to be a band and to be playing shows. It doesn’t get better than that. It’s the best to have the opportunity to play music.

Q: Any parting words?
Thank you so much for allowing me to ramble on about rock n roll music. I usually just talk to myself about it while I’m driving, so this is a great pleasure. And thank you for listening to our songs. We hope to see everyone out there soon.
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/Cashfire-Sunset-220234708826365/
https://cashfiresunset.bandcamp.com/releases

segunda-feira, 27 de agosto de 2018

Glow with Catch The Breeze - An Interview


Shoegaze gélido em tonalidades épicas, é o que exala de "Glow", debute dos dinamarqueses do Catch The Breeze.

Desde o nome a banda obviamente não esconde suas predileções, o que de fato transparece desde os primeiros momentos da eloquente "So Loud", abertura em que dê certa maneira define o andamento do disco.

Mas o Catch The Breeze, alimenta-se também, ou talvez até mais, dos anos gelados de Bowie e Iggy em Berlim, com notadas referências ao pós punk oitentista clássico, e até mesmo ao revival mais recente, leia-se Interpol, Editors entre outros.

Assim, o Catch The Breeze apresenta-se ao globo, engrossando ainda mais o tempero gaze epicamente cinzento.

Um grande trabalho sem dúvida.


***** Interview with Catch The Breeze *****


Q. When did Catch The Breeze begin? Tell us about the history...
We all played in Yellowish, a dream pop / alternative rock band, which disbanded in 2014. We still made music together though, and decided to start afresh so we formed Catch theBreeze 2014. The name is the title of a Slowdive song. Andreas has had a small silk screen print with the words ’catch the breeze’ hanging behind his drum set all those years with Yellowish, so it was a natural choice.

Q: Who are your influences?
We find beauty in a lot of different artists and bands from a lot of different genres and ages. There is no denying that we have listened to shoe gaze bands and My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Lush, Swervedriver, Ride are common favorites. New bands like A Place to Bury Strangers have also had a clear influence on the guitar sound. Actually, Aage has a couple of effects pedals made by Death by Audio, made by one of the members from A Place… Regarding drums and bass the influences are drawn from a lot of different places. Andreas has been inspired by bands like Yo La Tengo, CAN and NEU! Lars’s bass lines are in part inspired by The Clash, Iggy Pop, The Cure, Joy Division/New Order, and also Tim Lefebvre’s work with David Bowie. Artists from odd genres like Pino Palladino and Esperanza Spalding also had a huge influence.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Impossible! Ha ha! But here are 5 that we like a lot, though we do not agree completely. David Bowie, Low
The Cure, Disintegration,
Iggy Pop, Lust for Life
Slowdive, Souvlaki
Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Great! We love playing live and we get a kick out of seeing how our music affects the audience.

Q. How do you describe Catch The Breeze´s sounds?
On Glow, songs range from stark minimalism to more adventurous compositions. Lush swells of guitar, catchy basslines and contrasting, tight drumming. At the center stands Aage’s deep baritone voice.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
We have recorded most of the music live in the studio to achieve a raw and authentic feel. Vocals and guitar dubs were added later on in the process.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Kamasi Washington, Khruangbin, Amen Dunes, Kevin Morby. Danish bands like The Love Coffin, Iceage and The Foreign Resort.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We do not really do covers. We are too busy making new music!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
World domination. We are currently working on new music and plan to release an EP next year.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks so much for taking an interest in our music!
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/CatchTheBreezeofficial/
https://catchthebreezeofficial.bandcamp.com/

quarta-feira, 22 de agosto de 2018

Tres de la mañana with El Shirota - An Interview


Um esporro sonoro vindo de terras mexicana acaba de adentrar as páginas do TBTCI.

Uma colisão em altíssima velocidade entre Loop e Big Black, ou algo similar, assim poderia ser descrito o que o quarteto, El Shirota emana.

Chame como quiser, post hardcore, psych noise, ou qualquer outra coisa, mas o fato é que o que os caras produzem e exalam de seus discos é barulho, barulho gratuito sem a menor dó fazer tímpanos sangrarem.

Comece audição por qualquer um dos trabalhos dos caras, o resultado sera o mesmo, insanidade e uma massa sonora que poderia ser muito bem uma britadeira noise bem no centro do seu crânio.

Definitivamente o El Shirota, não é recomendado a indie kids.


***** Interview with El Shirota *****


Q. When did El Shirota start? Tell us about the history…
El Shirota started as Alonso, Mauricio and I (Nacho) met each other over the internet and at parties at our neighborhood. We saw a mutual interest in a lot of band we thought were cool so we decided to get to know each other and start jamming. At the first time we jammed Mauricio brought and idea for a song and we got a rush out of playing it together, me as a drummer and later jumping to the guitar as we were approaching a musical direction we liked in the band. A year after playing together we recorded and released ​Chiluca no es Satélite,​ our first EP, it contains that very first song Mauricio brought to our first rehearsal called “Aquí hubo escena”, which could be translated as “Here there was a scene”.

Q: Who are your influences?
David: OMD, The Cure

Rubén: David Pajo, Johnny Ramone

Emanuel: Interpol

Nacho: Lee Ranaldo, Arthur Russell, Nick Drake, Stephen Malkmus, Neil Young, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Kurt Cobain, the list could go on and on, I tend to hesitate on this kind of questions.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
David: ​Pornography​ by The cure
Rubén: ​Joe’s Garage​ by Frank Zappa
Emman: ​What People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not ​by Artic Monkeys
Nacho: ​Wowee Zowee​ by Pavement, ​Meddle​ by Pink Floyd


Q. How do you feel playing live?
As musicians, or music lovers, playing live is probably one of the most fulfilling sensations. Maybe it could be compared with having sex. It’s challenging but rewarding at the same time. Sometimes people don’t take in account all it takes for a band to play live. From the money and effort placed on the gear, transportation to the rehearsal, the time that has been spend practicing (if you aspire to be a professional), the opportunity to play on this or that venue that will hopefully give a chance to your band to have a break through. It all comes down to that sound coming out of the speakers, everything fades away once you play that first note, and you have to commit to it, because once it’s being played there's no turning back. It’s not like a recording where if we are quite objective it’s an endless delay of something pre-recorded, a very long delay if you will. Live it’s different there is no wall between you, the audience, and how you are able to perform. One of the greatest feelings ever.

Q. How do you describe El Shirota sounds?
A thrilling compilation of rock subgenres that mixes the best of our influences, a little of “wall of sound”, overdriven sharp guitars, mood changing songs and a lot of jamming and improvising, mixed with a defined punk rock and post-hardcore influence from all decades. Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ? We usually jam ideas, or often only gather to play and improvise and record ideas. One of us bring ideas to the rehearsal room and we spice them with everyone’s touch.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Oscar Sala and the Trautonium…. Just kidding Mexican Bands: Tajak, No Somos Marineros, Los Blenders, Exploded View All over else: The War on Drugs, King Krule, Oneohtrix Point Never, Cloudface, Kamasi Washington, Arca.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
David, Animals-Pink Floyd.. Hahaha

Rubén, Las Animas- Pueblo Fantasma Emman, Burning- Fugazi

Nacho, 2 Late - The Cure


Q: What are your plans for the future?
We’re writing new material. Probably our very first full length album, we also want to tour outside Mexico, get to know band outside our country and share our love for music and knowing new bands and musicians all over the world.

Q: Any parting words? #################################################### In spanish??? “Esta con madres” “Chido one”

It was thrilling to respond this interview, we know the blog for such a long time and it’s an honor for us to talk to you finally. :~)
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Thanks

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

terça-feira, 21 de agosto de 2018

Hopes are Overseas with No Crafts - An Interview


O trio madrilenho No Crafts é daquelas delícias do submundo dos bons sons que ficarão, infelizmente, guardadas e sendo apreciada por poucos.

Sorte dos iniciados, porque os viciantes singles, sim, por enquanto apenas singles, com exceção ao EP "No Arts No Crafts", lançado no meio do ano passado, o No Crafts é tipo a new wave recauchutada, tem Blondie na receita, tem surf sounds, tem bubblegum, tem conexão com o Primitives, é claro, mas tudo isso serve apenas pra situar, porque quando se aumenta o som, é inevitável ficar com os pés parados.

Dançante, eletrizante, e deliciosamente pegajoso, simples assim.


***** Interview with No Crafts *****


Q: When did No Crafts begin? Tell us about the history...
- We met a long time ago, when we were at school almost 15 years ago. We’ve always been interested in music and we started playing our instruments on our own. One day talking we thought that playing together could be fun, so after playing a few covers, we decided to write our own music. That´s how we decided to start this adventure called “No Crafts”. We always say this, but we are siblings from different parents, working together it’s easy for us and everything flows easily.

Q: Who are your influences?
- We are always listening to music and we discover new stuff very often, so this makes our songs vary a bit. Anyway, no matter what, we will always remain faithful to our sound. In this three years he have evolved a lot, but you can differentiate our spirit in every single song. Each one of us listen to different genres of music, so we have different views even on our own ideas. The fact that we listen to a certain kind of music doesn’t make us necessarily sound like them. We transfer to our music the things we like the most; an example: Carlos is really into jazz right now, so now he is introducing new chords to our songs that he didn’t use before.

Q: Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
- It’s a little bit difficult, but let’s try:

Led Zeppelin - IV,
The Cure - Desintegration,
Radiohead - OK Computer,
FIDLAR- FIDLAR
and The Libertines - The Libertines.

They are not ordered in any particular way, they are all such good records…

Q: How do you feel playing live?
- When we are on a stage, there’s some kind of energy that connects the three of us and the crowd. We feel good, we feel alive, it might be a cliché, but it is true. If you truly enjoy what you are doing, you don’t want to be anywhere else.


Q: How do you describe No Crafts´ sounds?
- For us (and almost every band we know) it’s a little difficult to define our sound. We’d say it’s a nice mixture of garage, surf, 80’s spanish pop… Here in Spain, in the 80’s, there was a trend called “La Movida”. It was kind of synth pop (sort of Depeche Mode, New Order…) with a punk touch. It was a movement which influenced art, music, style… For us, it would have been a pleasure to live that. It's funny, cause “La Movida” has influenced a lot of current spanish bands, but no one in the 90’s seemed to like it.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs.
- We usually start with an idea, it can be a riff or a short melody, and then we jam over it. We start recording when we think we have something to work on. Carlos and Ángel help each other with the guitar, bass and synth; Celia works on the drums, and the voice melodies and lyricss are developed by Celia and Carlos. Sometimes we finish the song very quickly, but some other times it takes us several months.

Q: Which new bands do you recommend?
- Maybe Rejjie Snow, cause he has created a rap sound that a lot of people likes, people who are into Cuco or Clairo’s music (a very different style) are also interested in him, he’s catchy. We could also say Rex Orange County, but we think we are way too late.

From Spain we recommend a band called Medalla, they have a very particular style that flirts with heavy metal and their lyrics are amazing.

Q: Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
- We have played only a few covers throughout our career: a quite punky version of Pulp’s “Common People” and “Psycho Killer” from Talking Heads.

We would like to make an interesting one, something from Tyler The Creator or maybe Arcade Fire, which could be a little difficult because we’re just three.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
- We are releasing a 10” called “Heartburn” after summer. It is going to be more poppy than what we’ve been doing, so it’s going to be interesting to see how people receives it. It's kind of an "emo-pop" album, because the music is happy and catchy, but when you pay attencion to the lyrics you'll see they are more bittersweet than the music is. At this moment he have released the first two singles, “Heavy” (March) and “Hopes Are Overseas” (May).

Our most ambitious plan is to make a huge tour all over Spain and Portugal, and we’d love to play outside the peninsula too.

Q: Any parting words?
- First of all, thank you for letting us be here! We’ve noticed that we are receiving some nice feedback from Brazil, so thanks to everybody that invests some time to know us better and listens to our music. We would love to play in Brazil, we hope it won’t take long!
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Thanks

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

segunda-feira, 20 de agosto de 2018

Whirl with Holy Forrest - An Interview


E os australianos invadem novamente as páginas do TBTCI.

Não é de hoje que por inúmeras vezes tenho insistido em afirmar que as terras de lá devem ter pego a água que Austin, porque é inacreditável a imensa quantidade de bandas, nos mais variados estilos, de extrema qualidade que tem surgido por lá.

A mais nova a instigar os sonhos dos gazers de plantão é o quinteto, Holy Forrest. Apesar de novatos, a singularidade para criar canções hipnóticas é latente.

Oscilando entre o etéreo e o agressivo, o Holy Forrest chegou a seu terceiro single, onde "Whirl" é qualquer coisa de majestosa.

Sonhos borrados são a especialidade do Holy Forrest e isso nós apreciamos e muito.


***** Interview with Holy Forrest *****


Q. When did Holy Forrest begin? Tell us about the history:
HOW HOLY FORREST DID THE THING, AS TOLD BY NANCY:

The origin story of how HF came to be is a lengthy and peculiar one. It all started when I walked into class one day in our first year of uni. I sat across the table from this somewhat geeky looking boy, the teacher instructed us to do some hands on activities and Shiv was clearly getting the hang of it and not afraid of showboating.

I remembered thinking:

”ergh, get a load of this guy.”


The next time I came into class I was late and the tables had all filled up so I sat directly behind him literally on the loner table, population... just me. I overhear him telling the teacher about “Jam Club”. Intrigued, I pull him aside after class and ask him what it’s all about and he tells me it’s just him and a few other people that gather in the student lobby every Thursday to well... jam.

We begin to talk bands and there’s instantly some common ground, I tell him I’m a drummer and with no hesitation he says:

“I want you to be the drummer for my band.”

“His band” population... him HAHAHAHA


Nevertheless, I found it endearing so we shook on it, REALLY not even understanding the weight of what it would one day manifest to become.

He had made his first official friend since his move to Australia and I was coincidentally asked to track drums in studio for a friend’s assignment, Audrey who was studying sound engineering at the time. I invited Shiv to come with me the very next day and the first time we ever played together was really telltale somehow.

We went on for another 2 years and grew close as best friends, writing our first ever track as a duo ‘Difference’ by emailing each other audio files back and forth, each time adding more layers. That being said for a long time we would struggle to find a bassist as everyone that came in our path weren’t really on the same wavelength or maybe it was something bigger than us, something cosmic and mysteriously... not yet Jesse, which leads me to how I found our beloved bassist.

I took a casual ‘stock replenishment’ job at the time which basically just meant I stacked shelves into the AMs, I was assigned the health and beauty section where I was paired with a nice middle aged white lady, her name is Jen. For months we would confide in each other or bicker just to pass time as we worked, but there was one recurring phrase I heard quite often

“Gosh you remind me so much of my son.”

At first I just thought:

“yeah yeah us emo kids are all the same I know”

but over the course of many months she would somehow manage to keep ‘encouraging’ me to become friends with this son of her’s as he was too shy to approach me as I later learnt she was also pushing for this “cool chick” on his end.

Skeptical, I added this dude that needed his mum to make friends for him on facebook. We get chatting and he was lovely as you would now expect, I asked him to come to The 1975’s concert with me the day before and he miraculously agreed.

I told him:

“dude we’ve never met, who am I looking for.”

and he goes:

“nah... like, you’ll know it when you see me.”

He wasn’t wrong, this big ginger afro in a pink headband emerges from the darkness and I know as much about him as his mother’s told me sooooo A BIT.

I warm up to him quickly as he wasn’t at all what I was expecting, way cooler. I invite him to my 20th birthday mentioning nothing to Shiv that he was also a musician as I wanted nature to run its course without my influence. I set up a live jamming area for the guests that wanted to have a little whiz on live instruments as I wasn’t really into the whole “Let’s get you a DJ” thing.

I laid down a few beats and then left them both to just get to know each other as I hung out with my other friends and family outside. Shortly after, I come back and Shiv puts his arm around me and goes:

“Nancy guess what?”

I had a little inkling but waited for him to finish his sentence

“meet our new bassist.”

I was of course over the moon as my little stitch up had worked without me actually suggesting anything.

The three of us would be a trio for about 6 months, one day I decided I wanted to front the band instead, as I had more to say than * DUT DUT DUT DUT * and the boys were very supportive but of course singing lead and drumming proved to be very difficult so I bought my very first electric guitar, a beautiful green Fender Mustang.

My interest for drumming began to feel lesser so I called it quits and we were once again stuck with finding another perfect fit. We auditioned a few people that didn’t make the cut until finally I gave up and posted an ad on Gumtree, in which a cool dude by the name of Zac messaged me back expressing his interest in our little instagram posts. I wasn’t feeling very chatty as I didn’t have very high hopes due to our luck or rather lack thereof, for the past few months leading up to that moment. No more, No less the exchange was about 4 short messages, a time and a place and that was that.

To my surprised he turned up, in fact he turned up before us. I was instantly impressed by his playing and saw great potential in him but it took about 3 jam sessions and a better day than ever for me to be running late for the boys to finally come around and REALLY connect with Zac musically without me being there, they said something like:

“OI, IT WAS THAT ONE FILL HE DID THAT JUST FIT SO WELL AND WE WERE LIKE BOIIIIII HE’S THE ONE.”


Yeah look... we aren’t the most refined people out there but that’s just rock ‘n’ roll and how we talk man, own it.

The 4 of us played our first gig on the 21st of July, 2017 in which that very night we would meet a handful of people that have stuck by us since, one of them being our last and final member Marco. He being the cheeky party animal he is, showed up to the warehouse gig we were playing support for, just to watch from the crowd.

We wouldn’t actually meet him until later when Shiv goes to a gig one day (unrelated) and meets the infamous Natureboi, doing his iconic dance moves in one of the three shirts he owns, bearing Slowdive’s design. They strike up a conversation and became fast friends.

The rest of us met Marco at an even later time, probably/definitely intoxicated in an über where I very enthusiastically told him that he should join the band from the front seat of the car probably/definitely scaring the driver.

so— now we’re here and we couldn’t be anymore of a maddeningly dysfunctional family if we tried but don’t worry we are very in love.

FIN.

Q. Who are your influences?
Swervedriver, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Loop, The 1975, Smashing Pumpkins, Ride, Sleep, Daughter, Cocteau Twins, Curve, Warpaint, Drop Nineteens, Nirvana, Oeil etc.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time
In no particular order:
Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
Metallica - Kill ‘Em All
Loop - A Gilded Eternity
Brian Jonestown Massacre - Methodrone
Slowdive - Souvlaki

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We love playing live. Our music with the exception of some songs have a very high level of energy about them and we really enjoy sharing that ecstatic surge of adrenaline with our audience. An important thing that we have realised from both watching and playing gigs is that the energy that radiates off of an artist can be the difference between a musical act and a PERFORMANCE. When we get up on stage we often move around in unusual ways without even realising it because we really just let loose. It is a better time than ever to rid yourself of the demons that trouble you in your everyday life. It’s always great to see how people react to our stage presence, especially if they haven’t seen us before and at first there’s an element of surprise and then they decide to join in.

Eccentricity should always be embraced at the right time and place :)

Q. How do you describe Holy Forrest’s sound?
We come from various musical backgrounds, shoegaze just happens to be the place in which we have decided to meet in the middle. Upon breaking down our multifaceted wall of sound, and revealing the layers of what we individually contribute, you will definitely be able to pick apart our differences as musicians. Nevertheless we’ve managed to make those said differences work so far! Fingers crossed our music grows in a succinct fashion alongside us and our growing audience.

For lack of better words our sound is:

Dreamy and melodic at times then ZAAJDKLSLSLDF fuzzy mayhem the next, we try our best to utilize all of our resources, that being our elaborate array of pedals and guitars that we’ve painstakingly acquired over the years to create soundscapes that evoke various moods and/or emotions. Our goal ultimately is to create an experience for both the mind and body rather than just playing an easily digestible and catchy tune. Which is why most people won’t get it, but the ones who do, stay and that exclusivity can be kind of personal and nice. Not in a way that we are purposely veering people out, because music is for everybody, but it’s somewhat more like an inside joke amongst good friends.


Q. Tell us the process of recording the songs.
Most of the songs to date have all been recorded in a totally DIY way in our drummer Zac’s magical shed. Couple of microphones, straight into a mixer which connects into a (pretty shotty) laptop and worked on Logic, nothing complicated or fancy.

For upcoming releases we aim to expand our horizons and experiment with different means of recording. Particularly, recording analog and embracing the involvement of others, preferably more knowledgeable than us who would be able to help us really capture that live sound that our audience are familiar with. That would without a doubt make things slightly easier and certainly more efficient.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Draining from Adelaide, Tennis System, Modern Color, Swirlpool, Death Bells etc.

Q. Which band would you love to make a cover version of?
‘Soon’ in honour of paying our respects to Lord Kevin Shields, My Bloody Valentine.

Q. What are your plans for the future?
The Future seems very exciting! As of right now we’re recording our first EP and plan to release some singles off it before the final drop. It’s too early to say too much as of right now but we expect to be due for a release in the first half of 2019!

Q. Any parting words?
If you have taken the time to sit here and read all of this then, wow please teach us that level of commitment but all jokes aside thank you so much for the overwhelming support and interest in what we do as a band. We are always so humbled by the love that is exerted from you all both on and off stage. A big shout out to Renato for reaching out to us all the way from Brazil, it’s been a pleasure.

We wish you all happiness in good health!
Love Always
HF
x
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Thanks

https://www.facebook.com/holyforrest/
https://holyforrest.bandcamp.com
https://librarygroup.bandcamp.com/album/whirl-cumulo

sexta-feira, 17 de agosto de 2018

In a Sea of You with Vintage Flowers - An Interview


Melodias iluminadas, como o mais reluzente nascer do sol californiano, assim são as cintilantes canções do Vintage Flowers.

Composto pelos amigos, .E. Paguyo, Ian Gallegos, Anton Rotter-Sieren e Harrison Chadwick, os caras são obviamente da Califórnia, e todo essa brisa embalsa "In a Sea of You", segundo trabalho deles.

Conectando-se com gente da atualidade como Dear Tracks, Beach Fossils, Best Coast entre outros, os caras engrossam as trilhas sonoras do entardecer a beira mar.

Totalmente sem contra indicação.

***** Interview with Vintage Flowers *****


Q. When did Vintage Flowers begin? Tell us about the history...
A. Vintage Flowers started as my solo project back in the summer of 2013 in Oakland, CA right before I began college at UC Davis. I had a lot of free time and I was feeling very inspired to write music. The project picked up at the end of 2015 when I met our drummer Ian. At this point I had written enough songs for live performances, so we recruited our bassist Anton and guitarist Harrison to fill out the lineup. We played a lot of shows around Davis, Oakland, and San Francisco. Recently I finished our first album, In a Sea of You, and we just got back from our west coast tour in Seattle, Portland, Berkeley, and LA.

Q: Who are your influences?
A. I am influenced by so many artists, there are too many to list! My biggest influences are probably The Beatles, Alasdair MacLean from the band The Clientele, and various artists on the record label Captured Tracks.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
A. 1) What a Pleasure - Beach Fossils
2) The Violet Hour - The Clientele
3) Oshin - DIIV
4) Here Comes Everybody - The Wake
5) Soft Dreams - Dear Tracks

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. I absolutely love playing live. It gives me a lot of joy to share my music and interact with the audience. I also really enjoy watching the other bands play live.

Q. How do you describe Vintage Flowers´ sounds?
A. I would describe our sound as a mix of dream pop and indie rock, with elements of shoegaze and bedroom pop.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A. Our debut album was completely home recorded. I use a Focusrite Scarlett and Logic Pro X. I start by recording drums. Then I track the bass and guitars over the drums. Finally I record vocals. I love recording at home because I can take my time and really get the sounds and tones that I want. I also enjoy the learning and growing process of recording on my own.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A. There are too many to recommend!!! A few of my favorites are Men I Trust, Dear Tracks, Jade TV, Municipality, Major Murphy, Lomelda, Adult Mom, and Big Thief.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A. I would love to cover Melancholy Man by The Wake.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A. I am moving to LA for graduate school this August. I plan to continue writing songs when I have time and form a live band for playing shows. Hopefully I can record a proper full length album within the next couple of years!

Q: Any parting words?
A. Follow us on Instagram @vintageflowersband and on Facebook! Peace and love! -J.E.
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Thanks

quarta-feira, 15 de agosto de 2018

The Showroom Dummies with Trans FX - An Interview


O projeto Trans FX é fruto da cabeça de seu mentor e basicamente o único elemento fixo do projeto, Chris McDonnell.

O cara é escritor, produtor, ator e arquiteto da melodias que primeiramente soam não convencionais, mas que conforme as audições vão seguindo, tornam-se literalmente cantaroláveis. 

O quinto álbum da Trans FX é uma colaboração com o The Showroom Dummies, e conta com uma série de participações especiais, leia-se, Lillian Maring, Valerie Warren e Abby Dahlquist.

Poderia ser resumidamente descrito como um dreampop excêntrico, mas o refinamento aponta para outras esferas. Sinta o sabor da releitura de "Sunday Morning" do VU, ou a delicia sonora de "I`m a Dreamer" e saboreie o convencional não convencional.

Para quem diz que não há inteligência na música pop atual o Trans FX é um tapa na cara com luva de pelica.

***** Interview with Trans FX *****


Q. When did Trans FX begin? Tell us about the history...
1. We started TransFX as an experiment in 2011. As a post ironic vision, we wanted both humor and sincerity to be paramount alongside the best pop music we could make. Over the years TransFX has evolved tremendously, but we have never left the original pursuit.

Q: Who are your influences?
2. Kurt Cobain is one of the biggest influences on the group and culture, but influences range from Frank Sinatra to Laurie Anderson, from Tupac to REM... Any great of their genre is put on high in our catalog. The ingenuity of rap culture and drum n' bass music also play a big part in the grand performance that is TransFX.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
1.Goldie- Timeless
2. Nirvana- Incesticide
3. Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
4. Don Cherry - Brown Rice
5, Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

Q. How do you feel playing live?
4. TransFX has always been 2 bands... TransFX LIVE and TransFX in the studio. Entertainment is top priority!

Q. How do you describe Trans FX´s sounds?
5. TransFX develops new sounds daily. New members and gear vastly influence the changing sound.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
6. Our recording process is varied, but usually we have demos upon demos by the time we end up recording. We primarily record with Capt. Tripps in Olympia, WA, on a 1" tape deck. All inputs are then bussed down to two tracks... vocals usually bring more of a party atmosphere, whereas, the music is usually more of a "getting down to business" affair.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
7. New bands that I recommend are few, not because I hate them, but because I don't know them! Esprit is a great new creation... Esprit is Abby Dahlquist, who also appears on our new LP, TransFX & the Showroom Dummies!

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
8. We have 2 covers on our new album, TransFX & the Showroom Dummies.... We cover the Velvet Underground and a Canadian artist named Sandy Denny. We currently are working on a Pretenders cover as well. I always want to cover...

Q: What are your plans for the future?
9. We plan on continuing this enterprise as long as this Earth will have us! Our new album comes out July 26th, and our sister band CCFX will be touring Europe in the fall...
Hopefully we can plan a trip to Brazil!

Q: Any parting words?
10.Peace to everyone out there...
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Thanks

https://transfx.bandcamp.com/

terça-feira, 14 de agosto de 2018

Klammer, "You Have Been Processed" - Track by Track



O quarteto de Leeds, Reino Unido, Klammer, já devidamente conhecido pelos frequentadores das páginas do TBTCI, soltaram no submundo dos bons sons, seu novo trabalho há exatos quatro dias atrás.

"You Have Been Processed", o álbum, segue o caminho percorrido pelos caras, iniciado no álbum homônimo de 2016, um pós punk ríspido como nos velhos tempos, evocando fantasmas de Modern English, The Sound e outros, o Klammer visita as sombras mas sem exaltar a escuridão em sua plenitude.

O pós punk dos caras é o mais clássico dos clássicos, com a combinação baixo/bateria guiando sisudamente o andamento das canções.

Para fãs do gênero é absolutamente indispensável, e para os que não são, pode ser uma grande introdução, de qualquer maneira, seus criadores a convite do TBTCI penetraram na espinha dorsal de "You Have Been Processed" revelando seus mistérios e segredos.

Escute alto, preferencialmente a noite.

***** Klammer, "You Have Been Processed" - Track by Track *****


Steve: I’m not sure where songs come from really. I come up with a riff or some chords and then suddenly I have a finished song starting back at me on my computer. The bit in between the initial idea and a finished song is a blur, they just come out!I think this is the most consistent album we have done so far.

Poss: I have a “scratchpad” of ideas for the lyrics. Most of the time I will have just one line or a phrase which I have heard, sometimes an item on the TV might spark an idea.


Coast To Coast
Poss: This was a partly finished song to which I set the words about people lost abroad or at sea, I started with the phrase of “washed away, washed away….” and built it from there. As usual, Steve and I did the arrangement and, as usual, I made him swap the music which he said was the verses with the ones he insisted were the choruses!

Steve: I definitely got more into doing backing vocals on this record than on previous ones.

Modern God
Steve: The first single off the album. I came up with the idea for the video as I was falling asleep one night.

Poss: This was a late addition to the album really. I had the full lyrics written for over a year but was waiting for the right music to set them to.

No Memory
Poss: I think we decided at some point to start a song with little or no music and just the vocals. The words came about because I’m really bad at remembering names and faces which is embarrassing when they obviously remember me very well!

Spiral Girl
Steve: The second single of the album and probably the most ‘pop’ we’ll ever get!

Poss: Yes! Our first “Pop” song! I’d been to stay in a big Victorian Hotel one weekend, the weather was wet and the sky was dark. The hotel was quite run down in places so that’s the “faded seaside glamour”, I just imagined that some of the elderly residents being in their youth and living and loving life to the full.

Mechanical Boy
Steve: I’ve started to experiment with different guitar tunings, this one and Human Clay are tuned to DADGAD.

Poss: A song about a wasted life!!!

Baddest Blocks
Poss: This is proving to be a popular song in our live set. A reviewer said that I looked as though I’d been brought up in the “Baddest Blocks” of Leeds! There had been a lot of news around the tower block fire and gangs running around with knives and the words just came together one morning while I was walking and listening to the tune Steve had written.

Steve: It was originally written to be the B-Side for Spiral 7”, but then we realised it was too good not to be on the album.

Tonight
Poss: I wanted handclaps in the chorus but it wasn’t to be!!!

Steve: From a very old bit of music idea that I had hanging around, I’d originally written it on keyboards! It came to life as soon as I put the Fender VI on it and I replace all the keybaords with guitars. The only Klammer song where the low bass plays the same thing through the whole song!

Common Sense
Steve: Musically it was finished before the 2nd album (Klammer) but we never quite got the vocals finished. Since then, we just kept revisiting it until Poss came up with the vocal melody.

Poss: It took me forever to write a vocal melody to this song, I had writer’s block with it! I kept saying it would have to be an instrumental but I guess I got there in the end…

‘Twas But a Magpie
Poss: This song has a life of it’s own when we play it live, it’s a beast! I was reading a lot of American stuff at the time but even I’m not entirely sure what I’m saying in the lyrics. Hopefully it’s one of those songs where the listener can interpret it their own way?

Steve: The first song I wrote on my Fender VI Baritone guitar

Human Clay
Steve: Another one in DADGAD tuning on the guitar

Poss: A song about lost youth and manipulation.

Production
Poss: I wrote the lyrics in Berlin right after visiting the DDR Museum and Hansa Studios. I still have the first draft of the song written on 2 Bavarian beermats!!!

Steve: My original idea was to try something like PJ Harvey would do with a very empty intro and first verse and then to get heavier as the song goes on.

A Long Cold Summer
Poss: Well I got that wrong!!! It’s been a veritable HEATWAVE in the UK this year!!!

The words are about how someone that you think you know intimately can slowly and irreversibly change until you no longer know them at all.

Steve: Another song written on my Fender VI, it makes me write riffs rather than chords!
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Thanks

https://klammerband.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/klammerband/
https://www.klammer.co.uk

segunda-feira, 13 de agosto de 2018

Suburban Loop with Baltic Noise - An Interview


Adrian Burns é a mente lunática por trás das paisagens sonoras do projeto, Baltic Noise.

Algo como uma junção dos experimentos do Flying Saucer Attack, excetuando os barulhos extremos, e as colagens sintéticas do Boards of Canada. 

Minimalismos por entre camadas de sintetizadores que se fundem entre sons orgânicos e sintéticos, invocando as forças da natureza.

O Baltic Noise é música dançante para o cérebro.

***** Interview with Baltic Noise *****



Q. When did Baltic Noise begin? Tell us about the history...
Q1: Baltic Noise began during my first semester in college around the fall of 2016 (Although I had played in several bands before that time.) I was going to a branch of the University of Pittsburgh in a town called Johnstown in Pennsylvania and had recently left my then band, Numerics. It was situated pretty far into the mountains and it took me about 4 or so hours to reach this spot from my home. So granted, I didn’t have many friends and decided to spend my time making music at my dorm or at my grandparent’s home nearby. Most of the tracks had a start in their home, it was so inspiring to me to be out in the forest in the winter time. It helped influence so much of those sounds. At the time, the name was different from what it ended up being and the sound was completely different. I was really involved in learning a lot of black metal and post-rock songs and I had really wanted that sort of aesthetic; but with more atmosphere and ambience. I was messing around with really early tracks in Fl Studio, a program used to produce music. I had learned a little bit about it the Summer before, but really only got into it when I was living at Johnstown. A lot of the tracks took form in my home when I decided to transfer to Millersville in Lancaster county. I had taken a gap semester and used that time to work and make music. I think in February of 2017, I completed the track “Abendrot”. It was mostly a guitar based song that I had ended up adding sounds to and manipulating the original samples, while overlaying synth parts. There are tons of Roland TR808 samples in that track. At this point, I was getting into very synth heavy music and finding a love for electronic music. I think at one point, I felt like that was a very daunting task, until I realized, I had already done it with this track. Soon after, a few more tracks came together and I had about 20 minutes worth of material. Fast forward a few weeks, I had learned Ableton and started booking shows. Thus, the first tape came to fruition and Baltic Noise was born!

Q: Who are your influences?
Q2: My influences change pretty frequently, as I like to keep things fresh. But, I think currently, I am really inspired by Boards of Canada’s work. It’s just so original and raw. It adds a level of intimacy that so much electronic music (I don’t know how they themselves feel about this title) is missing so often. I'm also working on blending my visual art with my music, something that the brothers in BOC are very good at. I am really inspired by Jamison of Teen Daze. He’s a very humble fellow who has a knack for creating soundscapes that are very akin to at home listening, yet still very adventurous and active. As usual, I’ll never wrap my head around what Autechre are able to do, but not understanding it makes me want to do it even more. So I’m always striving for a little bit of their creative process. The usuals are there too i.e Brian Eno, Baths, Lali Puna, etc.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Q3: This one changes all the time, so I guess I’ll just list what it is currently. This is so difficult, haha.
Geogaddi by Boards of Canada
Young Mountain by This Will Destroy You
At Home With by Owen
Glacier by Teen Daze
Cerulean or Obsidian by Baths (I really can’t choose!)

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Q4: Playing live is a whirlwind. It feels magical! The first couple hours leading up are pretty stressful, usually thanks to anxious ticks. I like to have a level of improv to my set, which makes it harder to predict what will happen. Once I’m up there, it’s all gone and I feel content to share my art and bask in the half hour I have to pour my heart out.


Q. How do you describe Baltic Noise´s sounds?
Q5: I would describe Baltic Noise’s sound as organic and synthetic. There are samples that aren’t necessarily created solely with a synthesizer, found sound samples, and stringed instruments that are processed and distorted through so many layers. I couple these sounds with a drum machine and synthetic instruments. My influences stem from many places, so it’s cool to be able to utilize these sounds.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Q6: I usually start with a riff or chord progression. Lately, it’s been a drum beat. I’ll mess with it for hours and try to build some semblance of a track, but it always finds a way to be reimagined and revised. I find that a song doesn’t always have the initial outcome I had hoped for; which creates a more interesting track to me. This is the case with most tracks, that as I’m building and inviting new sounds in, the original idea is always changed. Not necessarily clouded or forgotten, just improved upon. This can get challenging, because it feels like there is always something new to add, haha. No track really starts the same. Sometimes, I barely know what I’m even doing, as tracks can take a week up to a month to complete. Taking some time away from them to read, write, or work on another track usually gives me more ideas.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Q7: I would highly recommend Preamp, Vicious Blossom, M Sage, and Naps. Not necessarily new artists, but artists very deserving of recognition. I’ve really been enjoying the new Tourist Kid record and I think that Lali Puna and Dntel are highly underrated. Anything that Melody as Truth has put out is worthwhile.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Q8: I think it would be really cool to make an dreampop version of an American Football/Owen track. Or even to take on The Sundays. I think there are some really cool untapped sounds there. (maybe look for this in the future?)

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Q9: I’ve got my schedule pretty busy with the future. I’m working on a few remixes currently, playing some shows, and recording new music. I have a couple tracks completed for a full length, but I’m not quite sure when it will be available. But for certain, it will be soon and it’s much different than anything that I did on Liminal. I also play guitar for Janedriver and I’m a fulltime student. I’m pretty busy with both of those things, at the moment. That’s okay. I enjoy having things to do.

Q: Any parting words?
Q10: It was truly an honour to be apart of the latest TBTCI compilation and I really appreciate you inviting me to be apart of it! It was wonderful answering your questions, thanks so much!
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Thanks

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

sexta-feira, 10 de agosto de 2018

Jane, Drive It All Over Me with Janedriver - An Interview




Desde quando meu amigo Nate do Vicious Blossom me apresentou o quarteto de Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Janedriver, fiquei completamente apaixonado.

O motivo?, Bem o motivo é a estridente barulho que jorra dos altos falantes quando suas canções começam a ser executadas. Depois de alguns singles o Janedriver enfim debutou com um trabalho digno de seu poder. Os poderosos singles estão todos presentes no disco homônimo, "Strange", Nude" e "You Know It´s True" despejam fantasmas de Swirlies, Henry´s Dress, Black Tambourine entre outros ícones do barulho e baixa fidelidade, mas o ápice mesmo é a abertura destruidora com a espetacular "Jane, Drive It All Over Me", talvez uma referência ao MBV, mas que não soa como eles. 

Se você precisa de um barulho diretamente dos céus, o Janedriver é seu medicamento. Escute o mais alto que você puder, ah, com fones de ouvido.

***** Interview with Janedriver *****


Q. When did Janedriver begin? Tell us about the history...
A: Janedriver began as a sort of extension of the solo material that I had been writing throughout late 2017 and the beginning of this year. Prior to Janedriver, the bassist Evan and I had been playing in a deathrock band, and during that time I had been writing and recording a lot of music in my free time in a more shoegazing style. In early February I posted a couple of what I felt were the best songs on my personal Facebook account just under my own name, not really thinking much of them other than they were good enough to share with my friends. But they eventually garnered enough attention just among my own friends and peers I was getting requests for shows, and I thought that it might be a good idea to form a full band around the project. I never had any interest or intention of playing solo live and what I was ultimately trying to achieve, even just with my lo-fi demos, was more of a full band sound. I contacted Evan who I had played with before, told him that I was trying to form a band, and asked him if he would like to play bass. Evan and I always got on extremely well and bonded over a lot of shared musical interests, so when we played together in any musical context we always meshed very well, and were able to communicate almost unspokenly on the same artistic wavelength. It had also been almost 6 months since our previous project had disbanded and we were both really itching to play music again. Our first practice was just the two of us playing through all the songs on guitar, bass, and vocals, in his bedroom. From there it expanded with Evan bringing his friend Andrew into the fold to play drums, and later with me later bringing our mutual friend Adrian into the mix to play guitar and synth. Both of them being incredibly talented musicians with their own musical projects (The Ok Ok’s and Baltic noise, respectively) who really helped to round out the band, and bring us into the sound and musical territory that we had been aiming for when we started. The first practice with all four of us together really brought all the songs to life, and produced such a massive and ethereal sound that got us all very excited about doing the band. From there we started playing shows in the surrounding local areas.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: I think that it’s safe to say that we all have pretty eclectic tastes that are really specific to each of us as individuals. The influences that each of us bring to the band are so far reaching that there would just simply be too many to name. But some of the influences that we all share are My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Brian Eno, Slowdive, Boards of Canada, and Slint.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
A: That’s a really good question. For me personally my top five favorite albums would probably be:

The Cure’s "Pornography",
The Jesus and Mary Chain’s "Psychocandy",
The Television Personalities’ "...And Don’t The Kids Just Love It",
The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa’s "Susurrate",
My Bloody Valentine’s "Loveless", and if I could so bold as to add a sixth, Sonic Youth’s "Evol". Some of those are a bit obvious but those are some of the records that have been the most crucial and impactful in shaping my taste in music, and possibly even me as a person.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A: I think that I can speak for everyone when I say that I absolutely love playing live and feel very free when we perform. We’re a very expressive live band and we play off each other’s energy a lot. Music is very much a main emotional outlet for all of us, and we like to use being on a stage or in front of an audience as a way to express things through the music that we wouldn’t normally be able to in any other social context. I think that because of that our live shows tend be quite aggressive and often times even destructive, but it’s a lot of fun.


Q. How do you describe Janedriver´s sounds?
A: We play around with a lot of different textures and sounds. We really like the idea of combining both abrasive and beautiful sounds, and having things sound very big. I’m aware that is not at all an unpopular approach, especially amongst bands of the shoegaze genre, but I like to think that we play with that idea in a way that is our own, even if just slightly.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A: I tend to do a lot of the writing on my own and record demos to bring to the rest of the band. Currently, most of the recorded material that we have up on the internet is just recordings that I’ve done solo, save for a recent live recording of ours that just got put out, but that should change very soon. We have plans to start recording an album at the end of the summer at friend’s studio which will be done as a full band, and with a much different approach to recording than what we’ve done in the past.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A: Definitely Ovlov, Gorpho, Exploded View, Preamp, Funeralbloom, Oroboro, Selofan, Vicious Blossom, and Bloated Subhumans.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A: I have been listening to a lot of The Pastels lately and I think it would be pretty cool to do a noisey cover of one of their songs. Or maybe something by Majesty Crush!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: We plan to record an album in the next month or two which will be out in the next month or two which will be out in the fall with any luck. There has also been some talk about possibly doing a tour in the winter. But other than that our plans are mostly just to keep writing and playing shows.

Q: Any parting words?
A: Quit your job, make art, be nice to animals, support your friends. Other than that I’d just like to thank you for the interview and the support! We all really appreciate it a lot. -Cindy
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Thanks

https://janedriver.bandcamp.com
https://estrangedcommunications.bandcamp.com/album/janedriver
https://www.facebook.com/janedrive.it.all.over.me/


I Only Want To (Rock and Roll) with DriftMode - An Interview


A história de dois amigos que vivem numa pequena vila na Holanda e nutrem afeto e amor especial por J&MC, punk, e barulheira noventista, sem contar new wave e outras facetas sonoras nestas décadas de boa música.

Os dois então resolveram focar o amor pela distorção e melodiais assoviáveis, alguém disse J&MC por aí?, sim os caras parecem ter filtrado a carreira dos irmão Reid em seu primeiro EP, que nasceu em meados de Junho. Barulheira cantarolável para fazer a alegria dos verdadeiros indies.

A nota triste de tudo isso, é que o DriftMode mal começou e entrou em um hiato, Eugene e Michael estão trabalhando em novas canções mas talvez sob outra ótica....aguardemos novidades por aí.


***** Interview with DriftMode *****


Q. When did DirftMode begin? Tell us about the history
We (Eugene and Michel) living in Boxtel (a small village in The Netherlands) met eachother some years ago, when Michel asked Eugene to play the lead-guitar in a band called 'the galactic lo-fi orchestra', in which Michel was the singer/guitarist and songwriter. This was the first tim we joined forces.

We both musically grow up in the eighties and shared a lot of favourite bands and went to the same concerts back then, without knowing eachother by then.

So when we finally met, we taked a lot about music and listened together to our finest album.
Besides playing together in a band, we started the Driftmode project.

Q: Who are your influences?
@Michel: I like to listen as much music as possible, in general wave-alternative-punk-hard core.

@Eugene: Same as Michel, always keep listening to new music always, but early influences are (j.a.m.c., pavement, pixies, wipers, replacements, eighties new wave)

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
@Michel; My top 5 changes many times, but there always will be a Ramones album on top.

@Eugene: Difficult indeed because it changes. For me is top 5 (many good songs on 1 record).
The Days of wine and roses - dream syndicate
The Posies - frosting on the beater
J.a.m.c. - Psychocandy
The National - High Violet
The Gunclub - The Fire of love

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We never played live. We made the EP, it was recieved well in the music-press and we had some invitations to do some concerts. We made plans how to do the songs live, but other musical projects were given priority.

Q. How do you describe DriftMode´s sounds?
Eighties guitar pop noise.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
After we met eachother we talked a lot about music. We discovered that earlier on we both had recorded some demo material with pop-noise music that matched and so we decided to work together.
We mostly worked apart form eachother as far as recordings concern. Once a week we met eachother and listend to everything we recorded and we put all the ideas into the songs on the Driftmode EP.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
@Michel,there so much new bands coming up, everyday i discover anew one, at te moment it's a band called EUT, they also from the Netherlands.

@Eugene: Protomartyr, Shame, Carseat Headrest, Moaning Flasher, Goat Girl, Stephen Malkmus & the jiggs etc. Also dutch releases of Canshaker pi, The Homsick, Howrah!, Moss 2017

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Michel, if I do a cover I need to have the feeling that the original almost was written about me.

Eugene: Maybe Pavement.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
The Driftmode project is on hold at the moment.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanx for the possibility to give us this interview
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Thanks

https://driftmode.bandcamp.com/album/driftmode

quarta-feira, 8 de agosto de 2018

Tropisms with Burnt Pixels - An Interview


O visual da foto que abre a matéria remete diretamente ao saudoso e espetacular Beastie Boys e seu seminal Check Your Head, mas o duo, londrino, Burnt Pixels, esta mais para os Beach do que os Beastie Boys.

Melodiosos, e ensolarados, os caras chegaram ao segundo trabalho desde que iniciaram a parceria em 2016. "Tropisms" nasceu no primeiro dia de Maio, e vem suceder o belo, "The Hollow Down By The Flare", só que a vibe de "Tropisms" vai além de seu predecessor, além da obviedade de conexões com os Beach Boys, era pós surf songs, os caras buscam raízes em ícones como R.E.M. e Replacements.

Iluminados, o Burnt Pixels é o antídoto para o caos do dia a dia. Medique-se.


***** Interview with Burnt Pixels *****


Q. When did Burnt Pixels begin? Tell us about the history...
Burnt Pixels began in the Spring of 2016. I’d been in bands with Ben for many years (23frames being the previous one), and we’ve been friends since we were about 14-years-old, but I had kind of withdrawn and had not been writing songs for a while. Ben’s encouragement to start something up again really began a fertile period for me, song-writing-wise, and just generally, artistically. I went to art school, so there’s always going to be that kind of approach to music for me. The band name was just there sitting in my head already; something new and something ancient together. I would begin recording the songs at home, almost like a demo, and then Ben would visit each week and would write and record his parts. This is the kind of recording process I really like; I’ve been recording songs on 4-tracks and other tape recorders since I was about 13-years-old.

Q: Who are your influences?
As well as all the obvious ones like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, I had my life-changing moment when I first heard Sebadoh. I think it was the honesty of Lou Barlow’s voice – the sense that he’s singing with his own voice – and the love and humour of it, too. Something about the yin & yang of a beautiful melody and the low production and noise has always appealed to me. The Cure I love massively. The melody and industriousness of Robert Smith’s guitar-playing – the unshowy majesty of it, was what really got me; and again the honesty of his voice. I was probably more influenced by The Shadows than I should admit. I love later-period Beach Boys albums, when they’re really untethered. R.E.M are probably my favourite band, silly as it is to have a favourite band. For Tropisms I bought a lot of ‘80s guitar pedals. I really wanted the guitar to sound as beautiful as possible; I made a conscious decision to be unashamed by the use of a chorus pedal.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Sebadoh – The Freed Weed
The Beach Boys – Smiley Smile
Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Vol II
The Cure – Disintegration
R.E.M – Reckoning

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Simultaneously like I’m in a dream and that I’m more truly alive than ever.

Q. How do you describe Burnt Pixels´ sounds?
I want the music to sound like the artwork looks, and vice-versa. It’s like being underwater but being able to breathe and look at everything around you in detail. It’s also meant to have humour and love – music or any art simply cannot be good without those things – and not just in the lyrics but in the sound. Each album should be its own world, one that you can live in and explore and be mystified and baffled by; one in which there are both great triumphs and awful injustices.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
I start by recording the skeleton of the song on my laptop. Ben then listens and creates his parts, the drums, harmonies, guitar. He’s very intuitive and just knows what to do; he doesn’t make it easy for himself, either; if he thinks the song needs an 8-part harmony, he’ll record an 8-part harmony for it. We write and record the bass parts pretty much 50/50. Even the drums this time we recorded at home. I’m always writing down lyrics, sentences or phrases in a notebook that usually find their way into a song – whichever song sounds like those particular lyrics, will utilise those lyrics – unless I write a song with a clearer mission in mind, which is far rarer.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I like Gnoomes - a Russian kind of proggy band. Also, I went to see the Cure this weekend in Hyde Park and supporting them were The Twilight Sad, who I’m listening to as I type – they are very good live, too. There are quite a lot of bands who, far from being new, have been around for ages but I’m only just getting into – like Slowdive (who I also saw this weekend). I’ve also seen The Rebel quite a lot this year, who is Ben Wallers of Country Teasers; I never tire of his music – it’s true punk: utterly DIY, non-partisan, non-ideological, virtually anti-everything, funny.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I find this an increasingly difficult thing to approach; Since every kind of post-modern or ironic take on doing a cover has been done, to the point where they’re in adverts for banks and just plain annoying, it’s hard to find a reason to cover anything – especially when you know your version can only be – at best – a pale imitation. And that’s a reason not to attempt a serious and sincere cover either. I’m sometimes tempted to cover something but then realise it’s just because I want to play it live, or wish I’d written it, so it’s probably best to leave alone for now. If I could sing well I’d probably play more covers, as often a cover is successful simply because it’s sung better, or differently. I am very gradually beginning to be able to love my singing voice, though, so who knows.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Playing live and album #3. Burnt Pixels are now a live-playing band, which I’m very excited about and am looking forward to playing as much as possible this Summer. Ben moved to Bristol last year so I was travelling there from London to record this last album; obviously there are impracticalities to that and playing live, so now my friends Pete Whyte (bass) and Martin Wrigley (drums) have joined the band and we’re doing some live dates.

Q: Any parting words?
That sounds very final. Okay, only this: Always remember; no matter where you go, there you are.
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Thanks

https://burntpixels.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/burntpixelsband/