Paul Richards from Scared To Dance has allowed us to use his interview with Standard Fare from his new Scared To Dance Summer Fanzine in the blog. Standard Fare released one of my favourite albums, “The Noyelle Beat” earlier this year, – a brilliant album.

As you see from the cover scan above, there are a lot of good stuff to read in the fanzine. Interviews with The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, Allo Darlin, Betty and the Werewolves, Darren Hayman and Standard Fare + a feature on the indietracks festival, live reviews, “Best new bands” from the Brill Dream blog and profiles on the upcoming Sarah Records documentary, Odd Box Records, Twee Grrrls Club and Hissing Swans + much more.

The fanzine will be available at Indietracks and the next Scared To Dance night on Saturday 31st July at King’s Cross Social Club, London. Alternatively you can order it from their website http://www.scaredtodance.co.uk . Scared To Dance is also on Facebook  http://tinyurl.com/scaredtodance and on Twitter  http://twitter.com/scaredtodance

Now, the Standard Fare interview:

Your single “Dancing” caused quite a stir in London’s indie pop scene last year (making #3 in our Festive Fifty). Have you been surprised how things have taken off so quickly?

Emma: It’s been fantastic to be made to feel so welcome by such nice people in the indie pop scene, both across the country and abroad. We’ve been a band for quite a while; just over 5 years now and we’ve always enjoyed playing and writing together but in the last year it’s all moved up a level. Getting the chance to play so many gigs and having people like the album too has just made it all so exciting for us.

Tell us about your debut album The Noyelle Beat. What hopes do you have for it?

Dan: The album’s about romance and friendship and all those little things that come between the two. It was released back at the beginning of April and in two months it’s far surpassed all the hopes we had for it. When we recorded it, we didn’t think it would be heard by half the people it has, and for their reaction to be positive, is better than we could have imagined. It’s given us so much energy for what we’re doing.

How was your trip to the US and SXSW?

Andy: Yeah the US trip was incredible! Really enjoyed playing at SXSW, it was great being asked to play there. Everywhere we walked in Austin music was blaring out of every door we past, lots of people, lots of great bands, and the weather was good too.

What are your influences?Emma, did your mum’s previous band Poison Girls have a big impact on your writing?

Emma: They’re all quite varied really; my influences are bands like Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Van Morrison and also stuff like the Be Good Tanyas. Yes I remember really liking the way the Poison Girls wrote their songs – always quite upbeat happy music and then more uncompromising lyrics.

Dan: I guess I’m influenced mainly by bands like The Lemonheads, the 100 Broken Windows era Idlewild, and early Green Day. It’s generally something that has that urgency about it but that still has a melody tucked away somewhere

Andy: American pop punk was what made me want to start playing the drums, really enjoy Britpop, and just recently been listening to a lot of dance music, which has given me influence on a couple of our new songs.

Who are you looking forward to see play at Indietracks?
Emma: None of us have been to Indietracks before although we wanted to get there last year. We’re really looking forward to it.

Dan: I don’t want to build anything up but I’m sure we’ll think about doing something a little different. It’s a great line-up; I can see us rushing round all weekend trying not to miss anyone! I heard the Mexican Kids at Home are playing, I love their stuff and I’ve not seen them play for a while, so that’ll be really cool.

Andy: Yeah there are loads of bands I’m looking forward to seeing! Really excited about Allo Darlin’, I really enjoy their music.

You’ve got a UK tour lined-up for July. What else have you got planned for the rest of the year?

Emma: Indeed we are, July is going be fun and especially with the festivals we are doing! We are also doing another US tour down the east coast in August and then we are hoping to record the new material we’ve been working on and we’ll just keep playing anywhere we can.

For a few weeks now, I have been listening to and loving the debut-album from The Consulate General, “Person Number”. The album is released today on Circle Into Square records, and it’s a record you should spend both your money and your time on. Well worth it!

The man behind The Consulate General is no debutant in the music industry. This is the new project from Boy In Static‘s Alexander Chen, a Taiwanese-American multi-instrumentalist who is currently living in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album is full of lovely, warm melodies, thoughtful lyrics, very interesting arrangements and creative instrumentation. Chen has a playful attitude towards composing, and I am fascinated by the way he builds his rhythms and harmonies. Often, I get those “wow, how did he think of that!?”-experiences, – even after numerous listens.

“Person Number” is a beautiful journey in sound and words.

Chen is accompanied on the album by several of my own favourite artists, which makes this even more interesting for me. Antoine Bedard of Montag, Simon Scott of Slowdive/The Charlottes/Televise/Seavault, John Chao of Misha and Ryan Fritch of Sole & The Skyrider Band have all added musical elements to Chen’s music.

(Short interview with Alexander Chen below the cover-art)

Fascinated by the project and the idea of it all, I sent over some questions to The Consulate General himself. Here are the answers.

The title, – what is the story behind “Person number”, and what’s the story behind “The Consulate General”?

Could you please tell me a bit about the process of making the album, why you chose Bedard/Scott/Chao/Fritch as your collaboration partners and how you have collaborated?

There seem to be a lot of travelling and places mentioned in almost every song. Is there a theme on the album? How much is influenced by your move to Sweden?

Here is a new video for The Consulate General’s song YWCA Trixie:

If you want to check out more of the label behind Alexander Chen and The Consulate General, you should download their free compilation, where you can listen to another of The Consulate General’s songs, “Halfday Honeymoon”. You can find it here:

http://www.circleintosquare.com/item/cis-compilation-vol-1

"Self-taught magic from a book" is the debut album from two Norwegian girls and two English boys in a band with a French name, Je Suis Animal. The album is released today, and I must say I’ve waited a long time for this record. in fact, I’ve waited for it for about as long as I’ve run this blog.

I think I heard Je Suis Animal for the first time in 2005, and their sound was so different from everything other Norwegian bands did at the time. Their sound is still different, and the album has become a wonderful collection of dreamy, sharp-edged pop songs with influences from several decades of alternative music.

Before we let the band tell us more about the album, and how it was to record in the middle of the woods with a bear lurking around, we just have to look at their new video for one of the songs on the new album. "The Mystery of Marie Roget" is directed by Amund Hesbøl, and obviously inspired by the Bunuel/Dali classic "Un Chien Andalou" from 1929.

[youtube -MELudipdt4]

Before you start reading our interview with the band, I advice you to open their myspace in a separate window and press play on the music player. Then come back here and read the rest while listening!

We asked two of the founding members of Je Suis Animal, Anthony Barratt and Elin Grimstad, how they would describe their own music.

    ANTHONY: Dreamy indie pop with some experimental elements. We like making light melodic pop songs, which under the surface lurks something a bit darker.

    ELIN: Yeah, the themes I write about often have a sinister or strange twist to them. I would say we play melodic indie pop, inspired by 60′s pop and psychedelia as well as 80′s indie pop. We like the naive combined with the more complex. 

Tell us the story about how it all started, and I’m also curious about WHERE it all started? How did you meet each other?

    ANTHONY: I met Elin eight years ago at art school in Bath, England. We shared the video editing studio – she was making cutout animation films and I was playing around with sound and to the frustration of my tutors, calling it art! There weren’t many people in Bath that were into indie music. She played me a tape of some songs she had made on 4-track, and I thought it was great so we started to make demos at her apartment.
Elin moved back to Norway in 2003. She found Merete through a mutual friend, and Matt joined the band on drums even though he had never played drums before. I came to Oslo to visit Elin in the summer of 2004. We had a few jams in a tiny room at Hersleb Skole and it was great fun. That whole trip to Oslo was fantastic and so I moved here six months later.

Your new album "Self taught Magic from a Book" is released today on the small indie-label Perfect Pop records. The story of how it was recorded is quite special, and I’ve heard that it includes a bear and a community hall in the middle of the woods… Tell us the whole story!

    ANTHONY: We first came into contact with Perfect Pop three years ago, after they heard our demo, which we’d recorded on minidisks and a few crap microphones in that tiny room at Hersleb Skole. We rushed into Spendless Studios, where most Perfect Pop bands make their albums. But it was a catastrophe! We probably drove the poor sound engineer insane. We were only really comfortable playing together, and so layering each instrument individually didn’t work for us at all. There wasn’t the option to record as a band because the live room was so small. Things took too long to get right and we basically ran out of time and energy.

I’ve often thought that there’s a certain magic created when a band plays together and that doesn’t always come across when you layer the instruments separately. Being a fan of sixties music I started reading about the distant microphone techniques that engineers used back then. When you use that approach, you’re not looking to separate things from one another, it’s more a case of getting a nice sound from very few microphones. We had already bought an 8-channel desk at the start of 2006 with some money we got for ‘Fortune Map’ being used in the film Tommy’s Inferno. As we were intending to use that desk for these recordings, it was a basic necessity to use distant miking in order to record everything together live. We didn’t have hundreds of channels and microphones available to us, but friends of ours kindly leant us what they could. What we needed was a room that had a nice natural ambience.

A friend of ours knew of a really remote community hall in the woods in Hedalen. It looked pretty scary in the photograph! But it had a great big room with nice acoustics and plenty of space for everyone to play. So we booked it. Then we were told to watch out, as a bear had killed some cattle on a nearby farm. Finding the community hall on the way down was like something out of a horror film as it was so foggy and dark. Fortunately we found the place and got all the gear inside without meeting our grizzly neighbour. We stayed there for a week and pretty much worked non-stop. It was just a pity that there weren’t any showers!

The best thing about recording in the middle of the woods is that there is very little to distract you, and you can start or finish at any time of the day. Some of the songs were recorded bright and early in the morning, whereas others were done late at night. It’s interesting how this can affect the music. It was also very beautiful and inspiring to look out the windows whilst playing and see the snow falling or fog coming down.

What I’ve heard so far from the new album sounds in my opinion both lighter and more "pop" than the older songs. Do you agree? How do you feel that the sound of Je Suis Animal has developed since you released your debut single "Fortune Map" in 2005?

    ANTHONY: I think that there came a point when we felt like developing songs a bit further. We stopped playing concerts immediately after our debut single was released which I suppose is a bit of an odd way to do things for a band just starting out. It felt like it was time to focus on writing, jamming and just trying different things. We have always loved pop music – the golden age of pop, that is. The songs on our album are all pretty varied in their arrangements as we were exploring what the ‘sound’ of the band could be.

One of your songs is called "The Mystery of Marie Roget", which, if I’m right, is named after a dark murder mystery-story written by Edgar Allan Poe. You seem to like scary, dark and sinister themes for your songs, even for the most upbeat popsongs… Am I right? Are books in general a source of inspiration for you?

    ELIN : A lot of things inspire me. Art, books, mystery stories, strange phenomenons, magic, poems, songs. And of course the people I know, things that happen, things that you’d wish happened, boyfriends, love off course and so on…

You’ve spent nine months making songs for the new album. How is a song by Je suis animal born?

    ANTHONY: Nine months sounds like ages, but it didn’t feel like that. We started recording the rehearsals onto minidisk and that was useful as it meant we could take away ideas and work on them at home. Sometimes Elin would bring a finished song or she and I would write together, or we would jam something out until it turned into something else. One of the sweetest songs on the album, ‘Rousseau World’, came out of jamming like that. It’s handy recording rehearsals when a song almost writes itself like that. There’s a whole mountain of jams and unfinished ideas, which will probably pop up in future songs.

The album is released at almost the same time as you play on one of Norway’s most important festivals, By:Larm. Last time you played on By:larm (2005), you were contacted by a director who wanted your song in his movie (Tommy’s inferno). What do you hope will happen after this years by:larm?

    ANTHONY: It would be nice to play lots around Scandinavia and the rest of Europe… especially some festivals this summer. Hopefully there will be some booking agencies at our gigs!

The sound of Je Suis Animal should be heard by the world! What are your plans for the release outside of Norway?

    ANTHONY: Thank you! We’ve got plans to license the album in Australia and Japan. We’re looking to license it in the UK and US too.

I’ve waited with this one, but I just have to ask… Je suis animal….. a French name on a band from Norway and England. What is the French connection?

   ELIN: To be honest – nothing really, but it sounds good – don’t you think? We like the French language. And the fact it’s grammatically wrong. And we really like French films and the Paris art movement in the 1920/30. I like wearing a beret too.

Let’s talk about your influences… On your myspace, you mention a lot of influences from the 80s and 90s like The Shop Assistants, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, The Pastels, Talulah Gosh ++, but you’ve also got several 60s and 70s references on your list, like The Shangri-Las, Joe Meek, Nico and Faust, just to name a few. Are there any bands from the present that you feel inspired by or admire? …And… What do you think about the reunion of My Bloody Valentine?

    ANTHONY: We like Broadcast very much. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen was when they played London just before the release of their Pendulum EP. They were incredible and totally far out in a really psychedelic way. There’s also some lovely library style music being released on Ghost Box, a label affiliated with Broadcast. Another band we’ve all been listening to lately is Mahogany from New York… gorgeous dream pop but very upbeat and good to dance to.

    I can’t quite believe that My Bloody Valentine are playing together again… let alone playing in Oslo. But I guess there’s a bit of a fan base here. It must be for the money but still… I am excited. Tell you the truth I’ve got my ear plugs at the ready! Give me that holocaustic one chord! Actually these days Elin and I are hooked on the early stuff, especially Ecstasy & Wine because the songs are so good. But I’d be surprised if they played anything from that album.

All our interviews in Eardrums end with a "Top5 of everything".  What is Je suis animal’s "Top5 of everything"?

    Top 5 Animals We’d Like To Be

    1. Owl
    2. Rhinoceros
    3. Squirrel
    4. Koala Bear
    5. Giraffe

Je Suis Animal play a release-concert at Blaa in Oslo today at 20:00. You can download two of their songs at NRK Urört. The album can be bought from Platekompaniet and other good recordshops from today on.

Here is a live video from Je Suis Animal’s performance at Blaa 28. April 2007:

[youtube sKszNNNzoUg]

(Cryptacize: Chris, Nedelle and Michael. Photo by John Ringhofer)

Cryptacize is what happens when two of the people that have given me some of my best musical moments in the last couple of years join forces. Chris Cohen  and Nedelle Torrisi . When they in addition get together with an amazing percussionist, Michael Carreira, incredible things must happen.

Their debut album is called "Dig That Treasure" and will be released through Asthmatic Kitty on February 19. The album includes 11 beautiful, playful, interesting, harmonic, weird, sweet and most of all unpredictable songs, and I must say it has become even better than I dared to hope for. It is so refreshing to hear pop music that can surprise you with its unexpected turns, key- and rhythm changes and unusual harmonies. Cryptacize is definitely unpredictable and unusual in their way of making music, but the result is not what some will call "difficult music". This is "interesting music", but also very friendly to the ears.

For those of you who are not familiar with these people, Chris Cohen has previously released several albums with The Curtains, and he was also a member of Deerhof for several years. The multiinstrumentalist Nedelle Torrisi has released several solo-albums as Nedelle, including last years wonderful "The Locksmith Cometh". She has also recorded an album called "Summerland" with The Moore Brothers’ Thom Moore as "Nedelle & Thom" in 2004. Michael Carreira is the third member of Cryptacize, – a percussionist Nedelle and Chris "found" via an amazing cowbell-video he had made on YouTube. 

Chris and Nedelle has played together, lived together and been almost neighbours before they started Cryptacize.  She joined The Curtains on their last album "Calamity", and he played on her latest album. The title track on "The Locksmith Cometh" is co-written by Chris Cohen.

I just HAD to send over some questions to Chris and Nedelle, and while you are reading their answers, you can have a listen to some songs from the new album + some of the things they have done before Cryptacize:

Cryptacize – No Coins | Cryptacize – Cosmic Sing-a-long |
Nedelle – Ex-Priest | The Curtains – Go Lucky | The Cryptacize and Curtains songs are from Asthmatic Kitty, and the Nedelle track is from Tangram7s website.

So, here’s the Q&A…

Q | – In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between Cryptacize and the projects you have worked in before?

A | Mainly the better band name. (Cryptacize!)

Q | - Do you concider this to be your new main project, or will you still release albums as The Curtains and as Nedelle?

A | Cryptacize is more than a project to us – it’s more like the fateful union of 3 kindred souls.  However, it leaves us with little time for anything else, such as earning a living, etc. 

Q | - I understand that you met Michael Carreira through the internet. Could you tell us the whole story, and also: how do the three of you work together?

A | Mike heard that we were starting a new band (through a mutual friend) and sent us a link to this video of him playing.  It was a beautiful example of how one simple instrument can be like an orchestra, depending on one’s creativity. We thought Mike was super-creative. We work together in various ways, none of them revolutionary to talk about probably.  Maybe one insight we could provide is that in general, we give each other a great deal of musical autonomy. Not that we don’t tell each other what to do, but each of us is sort of an individual unit in some ways. We try to spread out, musically-speaking.

Q | – One thing I love about this album, and previous albums from both Nedelle and The Curtains, is that the songwriting does not seem to follow the common paths of pop. The melodies and the rhythms travels their own ways, suddenly stops, holds a note longer than expected, the beat changes…. It seems very calculated, but at the same time everything sounds so natural that it could have been improvised. Could you please give me some insight in the songwriting-process/ recording-process of Cryptacize?

A | Calculating and being natural are the same thing to me.  The human brain is part of nature, although sometimes it will become sick and produce music that doesn’t sound right. Who knows what can cause this? Hopefully our brains are healthy.
When we compose it’s like we’re improvising, but we cheat and go back and edit and improve. But still, the imagination goes into whatever you do.

Q | - I find the opening lyrics on "Cosmic sing-a-long" very beautiful and full of hope. "Every Note is an Unfinished Song". I feel there is a lot of "Cryptacize" in these words… Am I right? What is the story behind this little lyric, and does it mean something special for you as a band?

A | Nedelle starting whistling a tune to herself one day on a crowded train but stopped after only note, she didn’t want to disturb anyone.  Then she realized – that one note could have been the first note of any song ever written.  We imagined how this one single note is part of every song but also how every sound in the world is all joined together in one single song. The song of the cosmos, which is simultaneously joyful and sorrowful.

Q |  – You are going on a tour in march (and I am very happy to see that there will be a concert in Norway too, where I live…)- Will this be as a trio or will there be other musicians involved? What can we expect on a Cryptacize concert?

A | Just us 3 in the band.  We concentrate really hard and our eyebrows spasm to the music, sustaining a mood of mystery and intrigue.

Q |  – …and I have to ask: What is the story behind the name Cryptacize?

A | Cryptacize is a magic word which produces confusion and grandiose sentiment wherever it is uttered.  That which is unreal becomes real, and vice versa.
In one case, a house tipped on its side, ever so slightly.

Q |  – All Eardrums interviews end with a "Top 5 of everything". What is Cryptacize’s top5?

A |
top 5 inventions
1. stairs
2. ball point pens
3. telescopes
4. synthetic flesh
5. sprinklers

Here is the video for Cryptacize’s song "Cosmic sing-a-long":

[youtube ykGsjQn560U]

Part 2 of 2 of the Dublab interview series here at Eardrums: after chatting with beat wizard Nobody, I had the chance to ask Mr. Jimmy Tamborello a couple of questions on the occasion of his participation in the Sous La Plage festival on September 2. I don’t think I can list all the bands and projects he’s been involved with in the past decade, but let’s say that if you’ve ever seen Dntel, The Postal Service, Figurine, James Figurine, or Headset on a record cover, he was part of that. His latest album as Dntel, Dumb Luck, was released this spring; it is full of guest performances by high-profile indie artists from around the world (Lali Puna, Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, indie-folk newcomers Arthur & Yu, etc.)

Cameraphone pic, though "it’s hard to keep the dirt and grease off the lens"

In this interview, Jimmy talks about the highly anticipated new Postal Service record, his M.O. for live performances, and being on the road with the Dublab crew.

Eardrums: Did you know that Jenny Lewis was in town just this week?
Jimmy Tamborello: Yeah, I didn’t see her, we were in Switzerland… these kind of things always happen.
I heard you guys are neighbours… are you working on anything now, were you involved with the new Rilo Kiley record?
Elvin Estrela (Nobody): You guys are literally neighbours?
Jimmy: Well, yeah, and no, I didn’t get involved with the new Rilo Kiley record, I only heard the record when it was completely finished. On the previous record, I only produced this one track ["Accidntel Deth"], they gave it to me and they wanted me to add electro flourishes to the track, you know.

OK. I guess the big question is, what’s the status with the new Postal Service record?
Jimmy: I dunno, we have a few songs down, but that’s not taking the priority, because Death Cab for Cutie [Ben Gibbard's original band] are gonna start working on their new record, and that goes first. But we’ve actually sent a couple of songs back and forth.

Are you gonna send physical packages in the mail, or is it all gonna be online?
Oh, we’ve already exchanged CD’s this time around; e-mail and we’re still using that, physical packages.

Jimmy takes "a big gulp of a secret sonic elixir we mix daily in the lab", say Dublab

A friend of mine, who likes your earlier [instrumental, more abstract] releases, says that "Ben Gibbard has ruined Jimmy Tamborello". How do you react to that?
Jimmy: Oh, I get that sometimes. But you know, I still do like the type of music that I did back then, and I still play it; on this tour, I actually play some older material. Generally, I’d say that I’m exploring different interests, in recording pop songs with guests. The thing with the Postal Service record is, a lot of people felt like the song "(This is) The Dream of Evan and Chan" [which was recorded with Ben for a Dntel album] was more ‘out there’ than Give up, we didn’t keep it the same way for the record.

Hypothetical question: if you could play any of your songs that has a guest vocalist while on stage with them, which one would you choose?
Jimmy: Well, when I’m playing in LA, the guest singers that I’ve use often come to sing when they’re around, people like Mia Doi Todd or Jenny Lewis, or Arthur & Yu. For today, I’m actually playing a modified version of "The Distance" [which has Arthur & Yu on vocals]; I can’t sing it with my range, so I’ve written new lyrics for the song and I’ll sing those myself.

So what is the set gonna be like today?
Jimmy: It’s just me on stage, playing older stuff, and really new stuff, kind of like karaoke, with no vocals other than me singing the parts I can. I just broke one of my samplers the other day, though, so it’s gonna be complicated for the rest of the tour. Dublab was first invited to come play here at Sous La Plage, and we decided to build a European tour around that date, that’s two-and-a-half weeks long.

The rest of the Dublab crew are closer to hip-hop than you are, would you consider working in hip-hop stuff, beyond producing or remixing tracks here and there?
Jimmy: You know, I was involved in the Headset album, even though I wasn’t the main man on that one [Headset was a collective hip-hop album organised around Allen Avanessian, head of the Plug Research label, a bit like the UNKLE project], but mostly I don’t do that stuff because I’m not satisfied with how the result sounds. It’s true, though, that during Dublab events such as this tour, all the other acts are mainly hip-hop, and I’m here with my electro set, I can feel like the odd man out sometimes.

Jimmy’s brother Brian is a well-known photographer; hence the nice press pics.

That’s it for our Dublab interviews; keep checking their website to stay updated on the futuree releases of the collective’s artists, and check out their quality webradio and podcasts. The Echo Expansion tour goes on. For all things Jimmy Tamborello, you can check out jimmytamborello.com and dntelmusic.com, which has exclusive limited-time mp3 downloads, as well as a stream of instrumental versions of Dumb Luck songs.

Dntel – The Distance (feat. Arthur & Yu) – from Sub Pop
The Postal Service – Such Great Heights – from Sub Pop

Taking advantage of the glorious Sous La Plage festival in downtown Paris, I spent my Sunday afternoon chilling to the sweet Pacific sounds of Dublab, the South California collective and webradio that regroups some of the most exciting artists America has to offer. Dublab were the special guests at this small free festival, and I had the opportunity to just walk up to two of my favourite artists and ask them questions (the interviews were reconstructed from notes, for lack of recording material; apologies to those concerned). In today’s installment, I talk with beatmaker-turned-songster Elvin Estela, who records under the name Nobody.

"Sous la Plage"? Well, the French say, "under the cobblestones, the beach"

Elvin is a busy musician; besides releasing three solo (but guest-laden) albums since 2000, he produces hip-hop records (lately the critically-acclaimed Busdriver LP) and is a sought-after remixer for acts such as the Shins, Mia Doi Todd, The Postal Service and Her Space Holiday (a compilation of his remixes, Revisions, Revisions, was released last year). Last year as well, we heard Nobody and Mystic Chords of Memory, a full-length collaboration with Californian psych-folk/pop singer Chris Gunst and his wife, which was a brilliant, out-there record.

Eardrums: Is it fair to describe your progression as a musician as gradually walking away from ‘traditional’ hip-hop beatmaking?
Elvin Estela: Yeah. You know, when I started, even on [debut album] Soulmates, I wanted to go against the grain of the hip-hop environment, even though I still had MC’s on the tracks. I’m purposedly walking away from all that, and now I have singers on my tracks. I like hip-hop and I like making beats, but not a lot of the rap lyrics that are out there; I believe that singing can convey a lot more emotion on a hip-hop track, and it’s fresh.
On Pacific Drift, my second record, was really me trying to figure out how to make songs, and collaborating with the singers.

Can you talk about the record with Mystic Chords of Memory? Was that a one-shot record, or do you plan on doing that again?
Elvin: Well, I’m definitely planning on making another one; that’s coming up. The thing is, Chris [Gunst] moved pretty far away, and he used to live close to me, so it’s a bit more complicated but we’re working on it.

Elvin and his band’s singer, Niki.

Would you be interested in collaborating with another artist for a whole record, like on N&MCM?
Elvin: Actually, the follow-up to Pacific Drift – well, it’s Pacific Drift Part 2 – I’m making it with Blank Blue, it’s really me with a singer and a drummer, as a band. It’s a concept record that I’m making with my friend Niki Landa, who sings on it. [Nobody's set on that afternoon, billed Nobody Presents Blank Blue, indeed included a band, and it was spectacular!]

A lot of your albums include cover songs, particularly Pacific Drift. Can you explain why you chose to include those (The Zombies’ "This Will Be Our Year", the Monkees’ "Porpoise song", etc.)?
Elvin: Well, there were four covers on that record, and that’s because I wanted songs but didn’t know how to write them. Actually, they’re all psychedelic music classics that I liked, and I could imagine the guests on my record singing those songs. On And Everything Else, there was a Flaming Lips cover ("What Is The Light"), that was preexistent; we recorded it for something else, a sampler thing, and it didn’t get picked, but I really wanted people to hear it so I put it on there.

The Dublab Echo Expansion Tour continues, with sets by Daedalus, Dntel, Dimlite, etc., and splendid deejaying by The Gaslamp Killer. If you’re in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Aarhus, Fribourg, Rome, Brussels or Berlin in the next two weeks, don’t miss out! Also coming up this week: my interview with Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, (James) Figurine, The Postal Service, etc.!

Nobody presents: BANK BLUE – Peoplelectro (from the upcoming Pacific Drift … Western Water Music Volume 2, courtesy of Dublab)
Nobody and Mystic Chords of Memory – Broaden a New Sound (from the self-titled album, mp3 from SXSW)

 
Bristol-artist Nick Talbot has been making music as Gravenhurst for several years, and he is soon ready to release his fifth album, “The Western Lands” on Warp Records. Gravenhurst’s first two albums, “Internal Travels” and “Flashlight Seasons” were dark, acoustic based albums with a lot in common with songwriters like Nick Drake or Jeff Buckley. On his latest release, “Fires in distant buildings”, Gravenhust explored other sides of his music, and created a noisier, more electrified, maybe a bit shoegazey sound. Everything we knew as Gravenhurst were still present, – the feeling, the calm vocals, the acoustic guitars, but another, rougher dimension had been added. Where will Nick Talbot take us with his new album? We asked him.

First, – have a look at the video for Gravenhurst’s new single, “Trust”, from the 2007 album “The Western Lands”:
[youtube 8dJJl1n1Zqc]

And here’s an older song from Gravenhurst:
Gravenhurst – Still Water

 - On your last album, you tried out a louder and noisier sound. Where do you take us on this new album? Have you moved in new directions or continued to explore the musical areas from ‘Fires in distant buildings’?

I think this album is more melodic and accessible than Fires. The songs are shorter and more traditional in structure, but on the other hand the production is more lo-fi. We didn’t use any professional recording studios, Dave and I engineered it in practise rooms with our friend Simon, and mixed it all on PC at home. So the album is much noisier but not as experimental, if that makes sense. We explored ideas on Fires and then on this album pulled them together more coherently. The lyrics follow a more explicit theme, but I guess you’ll have to wait to hear them to work out what that theme is.

- The title “Western lands”, what does it mean to you? I’ve heard that it is related to William S. Burroughs, an author I relate more to the modern, industrial and sometimes disturbing electronic world of Bronnt than to the music of Gravenhurst. Why Burroughs?

I just liked the name. It sounds mysterious. I hadn’t read the book when I chose the name. But I am a Burroughs fan, and he explores strange dream worlds, which is something I try to do in music.

- On which page in the future “100 Classic Rock Albums”-book will we read about “Western lands” and what will the accompanying article say?

The preliminary results of extensive research by several independent Indie Rock focus groups suggests that it is probably the best album ever made, so it will appear on page one. They won’t need to write about why it is the best album ever made, it will just be obvious, so they will leave the accompanying article blank.

- Gravenhurst started more or less like your solo-project. Today, I guess we can say that the main force in the band is you and your drummer, Dave Collingwood. How do the two of you work together,and how do you make a Gravenhurst song?

Sometimes I write and record demos with simple, sampled drum parts, and give them to Dave for him to reinterpret. The track ‘Grand Union Canal’ on the new album is a good example of Dave’s unique drumming style.

- Could you describe how the band has developed since you released your debut ‘Internal Travels’?

Since about 2001 Dave and I have been the core members. We’ve had quite a few different bass players; people have other commitments in their lives; relationships and day jobs, and can’t afford to tour all the time so unfortunately it can be hard to maintain a stable line up. The live shows influenced the way I was writing stuff; I started writing in the knowledge that Dave would be able to add new elements to the songs. This is one reason Gravenhurst went more ‘rock’.

- You are working on several quite different creative projects at the same time: Gravenhurst, the Ultraskull-comic, a blog and the electronic project Bronnt Industries Kapital (+other things as well?). Is it important for you to work on several different creative fields at the same time? Do you sometimes get inspiration for one project by making
something for another project?

I have to do different things to keep myself sane. Gravenhurst can be quite stressful. I put pressure on myself to write more material as it is my livelihood, but that pressure is usually counter-productive. The best songs seem to come when I’m not thinking about it. Bronnt is very different musically, especially with the new record (which sounds very 80′s horror/sci-fi soundtrack!) and is a lot of fun; it’s Guy’s baby more than mine, so I don’t have to feel as responsible for it. I write Ultraskull to make myself laugh. I write the blog because I love to write. I’ve started writing a book about music and the industry.

- Do you feel that there are some topics that you visit more frequently in your lyrics than others? I have an impression that words that have something to do with water, – the river, – the sea, or nature in general are present in most of your lyrics. Am I right? Is it intentional? Could you explain why?

I find the power of the sea both calming and horrifying. I am fascinated by the landscapes that occur in dreams, that come from within
us. Urban as well as natural landscapes. But there is less water on the new album! I’m working with a different set of symbols.

- How do you work with the lyrics? Are they written seperately from the music or for ‘that special song’? Have you ever considered writing longer texts than the Gravenhurst-lyrics or your blog-posts, – like novels or short-stories? If so, what kind of stories/texts would that be?

I’m writing a non-fiction book about my experiences of touring and recording. I am also working on short stories. I keep a notebook of words, phrases and ideas. One thing I tend to do is write a list of song titles I like then write music for them. I use the titles as a catalyst for lyrics and musical ideas. I named the album ‘The Western Lands’ before I’d written or recorded all of it, so the title helped shape the result.

- Rumours say that you have listened a lot to Sandy Denny and Fairport Convention between this and your last album, and one of the songs on the album is a FC-cover. Has Denny/FC influenced your songwriting and the
sound of this album in any way? Apart from the dreampop/shoegaze-influences you have mentioned in earlier interviews, what inspires you to develop the sound of Gravenhurst today?

Sandy Denny very quickly become my favourite singer when I discovered her. I wanted to cover one of her vocal songs, but as with previous covers, I wanted to do something new with it. I’ve kept the vocal melody to the song ‘Farewell, Farewell’ intact, but arranged it to sound lo-fi and shoegazey, like Flying Saucer Attack.

I find it hard to say what inspires me. I don’t tend to look back, so I don’t remember how things developed. The new album was recorded over a period of two years, in various locations. Some of the songs had been hanging around unfinished for years, whilst others just seemed to write themselves while I was recording. The track ‘She Dances’ (which is about Sandy Denny) has a riff I
wrote in 1998 but only turned into a song a year ago. ‘Trust’ and ‘Hourglass’ were written and recorded within the last year. It was a
very difficult album to make, for personal reasons. I’m taking a break from writing songs for now, I used up all my energy on this one.

- Can you live from what you earn from your music today, or do you have to have other jobs as well? (What do you do?)

I’ve scraped by on it for the last few years; I live cheaply. It’s stressful because it’s not always clear whether you will be able to pay
the rent next month. The money comes in sporadically; with radio play royalties you really have no idea how much you will get. I also write for magazines occasionally. After each album has been made I’ve often had to sell all the equipment.

- All our interviews end with a Top 5 of Everything.  What’s your top 5?

Top 5 books on music-

Our Band Could Be Your Life – Michael Azerrad
England’s Dreaming – John Savage
My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry For The Prize: The Creation Records Story – David Cavanagh
No More Sad Refrains: The Life and Times of Sandy Denny – Clinton Heylin
Please Kill Me: Uncensored Oral History of Punk – Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain

Cheers!
Nick x

In 2002, I fell in love with a band called My Computer. I heard one song somewhere, and searched the internet to find more info about this band, but all I got was geeky-forum messages about computer-stuff. I did a lot of research, and finally I managed to get a copy of the album “Vulneralbilia” and it was worth it. The Manchester duo Andy Chester and David Luke created beautiful and very original electronic music with elements of rock, soul, prog, hiphop, psychedelia and lots of other styles, – and they did it good. Both of their albums received great reviews in the press, they were called “the next Radiohead”, they collaborated with legend-producer John Leckie, they created musical masterpieces… but they did not sell much at all. After their 2005-release “No CV”, the band became even more invisible than they already were. In 2007 Andy Chester is back again with not one but TWO new albums and projects. He has left his musical partner and the break up was not a good one. In this honest and open interview, Chester tells us about his new life and his new projects, and he tells us about two problematic years, drugs, loss and break-ups.

First, let’s listen to Andy Chester’s new project The Good neighbour with a song called “There was a time” (stream).
[audio:http://eardrumsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/the-good-neighbour-there-was-a-time.mp3]

- It’s been some years since you released My Computer’s debut “Vulnerabilia” from 2002, an album I still have great feelings for. After the release of the follow-up “No CV”, you seemed to disappear. What happened to you and what have you done since then?

 Andy Chester : Well, what to say? I think I will just be honest and tell you this. The process of getting No CV made took a very long and painful 3 years and was not worth the consequences, which were in this order,

1. I smoked so much weed to block out the misery of making the thing with somebody who had turned in to what I can only describe as The Wicker Man. Then, I had a full on cannabis psychosis breakdown and lost the single most important person in my life who was the girl who had stood by me through 3 record deals and fed me every night for 6 and a half years. I then had the misery of touring NO CV with The Wicker Man. The label that put it out had no clue whatsoever about breaking an act like My Computer and we were duly left to rot by them after a truly shit attempt at stardom.

2. I then had to get my first job in 20 years to pay my mortgage after buying my ex girlfriend out of my house thinking NO CV would sell because a legend like John Leckie had produced it. The job was cleaning which payed me £70 a week. I then progressed to meat packing, door canvassing, tele-canvassing, telesales, stacking shelves and well, let’s just say I’ve not had a very good couple of years.

3. I sold my guitar and gave up music.

- In 2007, you are definitely back again, with a new album as as My Computer + you have recorded an album with your new project called Good Neighbour, and I hear you have been writing on a book too – how do you manage to be so productive after several years of silence?

 Andy Chester:  Luckily, just before I sold my guitar, I met a guy called Pete King who lived over the road from me who had a studio in his cellar. this was shortly after I had decide to split from the Wicker Man late in 2005. I had written 15 songs that Christmas in a caravan in Snowdonia, alone. Pete recorded them for me and I gave them to my label and my publisher and was ignored by both. A friend of Pete’s, Big Al, then told me about an online record store called CD Baby. After getting sick of no response from my industry contacts, I decided to get my shit together and upload them. I came up with the album title, compiled the album from the 15 songs I had written and CD Baby took me through the rest. When I left the local library where I use the internet, I felt truly independent. I had bought my first barcode.

Then in late 2006, I got a job stacking shelves and met a Hip Hop producer called Lee Doyle who worked with me. We talked about music whilst stacking pet food and clicked on Soul. I gave him the rest of my acoustic songs and we got to work. We started recording in February 2007 and had the record finished by May.
I started writing my book of memoirs in spring 2006 in an attempt to stop smoking weed. It worked. It is called ‘Don’t Go Where I’ve Been’ and is the best thing I have ever written. Writing without the restriction of melody or meter is MINT. I am a quarter of the way through it. The only thing that is holding up it’s completion is the fact that I am working 6 days a week at the moment due to the debt that the music business and my past lifestyle has left me in.
I have managed to be so productive because I have been so poor. When your back is against the wall financially, it is good to write because it doesn’t cost you anything, it passes time well and it satisfies your soul.

I have also been single for nearly 3 years which helped. Loneliness, if harnessed in the correct way, can be a powerful creative tool.

- Tell us more about Good Neighbour. In what way is it different from My Computer’s music?

 Andy Chester: Good Neighbour is my latest offering to the traditional routes to the people via the music business. I am not holding my breath on reaching destination household name though, despite it’s quality. It is me and Lee and it is different to My computer in these ways,

1. It has space, we let the songs breath through the principles of Hip Hop production values. The parts for the songs were instant, inspired and put down in 1 or 2 takes. The record has a cohesive quality to it and is not as eclectic as my Computers first 2 albums whilst retaining diversity and a freshness that you only get from new collaboration. Because of this, it is more accessible than My Computer. This was not a money chasing exercise or power trip and Lee asked me for no money to record although he could have.

2. I got on with Lee whilst making it.

3. It was a fast record. It took 3 months instead of 3 years

- What are your plans for the Good Neighbour- project? I know an album has been recorded, but do you have any releases scheduled yet?

 Andy Chester: I am currently, tentatively, dipping my toes back in to the shark infested waters of the music business. There is a little bit of interest. We shall see…

- My Computer and Good Neighbour: What is the story behind these names?

 Andy Chester: I came up with the name My Computer after the dole made me do an I.T course. I thought if we made it big, Bill Gates might sue me and it would be good exposure. We made it as big as my little toe so I fear no litigation.

Good Neighbour is the name of a job I recently went for living on a housing project. You got a rent free flat and a free telephone. I didn’t get the job but I kept the name.

- When you write and record as Good Neighbour, – do you work and think music differently than you would have done if you were to record something new for My Computer? Is it always obvious when you write a song that “this is a song for My Computer” and “this is for Good Neighbour”?

 Andy Chester: I am finished with My Computer and I am no longer a drug addict. I have stopped taking drugs, to make music, to take drugs to. I am typing this from the serene environment of a book publisher in leafy Cheshire who have given me a job I can make work. I am under no pressure. I can only do one band at a time and only ever have. The first Good Neighbour album is finished and ready and willing to go all the way with a label that knows what it is doing. If the record gets picked up, I hope to write more songs for Good Neighbour. My song-writing hasn’t changed much in 20 years apart from the fact that my lyrics get better and the song-writing process is faster.

- You’ve been in the music business for some time now. What is the most important thing you’ve learnt that you will use in your new projects?

 Andy Chester: You don’t need drugs to be creative.

- “No Computer”, the new My Computer-album you have made on your own, it sounds VERY different to the previous albums from My Computer. Tell us about the process of making “No computer” and the thoughts behind it.

 Andy Chester: No Computer saved my life at a time in my life when I was a suicidal heartbroken pothead. It was my first Christmas away from the absolute love of my life who left me for dust when I needed her more than ever before. I couldn’t stay in the house we had shared for 6 years and bought together. My sister lent me her Caravan and off I went with my acoustic guitar and my friend Carl who drove me there. In one final foolish attempt to get her back I had asked her to marry me before we set off. She turned me down. It was a sink or swim situation. I swam. Alone and drunk in the welsh moonlight the songs just poured out of me and healed the gaping flesh wounds she left me with. When I got home and started recording with Pete, I had truly had enough of technology and wanted to keep the same spirit that the songs were written in. As I say on cdbaby, if it is true that all great art stems from great misery, then these songs are positively picasso!

- Why acoustic?

Andy Chester: Apart from a few guitar lines and backing vocals it is simply pure song-writing. Something I needed to get back to after the excessive production of NO CV and a nice way to wrap up the failure of electronica that was My Computer

- All our interviews end with a TOP 5-list, a top5 of everything. What’s your top 5?

Andy Chester’s Good Life top 5
—————
1. Good Love
2. Good Music
3. Good Food
4. Good Sex
5. Good Sleep

Andy Chester’s  new album as My Computer “No Computer” can be bought from CdBaby or from iTunes.

While reading, listen to this one: Linda Draper – Shine (from “Keepsake”)

After listening to Linda Draper’s stripped down acoustic songs on “Keepsake”, her fifth album, I am amazed how it is possible to get so much out of only a guitar and a voice. With her soft, almost whispery voice and an impressing simplicity in the arrangements, she gives us the core of the song without any disturbing elements. I first heard Linda Draper on “one two three four” from 2005, an album that has become one of my absolute favourites. On “Keepsake” she manages to refine elements from her past recordings and still make something that sounds unique and fresh. I have talked to Linda Draper about her new album and her songwriting.
She tells us that curiosity was the factor that made her start making music.

I was curious. Once I found out what a good outlet writing songs was for me, how it made me feel better about things in general, I knew it was something that I not only wanted, but needed to continue doing…for my own peace of mind, more than anything else.

- When I listen to your new songs, I am amazed about the simplicity of the arrangements. It seems to me that they are stripped down to the bone, and only the needed parts are included. What are your thoughts on this?

I think for the kind of music I make, it’s important for the arrangements to remain as embellishments in the background, as a way to compliment but to never overshadow the foundation of the composition itself. The foundation of the composition basically being, the chord structure in the songs and the melody and lyrics of what I’m singing…Also, since I’ve never really been that spectacular or virtuosic of a guitar player, I guess the arrangements remain simple because the songs themselves are built that way. And lastly, since keeping things simple is something I strive for in my own life, it may be possible that this has been naturally replicated in my music as well.

- This time, you have co-produced the album yourself, and on the last two albums you had Kramer with you. What has this done to the sound?

This album is different from my other cds because I was working with very different people in a very different kind of environment and it was more of a collaborative effort with everyone who was involved. I think this album has more of a rustic “live” kind of feel to it, more so than my previous efforts. Major Matt engineered and co-produced the album with me.

- Your voice seems to be more “in front” this time. Do you agree?

It sounded right to me to do it this way, I’m not sure why. Maybe because my voice is what’s closest to my own ears, so when I heard the playback on the speakers, I wanted to make the voice sound closer on the speakers too — because I’d like to share with the listener what it is that I’m hearing in my head when I’m singing.

How do you work when you are preparing new songs for an album?

Whenever I’m writing a song I don’t ever really know at the time if it’s going to end up on an album or not. Songwriting, sometimes can seem more like an excercise I’m doing, an experiment to see where it can go. Sometimes it goes somewhere interesting, sometimes it doesn’t. So, when it comes time for recording, I take the songs that (for me) seem to go in the most interesting places.

- The lyrics seems to be an important part of your songs. How do you write them?

I usually sit down to write with a glass of water – or cup of tea – when I have at least a couple of hours to focus in on it. Sometimes I have ideas in my head for a song when I’m on the subway or out in public and then I make a mental note to remember those ideas for when I have time to sit down and work them out into a song.

- Are there themes that have been present in your songs since you started writing music, or do you feel that the themes of the lyrics and the lyrics themselves have changed a lot during the years you’ve been a recording artist?

I do find reaccuring themes sometimes, but I try to find new ways to express it, such as with love or death or my questions regarding spirituality vs. science. But new themes arise for me too, usually in images or metaphors that are brought to my attention in different ways during the day or in my dreams. Sorry, I know that’s a vague answer…that’s the best I can do!

- The first reviews on the new album is coming in at the moment, and they all seem very positive. Did you expect this? How do you feel about being reviewed?

I’ve had good reviews and I’ve also had some not so good reviews in the past. Although I must admit that it’s encouraging to feel validated for my creative efforts by some of these more recent reviews that have come in, after I read them, I find ways to distract myself and forget all about it. Because narcissism is awfully boring and thinking about myself for too long just gives me a headache.

- You released your first album on your own label in 2001, and so far you have released 5 albums. Do you still play the old songs live? I see that you are playing quite a lot of shows, – do you enjoy it?

Yes, 5 full length albums, you are correct! I see you have done your homework I usually don’t play my older songs live because I don’t feel them the same way as I did when I wrote them. I guess that’s only natural. And you are also correct, I have a bunch of shows coming up. My first west coast tour! I am very excited about it and especially to be playing a bunch of shows with my amazing bass player, Robert Woodcock!

- How does Linda Draper’s workday look like? Is it music and only music, or do you have other work or other things you like to do as well?

No I’ve always had a day job that I’ve never really liked. But that is soon to change. When I come back from my tour, I will be beginning my studies in Music Therapy. Even though I’ll be turning 30 years old the end of August, it’s never too late to go back to college. So then music will be what I do all the time. But even though I’m going back to school, I’ll still have time to write music and record and play shows…when you really love doing something, and aren’t afraid to do it, you always find a way to make time for it.

- In our eardrums-interviews we always include a little silly thing in the end. A top-5 of everything… What is your top5?

Hmmm..the first thing that comes to mind..the top 5 people I would talk to on the phone. Actually, it also happens to be a cell phone commercial gimmick here in the U.S. – I don’t know if they offer it in Norway too? Basically (as if we didn’t talk on the cell phone enough already, ugh!) they’ve devised this plan for people to blabber on endlessly all the time to whoever’s in their “Top 5″ at some sort of discount. I think it’s pretty silly, actually, I don’t subscribe to this plan because I don’t need or like to talk on the phone that much – so it’s pointless to me – but if I did, here are the people that would be…in My top 5!

1) Jason (boyfriend)
2) Neil (Planting Seeds indie label guru/friend)
3) Arina (friend)
4) Carolyn (friend too!)
5) Mom (relative)

“Keepsake” is out now on Planting Seeds rcords. You can read more about Linda on her own website or her myspace-page.

Linda Draper recently did an in-studio performance at radio WFMU (may 21st) together with fellow NY singer-songwriter Carolyn Alroy. You can listen to the performance here (this is the full radio show, and the performance is in the middle of the long broadcast (around 68 minutes out in the show) (see the playlist here).

Linda Draper and Carolyn Alroy at WFMU radio

Here are some “bonus tracks” from her previous album “one-two-three-four”:
Linda Draper – Jezebel
Linda Draper – Needlessly
(two more songs available from her website)

California Snow Story has a new record out! Close to the Ocean is released today on Letterbox Records. On this occasion, we have an interview with David Skirving, the main man behind the band, on the Interview section of this site. Follow the link below, and help yourself to a song from the new record courtesy of Letterbox!

David Skirving of California Snow Story – Eardrums Interview
California Snow Story – Suddenly Everything Happens

Suddenly everthing happens for David Skirving. Five years after the release of the One God Summer EP, his band, California Snow Story, is back with a full-length record on Letterbox; it’s out today! David took the time to answer our questions on this occasion.
- The lineup of the band has completely changed since the 2002 EP. Who is "California Snow Story"? Is it just you, or are you a band by now, with Sandra and others as full-time members?

I don’t know who California Snow Story is to be honest. It’s kind of been constantly changing since the beginning. For the new album it’s myself and Sandra along with Madoka on keyboards and Alan on drums. This time around it’s been a really good experience although it has taken a long time for the album to appear. I really hope we can do more records with the same people.

-Did you always think you were going to make music again after the first EP?

I intended to, and had a lot of big ideas, but things don’t always work out the way you want them to! Just before the ep was released, the female singer left the band and then I had health problems. So at one point I’d totally given up on the idea of doing another CSS record. I slowly started making music again though and was then really lucky to meet Sandra and thankfully we managed to finish a record.

-Where did the new songs come from? Are Any other songs than "Consolation Song" re-recordings of older tunes?

They’re songs I’d been writing over the last few years. A few were written around the time of the ep release and others are very new. None of the other songs have been recorded before.

-You left Camera Obscura in 2001 to form CSS. Are you still friends with the band, do you have any insight on their access to indie fame and success?

We speak occasionally but don’t manage to meet up often. Their success is purely down to having a great band name.

-Also, I can’t help but notice that alphabetically, "California" is right before "Camera". Is that a coincidence? Can you talk a little bit about your band name, or the album title?

Yes it’s just a coincidence, but I did notice that early on and liked the idea!
I stole the band name from another band’s song title. It was something I didn’t want to do but felt I couldn’t help. At the time it seemed perfect. I like unusual band names and I like the atmosphere that this name suggests…. the idea of something rare (which unfortunately matches the number of California Snow Story releases).
The album title and artwork came together in a strange way… kind of by itself. A guess there’s a bit of an ocean theme flowing through the record and the title and artwork were thought of seperately but matched exactly.

-Your sound is very distincitve. What are the bands out there that you feel a kinship with, or that have most influenced you?

Thank you. I guess I’ve always liked bands that seem genuine and are just making the music that comes naturally to them rather trying to fit in with what’s currently in fasion. One of my favourite bands from the past were The Wake. They came out of a kind of scene in the early 80s, but eventually just sounded like themselves and still sound great today. Also, when I was starting out making music I was really influenced by bands that made music that seemed quite simple and easy to play but artistically very pure.. bands like The Velvet Underground, Jesus and Mary Chain etc.

-Do you identify with a Scottish or Glaswegian "sound" or "scene"?
In some ways, yes. There’s an unbroken line of great bands from Orange Juice and Aztec Camera through the Pastels and Mary Chain up to some of the great bands from Scotland and Glasgow today. I dont mind being categorised as a Glasgow band and it would be an honour in some ways, but I also like so many other kinds of music and I hope that comes across in our songs.

-What do you want people to know before/when they listen to "Close to the Ocean"?
Nothing. Well… just to know that I think the listener is the most important person involved in the music, and I’d be really happy if you would give the album a listen. I don’t like saying too much about what the songs are about or what I think about the record. I think once you finish making a record it’s not really yours anymore, if you know what I mean.

-Can you give us your Top 5?
Ok a mixture of some things I like at the moment and from the past are……
The Sunny Street, Something That No-one Else Could Bring e.p. by The Wake, Melon Pan, Nikaido Kazumi‘s live shows, Shiro-chan and Adrienne Shelley (RIP). (I can’t count).

* Sandra Belda Martinez was the singer of the Spanish band Superété and sings on Close to the Ocean; Madoka Fukushima formed the band Charm Filter with David, and plays keyboards on the record; Alan Skirving plays the drums.

California Snow Story on Myspace
Buy Close to the Ocean online from Letterbox Records

The Royalties from Norway have been radio favourites for some months now. Their self-titled album have recieved applause from the national music press and the band are ready for some summer fun on the road. Eardrums had a chat with The Royalties’ frontman Tommy Haltbakk about the album and the songwriting.

- Congratulations! You released your self-titled album “The Royalties” on February 5th. Are you pleased with the result?
- Yes we are pleased with the result, of course, art can never be completed so there are things here and there that we would like to do over again. But there you go… As a debut album, we are very pleased with it.

- Are you pleased with the reaction from the press / music press?
- Yes, we have had good reviews here in Norway. Generally speaking, it’s always difficult to be accused for being (“obviously influenced by bands such as bla bla bla..” )you know… bands that you’ve never heard of. But it’s alright I guess, reviews are never objective anyway.

- I first heard a Tommy Haltbakk song on “Lydverket” on national TV in 2006, and I guess that was before you and the guys formed The Royalties. The song was “Six Feet”. Are many of the songs on the album “old songs”, made before The Royalties period?
- Yes indeed, I wrote all the songs on the album when I moved to Bergen in 2004. That’s when i realized that I could actually write music. So i recorded a whole bunch of demos in a little studio only to please myself….haha! So when The Royalties started up early 2006 we had 20-30 demos of songs to rehearse and record properly, which we did April 2006. To me the songs are really “old” of course, and the stuff I’ve written since then is , to me, more substantial. But I had to get those old songs out of the system so to speak, they indeed deserved to be on a debut album. I really like all of the songs, but I think “Rotten” or “Lady O’ The silver Wheel” , our first single, are my favorites from this album.

- The song (“Six Feet”) has changed a bit, the fuzzy guitar is now accomplished with horns. Are you more pleased with the “new” sound?
- Yes, when we formed The Royalties there were only me, drummer BK and Bass player Alf. We wanted to challenge the “standard” pop-combo sound , so instead of taking in another guitarist or a keyboardist, we wanted an alternative sound. The horns (trumpet and trombone) was the missing link for our setting. The band consists of a power-trio and two horns, that’s something else for sure.

- The horn section seems to be important for the sound of The Royalties? Tell us about it.
- Yes, there are a lot of horn arrangements in the songs. When I was writing and producing those little demos I did, I always included little melodies and riffs here and there, playing them on different instruments to color the tunes. When we’re playing live, the horns do that job… which is very important for the structure of the songs.

- Most of the songs on the album are quite uplifted and happy songs. But there’s one beautiful song called “Rotten” that’s a bit darker than the rest. Is there a special story behind that song?
- Well let’s just say it has to do with a girl I once knew.

- Here’s one complaint. Why the h**l did you have to make “Time is a Stranger” so short? (only two minutes). That song could go on forever with the beautiful Salvation Army horns and the High Llamas/Beach Boys banjo…?
- Thanks! “Time is a stranger” is the first song I ever wrote. The answer to your complaint is that we deliberately kept it short. We wanted people to go “Why the h**l did they have to make “Time is a Stranger” so short?” Sometimes too little is better than too much. I really like how that song turned out on the album. The demo which I recorded 3 years ago is the exact same length, but is probably more stripped down than on the album. I’m really pleased with the vocal arrangements on the verse, and the atmosphere around the whole song.

- What are the bands plans for 2007?
- We’ve recently signed to a great booking agency here in Bergen, called Tik Tak, and we’re doing a tour in Norway this autumn and festivals this summer. We’d like to do as many gigs as possible of course.. Other than that we’re working on releasing the album outside Norway, but nothing is confirmed at this point. I’ve got a pile of songs ready to be recorded, so we’ll probably start working on our second album after this summer.

- The Eardrums blog has a tradition: in the spirit of “High Fidelity”, do you have a Top 5 for us? Top 5 artists/songs for you right now, or anything else?

Top 5 artists at the moment:
1. Juan Garcia Esquivel ( FANTASTIC 60′s Lounge)
2. The Turtles
3. Captain Beefheart
4. Roy Orbison
5. Kraftwerk

Thanks for the interview, Tommy. And good luck in 2007!

The debut album from The Roylaties is avaiable on Blister Music and the CD can be found in a record store near you.

The Royalties – Lady O’ the Silver Wheel

The Royalties – Shipwreck at Bay

Marc Bianchi has a million things going on. After more than a decade of putting out records as Her Space Holiday, he’s now started making music as “xoxo, panda”, and is shooting a movie; and that’s just the big stuff, not counting the various remixes, side-side projects, and an ongoing war on capitalisation. Marc was kind enough to answer a few questions about the past, the present and the future.

While you read, you can stream xoxo and hsh tracks from both bands here and here.

your “new kid revival” project is apparently coming together. what should we expect of the movie? can you describe how/why it’s related to Japan, where you apparently have been spending a lot of time?
Yes. I Just finished the new kid revival album two days ago! It went off for some rough mastering this morning.. and it goes to the labels next week for negotiations. Not really too sure where it’s going to end up.
but hopefully it will be out by the fall of 2007. The film is another story, in between recording, and composing, and remixing, etc.. i have been able to shoot scenes here and there… but ultimately, I realized very quickly that shooting this film is a full time job in itself. Since there is no script, and it is just a collection of footage, thoughts, encounters, etc..it seems to be a never ending free flowing project.
i am planning on shooting footage in different cities as well while on tour…so with the way things are looking now, it should be a good couple of years before its all pieced together…there is actually no direct connection between japan and xoxo, panda…other than some of the experiences i have had there over the last couple of years have opened the creative doors to switch gears and do this.

xoxo! an ipod cozy!

- you announced a new hsh record for the fall of ’07 some time ago, and a xoxo, panda record too. how is that gonna work out?
like the film, the new her space holiday album has taken a back seat to all of the new projects that keep coming up. i haven’t even started the new her space holiday, or rather i scrapped what i did start months back..and two be honest for a the past year i was privately convinced i wouldn’t do a new record. but since the completion of the new kid revival, i have so many new ideas that i want to bring into the her space holiday album. so hopefully i will start the new record in the coming weeks..but i have no idea when it will be done.
as far as touring goes..its so open ended right now, i have to see what the labels want to do with the xoxo, panda album and decide from there. but touring the states as hsh is long long over due. it’s already been three years since our last US tour.

- do you plan on letting both names co-exist?
i initially viewed hsh and xoxo, panda as two separate things..i am realizing now that at the end of the day, they are both just the same thing..the music i feel like making at the time. but now that i committed to putting two projects out there..yes i will definitely let both names exist equally.

marc bianchi live as hsh

- besides the desire to start fresh with a new name, is making music as xoxo, panda very different from making music as hsh? e.g. is it still very much a solo thing, or is it collaborative?
xoxo, panda is the freedom i wish i had, or rather understood i had with her space holiday. i didn’t realize that i could have made this record under the name her space holiday and it would have been totally fine.
even subconsciously after doing something for ten plus years, you sort of paint yourself creatively in a corner..this record was a very important thing for me to make. it got me in touch with the pure and simple pleasure of making music..and though it was still a solo effort, it felt far less isolating then recording the past two hsh albums did.

- you seem to be pretty big on using websites like youtube, myspace, etc., to get videos and music out to people; why do you share so much? how do you feel about the feedback that you get?
i think the internet has been a really big part of the freedom i feel now.
before, you make albums, they sit for a bit, go to press, and after a few months people hear them etc…the energy is so deteriorated personally by that point. but now, i can make a film, or a song, or write a little story, etc…and shoot it out to the world five minutes after it’s done.
it feels like a living exchange. and the energy you put out there just comes right back..so its like this amazing never ending process.

- finally: all eardrums interviews end with a top 5. records, songs of the moment for you, anything. what’s yours?
top five songs for today
it’s alright/the zombies version performed on bbc radio
sympathy for the devil/the rolling stones
little boy and girl/the kodaks
nebraska/bruce springsteen
i’m so happy/lewis lymon and the teen chords

We’ll keep keep you updated on hsh and xoxo news. meanwhile, check out marc’s youtube page, with lots of fun shorts! xoxo

Have the stars aligned for The Postmarks? This indie pop band from Florida has gathered quite a bit of press with the release of its debut album last month. With influences like “Saint Etienne, Burt Bacharach or French movies from the late 60′s” (says Knut), the band gave us a collection of sweet and idiosyncratic songs, which you can stream here. Chris, a member of the trio, took the time to answer our questions.

Can you tell us how the band got together in the first place? I’ve read a story about Chris and Jon meeting Tim at an open mic night?
As my last band See Venus was drawing to a close… [bandmate] Jon was aware that I wanted to put something new together. i had thrown around the vaguest of descriptions with him of where i could see my new material going in. I wanted it to be cinematic… epic at some points while sensitive at others. I knew that I wanted a female voice and personality on it that embodied certain vulnerability…in a fashion similar to Astrud Gilberto.

He was hosting an open mic night at one of the local clubs and [singer] Tim showed up to play a few of her songs. Jon was impressed by her presence and the fact that the usually rowdy audience sat in complete attention to her hushed performance. He arranged for her to return the following night…and made sure that I showed up. i agreed with Jon that she was exactly what i was looking for…approached her…and after a period of discovery the three of us began our Postmarkian journey.

Chris and Jon, you’ve known each other for a while; were you originally looking for “just a singer” to sing your songs?

Again…I was looking to fulfill an idea in my head of where i could see my new songs and concepts going. Jon hooking me up with Tim and the three of us bringing the ideas I had floating around my head to life took awhile…with equal amounts of give and take and push and pull. As time went on, it became very clear to the three of us how the puzzle pieces could fit together and our music began to take on a life of its own.

The album sounds very carefully crafted; how long have you been working on it? Can you tell us a bit more about how a Postmarks song is processed?

It took a little over a year and a half from initial writing and demoing to tracking and mixing. I had made a pact with myself early on that for the sincerity and vulnerability to carry over and be even more believable…that all the instrumentation had to be real. That was the part that took the longest…scoring all the parts and tracking down people who believed in what we were going and who wanted to contribute. I think most of the musicians we enlisted recognized that we were doing something off the beaten path and different then what we typically hear nowadays and their contributions helped contribute to the overall ‘heart on the sleeve’ vibe of the whole album.

As for writing…most times i start with what i call a feel. It might be a snippet of music…a riff or a couple of notes or chords on the piano…with some sort of melodic thread weaving through the top. Those two components are helping me to achieve a musical emotion or feeling. Even at these earliest stages…my mind is racing on how i can hear and see the whole piece. As if a camera crew is filming the song, I can see the colors and settings and if it’s a strong enough idea that feeling with stick with me till I can fully realize it. It’s a beautiful process that i can barely put into words…I don’t know where they come from…all I know it’s my job as their guardians to help bring them into the world and raise them as best I can.

How did the album end up sounding so influenced by 60′s French pop? Is that a common interest of yours?

Well…I’d say not just 60′s French pop…but pop of the 50′s and 60′s in general. Again…we wanted to return to a way of doing things…a musical way and a lyrical way…that we just don’t find too often in modern music nowadays.

You guys released a special single for Valentine’s Day: was that important for you? Do you want boys and girls to put your songs on the mixtapes they make for their crushes?
The release of holiday songs are something I’ve wanted to dabble in for awhile and it’s something that we will continue with going forward. There are not too many modern holiday songs…and when there are they are usually of a cheesy nature. Again…going to back to the 50′s and 60′s and looking at how often holiday songs were part of the songwriter’s agenda. Not saying that we’re completely steeped in some retro agenda. Listen to the album and it sounds old while sounding new. That was deliberate. It’s more going back to the craft of the songs of that era and trying to create something modern yet something timeless.

A lot of people wouldn’t expect a “cute indie pop” band to release a remix album; and a lot of those remixers are high-profile, too! How did that project come together?

Well…we knew it was going to be awhile before we could get the full album out to the world. We went with the idea of releasing “Goodbye” as our first single and as a way of introducing the postmarks. Say hello while saying “goodbye”. As for the remixes, the concept was completely in line with the single market as it exists in England. A single comes out with B-sides or remixes and that helps to introduce a new band to the world. Sadly, that’s not something that happens too often in the United States so many were left saying that was a usual concept. To us it made complete sense.

The album’s timbre is very cohesive. Are you planning on exploring different sounds in future releases?

Of course… expect the Postmarks sound to continue to grow in both song structure and sound. I’ve continued writing all through our journey and have roughly about 25 to 30 new songs… several of which we’re hoping to get in our live set soon. You’ll just have to show up and hear where we’re going.

Few indie pop artists from Florida get out from under the radar, either nationwide or worldwide. Is the scene just not very big, or are there other great bands we should know about?
It’s a very odd scene down here. Florida…by its very nature of being a tourist destination…is a very transient state. People come and go. Add to that fact that it’s a peninsula off of the mainland and you’ll find that things take time to funnel down here unless you go off actively hunting for them. Over the years, I’ve tried the traditional route of playing out amongst the scene but once I began to focus my energies towards pretending I was stranded on a desert island and creating the biggest musical flares I could to let people know I was alive I had a much greater degree of success.

I understand that you’re touring as a six-piece band. How did the adaptation of the studio songs for a live setting go? Will you be touring nationally, or WORLDWIDE!!! ?
The reception has been wonderful so far, with many saying that the live Postmarks experience adds a whole new dimension to the music on the album; it enriches their listening experience once they go back and re listen to our album. We’ve worked very hard to make it exciting and dynamic because the last thing we wanted was to do a straight up translation of the album. We couldn’t…and besides…that’s what the album is for. As for touring…yes…we’ll be doing a bunch of local dates over the next few weeks with a US/Canadian tour to follow sometime in April.

Christopher and Jon are/were involved with other bands; can we expect anything from those in 2007? Is Tim working on a side/solo project?
For me…my main concentration is on the Postmarks at the moment. Nothing means more to me then to help tend to our garden and marvel at the fruits of our labor.

The Eardrums blog has a tradition: in the spirit of “High Fidelity”, do you have a Top 5 for us? Top 5 artists/songs for you right now, or anything else?

Lewis Taylor “The Lost Album”
Midlake “Trials of Van Occupanther”
Ray Wonder “Good Music”
The Bird & The Bee “Again and Again”
Sloan “Never Hear The End Of It”

The debut album by The Postmarks is available from Unfiltered Records in a fine record store near you.

Goodies:
“Goodbye” video – mp3
“My Little Heart” (VDay special mp3 single)

(LISTEN TO THE LIONHEART BROTHERS AT THEIR MYSPACE PAGES)

The Lionheart brothers were one of the first bands we wrote about here at Eardrums, and now they are ready with their new album “Dizzy kiss”, a new direction and a chance to reach out to more people in more countries than ever before. They have been around for years, but this time they get more press and more positive words than ever before. Seen from a norwegian perspective, 2005 was Serena Maneesh’s year, 2006 was the year of 120 Days. Members of the Lionheart Brothers have a past from both of those bands, and it is likely to ask: Will 2007 be the year of The Lionheart Brothers? We think so.

We asked Lionheart Brother Marcus Forsgren how life in the Lionheart camp is these days?

It’s hectic! But it is a dream comes true! It’s nice to finally get some confirmation on what we have been laying our hearts and souls in for so many years!

- A lot has changed since your last album, – some of it can definitely be heard in the way you sound, but for you as a band, – what’s the biggest difference between the Lionheart Brothers at the time of your debut and The Lionheart Brothers in 2007?

The major difference is that we’re now a complete band (in every sense of what a band is). The genius of Frantz and Peter is finally incorporated in lionhearts music making. On the debut and CCC ep we worked in a totally different way than this album. Kind of reversed… We went into the studio with nothing but sketches and built a sound layer by layer in the studio. This time, as a complete band, we had every element of the instrumental foundation ready before we went into the studio. Every band member has arranged their own instrument, and it’s a more multi-colored sound than our previous releases. And on this foundation we orchestrate it with the instrumental spice we wanted. We had a lot of different musicians playing different instruments. On White Angel and CCC I and Audun played most instruments ourselves and it results in a more one-dimensional sound.

- On your previous releases the influence from the shoegaze era and bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and others was obvious. Today, it’s still there, but I hear more Beach Boys, 60′s psychedelia influences and sometimes I even wonder if your drummer has been replaced by Ringo Starr… Tell us how your new direction has evolved, and… do you feel that it is a new direction?

Sure! This album has been recorded in a different perspective than previous albums. But in my ears you can still hear those shoegaze influences. I feel that the musical spectacle of lionheart all together is quite panorama! Who knows what we will do next time? These are maybe quite big words..? But our goal is to become more a musical phenomenon, than a band playing “that sort of music”. I guess we always will have the typical “lionheart-flavor” to what we do, but I’m quite sure the next release will be quite different. But I have no idea in what direction or how it will sound.
Regarding the Beach Boys and 60′s psychedelia influences, it felt just natural to do it this time. I’ve always had an attraction to “old” music. And especially the 60′s has always been close to my heart, and I can tell you I’m not the only one in the band who feels this way. As I said, I have no idea how the next album will sound, but I think we always like to put a retrospective flavor to it!

- What about the production? Have you done anything different this time?

We’ve always produced our albums ourselves, but this time we have had some help on the producing. This time Christian Engfelt from the band Cato Salsa Experience is co-producing. He has a very cool, but different attitude to music than us. He is more occupied with the swing and sound to every song. This is his genius, while we are more occupied with the harmonies and melodies. Together we’re a winning team

- This time, your ambitions seem higher. Am I correct? Has your friends in Serena Maneesh and 120 days anything to do with this? Do you think it will be easier for you to be noticed after Serena Maneesh and 120 days? Do you feel that the press is expecting you to follow up the success of Serena and 120 (…and will you? )?

Hehe… well, we don’t feel any pressure or expectations on following up on the success of Serena or 120 Days. We’re very happy for them doing it as good as they have. They are good friends! And yes I think it’s probably easier for us to get noticed now since they have done so well previous years… more attention on alternative Norwegian bands. And that’s nice!

- Your name comes from Astrid Lindgren’s book about the two brothers who died and went to this fantastic place of nangijala, – a fairytale-like story about life after death, but also a story about light versus dark, good versus evil. Is the story more for you that just a cool name? Do you feel that there is such a dualism in your music?

Well, I think that such dualism reflects life itself, and even more our music. I love the thought of blending lightness and darkness, noise with beautiful melodies and harmonies. All through my life I’ve had a passion for both sweet music and hard music. And it’s only natural for us to combine them. I think Dizzy Kiss is not so noisy as our first album, but if you look under the surface you will find a lot of sublime noise there. You know, it is sort of like the ocean… when you finally get under the surface you’ll find a totally new world!

- What’s the story behind the beautiful cover on “Dizzy kiss”?… Who is the lady on the cover, and why did you choose to do the cover this way?

Well, actually we have no idea who painted it! We saw it on the wall in the house of Auduns uncle. He had found it in the attic of a very old guest house. We thought it would be perfect artwork for the album, and he agreed on us using it. We also have no idea how old it is, but if you study it you see it’s quite teared by time so my guess is that it’s very very old.

- This year you will be playing at the SXSW-festival, a place where several bands have made a huge jump from unknown to indie-fame. Hopes, expectations, dreams, thoughts about playing the SXSW?

I think such things are difficult. We just played by:Larm here in Norway, which is the Norwegian version of SXSW. Prior to when we played by:Larm we always got the same questions. We don’t have any expectations except playing good shows. The rest depends on luck…

- Your album has received top reviews in norwegian newspapers. What are your feelings about being reviewed, and being reviewed in such a way? I don’t think I’ve read one review that says anything bad about the album…

Well, I’ve read a few bad ones… The press is a big howling-choir. If the important journalists say it’s good, the rest follows. But of course, it’s nice to get good reviews. It is a sort of confirmation of what you have worked so hard for, for so many years. But I also find it nice to get some bad reviews. It’s sort of a comfort. If everybody likes it, there is something wrong. And it’s a proof that you haven’t lost your sting.

- And your fans? Has the change in direction been difficult for some?

The response has been great by our fans! Some people say they like our first album better, but that’s just nice…

- What are the plans for the near future of The Lionheart Brothers?

To play as much as we can…

- We always end our interviews with a TOP5. You choose the theme yourself. Please give us The Lionheart Brothers’ TOP5!

TOP5 guitar amps:

Fender Super Reverb
Vox AC-15
Fender Vibrolux
Tandberg Båndspiller 2
Skau