sexta-feira, 30 de março de 2018

The Great Famine with Grandeur - An Interview


Pós punk cascudo, agressivo, sem espaço para melancolia, o negócio dos caras do Grandeur é outro, caminham pelas trilhas abertas por gente como Killing Joke, Modern English e Psychedelic Furs, este último, principalmente pela similaridade da vozes.

Os caras estão em vias de soltar seu novo trabalho, "The Great Famine", que trará doses ainda mais cavalares de rigidez negra sob uma ótica de escapismo eminente.

Perfeito para noites intermináveis, sugiro ficar de olhos e ouvidos atentos com o Grandeur.

***** Interview with Grandeur *****


Q. When did Grandeur begin? Tell us about the history...
Grandeur began about a year ago. I had some dark little pop songs and made some very rough, lo-fi demos of them. We ended up releasing it on cassette. I made 100 and they all went pretty fast. The sound has evolved since, but the main idea is the same. We're a two-piece; guitar/vox and bass. We use a percussion track with the synths on it. It can be a challenge to get the sound right in a live setting, but at this point, I prefer it to a full band and can't imagine we'd change that dynamic anytime soon.

Q: Who are your influences?
I listen to a lot of different types of music. I grew up mainly on punk, hardcore and some new wave, but the influences for Grandeur are pretty simple: The Jesus and Mary Chain, Killing Joke, Psychedelic Furs, early Modern English and a little known Scottish synth band from the mid '80s called Secession.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
That's a tough one. In no particular order I'll say:

The Clash - London Calling,
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands,
Generation X - s/t,
Laughing Hyenas - Life of Crime,
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs.

And I base that on the idea that those are 5 albums I can listen to anytime without skipping a song.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing live is why I got into music in the first place. It's a chance to step outside yourself for an hour a day. It becomes a little more challenging as you get older with more responsibilities, but it's still the main reason I write and record.

Q. How do you describe Grandeur sounds?
Big, dark, warm, oddly hopeful and sometimes aggressive.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Like most songwriters and musicians these days [and I don't know that I'd call myself either], I've got a studio in my home. I'm no great producer and my gear is kind of outdated, but I know enough to get my ideas across. Again, I grew up on hissy 3rd generation cassette dubs of records that were already poorly produced, and that never stopped me from loving a great song. The magic is in the substance, not the sheen of the production. I am pretty much constantly tracking new ideas, anytime of day, most days of the week. Some see the light of day, some do not.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
I have to be honest, I'm not too knowledgeable on new bands. I like Cold Cave, and know Wes from our hardcore days, but even Cold Cave has been around for close to a decade, I believe. Excellent new bands are springing up all the time, so I'm sure I'll find them.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Springsteen's Atlantic City.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We're going to put out a full-length album this summer. If we can get a label interested, then great. Otherwise we are happy to release it ourselves. We'll be playing all over this summer and plan to go to Europe and maybe South America soon after. If any bands or promoters want to help out, please get in touch.

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks, Renato, for the interview, and in parting I'd just encourage people to go out and see bands, see your cities at night, talk to people face to face. We're all involved in our own little microcosms of digital connectivity. Leave your iphones at home and live life. Experience the real world and all the noise, light, dark and life it has to offer.
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/grandeur-official

quarta-feira, 28 de março de 2018

Forever with Divenere - An Interview


Um dos grandes expoentes italianos, no que se diz respeito a cena shoegaze, certamente é o quarteto de Roma, Divenere.

Para muitos, os caras podem soar como novidade, mas a grande realidade é que os caras tem no currículo cinco álbuns, contando o mais recente, "Forever", lançado no início deste mês.

Seguindo uma lógica discográfica, o Divenere, cria suas trips melancolicamente densas, a partir das guitarras, algo como se uma colisão entre Cure, Mogwai e Slowdive fosse possível, ou apenas a intersecção entre o que de melhor foi produzido pelas três matrizes.

Especialmente recomendada a audição para noites de insônia profunda.

***** Interview with Divenere *****


Q. When did Divenere begin? Tell us about the history...
Our history begins in 2005, when Claudio and Danilo, guitarists and singers, meet and try to start a new project, putting togheter their indie and new wave influences with the aim to give life to a brand new band playing these unusual genres in Italy.

Q: Who are your influences?
In the first years, some major new wave bands such as Interpol, Editors and others like Radiohead influenced us a lot. Later on, we have been more influenced by shoegaze and post rock bands such as Slowdive, Mogwai, Tides of Nebula, God is an astronaut and Mew.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
That's a hard question! considering all the band's components we would say:
Radiohead: Ok Computer
Mew: Frengers
Mogwai: Hardcore will never die, but you will
Afghan whigs: Black love
Slowdive: Souvlaki

Q. How do you feel playing live?
What to say...we feel so good! That's the greatest moment a musician can live. We love so much to be on stage and see our music exciting our fans.


Q. How do you describe Divenere sounds?
We are always looking for a "comfortable" sound, covered by reverbs, without any genre to follow, Divenere is the big bang of four different heads, which from the sands of Rock through the Shoegaze, the New wave, Indie and Alternative, comes to lick the banks of the Pop, as a sunny day suddenly turns melancholically stormy.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
That's quite a particular issue since Claudio, who plays guitars and sings in Divenere, is also our producer and we usually play in his studio, named Oz Recording Studio. It's a very funny part of the work, since during recordings we grow up our ideas and sensations about the tracks, sometimes the final result is something completely different. Yet, we love recording.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Let's stay in Italy: this cannot considered a "new" band, but we would recommend our friends and inspirers "Klimt 1918". Maybe they are not so well known in Brazil but we think this band can really break up worldwide.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We would definitively say a song by The Cure.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Keeping on staying togheter, playing good music, continue on growing as artists, and have the chance to partecipate in great gigs all over the world.

Q: Any parting words?
Stay with us, follow us on Facebook, Spotify, Soundcloud, Youtube, and surrender to the emotions of our music!
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Thanks

www.facebook.com/divenere
www.soundcloud.com/dvnr

terça-feira, 27 de março de 2018

Voces Extrañas with Consejo - An Interview


Não é de hoje que a Espanha tem exportado uma série de prediletos do TBTCI, leia-se Linda Guilala, Monte Terror, Galaxina, Apartamentos Acapulco, entre outros, e novamente os espanhóis atacam e aterrizam nas páginas do TBTCI.

Em um mix estridente, soturno, sem firulas, o quarteto Consejo, soa tão rápido e direto quanto seu EP de estréia. O disco homônimo lançado há pouco mais de um mês, esta muito mais próximo do pós punk dark do que do shoegaze, apesar da banda se auto declarar como uma unificação de ambos.

Tudo fica explícito principalmente no andamento seco e direto guiado pelo baixo caracteristicamente pós punk e a bateria agressiva, ficando o diferencial nas guitarras quase sempre barulhentas, com exceção da belíssima "Descender el Laberinto", onde sombras guiam e ditam, mesmo com a presença intensa das guitarras.

Para novatos, o Consejo soa como uma banda mais do que madura. Para ficar de olhos e ouvidos atentos.


***** Interview with Consejo *****


Q. When did Consejo begin? Tell us about the history...
Consejo was born in the summer of 2012, by the hand of Manu, who at that time was the guitar of La Maniobra de Q and Ángel Calvo, who led the Pico de la Panocha.

We liked to get together to play at the country house and that's where Consejo came from. In two days we recorded Asamblea and Salto del Usero, we understood each other very well, since Manu brought the darkness of the most classic Post-Punk and Angel freshness. We did a couple of concerts in 2013 and the project was there, until now that I (Manu) have picked it up again along with other new musician, Javi, Edu and Victor.

Q: Who are your influences?
Our influences drink from the Post-punk and shoegaze of the 80s and 90s, from Los Smiths, The Cure, Joy Division, and Decima Victima to current bands like Motorama, Antiguo Regimen or Somos La Herencia and El Último vecino

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
-The Smiths "Queen is Dead"
-Joy Division "Closer"
-The Cure "Pornography"
-El Último Vecino "Voces"
-Golpes Bajos "A santa compaña"

Q. How do you feel playing live?
We like it a lot and there is a lot of complicity with the public. We had a great time playing live and seeing that the reaction of the people is very good with us.


Q. How do you describe Consejo sounds?
We are a mix between post-punk and shoegaze. We believe that the music we do has a post-punk base, but with a heaviness of more normal guitars in the shoegaze

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Manu composes the lyrics and base of the songs and presents them to the rest of the group, if there is approval the songs are developed among all. Once we have a good repertoire, we take them to the studio, where they are recorded professionally.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
In Spain, Somos La Herencia, Pintauñas Negro, Tumefactum, Incidente Tunguska, Neon Ligths and S.E.R.P.I.E.N.T.E.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
any song of the smiths

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Our future plans are to continue composing and recording songs to be able to play live

Q: Any parting words?
Thank you very much for the interest in Consejo and a hug from Spain
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Thanks

https://nuevoconsejo.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/Consejo-521835494583799/

She's a Mod with The Hungry Onions - An Interview


Austin, Texas, basicamente são credenciais de alto quilate, simplesmente uma cidade que exala qualidade sonora acima de qualquer suspeita.

E novamente a cidade nos brinda com uma especiária de altíssima qualidade, o quarteto psych, The Hungry Onions.

Certamente a água de Austin contém elementos que não existem em outros lugares do planeta, visto a intensa qualidade de seus rebentos, e com o The Hungry Onions a máxima aplica-se novamente.

"She´s a Mod" debute dos caras, que conheceu o mundo no mês passado, é um verdadeiro lsd sonoro. Good vibes guiam o trabalho em direções psicodelicamente delirantes, sejam elas mais surfers, ou, ácidas, ou garageiras, simplesmente o efeito das vertentes psych do The Hungry Onions te pegam daquela jeito gostoso, sem haver o menor problema com bad vibrations.

Viciante, como um delicioso LSD, amigos, desejo-lhes apenas, boa viagem....Peace, Love and Psych!!

***** Interview with The Hungry Onions *****


Q. When did The Hungry Onions begin? Tell us about the history…
The Hungry Onions actually started out as a two piece. My brother Jimmy and I would write and play at each others houses to the beat of an old somewhat broken down drum machine. While playing his bass, Jimmy would quickly reach over and punch buttons to control the tempo and fills in the machine which was piped out of a small speaker hanging on the wall. It was a brilliant set up that ran us about $20 bucks and allowed Jimmy to develop tremendous hand/eye coordination. I digress! Back to the Onions story. After a while we decided to create a bandcamp site which became home to several demo songs. This went on for a couple years. The songs started to pile up and with the encouragement of some really great friends and fellow Austin musicians we decided to step out of the comfort zones of our homes and into the live clubs of Austin. The Onions took giant leaps forward when our drummer, Clutch Cardon, and lead guitarist, Jon LaChance joined the band. Jimmy, Clutch, and Jon each played in some real great bands previously and are veterans of the Austin music scene, but this is still new territory for me.

People might be wondering where we got our name from. Well, Jimmy and I were sitting around watching TV one summer afternoon trying to think of band names. An old, old rerun of the Dobie Gillis show was on the tube when the beatnik Maynard G Krebs debuted his poem to a small crowd gathered at the Hungry Onion coffee shop… the hotspot for local Southern California beatniks. Well, it was pretty funny at the time and the name just seemed to fit. So now you know the rest of the story of the Hungry Onions!

Q: Who are your influences?
We each have a bunch of different influences. Jimmy loves Guided by Voices, Jon is into all kinds of stuff including Blitzen Trapper, Clutch likes Prog music, while I’ve always enjoyed the mercy beat of psych/garage. Our music is influenced by rock, psych, and surf both new and old The Kinks, Stones, and Jam immediately come to mind. We also dig modern garage artists like Allah Las and Mystic Braves.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Bee Thousand: Guided by Voices
Pet Sounds: Beach Boys
1962 -1966 The Red Album: The Beatles
Allah Las: Allah Las
Moonlight Towers: The Coffee Sergeants
Days of Yesteryear: Mystic Braves… oops, that’s 6!

Q. How do you describe The Hungry Onions sounds?
Our sound is a mix of garage, psych, and surf. Definitely sixties influenced with lots of jangle, harmony, and reverb, especially on vocals. Toss in some Byrds like 12 string on a few songs and you have that Onions sound! Or at least the one we are going for.



Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Great question. The process could best be described as a hodgepodge. Hopefully people like the end product, but we definitely used our own method to get there. Clutch and Jon are both great at sound in general and understand how to record. They each recorded their own parts and sent them over dropbox. Meanwhile, Jimmy and I recorded bass, my guitar, and vocals in our modest home studio. I ended up mixing and we worked with Rick Cramer, a mastering engineer in California to finish it up. Deep Eddy Records, a local label helped to get the album out. Both Rick and Deep Eddy were great to work with.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Really like the Allah Las. We saw them a few times when they came down for SXSW in Austin a couple years ago. Been listening a lot to the Orange Kyte’s music on bandcamp lately. Great stuff.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I’m a sucker for Beatles tribute bands. Basically anything off that Red Album would be super cool to cover. It would also be fun to do a combo album with our friends from the band Raul’s Royal Foot where we take turns covering early Texas punk rock. That would be cool.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Fortunately, Austin is still a great place to hear live music. We’ve been playing at a few super nice local venues, but would like to branch out to play a few more. We also have a bunch more songs in the tank that will eventually be put out as a follow up to She’s a Mod. CD and Vinyl would be nice.

Q: Any parting words?
Sure, first thanks for all you do. The blog is awesome and we are honored to be included. If folks want to check us out, the bandcamp, Facebook and Deep Eddy Records sites are great spots to listen or stay tuned on upcoming shows. In addition to She’s a Mod, we have a demo site on bandcamp where additional songs can be heard and downloaded. Thanks again Renato!
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Thanks

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

segunda-feira, 26 de março de 2018

Ceremony Of Shame with Candélabre - An Interview


Um dos discos que mais tenho escutado atualmente é o debute do trio francês, Candélabre. O EP homônimo conheceu o mundo no início de Fevereiro e desde então tem me acompanhado por momentos dos mais distintos, mas especialmente em situações de isolamento, sem presença de barulho, caos ou pessoas. 

O disco é um convite a imergir por completo em um universo, hipnótico, envolvendo-se lentamente pela ambientação das cinco pérolas do EP. Talvez o ápice dessa imersão seja a eloquente "Last Rites", mas é basicamente impossível ou, improvável destacar apenas uma, o Candélabre criou um trabalho linearmente envolvente.

Fantasmas de Cocteau Twins, e de outros ícones da 4AD pairam e conectam-se com o Candélabre, sempre unificando-se pelas sombras.

Intenso, viciante, absolutamente obrigatório para fãs de darkwave, shoegaze e sonbras.


***** Interview with Candélabre *****



Q. When did Candélabre begin? Tell us about the history...
Cindy: It was at the Amanita Muscaria (a music venue in Toulouse, our city) in September 2016.

Anthony: Yeah, we met in September 2016 during a gig with our respective bands at the time. In human terms and on a musical level we were getting along pretty well, so we gave it a try and that was it. We began to play together in April 2017.

Q: Who are your influences?
Anthony: Ride, Slowdive, The Soft Moon, Chelsea Wolfe.

Michaël: Cocteau Twins, Bauhaus.

Cindy: Cranes, Dead Can Dance.

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
Anthony: Nowhere by Ride, Souvlaki by Slowdive, Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement, Hit Parade 1 by The Wedding Present, The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads by Lift to Experience.

Cindy: Lullabies by Cocteau Twins, Brown Book by Death In June, Parallelograms by Linda Perhacs, Colour Green by Sybille Baier, Spleen and Ideal by Dead Can Dance.

Michaël: Loveless by My Bloody Valentine, Pygmalion by Slowdive, Treasure by Cocteau Twins, Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth, Power, Corruption and Lies by New Order.

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Anthony: It's a pleasure and it's rewarding. With the aim to always do better and give the best of ourselves.

Michaël: What suprises me the most is that we don't play a music that can be considered as "fun" or "entertaining" in a way that some music styles can be. I mean it's rather dark, melancholic, intense, but I'm always suprised that at almost every show we play some people in the audience dance during all the performance. It's really rewarding and I take this as a great compliment. What else can be more rewarding than seeing people expressing their pleasure by moving their bodies along to the sound of your music ?

Anthony: We always want to deliver the best show, the best performance as possible. We don't want to be like all those bands that are just based on an attitude with photoshoped pictures on facebook and all that kind of shit. We play because we want to deliver the best music as we can, not because we want to be cool or something like that.

Q. How do you describe Candélabre sounds?
Anthony: Tensed, evanescent.

Michaël: Cold and warm at the same time. Sometimes heavy.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Cindy: We write and create the songs during our rehearsals.

Anthony: For the EP we recorded the instruments first and then Cindy recorded her vocals by herself. We used just a small amount of gear, basic mics and an old and cheap software.

Michaël: We didn't do it properly or at least the way it's supposed to be done in a professional way. We didn't went in a studio or something like that. It was quite an instictive and empirical approach. Then we mixed the whole thing together.

Cindy: All by ourselves. We try not to simply record the songs as we play them during the rehearsals but to bring something more during the recording process. That can be the production, the arrangements or the mixing.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Anthony: Ought, Protomartyr, I currently listen to Lebanon Hanover, Tropic of Cancer, Total Victory.

Michaël: French bands like Jessica93, Foudre, Mondkopf or Vox Low, Black Marble, Motorama, Chelsea Wolfe, The Soft Moon, Weekend.

Cindy: Drab Majesty, Marriages, Weyes Blood, Anna von Hausswolff.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Anthony: "Drive Blind" by Ride.

Cindy: "The Model" by Kraftwerk

Michaël: "Forest Fire" by Lloyd Cole And The Commotions.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Michaël: The EP was initially released by BLWBCK our label on tape and we are going to release it on another label called Solange endormie Records on CD very soon. Probably record another EP in the next months.

Cindy: Probably work on the next record with other people close to us to get a new perspective.

Q: Any parting words?
Cindy: We are very pleased to have been able to put out our first EP on BLWBCK records, it's a label we were really fond of, their catalogue is awesome, consistent and very demanding. And they are nice people too. We feel very proud and grateful for it.
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Thanks

https://soundcloud.com/blwbck/sets/cand-labre-s-t/s-n49iy
https://www.facebook.com/candelabre.band/

sábado, 24 de março de 2018

The Cold Plan with My Dear Killer - An Interview


O italiano Stephano Stephanowic sob a alcunha de My Dear Killer, vem, desde o meio dos anos noventa, criando suas apocalípticas visões sobre um mundo cada vez mais miserável, tudo pairando sobre um folk minimalista, melancólico e soturno.

Conexões óbvias com mestres como Nick Drake, Tim Buckley e Fairport Convention acabam sendo apenas diretrizes para os desavisados, mas ecos de momentos mais introspectivos de Coil e outros experimentais excêntricos fazem parte deste intrínseco emaranhado mezzo acústico mezzo ambient.

O mais novo capítulo dessa epopeia chama-se "The Cold Plan", lançado há pouco menos de um mês. Seguindo a lógica da obra do My Dear Killer, ainda mais soturno e denso.

O My Dear Killer é um verdadeira trovadorismo apocalíptico, que se por ventura, você não estiver com a auto estima ok, procure evitar, principalmente em momentos de isolamento.


***** Interview with My Dear Killer *****


Q:When did My Dear Killer begin? Tell us about the history...
A: My Dear Killers started in, I think 1996. At least that’s the date on the earliest tape I have marked. At that time I used to record a lot on cassettes just using a walkman or a shoebox recorder. That's a habit I lost, sadly. I was back then part of another project, a sort of post/math-rock duo involving two guitars only, called the Frozen Fracture. We were already working sort-of-minimalist to bypass the difficulties in finding other interested players, especially drummers. Still the Frozen Fracture sound was sort angular and dissociated. Hence I started to set aside pieces which I found somewhat too melodic for it, and to write lyrics. As the collection of the songs grew, became more articulated and significant. At the same time, the other project started to fade and almost instinctively I made my dear killer my main project and begun to experiment with tapes and overdubs, also because, by then, I managed to get hold of a more decent recording device. Basically it has continued since then along the same lines, with guitar tunes wrote first, lyrics after and after that finding a suited ambient made up of guitar or electronic noise, tape loops and ambient sampling.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: That's a difficult question to answer. It is not because there are no influences, but, eventually because there are too many. I think we are, all, ultimately influenced somehow from every thing we listen to, even when it is not voluntary. Still, I think is fair to list two or three main movements which have really shaped my taste, and therefore the way I do music. I obviously love folk, particularly British folk of the early and late sixities, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Bert Jansch, Jackson C Frank, Fairport Convention, Tim Buckley (to mention a few), Those acts with early psychedelia were definitely my favourite things when I was sort of a kid. When I grew a bit older, I get to be more involved into the new wave, post-punk and early industrial/neo-folk scene, although my initial unconditional love was the american noise scene, most of all for early Sonic Youth, which I adored. After those, my the biggest influence has been that of the so-called Lousiville scene (Slint, Rodan, Gastr del Sol, June of 44, etc). It was kind of an epiphany when I first heard to these records. Sadly I can't say anything like that has repeated more recently, but that can just be an age issue; it's far easier to get astonished when our mind and soul is green. At least, I think so.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Slint – Spiderland
Sonic Youth – Evol
Joy Division – Closer
Coil – Love's Secret Domain

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. I actually like it a lot. I always though music is meant to be played live, and not just to be something set on any kind of support of choice only. It depends on the acts, it's not an universal feeling and I accept that. But at least it is mine. I would actually like to play more often if that were to be possible, but suitable locations are scarce, and in general there is a bit of an issue, which I can not rationally explain and I restrain from non-rational interpretation if I might. It seems that acts which do effectively something original, and are not “hyped” or are not very comfortable with “shameless self promotion” get left on the shelve. Despite this, I still love playing live and more or less I play every time I am given the chance. Of course there are occasion when things become a little bit of a shamble; we had people are not interested and the noise they made being far greater than what we were making when playing. That has happened. I still try to play the best I can and let the few people eventually interested in what I am doing, enjoying what they are listening to, if they do.

Q. How do you describe My Dear Killer sounds?
A. It an “interface” sound, I'd say. Schizophrenic might be an alternative definition. Definitions are always a bit of a constraint, but I am well aware we shall use them, and use words to describe music, sometimes. I used the interface term because whereas the basic structure of the songs can be set into the songwriting category, with its own peculiarity of slow tempo and dispersed arpeggio, the overlaying meshes of sounds, being it feedbacks or prepared guitars, manipulated synths, tape loops, are not that very frequently juxtaposed to song-writing, albeit surely that's not unprecedented. I used schizophrenic borrowing from a friend’s comment..., he once said, it seems I am listening to two records at the same time, with somebody playing in the front room and somebody trashing the back-garden, at the same time, on the background. Yet, that being done by the same person. Might not be psychologically reassuring but I find it as the best description I have heard so far, so I make it mine.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
I generally tend to record the full albums in one ago, that is because I like to have homogeneous sound though them, and using the same instrument, amplifier and equipment helps a lot on this front. I basically record simultaneously guitar and voice, using several (2 to 4) microphones at the same time, a couple close picks and a couple more in the ambient. That give the scaffold of the records. Other sounds, mainly the sonic landscape I then overdub. That's the most improvisational part and the part in which other people have contributed the most, sometimes even more than myself. For this I tend to layer a few tracks, which contribution is defined during mixing. Last of all came the sampling, when I use them. I tend to have a clear idea of which sort of sampling I need or wish to add in a given song, but their position and spacing, I feel like its sort of a last touch. So, at the end, with some bouncing and pre-mixing, I typically end up with less than 8 tracks before the mix is closed. Even when using digital recording, which is often much simpler to handle, the process is very similar to what one would do with an analogue set-up. Hence, that is a relatively straightforward process, as I also rely to a minimum on effects during mixing, basically just a dash of compression, equalisation and reverb.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A. I would say Polvo. Or US Maple.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
For the closest future, I hope I'll have the chance to play and bring around The Cold Plan.

On the medium/long-term I am already working on a new album, which has the tentative title “Collectable Items”. I think that, in essence, the three records I have done so far, and the one in progress, are joint thematically, and follow a common lyrical and musical path. Collectable Items seems to represent, for the time being, the conclusion of the journey. After which I will have to think deep and seek for new sources of inspiration. Yet, before that, there's a still long journey ahead.

Q: Any parting words?
Firstly, thanks so much for the giving me the opportunity to express my thoughts. I hope something would make sense in this burbling. If anyone might feel interested in getting in touch, please do so, we'll be extremely glad of that. And, certainly, I hope we can meet in person one day. Distances in the future might shrink even further than they have done in the past decades already.
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Thanks

https://mydearkiller.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/MyDearKillerOfMine/

sexta-feira, 23 de março de 2018

Harmony in Chaos // Beauty in Daydreams with Yún - An Interview


Lembram da Elephant 6? Claro que sim, clássica gravadora que fez o mundo um lugar mais psicodélico e feliz, leia-se, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples in Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Beulah e muitos outros, pois então, é basicamente nesta fonte que alimentava-se Ryan Foo ou Yún.

Porque alimentava-se? Porque desta vez o TBTCI chegou tarde demais, e o projeto sucumbiu-se a própria existência, como muitos que já se foram ou ainda irão, afinal os tempos modernos são até mais cruéis do que em décadas passadas.

Todavia, sugiro a você apreciador daquele clima de baixa qualidade psicodelicamente envolvente que se delicie com "Either Way I´m Fine" ou "Harmony in Chaos // Beauty in Daydreams" e sim, boa viagem.

***** Interview with Yún *****


Q. When did Yún begin? Tell us about the history...
A. yún began as a home recording project after I realized a lot of the songs I was writing didn't really fit in with the band I was with at the time. I wanted to be able to explore different recording techniques at home without the pressure of needing it to sound super polished.

Q: Who are your influences?
A. The Smiths, Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Deerhunter, Yo La Tengo, Joy Division, and Toro y Moi, had a huge influence on me when I was teenager. I remember wanting to recreate the guitar and synthesizer sounds they made. The way their instrumentation created this wall of sound and texture really captured my attention as I had only listened to very sparse guitar-oriented music as a little kid. Local San Jose bands like Eudemon, Ugly Winner, Worker Bee, and Sourpatch really influenced the punk/post-punk-y attitude in my songs and Japanese post-rock/math-rock bands like toe, a picture of her, and mouse on the keys really influenced the chord progressions I use.

Recently, I've become more influenced with very vocal/harmony driven music like Grizzly Bear, Olivia Tremor Control, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and a couple of 60s girl groups. I love the production work by Chris Taylor, Brian Wilson, and Phil Spector, but I'd say Will Cullen Hart from Olivia Tremor Control is currently the biggest influence on my songwriting, production, and growing interest in abstract art.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
A. (1) The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Volume One
(2) The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
(3) Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
(4) My Bloody Valentine - m b v
(5) Ugly Winner - Minutes, Years & Never

Honorable Mentions: Eudemon EP by Eudemon, Painted Ruins by Grizzly Bear, Circulatory System's Debut Album

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A. I haven't actually played live with any of the yún material with a backing band. I've played a couple times acoustically but I don't particularly enjoy playing live alone. I did enjoy playing live a lot when it was with my former band and hope to play live with a group again one day.

Q. How do you describe Yún sounds?
A. yún songs tend to be a wall of dreamy and jangly distorted guitars with simple poppy vocal melody lines and drawn out ambient/noisy interludes. There tends to be a lack of oversaturated reverb on my songs because I feel the infinite reverb tails thing is overplayed now.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
A. It usually starts out with a drum pattern or chord progression I've been working on in Reason. The song builds itself during the recording process with me just layering different guitar parts, instrumentation, and loops on top of the basic track. Separation of parts like verses, choruses, bridges, etc seem to work themselves out during the layering process as well. The vocal melodies/lyrics tend to be made on the spot/using stream of consciousness because I kind of want a raw/very primal feeling to it. The vocal layering of the recording process is the most difficult for me because I'm not a strong singer / it's hard to stay consistent when you make melodies and words up on the spot.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A. This is a hard question because I haven't listened to too many new bands recently... but off the top of my head I highly recommend Washer, Lightning Bug, and The Sweet Boys (all from NY, the latter doesn't exist anymore).

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A. I'd love to cover Baby I Love you by the Ronettes or any Ramones songs. Something about the vocal melodies in both groups drives me crazy... they're simple but so catchy!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A. yún actually looked like it was going to be a dead project for the last year because I had been in a pretty severe writer's block for the last 3 years. However, I suddenly started writing songs that really piqued my interest about a month ago and the progressions, melodies, and ideas haven't stopped since then. The newer material is more vocal/harmony driven, less focus on a wall of guitar sound, and a severe lack of stream-of-consciousness when it comes to lyrics. However, the next release might have to wait a while because I'm also currently in the process of starting another post-rock band in the bay area and I want to focus on learning how to paint abstract art.

Q: Any parting words?
A. Thanks for the interview Renato! It's a thrill that more people are taking an interest in my music.
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Thanks

https://yunyunyun.bandcamp.com

Basement Showroom with Last Exit - An Interview


O submundo russo continua exportando veementemente seus produtos sem haver o menor indício de pausa.

O mais novo destes produtos é o quarteto de Saint Petersburg, Last Exit, que no mês passado soltaram seu segundo EP. "Basement Showroom" sonoramente seria algo como o Radiohead sem anfetamina e o Interpol sem cocaína, traduzindo, os caras dispensam os experimentos extremos e a dose densa de melancolia, concentrando-se em criar uma atmosfera que paira por entre o desespero e o emocional dosando ambos sem exageros.

Se o indie rock de massas tivesse a qualidade do Last Exit, certamente vivenciaríamos tempos melhores.


***** Interview with Last Exit *****


1)When did Last Exit start? Tell us about the history
First time we (Timur - guitar\vocal , Daniel - guitar\back vocal) were gathered in Makhachkala in far 2007 (very special year for russian alternative scene),just cause we listened same music and had a strong impulse to play guitars and write songs. Members of the band has changed many times over several years,changed even the instrument on which they played,so Daniel ,our guitar player, at first played drums. At that time we played covers and our own very british indie songs. Then Islam (bass) and Ruslan (drums) joined us in late 2015 By this time we moved in Saint Petersburg and wrote a lot of new songs,so that group acquired the current style and sound

2)Who are your influences?
Of course it's a lot of music (from the beatles to the fall, from pink floyd to mac demarco and etc), our families, joint work on the material All the situations that have happened to us over the years of life in two cities, and of course our roots,culture of our native land - republic Dagestan.

3)Make a list of 5 albums of all time
Oh,it was hard but :
- Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
- Nevermind by Nirvana
- Script of the Bridge by The Chameleons
- White Album by The Beatles
- OK Computer by Radiohead

4) How do you feel playing live?
Live performances is a special kind of pleasure. That streaming exchange of energy by both sides,fantastic feeling. It makes situation as real as possible,breaks any inner barriers so we use any possibility to play gigs


5)How do you describe Last Exit sounds?
We strive to reflects in our music our primal emotional side, cause only in that way you can write something worth for your inner Simon Cowell. We are striving for deep atmospheric sound and for a good melody in every song. Not that we think through this, just that's the way it works at that moment.

6)Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
All work , like studio payment,producing tracks and released them were on us. There are often new ideas right before the recording or during the record. And it's always experiments,searching for a new unknown pathes,so it's always a priceless expirience.

7) Which new bands do you recommend?
King Krule , Mac DeMarco , Alt-J are our favourites, also DIIV and Beach Fossils and Mourn from Captured Tracks are interesting too

8) Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
It's definitely Nirvana songs,Interpol, we also made covers on Mudhoney,QOTSA,Pixies

9) What are your plans for the future?
Find drummer and keyboard player and start to playing gigs in Saint Petersburg on a first place in to-do list. Also at the beginning of the year we released new EP , want to spread it all over the web and of course continue to write new songs

10) Any parting words?
Thanks for your attention,it's very pleased that you liked our songs, It was interesting to answer your questions,hope you forgive us for a bad english. Listen to our new EP , hope you enjoy it.
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Thanks

https://lastexit92.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/last_exit_band/

quinta-feira, 22 de março de 2018

Slow Decay with Processions - An Interview


San Antonio, Texas, um quarteto, dois EPs, e uma paixão imediata. Assim foi e é o caso de amor entre TBTCI e Processions.

Uma devastação sonhadora e cortante guiada por guitarras que por mais intensas que possam soar, praticam o efeito da levitação. Os EPs em questão, "Blush" e "Slow Decay", ambos lançados no passado captam com extrema perfeição a combinação entre entre barulho, melancolia e delírio.

Mesmo com apenas dois anos de atividade, o Processions soa como uma veterana banda, e o melhor de tudo, com aquele frescor de novidade, escute alto, por favor.


***** Interview with Processions *****


Q. When did Processions begin? Tell us about the history...
Back in late 2016 I recorded a poorly made instrumental demo on my computer showed to my pal Joshua (who we eventually parted ways with) who liked it and the two of us started jamming together and eventually formed a band. We've done so much within our first year hopefully this year will be bigger.

Q: Who are your influences?
Speaking for myself I would have to say: Husker Du, Sparklehorse, Joy Division, and Teenage Fanclub

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
1. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
2. The Replacements - Let It Be
3. Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
4. Joy Division - Closer
5. Husker Du - Candy Apple Grey

Q. How do you feel playing live?
I'm a very anxious person so initially the mere thought of playing live is a little daunting.

However, once we start playing and I get on the stage, I get this streak of confidence to perform well and sing. Beer also helps with that too! haha!

Q. How do you describe Processions sounds?
It's all over the place & obviously my influences play a role in that --one minute it's fast and aggressive & the next it's very "chill" and atmospheric. Atmospheric dreampop/post-punk? I dunno!


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Well our first EP "Blush" was recorded primarily on a Tascam 388 which is really cool sounding, but a pain in the ass to record with because it's tape. So we if flubbed or messed up in the most MINOR way we would have to record the whole thing from the top...However, we did the vocals digitally. Our second EP "Slow Decay" was produced digitally which explains the clarity on the recordings. I'm quite satisfied with both EPs.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Foliage--This dude is THE hardest working musician I've ever had the pleasure of e-friending. Definitely keep an eye on him and his work he's going to blow up.

Houseplants--We did a three date "mini-tour" with these guys (& gal) and it was honestly a great experience they're really nice, personable people and their music is absolutely gorgeous. Their self-titled EP was on my top 5 of 2017.

Preoccupations - Their new single Espionage was absolutely amazing definitely top song of 2018.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I constantly try to egg the guys in to covering Husker Du or New Order. hehehe! The former is probably something we'll start incorporating into future live performances!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
We're going to re-record a song from our Blush EP and make it higher quality sounding and make an accompanying music video to go with it be on the look out for that! Also "Slow Decay" is getting 7" record treatment here pretty soon!

Q: Any parting words?
Thanks for taking the time to ask these questions! Texas readers, if you're in Austin March 23rd & 24th come to DKFM's Dreamgaze Fest at Cheer Up Charlie's! Incredibly stacked lineup (yours truly included) and all an around a great time! Thanks! Please stream us on Spotify!
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Thanks

https://procession.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/processsions

quarta-feira, 21 de março de 2018

Unrivalled Work Ethic with Unpaid Intern - An Interview


Bandas como a inglesa, Unpaid Intern são extremamente dificílimas de se encontrar por aí, primeira pelo aspecto sonoro, os caras perpetuam um pós punk torto, organizadamente caótico e dissonante, por vezes de baixa qualidade, talvez propositalmente, talvez não, mas as conexões com gente do naipe de Wire, Swell Maps, Sonic Youth, Pavement, deixa todas as características acima mais explicitas.

No currículo, um disco essencial pra quem quer e precisa sair da mesmice atual, "Unrivalled Work Ethic", é exatamente tudo descrito acima com doses de gasolina prestes a explodir.

Quando Morrissey profetizou que Manchester ainda nos traria muitas surpresas, ele definitivamente não estava brincando, o Unpaid Intern que o diga.


***** Interview with Unpaid Intern *****


Q. When did Unpaid Intern begin? Tell us about the history...
Patrick: Tom and Chris are brothers. They play guitar and bass, and both sing. They grew up in Rochdale, north Manchester, where Tom went to school with Mooney, who plays drums, and I think they played in bands together when they were teenagers – they can tell you the details. I met Tom in London when we were both studying because I lived with his cousin, Siobhan. We bonded over music and watching sport – mostly football. After a while we started a band called Khaos Alberto (here’s a video we made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzgbeqS6dEg), I don’t think that band is defunct but we haven’t played together in a while. Khaos Alberto used to have a fake unpaid intern communicate on behalf of the band. Our Unpaid Intern character, rather than the band they ultimately inspired, was a hyper-capitalist try-hard who really wanted to land a big job and make money.

Tom moved back to Manchester where he found out that Chris was joking about starting a band called Unpaid Intern. Chris made a few tracks and so did Tom, they both mentioned it to me and we just thought it was a laugh. Then I moved back to Manchester, where I’m also from but a different part of the city (Stockport), and lived with Tom in Salford. We were talking to people about starting a new DIY space (which now exists – it’s called Partisan Collective), they needed money so some Manchester music people were putting on gigs and we thought Khaos Alberto could play. After we couldn’t get in contact with one member of Khaos Alberto, Tom and I lied that we had started a kosmiche band called Unpaid Intern to our friends Tash (a promoter, O.J. Recs) and Tom (who is in the Fruit Tones – a really great Manchester garage rock band). Luckily, they said we could play with Fruit Tones, Turf (RIP) and Proto Idiot but then we realised that we had to learn five songs in an afternoon then go straight to the gig. The gig went well, that was a surprise to us, and people began to ask us to play other shows. That has continued ever since, people ask us to play or record and we can’t quite believe it. So we were going for some time with our old drummer Max and recorded Unrivalled Work Ethic for Havana Tapes. Then Max moved to Canada (he’s since moved back) and Mooney joined. We’ve been really lucky because a few local promoters (Cold Callers, O.J. Records, and Comfortable on a Tightrope) have put us on some interesting bills and we’ve played with people like Downtown Boys, King Champion Sounds, Priests and loads of other shows that we have really enjoyed.

So, we’re pretty much a joke that has gone too far.

Unrivalled Work Ethic – https://havanatapes.bandcamp.com/album/unrivalled-work-ethic-2

A video that Chris made for us – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-NHKKbijKk

Mooney: M - my history with this band is relatively short. I’ve known Tom and Chris for over ten years, having met through mutual friends and sharing the same interests, eventually leading us to playing in a couple of bands in our teenage years. We didn’t have much contact when we all went university, but got back in contact when Tom moved back to Manchester. Earlier in 2017, I was asked if I fancied jamming with Unpaid Intern where I then met Patrick. We jammed out the set and then that was that. I think I’m now in the band.

Q: Who are your influences?
Tom: We get told we sound like this band called Duster sometimes, oddly enough I’d never heard them until I was told we sounded like them.

Patrick: Tom and I really like Os Mutantes. Not just flattering the Brazilian audience. I’m really interested in Swell Maps and all the stuff that’s slightly like them (Raincoats, Sonic Youth, Pavement). I’ve been getting into in experimental music for a long time – recently I’ve been listening to Evan Parker, all the British post-60s improvised stuff and read David Toop’s book Into the Maelstrom. Recently I’ve been trying to incorporate this into how I play the guitar more than ever, I’m very enthused by scratching and plucking my guitar in unusual ways at the moment. Our band sings Thin Lizzy in the car. The last album picked by another band member in my house was the Neil Young and Crazy Horse album Zuma. I hope that gives you an insight. Oh, the Irish comedians the Rubberbandits are a huge influence on our band – they started an artistic movement called gascuntism and we consider ourselves followers of their artistic manifesto.

Mooney: Drummers who’ve influenced me would probably be a mixture of Jon Theodore, Thomas Pridgen and Idris Muhammad. Bands would be the Mars Volta, Justice and Sergio Mendes.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Tom: These are my favourite albums that I physically own as a record.
- Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
- Burial – Untrue
- Slint - Spiderland
- Angelo Badalamenti and David Lynch - Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me OST
- The Beatles – Revolver

Patrick: That’s a hard question. I’m going to change it slightly to make it like a long-running BBC Radio 4 show called Desert Island Disks where the guest picks eight recordings and a luxury item to help them survive if they are stranded on a desert island.
1. ‘Manchester United Calypso’ – Edric Connor
2. ‘The Boys are Back in Town’ – Thin Lizzy
3. ‘The Sprawl’ – Sonic Youth
4. ‘Oceanic Beloved’ – Alice Coltrane
5. ‘Dance of the Inhabitants of the Palace of King Philip XIV of Spain’ – John Fahey
6. ‘Non-alignment Pact’ – Pere Ubu
7. ‘Ando Meio Desligado’ -- Os Mutantes
8. ‘X Gon’ Give it to Ya’ – DMX
Item: the green armchair from my living room

Mooney: Impossible to pick so I’ll choose 5 tracks/albums that are currently on repeat
0. Gumboot Soup - King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard
0. Kali Uchis/Tyler the Creator/Bootsy Collins - After the Storm
0. The Oh Sees - the Static God
0. Flat Worms - Flat Worms
0. Kaytranada - 99.9%

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Tom: Usually pretty good. We tend to grow into it and become more expressive as the set goes on. If we played for longer we’d probably end up hanging from the rafters like Iggy and the Stooges. As it stands we awkwardly hobble about the gaff looking at our feet.

Mooney: Very relaxed before a show. I enjoy playing the songs we’ve made. And I have confidence in the lads as they’re a talented bunch. So it’s a lot of fun for me knowing everything will go fine.

Patrick: Pretty anxious. Amused – if it goes wrong. It can be enjoyable, sometimes, or even slightly exhilarating. The people who come to our shows – I call them ‘our shows’ when we’re usually the support, what a narcissist? – are typically very supportive and welcoming so that really helps to ease the tension that I feel personally.

Q. How do you describe Unpaid Intern sounds?
Tom: To rehash a comment about an old band – somewhere between a dog’s dinner and a monkey’s breakfast.

Patrick: Sometimes bearable or the bar band from the edge of the universe.

Mooney: Purveyors of low-fi psychedelic skronk. Gong meets Television with a bit of Teenage Fan Club thrown in for good measure.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
Mooney: Organised chaos. It’s slightly messy and takes a bit of time, but it gets done.

Patrick: That’s a question for Tom. We’re currently discussing how we’re going to record a single and an album. The album is going to be called Palace Bingo.

Tom: It has been a process of multi-tracking and overdubbing but we are moving now towards more of a live sound. I like the idea of artefacts and mistakes being preserved.

If you listen to some of the quieter moments of the EP that is on Bandcamp (at a reasonable price, I might add) you can hear the 98 bus go past and rattle the windows of our old house. We recorded a lot of it in the living room and tested out the mix and mastering in my fiancé’s car.

I intend to sound a bit more, and also a bit less polished for the album.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Patrick: Fruit Tones, Sweaty Palms, Porridge Radio, Locean, Garden Centre, L. Cat, Breakfast Muff, ILL, Calvadore, Nachthexen, Es, Witching Waves, Molar, Wurms, Viewfinder, Jeuce, Algernon Cornelius, Bird Bath, Irma Vep (isn’t really new), As Onedas, Hot Shorts, Bloody Death, the Tombed Visions records stuff, GUO, NOTS

Mooney: Inland Taipan, Unstoppable Sweeties Show, Calvadore, Mutabase, Nunofyrbeeswax

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
Tom: ‘Wichita Lineman.’
I should also point out that we do have a cover of a Teenage Fanclub song on Bandcamp here:
https://havanatapes.bandcamp.com/album/babyquake-3

Mooney: ‘Whip It’ by DEVO or ‘Witicha Lineman’ by Glen Campbell.

Patrick: Me and Chris have been talking about a cover of ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ by Oasis but I’m not sure how keen Tom is and perhaps that’s more a matter of being flippant towards our audiences than any true love of the Gallagher canon. It’s one of the only Oasis songs that I like and, in some ways, we’re not your typical Manchester band – not much of the bravado, although we do wear big coats because it rains all the time. We sometimes play ‘Sweet Leaf’ or ‘the Boys are Back in Town’ in practise.

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Mooney: Maybe go on tour and hopefully record Palace Bingo.

Patrick: Make lots more music and have fun. We’re going to do an album and play some more gigs. We’ve been speaking to our friends (including aforementioned Tash and Fruit Tones, Wurms, Algernon Cornelius, former drummer Max G. Camp and some others) about opening a practice room that might evolve into a gig space – potentially with nice things like days for women to practise for free to address the gender imbalance in music and stuff to encourage young working class people to make music. I’m publishing a history book this year – Youth and Permissive Social Change in British Music Papers, 1967-1983. Plug.

Tom: Release this fucking album.
I’m now quite looking forward to our hotly anticipated live show at the Maracanã.

Q: Any parting words?
Chris (who, as ever, turned up a few days late to the party): Hello to you Renato and by extension Brazil! I’ve just caught up on this but the other fellas seem to have done a stellar job of answering the questions already. I’ve been over in Scandinavia for a few days to watch The Radio Dept, who can double up as my excuse and my answer to the 5 favourite albums question (They only currently have 4 albums but they’re all pretty much perfect and I’m sure their next one will be too!). I’ll also chuck in the G.L.O.S.S. – Trans Day of Revenge EP too cause I’m listening to it again now and it shreds vvv hard. Thanks so much man and RIP MES xoxox

Tom: Look us up if you’re ever in Manchester.

Patrick: Thanks Renato! Nice to speak to you. If anyone wants to fly us to Brazil to play gigs, we’re open to the idea and, if British visas are a problem after Brexit, we all have Irish passports.

Mooney: Thanks for this opportunity. All the best.
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Thanks

https://havanatapes.bandcamp.com/album/unrivalled-work-ethic-2
https://www.facebook.com/actualunpaidintern/

terça-feira, 20 de março de 2018

Bizarre Family Drama with Arms Bizarre - An Interview


Desde 2012 o quarteto da Virginia, Arms Bizarre vem despejando sobre nossos tímpanos doses carregadas de um sombrio shoegaze em formato grunge, algo como se o Alice in Chains se fundisse com o Starflyer 59 ou algo do gênero, se é que isso seria possível.

Uma discografia imensa, repleta de singles, EPs e álbuns, onde todos seguem uma linha linear de raciocínio sonoro, ou seja, distorção lenta e dolorosamente angustiante. O novo álbum dos caras, lançado no final do ano passado, soa ainda mais intenso nestes quesitos, o peso ataca a distorção, a sensação de abandono embaralha-se com a tensão das guitarras, assim é "Bizarre Family Drama".

Um conselho, escutar o Arms Bizarre com fones de ouvido e no maior volume que seus tímpanos suportarem é o que deve ser feito.

Acima.

***** Interview with Arms Bizarre *****


Q. When did Arms Bizarre begin? Tell us about the history...
It all started in Virginia Beach, Virginia playing with my sister, Bekah and a good friend of mine Barry, in the garage. It was around November of 2012. I remember it well because there was a hurricane in town and we had the cops called on us. The police were actually pretty cool about it, just asked us turn down. The band has evolved from there with new members, all good friends and great company to be around. We’re still in the garage and haven’t had the cops called on us since that first time.

Q: Who are your influences?
It’s really hard to pin down our influences. For me, lyrically I’m influenced by Dave Bazan & Robert Pollard a lot. As for the music, there’s no direct source of inspiration. From 90’s alt rock to punk, indie rock and shoegaze. Psych rock too. I listen to a lot of rap. I strive for songs with pop sensibility mixed with thick fuzzy guitar. Big drums and bass. Right now I’m listening to a lot of King Woman & Deafheaven. Leviathan as well. Maybe some of that will creep into new material.

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
I’ll never be able to provide an all time top 5 album list. It changes every time I try to. My “current” top 5 would be...
Frank Ocean - Blonde
Whirr - Sway
Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked at Me
Leviathan - Verrater
Guided by Voices - Alien Lanes

Q. How do you feel playing live?
Playing shows is a roller coaster of feelings. Usually starting with extreme anxiety and ending with undulating relief. I think all of tension built up inside makes for a massive release physically. Personally, it’s a rigorous mental process but at the end of it all I’m happy and whole.

Q. How do you describe Arms Bizarre sounds?
Our “sound” is up for grabs. I really only want a big sound that’s drenched in distortion and reverb. Freedom to express that sound flows individually through the band as a whole.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
All of our recordings in the past have been home recordings. Very little quality equipment. As time has passed the process has changed. On our latest release, Bizarre Family Drama, the drums were studio recorded with some guitar, bass and vocals. We recorded all the lead guitar and some vocals at home, with much better gear for recording.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
My recommendations for new(ish) bands starts local. I’m a big fan of You’re Jovian, Wandcarver, Norfolk Nightmares, Prayer Group (RVA), Demons and Death Valley Rally. There is so much talent and creativity in the Norfolk/Va. Beach area, I could go on and on. We played with Spooky Cool last night from Richmond, Va. I was absolutely amazed by them. Brooklyn based A Deer A Horse are a personal favorite of mine too. We’re sharing the stage with them next weekend. Check out their EP Backswimmer.

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
I’m funny about covers. While I enjoy them I’m scared of them. I’m afraid of taking another musicians song and losing the power of authenticity. I’ve always wanted to cover Now to War by Guided by Voices and The Blog That Celebrates Itself already beat me to the Starflyer 59 covers!

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Our plans are to continue making records and playing shows at home and on the road. It’s been DIY from the beginning and it will probably always be.

Q: Any parting words?
Music is personal and communal all in one. The late nights reflecting and writing are its core. Taking it out of the garage and sharing it is the fun part. Especially if you were able reach someone with it. Support your “scene” as much as possible. Love each other, love your partner, love your kids, love your family and friends. We all create differently and the differences are what make music and the world rad.
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Thanks

https://armsbizarre.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ArmsBizarre

Los Hombres Grises with Karate Hiroshima - An Interview



Eis que os espanhóis retornam as páginas do TBTCI, agora representados pelo novíssimo duo, Karate Hiroshima. Com pouco menos de um ano, Verónica Mellado e Ismael Redondo criam suas trips sob bases eletrônicas, guitarras hipnóticas navegando por entre um tênue elo unificando o shoegaze e o trip hop.

Melancolicamente, o EP, "Los Hombres Grises" se conecta espiritual e sonoramente com The Cure, Portishead e a fase excêntrica do Radiohead, sugerindo um ar de modernidade.

Para ficar de olhos e ouvidos atentos.

***** Interview with Karate Hiroshima *****



Q. When did Karate Hiroshima begin? Tell us about the history...
A: KH started in the spring of 2017. At first we discussed the idea of playing with traditional bass and drums, but in the end we decided to use electronics for our bases for the freedom and creativity it offers us, and we began to compose and rehearse more intensively in our house.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: We are two persons with a musical very different origin. Because of it it is very difficult to make concrete easily recognizable influences, since we might speak about groups of electronics as Lusine, Gardens and Villa, Hot Chip, Metronomy, happen for Caspian's postrock or even come to Wild Nothing's shoegaze

Q. Make a list of 5 albums of all time…
A: "Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me" The Cure
"Debut" Björk
"OK Computer" Radiohead
"Dummy" Portishead
"Blue Lines" Massive Attack

Q. How do you feel playing live?
A: We do not know. Our first concert together will be next February 16th. Surely it will be great.

Q. How do you describe Karate Hiroshima sounds?
A: Our sound is vital and dark. We still do not know if we are pessimists trying to get ahead or if we are vitalistic and cheerful but circumstances make us feel sad. We always walk between those two extremes, and it seems that it is reflected in our music.

Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs?
A: Actually everything has been very comfortable. The electronic part we have been doing little by little in our house, allowing us to recreate in all the details that we wanted to sound and optimize the mix, and the analog part we recorded in the studio of Angel Róman, a great friend who has very easy position. The part of final mix and production we have carried out between the three.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
A: They aren't exactly new, but they are active we are interested in projects like James Blake, How to Dress Well, Adult, Beacon, Chromatics, Rhye, Blue Hawaii…

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
A: "I wanna be adored" by Stone Roses, "By this River" by Brian Eno, and the openning of Dragon Ball Super :)

Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: We are working on new songs to be able to do an L.P. in the near future, and play live as much as we can.

Q: Any parting words?
A: Yes, we are very grateful for the interest you have shown in us and in our music, and we hope that some day we will be able to show you our work live there
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Thanks

https://karatehiroshima.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/karatehiroshima/

segunda-feira, 19 de março de 2018

Melter with Helen Kelter Skelter - An Interview


Norman, Oklahoma, é o ponto onde a garageira psicodélica sessentista une forças ao noise dos novos tempos, ou se você preferir uma colisão em alta voltagem entre The Standells e B.R.M.C..

Assim é o quinteto, Helen Kelter Skelter, um jogo de palavras obviamente remetendo a clássica canção do quarteto musical mais famoso do universo.

Os caras soltaram em Janeiro seu segundo esporro, o álbum "Melter", que seja a lógica do debute, o homônimo lançado em 2015. Só que literalmente os caras adicionaram um quesito a mais em toda a fórmula, o suingue parece tomar contornos mais fortes no novo trabalho, o que não deixa o peso e a acidez ficarem em segundo plano, é apenas mais um motivo para aumentar no volume máximo.

Como os próprios sugerem o som do Helen Kelter Skelter é uma perfeita trilha sonora pra pegar estrada afora, seja seguindo por desertos ou o trajeto que for, o que importa é a vibe.

Escute alto e boa viagem.

***** Interview with Helen Kelter Skelter *****


Q. When did Helen Kelter Skelter begin? Tell us about the history...
Helen Kelter Skelter formed in the fall of 2013 and was founded by Tim Gregory (me) and Eli Wimmer. We always wanted to start a band together since high school and once we were out of college we finally had some time to devote to it. We just started recording a record together and then we found other members to play with and make it a full band.

Q: Who are your influences?
Too many to mention, but we love a little bit of everything. Right now we've been into heavier rock such as Metz or Mclusky

Q. Make a list of 5 albuns of all time…
Thats a tough one...here are some that come to mind

Pink Floyd - Darkside of the Moon
The Beatles - Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
Frank Zappa - Freak Out!

Q. How do you describe Helen Kelter Skelter sounds?
It's the type of music you would listen to while driving in the middle of the Mojave desert.


Q: Tell us about the process of recording the songs ?
For Melter we recorded all the songs as demos at our house and then we would take the tracks to the studio and put drums over them and then take them back over to our house and rerecord all the tracks over the fresh drums so they would lineup better and then take it back into the studio and mix everything to give it the sound we wanted.

Q. Which new bands do you recommend?
Metz, Orb, Natural Child, old Tame Impala, and of coarse King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Q: Which band would you love to made a cover version of?
We usually do a cover or two at Halloween. We've covered Fire & Manic Depression by Jimi Hendrix, Five to One by the Doors, Psycho Killer by Talking Heads, and Vitamin C by Can. We've always talked about doing The Green Manalishi by Fleetwood Mac....maybe thats the one we will pick for 2018...

Q: What are your plans for the future?
Touring, and working on new songs is what we're looking forward to. Maybe a trip to Mars... Go give our new album MELTER a listen!

Q: Any parting words?
Go give our new album MELTER a listen!
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Thanks

https://www.helenkelterskelter.com
https://www.facebook.com/helkelskel/
https://helenkelterskelter.bandcamp.com/

sexta-feira, 16 de março de 2018

Volker with Blurred City Lights - An Interview


Quando dois maestros encontram-se é sabido que a genialidade dará o tom do trabalho.

E é exatamente isso que acontece com a junção de Jarek Leskiewicz (Sunset Wrecks / Opollo) , e Dean Garcia (Curve / SPC ECO, entre outros).

Sob a alcunha de Blurred City Lights os dois voltaram a ativa há questão de um mês atrás com "Volker", segundo trabalho deles. Ainda mais enigmático do que o genial "Anamorphic", "Volker" exala uma atmosfera de mistério. Como no trabalho anterior, o disco conta com participações especialíssimas como Rose Berlin (SPC ECO), Fillipo Gaetani entre outros.

O ponto é que, por entre sombras e luzes o Blurred City Lights novamente cometeu um disco perfeito.


***** Interview with Blurred City Lights *****



Q. Hello, first of all, congratulations on the new record. It's really brilliant. What is your analysis after conclusion of record? Are you happy with the result?
Jarek: Thank you, Renato! I'm pretty content with the end result. It's a snapshot of 3 months of us collaborating and shaping out musical ideas. Keeping each other's virtual company. Night crawling. It started with an EP in mind but it gradually morphed into a complete album.

Q. How was the process of creating "Volker"?
Jarek: For me, it started slightly rusty as we didn't do that project for quite a while (4 years!!) but with every new track it became more and more natural and inspiring. I think Dean also needed a bit of warm-up and motivation. From my perspective of working with him, he is most musical when in the right frame of mind - darkly inspired but optimistically creative. Willing to explore sonic pathways and give songs/ideas a chance.

Q. What are the main differences between "Volker" and "Anamorphic"?
Jarek: I feel like "Anamorphic" was created in a different time-space and emotional landscape. We were still bathing in the afterglow of very fruitful co-writing work on SPC ECO's "Sirens & Satellites".To me, it was a very euphoric and creative period. More hopeful. On Anamorphic we composed the tracks as songs with vocals in mind and while working on Volker the vocals became optional and more additional voices-like, accompanying. We fleshed out some of the parts but mostly we left things the way they presented themselves. Warts and all. Although there was a Click Inquisition going on for a bit ...haha. More instrumentals and cinematic vibes were welcomed on the album. The sound and production on those 2 records while unmistakably Dean, is a bit different too.

Q. What were the influences for creating the new record?
Jarek: The cover image was one of the main inspirations. It gave the record an evocative face and vivid sound direction. Musically there weren't direct influences except me using some Fairlight CMI sounds inspired by Peter Gabriel's early records and my usual nods to Eno-Byrne stuff. I also remember Dean mentioning Godspeed Young Emperor somewhere during the process.You still can hear trademarks of both of our styles on Volker but what I like about working with Dean is that he usually won't allow us to repeat ourselves too much. I think that's a great instinct.

Q. What are your plans for 2018?
Jarek: I'm finishing records of my other projects (Sunset Wrecks & Opollo) and hopefully will start working on another 2 after that :). I plan to check out some new music, read a few auto-biographies, make cool photos, watch a lot of movies and spend quality time with my close ones. That's all I need and wish for. Everything else is a bonus.
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Thanks

https://blurred-city-lights.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Blurred-City-Lights-506384916069942/?ref=hl