Nur noch zwei Tage dann erscheint endlich das neue Kraków Loves Adana-Album. Wir erinnern uns: Es ist ca. zwei Jahre her, dass wir dem Debütalbum ‘Beauty‘ des Duos verfielen und ihnen gar nach Berlin zu einem Konzert folgten. Und womit? Mit Recht! Daher ist die Vorfreude bei uns groß ‘Interview‘ endlich in den Händen zu halten – heute gibt es aus gegebenem Anlass aber erstmal Kraków Loves Adana im Bedroomdisco Interview!
1.) Steckbrief:
- Name: Kraków Loves Adana
- Bandmitglieder (Namen): Deniz Cicek || Robert Heitmann
- Gründungsjahr: 2007
- Standort: Germany
- aktuelles Album: INTERVIEW
2.) Fragenkatalog:
- Es ist fast zwei Jahre her, dass ihr ‘Beauty’ herausgebracht habt und auf Tour wart, jetzt wird ‘Interview’ veröffentlicht – wie habt ihr die Zwischenzeit verbracht bzw. habt ihr direkt weiter an neuen Songs gearbeitet oder erstmal eine Pause gemacht?
Nach der Tour zu ‘Beauty’ haben wir an neuen Stücken gearbeitet und diese dann Johann an Weihnachten per Post zukommen lassen. Danach verstrichen zwei Monate bis wir sie Ende Februar/Anfang März 2011 im Clouds Hill Studio aufnahmen.
- Welche Ziele hattet ihr euch vor der Produktion von ‘Interview’ für euer zweites Album gesteckt bzw. habt ihr euch an sich mit Themen wie Erwartungshaltung oder Veränderung/Weiterentwicklung beschäftigt?
Natürlich gab es eine Art Erwartungshaltung und den Wunsch nach Veränderung und Weiterentwicklung. Aber in so einer Situation merkt man schnell, dass man da rational nicht weiterkommt. Alle Vorsätze wichen letztendlich einem Innehalten, einer Art Frage-Antwort-Spiel mit sich selbst und vor allen Dingen einer Auseinandersetzung mit den eigenen Schwächen und Ängsten. Ehrlich gesagt steckte ich zu der Zeit in einer persönlichen Krise, welche den Entstehungsprozess der Songs gleichermaßen aufgehalten wie auch vorangebracht hat.
- Hat sich für ‘Interview’ etwas daran geändert wie ihr an euren Songs arbeitet?
An der Art, wie die Songs in erster Linie entstehen, hat sich eigentlich kaum etwas geändert. Doch es gab ein paar Ausnahmen. ‘Sit in the Movies and Cry’ zum Beispiel habe ich auf dem Klavier komponiert und es im Nachhinein auf Gitarre transferiert. Das war neu. Bei den Aufnahmen zu ‘Beauty sind wir völlig unerfahren und unbeschwert an die Sache herangegangen. Der Entstehung von ‘Interview’ versuchten wir zunächst mit Rationalität zu begegnen, welche allerdings nicht lange haltbar war.
- In ‘Avantgarde’ heißt es: “No you shouldn’t care what the others say” – interessiert euch eigentlich persönlich was über eure Musik geschrieben wird bzw. beeinflusst euch das in irgendeiner Art?
Was Kritiker über uns schreiben, hat keinen Einfluss auf unsere Musik. Das o.g. Zitat soll vielmehr zum Ausdruck bringen, sich von den Erwartungen und Projektionen seiner Mitmenschen frei zu machen und sich weniger darüber zu definieren, wie andere einen sehen und haben wollen. ‘Avantgarde’ ist aus einer tiefen Traurigkeit und Verzweiflung heraus entstanden. Das erwähnte Zitat kann man dabei als Trost auffassen.
- Was inspiriert euch zu euren Lyrics? In welchen Situationen schreibt ihr an Songs?
Inspiration finden wir in in erster Linie visuell, aber auch unterbewusst. Songs entstehen dabei meist in Momenten vollkommener Klarheit und Ruhe.
- Wie, wo und wie lange fand die Produktion von ‘Interview’ statt? Was war der beste, was der schlimmste Moment während der Aufnahme? Was ist die meisten erzählte Anekdote?
Die Produktion fand Ende Februar / Anfang März 2011 im Clouds Hill Recordings in Hamburg statt. Der beste Moment war als wir die Instrumental-Aufnahmen beendeten. Der schlimmste folgte, als wir versuchten, uns danach direkt alles anzuhören. Wir (Band & Produzent Johann Scheerer) waren einfach noch zu sehr mit den Aufnahmen verbunden, um zu Erkennen, in welche Richtung ‘Interview’ gehen würde.
- ‘Silver Screen’ ist unser Lieblingssong auf dem Album – könnt ihr erzählen worum es darin geht, wie der Song entstand bzw. ob es eine Geschichte dahinter gibt?
Das Gerüst zu ‘Silver Screen’ ist sehr spontan innerhalb kürzester Zeit entstanden. Inhaltlich möchte ich mich dabei nicht festlegen, es ist ein sehr assoziatives Stück und drückt vielmehr ein Gefühl als eine bestimmte Wahrheit aus.
- Zu ‘Avantgarde’ habt ihr auch selbst das Video produziert, was war die Idee zum Video?
Wir wollten etwas mit Masken ausprobieren und dabei ist spontan das Musikvideo zu ‘Avantgarde’ entstanden.
- Was sind eure nächsten Pläne?
Tour Ende März / Anfang April || Neue Songs || Aufnahmen
- Was macht ihr, wenn ihr nicht gerade Musik macht?
Wir befinden uns beide in der Endphase unseres Hochschulstudiums.
- Das haben wir 2011 gelernt?
Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.
- Eure Top 3 Alben aus 2011 bisher? Warum?
Den Soundtrack zu ‘Drive’ finden wir sehr inspirierend.
- Welcher Song passt zu eurer aktuellen Stimmung?
DESIRE – Don’t call
CHROMATICS – Night Drive
- Welcher Song bringt euch jedes Mal wieder zum Tanzen?
Wir tanzen nicht.
- Habt ihr mittlerweile eine bessere Idee davon wie eure persönliche ‘Bedroomdisco’ aussehen würde?
Leider nein.
Es ist gerade erst ein paar Tage her, dass wir hier über die neue Phantogram EP ‘Nightlife‘ berichtet haben und sie mit voller Bedroomdisco-Kugel-Punktzahl auszeichnen konnten. Heute gibt es dann den nächsten Rundumschlag zum amerikanischen Girl-Boy-Duo, kommen Sarah Barthel und Josh Carter doch demnächst für einige Gigs nach Deutschland bzw. haben in Rekordzeit unseren Interview-Fragenkatalog beantwortet und zurückgeschickt – daher hier und jetzt: Phantogram im Bedroomdisco Interview!
Band facts
- Name: Phantogram
- Band members (names): Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
- Founding year: 2007
- Residence: New York
- Current album: Nightlife
- How did you start making music – had you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest? What was your motivation?
we started really making music later in life. late teens. sarah plays piano, synth, sings. josh plays drums, guitar, synth, makes beats, production. our motivation was to create music that we wanted to hear.
- How did you meet and in which situation did you decide to form a band?
we’ve been friends since junior high. josh had been working on his solo demos and asked sarah to join him in making music in 2008
- In which situation did you come up with the name ‘Phantogram’, why did you choose it and what meaning has it for you?
we wanted our name to symbolize a telegram from another demension.
- What musical influences do you have?
too many. the beatles, wu-tang, my bloody valentine, depeche mode, prince, david bowie, bernard hermann, debussy, serge gainsbourg, sparklehorse, air, slowdive, nin…….
- How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
it differs every time. sometimes josh makes a beat, and we work around it. sometimes on guitar, or piano…lyrics are written on the spot, or in a coffee shop, or at a bar late night on a napkin.
- We read that you always have pictures, colors and visual ideas in mind while writing songs – could you describe how this works and what ideas you had, illustrated by an example?
we envision random cinematic scenarios and write music that we think would complement it.
- Could you tell us something about the production process of ‘Nightlife’? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
it was written during a particularly dark and moody time, at night, on the road on tour mostly in 2011.
- ’16 Years’ is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
josh wrote 16 years. he was singing jibberish over the track. – then went back and deciphered the words, read a story online about two girls in the south sentenced to 16 years for petty theft. it all seemed to make sense. the first line had always been “16 years”
- Why did you decide to release an EP, instead of working on the next full length record?
because eyelid movies was still doing really well in the states, and we were touring on that record but hadn’t made time to make new music in way too long. nightlife was made to keep us happy as creators and songwriters, and hopefully so people who got the first album a while back could enjoy some new music from us too.
- Are there already plans for a new album?
yes, we are working on a new album now.
- In what situations do you write songs/lyrics/which themes inspire you to write songs?
existence in general. different emotions. – mostly melancholia…. our songs are about love, life, and death.
- What are your next plans?
we are working on our next record, and some collaborations with other artists.
- What are you doing if your not making music?
hanging out with friends, watching movies, listening to music, taking photos, drawing, skateboarding.
- What did you learn in 2011?
i learned that wherever you go, there you are.
- Your Top 3 records of 2011? Why?
st. vincent – strange mercy
danny brown – xxx
future islands – on the water
- Which song would fit to your actual situation?
it’s a wonderful life – sparklehorse
- Which song makes you dance independent of your situation?
closer – nin
- How would your ‘Bedroomdisco’ look like?
“satin sheets, tropical oils, turn up the heat”
- Who did fill out this questionnaire?
josh carter
Phantogram live:
16.02. Feierwerk, München
19.02. Hafen 2, Offenbach
20.02. Comet Club, Berlin
21.02. Prinzenbar, Hamburg
Da wir das Phantogram-Konzert am Sonntag im Hafen 2 in Offenbach präsentieren, verlosen wir wie gewohnt 2×2 Gästelistenplätze für die Show. Wenn ihr dabei sein wollt, schreibt uns bis zum 18.02. eine Mail mit eurem Namen und dem Betreff ‘Phantogram @ Hafen 2′ an gewinnen@bedroomdisco.de und mit etwas Glück seid ihr dabei!
Slow motion und Techno kollidieren und paaren sich mit Artefakten von dem, was einst Gitarren waren. Mit Spuren von Krautrock und Shoegaze entstand hier irgendwas zwischen flächigem Ambientsound und drückender Bassdrum. Walls haben bereits 2010 mit ihrem selbstbetitelten Debütalbum die elektronische Musikwelt verzaubert und 2011 folgte ‘Coracle’. Daraufhin begab man sich auf lange Touren durch die Klubs der Welt, unter anderem zusammen mit den Mathe-Rockern von Battles. So erklärt sich wohl auch, dass der Interview-Bogen starke vier Monate verspätet im Hause Bedroomdisco eintrifft, trotz ‘Mahnen und Schimpfen’ von Labelseiten. Die Musik hat aber seit ihrem Release im September nichts an Spannung verloren und so wollen wir doch nach wie vor zum besten geben, was Alessio Natalizia and Sam Willis zu sagen haben.
- Name: Walls
- Bandmitglieder: Alessio Natalizia und Sam Willis
- aktuelles Album: Coracle
2.) Fragenkatalog:
- Both of you come from a different musical background. As I would say: Sam, you’re more rooted in techno and Alessio has a background in dream-pop. In your productions, the energy of techno and the relaxation of dream-pop seem to collide and build something in between. Is it sometimes hard for you to find the balance between energy and relaxation?
I guess you could say that but at the same time things are not really that way. We really share a lot of musical background and even if people like to think that one is the indie guy and the other is the dance guy that is not entirely true. We do come from different backgrounds but we do love a lot of the same bands which makes things super easy when it comes to make music with someone. We make the music we love to listen to… we love records that are able give us energy and relaxation and that’s the only music we can make.
- What are your main influences? Did they change since your first album?
Oh man it’s always hard to answer to questions like this. The simple and elusive answer is everything. You just have to constantly be open to creatively possibilities, and sometimes not even musical ones. We love bands that always evolve and are not afraid to risk and make mistakes. Probably in a way making mistakes is one of out biggest influences.
- In general: what is the main-difference for you between the first and the second album?
You should tell me!
I think the difference is that this is a proper album whereas the last one was something that came very instinctively and very loosely. ‘Coracle’ is a more considered record, in that we wrote a lot more songs, we didn’t use them all, we structured it in a way that it had more of a narrative flow as a listening experience.
- At which point did you know that your record is finished?
In a way you could say that a record is finished only when you try to convince yourself it is finished. In that the fact that it’s two of us helps in the way we can stop each other to stop working on a song we would go on working on forever otherwise. I think at some point you have to decide “ok, that’s it… let’s bounce the project!”. We do spend a lot of time working on a song but we try to still keep the natural feeling of it in place of just making a perfect finished impeccable track.
- What new instruments/elements and production methods have you employed in order to produce this album?
The instruments are pretty much the same ones we used for the first album. Guitars, lots of pedals, drum machine, samples, real synths and soft synths… I think we became a little better with our production… sometimes we go back and open some projects from the first album and we ask ourselves ‘did we really do that?!’.
Do you think that since Kompakt Pop and the Pop Ambient-releases, Walls fit normally in the rooster of the label? Or do you have a special position?
We feel great being part of the Kompakt family and feel we definitely share the same sensibility when it comes to pop music, melody and rhythm.
Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to now?
The Field – looping State of Mind
The Beach Boys – Smile
Roberto Cacciapaglia – The Ann Steel Album
Which artists have been prominent in the development of your personal taste in electronic music?
Arthur Russell, Cluster, Aphex Twin.
Thank You
Thank YOU!!
Am 16. Januar haben Walls ihre zweite Single-Auskopplung aus ‘Coracle’ via Kompakt released.
Es war ein aufregender Jahresabschluss 2011 für Wilhelm Tell Me: Endlich veröffentlichte das Quartett aus Hamburg ihr Debütalbum ‘Excuse My French‘ und dass es so einschlägt hatte wohl selbst die Band in ihren kühnsten Träumen nicht erwartet. Beim großen Online-Versandhaus Amazon.de hieß es zwischenzeitlich sogar ausverkauft, es hagelte Auszeichnungen in Form von ‘Platte der Woche‘ und ‘Band der Woche‘ und so weiter. Als ‘Hot‘ oder ‘Hip‘ könnte man die Newcomer jetzt wohl bezeichnen und auf sowas stehen wir ja bekanntlich total, sodass es nur konsequent war, dass wir die Band zwischen den Jahren dazu verdonnerten eine kurze Pause von ihrer Hipness zu nehmen, sich zum Interview an die Tastatur ihrer Wahl zu setzen und unsere Fragen zu beantworten. Wie man hier sieht, hat das irgendwie geklappt, Wilhelm Tell Me im Bedroomdisco Interview!
- Name: Wilhelm Tell Me
- Bandmitglieder: Henning, Jan, Matthias, Frederik
- Gründungsjahr: 2010
- Standort: Hamburg
- aktuelles Album: Excuse My French
2.) Fragenkatalog:
- Wie habt ihr euch das erst mal getroffen bzw. wie kam es zur Bandengründung?
Puh, wir sind ne Annoncenband. Jetzt ist es raus, so mit Chiffre und so. Das alles aber schon im Internet und nicht im Kleinanzeigenteil eines Monatsmagazins. Nach der Annonce, haben wir tatsächlich uns erstmal auf nen Bier und nen Plausch getroffen, bevor es los ging. Danach ging alles rasend schnell.
- In welcher Situation kamt ihr auf den Namen ‘Wilhelm Tell Me’, welche Bedeutung hat er für euch?
Henning hatte einen Song mit dem Arbeitstitel “Wilhelm Tell Me” mit in den Proberaum gebracht. Und ja, im Grunde wussten wir dann gleich, dass das unser Bandname sein muss. Eben Freiheitskämpfer, ihr wisst schon.
- Welche musikalischen Einflüsse habt ihr?
Die Frage, bei der man nur verlieren kann;-). Im Ernst, wir lieben alle Popmusik und eben PopSONGS und genau das ist unser gemeinsamer Einfluss für Wilhelm Tell Me. Dass wir darüber hinaus natürlich alle noch andere Sachen in unserem Leben gehört und gespielt haben, ist ja klar. Das geht von Hardcore bis Funk, von 60ies-Pop bis Disco.
- Wie kam es dazu, dass ihr professionell Musik macht und eine Platte veröffentlicht habt?
Irgendwie war das nach den ersten Proben klar, das wir nicht aus der Nummer raus kommen. Wir wollten da eigentlich gar nicht hin aber wenn dann der Funke da ist, dann fängt es eben manchmal an zu brennen. (Ich entschuldige mich hiermit für die banale Metaphorik!)
- Wie arbeitet ihr normal an euren Songs?
Da die Proberäume in Hamburg extrem teuer und ungemütlich sind, arbeiten wir möglichst viel an den heimischen Rechnern und Bandmaschinen vor. Da gibt es eben auch ne Kaffeemaschine und ne Heizung.
- Was inspiriert euch zu euren Lyrics? In welchen Situationen schreibt ihr an Songs?
Eigentlich bin ich da der falsche Ansprechpartner. Henning schreibt nämlich alle Texte. Inspiration …. das ist tatsächlich das Leben, fürchte ich. Richtig zu Papier gebracht hat er das in Kalifornien im Urlaub. Ja, so war das.
- Wie, wo und wie lange fand die Produktion von ‘Excuse My French’ statt? Was war der beste, was der schlimmste Moment während der Aufnahme? Was ist die meist erzählteste Anekdote? Bzw. wie kamt ihr zum Alben-Titel?
Wir haben im gesamten Sommer 2010 kein Sonnenlicht gesehen. Das hätte auch am Wetter liegen können. Bei uns lag es aber daran, dass wir in Hennings Studio saßen und eben den gesamten Sommer aufgenommen haben. Der beste und der schlimmste Moment war dementsprechend jeweils der gesamte Sommer 2010. Ehrlich gesagt erinnern wir uns an nichts anderes als an eine Unmenge an Spuren, die aufgenommen und zusammengefügt worden sind. Anekdote… Irgendwann kam mal Lars, nen Freund von mir vorbei. Ich weiß aber nicht mehr, wann das war . Zum Albumtitel kamen wir durch die Lyrics des Albums. “Excuse My French” sagt man ja im Englischen, wenn man etwas zu offen daher geredet hat…
- ‘So Into You’ ist unser Lieblingssong auf dem Album – könnt ihr erzählen worum es darin geht, wie der Song entstand bzw. ob es eine Geschichte dahinter gibt?
SO INTO YOU… worum geht es da wohl??!! Die Geschichte ist geheim, muss geheim bleiben.
- Was sind eure nächsten Pläne?
Wir sind noch bis zum 31.03.2012 auf Tour. Eigentlich immer, wenn wir irgendwie Zeit haben. Danach machen wir erstmal ne kleine Pause bis die Festivalsaison dann Mitte Juni für uns losgeht. Tja, und dann sind da auch schon wieder so viele Ideen in unseren Köpfen, die eigentlich auf ne Platte gebracht werden sollen.
- Was nervt euch als deutsche Band an Deutschland?
Wir sind ja eigentlich gar keine deutsche Band – also inhaltlich gesehen. Und so lange Deutschland sich nicht zu ernst nimmt, denken wir auch wahrlich nicht über Deutschland nach.
- Was macht ihr, wenn ihr nicht gerade Musik macht?
Wir essen ganz gern – gut – wir schlafen ganz gern – wenn auch wenig – und wir tun in der restlichen Zeit alles dafür, dass wir noch mehr Musik machen können.
- Das haben wir 2011 gelernt?
Dass man wirklich wenig Schlaf braucht.
- Eure Top 3 Alben aus 2011 bisher? Warum?
Puh, das ist aber jetzt zu privat!
- Welcher Song passt zu eurer aktuellen Stimmung?
KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND – That’s The Way I Like It
- Welcher Song bringt euch jedes Mal wieder zum Tanzen?
Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine – Conga
- Wie würde eure persönliche “Bedroomdisco” aussehen?
Beheizter Dancefloor. Wichtig!
- Wer hat den Fragenkatalog ausgefüllt?
I call him Wilhelm!
Wer bis hierhin gelesen hat, hat die Chance ein signiertes Exemplar der ‘Excuse My French’-Platte von Wilhelm Tell Me zu gewinnen! Einfach bis zum 18. Januar eine Mail mit dem Betreff ‘Wilhelm’ und eurer Adresse an gewinnen@bedroomdisco.de schicken und mit etwas Glück gehört euch demnächst das gute Stück!
Als wir vor einiger Zeit hier über das Debütalbum ‘Gracious Tide, Take Me Home‘ der britischen Band Lanterns On The Lake schrieben, sprachen wir von einem Album, das mehr gibt als es nimmt, das wie gemacht ist für die Zeit der roten, fallenden Blätter, für die Zeit der Melancholie und der Kälte. Kurzum, das am 23. September erschienene Album hat sich voll und ganz in unsere Herzen gespielt, wozu vielleicht auch die aktuelle Wetter- und Stimmungslage ihren Teil dazu beigetragen hat. Und wie das zumeist bei uns ist, werden wir, wenn wir etwas richtig gut finden, sehr neugierig, sodass wir das britische Sextett in Form von Sängerin Hazel Wilde an die Tastatur gebeten haben. Ihre Antworten auf unsere Fragen kann man jetzt hier lesen: Lanterns On The Lake im Bedroomdisco Interview!
1.) Band facts
- Name: Lanterns on the Lake
- Band members: Hazel Wilde, Paul Gregory, Ol Ketteringham, Sarah Kemp, Adam Sykes & Brendan Sykes.
- Founding year: late 2007/early 2008
- Residence: North-East England
- Current album: Gracious Tide, Take Me Home
2.) Questionnaire:
- How did you start making music – had you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest? What was the occasion?
I started to play guitar because I wanted to write songs. At the time it seemed like the easiest instrument to learn. It wasn’t so much that I was desperate to play guitar, it was more a means to an end – I wanted to be a songwriter and that was one way that I could do it. I couldn’t get lessons at school because there were only so many kids who could get a place for lessons. So I decide to learn a few chords myself. I figured I’d only need to know a few chords and I could write a song with those. So for me that’s how it started. I think everyone in the band had different reasons for being interested in music or wanting to play an instrument. I know Adam and Brendan’s Dad ran a folk club so they were around music a lot. Sarah got violin lessons at school. Ol played drums in bands from a really young age. Paul has also been playing guitar since he was really young, his Dad plays.
- Do you remember the first song you’ve ever written? What was it about, do you remember a line of it?
Yes I remember it. It was pretty terrible. I wouldn’t want to torture you with any of the lyrics or even the song title for that matter.
- How did you all come together and decided to form a band?
Me, Paul and Ol had been playing music together for a few years. The 3 of us had been in a band together in the past and we realized then that we loved making music together – I now can’t image being in a band without the 2 of them. When that band broke up the 3 of us talked about starting something new, the possibility of doing something really special with it and the dream of making records and touring. We had some song ideas at the time and we wanted to put a band together.
We needed a bass player so we met up with Brendan who we’d known from the local music scene in Newcastle and asked if he wanted to be a part of it. Around the same time we had started playing music with Sarah who I’ve known since I was at school. Her violin playing breathed a new life into the songs, she fitted in perfectly and quickly became really vital in the writing process and how the songs were formed. Lastly, Brendan asked if his brother Adam could come along to a rehearsal one day and that was the final piece of the puzzle. Within a few months we played our first gig as Lanterns On The Lake.
- In which situation did you come up with the name ‘Lanterns On The Lake’, why did you choose it and what meaning has it for you?
I guess we thought it suited the music. It’s pretty difficult to come up with a band name. Most names have been taken or just don’t suit the music you play. I think Lanterns On The Lake was the best of a long list of names that we were thinking of at the time.
- How did you proceed from becoming a band to getting signed?
Well I think it was about 3 years before we got signed and in that time we worked really hard at making Lanterns something special that we were proud of and believed in. We never thought of it as just a hobby – it was always much more than that to us. We spent a lot of time writing, going away to the countryside and learning how to record. We spent a lot of time making EPs and learning how to do the whole ‘DIY’ release. We actively tried to share our music with as many people as we could through blogs or any other way that we could. Then it came to the point where we felt we really couldn’t take it any further ourselves without a good label behind us. We wanted to make a debut album and we needed the right label to help us do it justice. That’s when Simon Raymonde from Bella Union first got in touch. We were over the moon. They are the ideal label for us we are very proud to be part of Bella Union.
- What musical influences do you have?
We all individually have lots and lots of different musical influences. I think you can underestimate the impact of all the music you were around when you were growing up. For me, when I was a teenager or younger there were artists and bands who musically I’ve grown out of and wouldn’t listen to now but at the time they sparked some kind of imagination or excitement in me. I think being a teenager in the 90’s there were lots of indie bands around that made me think “well anyone can do that, you don’t have to be a great singer or be technically brilliant to join a band”. I suppose that was quite important to me and inspirational at the time. Then there was music that I would find in my parents record collections that I ‘discovered’ like Neil Young and Talking Heads who I still listen to and love now.
- How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
We have quite an unusual approach to writing songs. With a couple of exceptions, there usually tends to be a few of us who will come up with an initial skeleton or sketch of a song like for example Paul might write a piece of music and demo it with a rough idea of how he’d like to approach it then I might help him structure it and I’ll add some lyrics and a vocal melody. Then maybe Ol would add piano or some drums, Brendan would add bass, and so on. Slowly it becomes the complete song. It can be an interesting journey from the initial idea to the complete Lanterns song.
In terms of problems..Sometimes with there being 6 of us in the band if one person isn’t happy with how something sounds it can become really difficult. Lanterns is a democracy so often we have to make a lot of compromises.
- Could you tell about about the production process of “Gracious Tide, Take Me Home”? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
We record it in our homes mainly. We didn’t have a studio or anything so it was a case of Paul recording everyone separately which wasn’t ideal. Doing it at home was a fairly comfortable way to work though.
One of the main difficulties was that the majority of us were all working full time jobs. For Paul especially who was involved in every single aspect of the recording and mixing this was difficult. He was working all day and through the night he was recording or mixing the record. That was quite a drain. I mean, we had always felt like being in a band and having day jobs was like having 2 full-time jobs but when you are making your debut record you want to put absolutely everything into it and not have to think about anything else. So that was one difficulty in making this record. It also meant that the whole process took a lot longer than it should have. It took 4 months to record it plus another 3 weeks to mix it.
- Was the production process of “Gracious Tide, Take Me Home” different to how you produced “The Starlight EP” or “Misfortunes and Minor Victories”?
The production process was pretty much the same, except this time we knew more about what we were doing and we had more microphones. The EP’s were done using one mic which we used for everything and some cheap drum mics Ol had, and we did a lot of guessing. When it came to the album we had a clearer idea of how we wanted it to sound, and how we could get it to sound with the limited gear we had. Paul had a bit more experience of mixing and recording which he’d learned through making the EPs.
- What development do you see in your production, the music, the lyrics and in the band since then?
I think probably production wise the album sounds a lot warmer than our EP’s, the music is more focused and more representative of how we play live. In terms of lyrics, maybe they are bit more focussed too.
- “Blanket Of Leaves” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
Ol came up with the music on the piano. Me and Paul had gone over to his one night and he played it for us. I thought it was beautiful. We demoed it and I had a go at writing some words and a vocal melody and we structured it a bit. At the time we had no rehearsal room and we were having to use this damp, cold basement of a shop in Newcastle. It was winter and we were trying to play the song all together as a band down there before we started recording it. So that’s my main memory of working on that song – a freezing, damp basement and a beautiful piano melody.
- At which point did you know that your record is finished?
It’s hard to let go of something you really care about and have been working on for so long and I think we could have carried on changing and adding bits to those songs forever. But, the day that we all listened through to it together and nobody had any more huge changes or suggestions to make we knew it was time that we called it a day on that record.
- What are your next plans?
Hopefully a lot more touring and making records. At some point this year I’d love for us to go away for a month or so to a studio in the middle of nowhere to make the next record.
- What are you doing if your not making music?
Well Lanterns keeps us pretty busy. At the moment when we aren’t recording music or playing shows some of us are keeping on top of the whole admin side of being in a band, some of us are acting as tour manager (planning routes and accommodation for the shows), some of us are keeping on top of merch orders and posting them out, some of us are making the hand-packaged EPs (which can take a long time), some of us are doing interviews (like this one) and some of us are continually writing bits of music and trying to learn more about production and recording. Then there’s trying to fit in doing paid work to be able to pay the bills. So yeah, we tend to be fairly busy – it’s all good though.
- Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to now?
Let England Shake by PJ Harvey
A Creature I Don’t Know by Laura Marling
Bon Iver by Bon Iver
- How would your “Bedroomdisco” look like?
It would have a nice rug and a good lamp – it’s all about the lighting. Joni Mitchell would be on the jukebox and there would be an unlimited supply of red wine.
Im Rahmen des Interviews verlosen wir in Zusammenarbeit mit Bella Union zwei Exemplare des Lanterns On The Lake-Debütalbum ‘Gracious Tide, Take Me Home’. Wer gewinnen will, schreibt uns bis zum 11. Januar 2012 eine Mail mit dem Betreff ‘Lanterns On The Lake’ und seiner Adresse an gewinnen@bedroomdisco.de – wir wünschen viel Glück!
Am Ende eines jeden Jahres wird reflektiert über das Erlebte, das Gehörte und natürlich die Top Alben und Songs des Jahres. Ein Name könnte dieses Jahr in diesem Bezug häufiger fallen, gilt doch Ernest Greenes Debüt-LP ‘Within and Without‘ zu den positiven Überraschungen des Jahres bzw. sein Projekt Washed Out als die Speerspitze des Hype des Jahres, dem Chillwave Genre. Kein Wunder also das ‘Within and Without’ im Juli von uns zum Bedroomdisco Album des Monats gekürt wurde und wir uns sehr freuten, dass der sympathische US-Amerikaner sich unseren Fragen gestellt hat – Washed Out im Bedroomdisco Interview!
1.) Band facts
- Name: Washed Out
- Band members: Ernest Greene
- Founding year: 2009
- Residence: Atlanta, Georgia
- Current album: Within and Without
2.) Questionnaire:
- How did you start making music – have you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest? What was your motivation?
I was forced to study the piano at a very young age – but I’m thankful for it now because I learned a lot…
- You mentioned in an interview that you have similar influences like Memory Tapes, Toro Y Moi, Neon Indian and Small Black, with which you also played some shows – What are your influences?
Shoegaze, Hip Hop, Sample-based electronica like Boards of Canada…DAW style recording…
- How would you explain the current hype of the chillwave-genre?
I think technology / internet can be thanked the most…Cheap / easy DAW recording setups allow young producers to do things they’ve never been able to do before – and the internet served as this massive marketing tool to get the word out really quickly…
- Which importance does the possibility of proper DIY-home recording have to this genre?
Its super important – because it puts these very expensive tools (preamps, compressors, effects) in the hands of untrained, young artists – who have a way of doing things in a very untraditional and thus innovative way…
- You did a lot of hip hop productions, before you started the Washed Out-project. How and for what reason did you change the style of your songs?
That style can get very formulaic – with both the sounds and arrangement – so I was much more interested in doing something different with that influence in mind…
- In which situation did you came up with the name “Washed Out”, why did you choose it and what meaning has it for you?
I’ve been into photography for a while – and it’s a term you hear quite a bit in that world – and I thought it fit the aesthetic…
- How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
I like to throw as many ideas together as possible – and then take a break for a few days and approach the song again with fresh ears. At that point, I start working on arranging and refining the sound…Mixing is all about balance and composition – much like a visual artist approaching the composition of a painting…
- Could you tell us something about the production process of “Within and Without”? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
It took about 6 months all together…I spent about a month or two researching recording approaches and buying new gear – then a couple of months of experimentation / demoing – then the final two months refining the songs and doing some overdubs / mixing with Ben Allen at this Atlanta Studio.
- We read that you had to rethink your way of producing and working on songs for ‘Within and Without’ – why did you change your routine of producing for “Within and Without” it and in which way?
The biggest reason was that I didn’t want to make the same record over again. I wanted a bigger more refined sound – and dynamics were very important…In order to pull that off, I had to learn more about production and mixing – so I spent a lot of time reading how-to articles online…
- You recorded the album in a studio, instead of doing it at home as before. What reasons made this necessary?
I did a majority of the recording at home – and then took all of that material into the studio to do some overdubs and to mix…I don’t have the means (both equipment and a treated room) to record drums properly – so that was one of the biggest hurdles…I also did all of the vocals in the studio – because Ben had a much nicer vocal chain than any stuff I own…
- “You And I” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
I wrote the chord progression for that song by myself – but sent it to NYC musician Caroline Polachek (of the band Chairlift) to see if she had anything to add. We met up at her studio a few weeks later and recorded a lot of ideas – and then I took all of the material home and finished the song…The vocal loop at the beginning of the song is her, her boyfriend Jorge, and I singing together…It was one of the first “real” collaboration I’d done – and it was a lot of fun…
- At which point did you know that your record was finished?
I probably could have worked on it a lot longer – so its hard to know when it feels done…Having a producer with fresh ears helped…I hope to at least have someone help mix all of my stuff from here on out…
- In what situations do you write songs/lyrics/which themes do inspire you to write songs?
I write all of the music and melodies first – then the lyrics…The lyrics normally come together pretty quickly and are very much stream of consciousness…
- You signed to Sub Pop – according to their catalogue and your music maybe not the obvious choice. How did this happen, why did you choose to sign with them?
I don’t see my music as “electronic” music…and I think I’m most influenced by an Indie-rock approach for doing things…so it made complete sense to me…
- In an early interview you mentioned that you wouldn’t be interested in touring around the world and playing live, as you would be getting married and wouldn’t define yourself that much of an live-musician. Now you seem to be constantly touring, with an record, also produced with the idea of performing it live – what made you change your mind?
Part of it was a challenge – to learn more about hardware equipment and live sound…The other part is practical – because its the only way I can make enough money to do music full-time…
- You were one of the last artists who got featured through his presence at myspace. Now myspace seems to be dead – what ways for bands and musicians do you see nowadays?
Soundcloud and Facebook seem to be big now…As well as online sites like Pitchfork, Gorilla vs Bear…
- What are your next plans?
More touring next year and hopefully some new recordings
- What are you doing if you’re not making music?
Reading about music or watching movies…
- What did you learn in 2011 up to now?
A lot about press and marketing because I’ve done more this year than I ever have before…I’ve also played a lot of shows – so that has taught me a lot…
- Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to now? Why?
Real Estate – Days
Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine
Cut Copy – Zonoscope
I’m lucky to be friends with all these bands – and have listened to these records more than any other this year…
- Which song would fit to your actual situation?
“Belong” – its all about accepting the situation where you belong – and not worry about what or where anyone else wants you to be…
- Which song makes you dance no matter what situation you’re in?
“Do You Believe” by Poolside
- How would your “Bedroomdisco” look like?
Great sound / lighting – with very mellow tunes playing all of the time…
Dass Ben Cooper eine musikalische Karriere einschlagen würde, war wohl schon relativ früh klar, zumindest beschäftigte sich der US-Amerikaner seit seinem sechzehnten Lebensjahr damit alleine oder mit befreundeten Künstlern in wechselnden Projekten Songs zu produzieren. 2003 gründete er so zusammen mit Alex Kane das Duo Radical Face Versus Phalex Sledgehammer, das drei Jahre später unter dem neuen Namen Electric President beim Berliner Morr Music Label das selbstbetitelte Debütalbum veröffentlichte. Nur ein Jahr später erschien dann auch Coopers Soloalbum ‘Ghost‘ bei Morr Music – unter dem Namen Radical Face. Mittlerweile hat der umtriebige Songwriter ein zweites Album, ‘Family Tree – The Roots‘, unter diesem Namen veröffentlicht und sich dafür die Bürde einer Konzeptalben-Trilogie auferlegt. Um welches Konzept es sich handelt, wie er dazu kam und überhaupt sehr viel zu seiner Person und seinem musikalischen Schaffen kann man jetzt hier lesen – Radical Face im Bedroomdisco Interview!
1.) Band facts
- Name: Radical Face
- Band members: Ben Cooper
- Founding year: 2002
- Residence: Jacksonville, FL
- Current album: Family Tree – The Roots
2.) Questionnaire:
How did you start making music – had you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest? What was the occasion?
It was my own interest. I was the first in my family to really play music. When I started really getting into collecting records, around 12 or so, I soon after wanted to make my own music. I tend to do that with nearly everything I enjoy. So I mowed lawns and saved up for a guitar, and it all went from there.
In which situation did you come up with the name “Radical Face”, why did you choose it and what meaning has it for you?
I got the name from a damaged flyer. The top right corner was torn off, so it just featured a woman’s smiling face with the words “Radical Face” above it. I thought it was funny, because I couldn’t figure out what it was trying to advertise. Then I saw a completed one, and it read “Radical Face Lifts”. It was an advert for plastic surgery.
I just like misinformation and the humor in it. There’s no special meaning.
What musical influences do you have?
Oh, all kinds. I like a lot of classical music and movie scores. Yann Tiersen, Saint Saens, Rachel’s and James Horner have all been big ones lately. Lyricists like Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen have definitely had a big impact. And bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Polvo, The Flaming Lips, The Halo Benders, My Bloody Valentine, Neil Young, just to list a few, have all been influences.
But I could really ramble on here. I like a lot of music.
How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
I change it all the time. Almost as a rule. Sometimes I start with words, sometimes with guitar or piano, sometimes with a melody that just pops into my head, or a rhythm I like the feel of. I try to avoid using the same process to often. I like to always feel a little uneasy about what I’m attempting, and to not know exactly how it’s gonna turn out. I pay more attention that way.
As for problems, lyrics are always the slowest part for me. If I wrote words faster, I could probably make albums in half the time.
How did you come up with the concept behind “The Family Tree: The Roots”, which was the trigger that grew your interest in writing about a fictional family living in the 19th century?
I really just wanted to write on the topic of family. It’s a big one for me. I’m one of 10 kids, and family has always had a strong impact on my life in some way. But I don’t like writing about myself directly. I use a lot of personal experiences in the writing, but I prefer to remove the details. I’d rather talk about the event than the people involved. I feel like I can be more honest that way.
So I decided to invent a family, one cobbled together from reading up on history, looking over genealogy charts and tracing the roots of my own family. I originally was gonna keep it at 5 or 6 characters, but as I kept writing the family expanded way beyond what I’d initially planned. And I chose the time period based on what was the most interesting to me, and what I most wanted to research.
How did you do research on the theme or did you more imagine how it would have been to be living in this time?
I pulled from books and genealogy mostly, along with a handful of documentaries. Then I used that information as a setting to put the invents and people into. I like reading up on history, so it was fun for me. I would’ve enjoyed doing it even if it wasn’t for a record.
Why did you then also decide to only use instruments of this time period? What difficulties did you meet because of this decision?
Well, this project is spanning three records. Since I was already developing a time line, I thought it would be interesting to tie the production to the concept as well. So this first record has the simplest production, in that I didn’t use a lot of effects, or full drum sets, or very much beyond just playing the few selected instruments. I tried to really focus on getting the mood across with just the songwriting and no tricks in post. This was definitely a challenge. Some songs were rewritten two or three times before they felt finished. But I’m glad I did it. I learned a lot from this record, and I accomplished some things I wasn’t aware I was capable of.
That being said, I’m glad the next record will have less limitations. Hahaha. I’ve missed using distortion and drum sets.
Could you tell about about the production process of “Family Tree: Roots”? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
It took about 15 months to record, and I tracked all of it in the tool shed behind my mother’s house. It’s where I record everything.
The biggest difficulties were on the songwriting side. The version of Pound of Flesh on the album was version three, and Always Gold was version four. Some songs just come out stubbornly.
And I’d have to say recording is the worst in Summer. Since I can’t have any fans on while recording, I’m usually stripped down to just my underwear, dripping sweat, and trying to get a take before something interrupts it. The shed is near a busy road, so sometimes I’m just about to finish a difficult guitar part and a bus will drive by, ruining the take. I think those moments, with me yelling at the traffic as though they can hear me, are some of the most frustrating. And probably the most humorous simultaneously. I’m sure I look like an idiot.
At which point did you know that the record was finished?
When I have nothing more to add, and I will defend what is there. When those two things are in place, I consider it done.
“Family Portrait” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
Well, it’s the earliest song in the time line. The brother and sister in that story are at the top of the tree, and everything spreads from them. So it explains their history, the eventual downfall of their family, and ends with them having to now take care of themselves.
The brother, William, doesn’t handle this as well. He’s hot-headed and angry as a result, and the songs with him and his line reflect that more (Black Eyes is a song about him later in his life). Victoria, the sister, is the one who really steps up and takes care of things. She educates herself, but eventually is seen as a witch-like figure because of it. The songs about her and her offspring are a little more “fey”, and there’s something odd about her descendants. “Severus and Stone” is about the death of one of her twin sons. “The Dead Waltz” is about her daughter who, whenever she sleep walks, can walk on water.
I could ramble on for a long time here. I have a lot of notes on all this. But I’ll stop there and spare you the lengthy explanations.
In what situations do you write songs/lyrics/which situations inspire you to write songs?
I often write outside. I live near the beach, and spend some afternoons just sitting on the shore with a notebook and a couple apples. I also write a lot in the shed, or on a stool outside of it, in the middle of the night. Those are the most common times and places, I’d say.
But songs and ideas have a way of showing up when I’m not expecting them as well. Sometimes I’ll be at dinner, for example, and something will just start playing in my head. I’ll have to excuse myself, go somewhere quiet and sing a melody or phrasing into my phone or my hand recorder before I lose it.
‘Family Tree: Roots’ is said to be the first record of a trilogy of albums that explores the life of a fictional family in the 19th century – how far are you in producing the other two records, what can you tell about them and how are they different to the others, so that they needed to be separated in three records?
I’m in the middle of album two currently, but I’ve demo’d most of the songs for the upcoming records, so I have a pretty good idea of how the next two are going to sound.
For a general idea of how they’ll fit together: the production gets more modern as the time line continues. I’ll be making some of the percussion out of metal on record two to go along with the industrial age, using electric guitars and effects again, and little quirks like that. Also, some melodies will mutate from record to record. For example, on The Roots I have a song about a girl named Abigail. On album two, I have a song about her granddaughter, and some of those same chords and melodies I used in Victoria’s song will return, but on different instruments and in a different time signature. There are ties between all the albums like that.
Did you have doubts about how a record that is focused on a time period in the past, could be out of the interest of a society which is often focused on technical devices, about progress and is always imagining the future?
I try to never worry about how things will be received. I just chase whatever I’m excited about and make it to the best of my ability. If people like it when I’m done, that’s certainly a nice thing to hear. But I’m okay with it even when people don’t. There’s no pleasing everyone, no matter what you decide to do. So I figure I might as well make something I’m happy with, and then let the rest fall where it will.
What do you like about working on a concept-album? Which difficulties do you see?
It helps keep me focused, and gives me a topic to really explore with some depth. The are pros and cons to everything, and using a concept will limit you in certain regards. But I often like the limitations. It goes a long way in the final result feeling coherent to me. When I record without a larger aim, I rarely get any music that seems to form something larger than the individual parts. It also helps me know when I’m finished, because there’s a more specific goal in mind.
What are your next plans?
I’m recording the second album in the set right now, and I’m gonna do some more shows early next year. I also have a side project called “Clone” that I’d like to release early next year, between me and a friend of mine who plays under Rickolus. We’re done with the album. There’s just a lot of presentation work to do before we release it. I also wanna shoot a couple more music videos.
What are you doing if your not making music?
I enjoy strength training, so I lift weights a few nights a week. I read a lot. I like to watch movies when I have the time. I really enjoy just sitting and talking with family and friends, and eating good food. I like playing video games sometimes. And during Summer, I swim and go to the beach a lot.
What did you learn in 2011 up to know?
I learned a lot this year. I spent a lot of it figuring out how to self-release an album, and build my own little label. I’ve had to get better at time management, and how to organize a project beyond just the writing and recording. It’s been a lot to take in, but I learn best when I just dive into a project and learn as I go.
Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to know? Why?
This one is hard to answer, as I’m really just now starting to hear new music again. I was so busy with getting my release together that I was just listening to old favorites. So I don’t have a solid list yet. I won’t know for a couple months. It’s great to be hearing new music again, though.
How would your ‘Bedroomdisco’ look like?
Mine would likely be full of old junk I find at second hand shops, and some old lamps. It’d probably be pretty boring.
Who did fill out this questionnaire?
Ben Cooper. But I’m the only person in the group, so I guess that happens by default.
Junge deutsche Bands kennenzulernen kann so schön sein und so viel Spaß machen – neustes Beispiel: das Duo Freakish Atlantic aus Berlin, auf das wir in einer willkürlichen Bandcamp-Wilder-Aktion stießen und das zufällig just in der Zeit, als ihre Debüt-EP ‘Siren Songs‘ bei uns hoch und runter rotierte, via Mail auf sich aufmerksam machen wollte. Das war dann schon mal nicht mehr nötig, jedoch wünschten wir uns mehr Informationen, sind wir doch immer neugierig bei Projekten, die uns gut gefallen bzw. die so wenig Informationen von sich Preis geben. Damit ist jetzt Schluss – alle Leichen im Keller von Marius Gutowski und Florian Sekular gibt es jetzt und hier im Bedroomdisco Interview präsentiert!
1.) Steckbrief:
- Name: Freakish Atlantic
- Bandmitglieder (Namen): Florian und Marius
- Gründungsjahr: 2011
- Standort: Berlin
- aktuelles Album: »Siren Songs«
2.) Fragenkatalog:
- Wie habt ihr angefangen Musik zu machen? Was war der Grund für euch ein Instrument zu lernen oder wurdet ihr von den Eltern gezwungen?
Marius: Mein Vater hat versucht mir das Gitarre spielen beizubringen, als ich 12 war und ist grandios gescheitert. Erst mit der Pubertät habe ich mich ernsthaft für Musik interessiert. Meine Eltern haben dann ein paar Jahre großzügig Unterricht spendiert. Und ich habe ihnen durch mein Mitwirken in einer Emocore-Band auf unerfindliche Art und Weise eine Freude gemacht.
Florian: Ich bin da eher Autodidakt und hab mir das Musizieren mit 17 anhand von YouTube-Videos und schlechter Literatur beigebracht. Das hat bei mir dann ein wenig länger gedauert und verlangt eine Menge Disziplin, die ich sonst nur für sehr wenige Dinge aufbringen kann.
- Wie habt ihr euch das erst mal getroffen bzw. wie kam es zur Bandengründung?
Marius: Wir haben uns im Studium kennengelernt und obwohl wir wussten, dass wir beide Musik machen, haben wir uns erst im letzten Semester mal zusammengesetzt. Das war eigentlich eine bierselige Idee, dass wir uns gefragt haben: “Warum haben wir eigentlich nie zusammen Musik gemacht?”
Florian: Marius kam mit einer Songidee vorbei und wir haben ziemlich schnell gemerkt, dass das funktionieren könnte. Zwei Wochen später war dann der “Siren Song” fertig.
- In welcher Situation kamt ihr auf den Namen ‘Freakish Atlantic’, welche Bedeutung hat er für euch, warum habt ihr ihn ausgewählt?
Florian: Der Name ist ein Zitat aus dem Gedicht “Daddy” von Sylvia Plath. Ein Teil der EP dreht sich thematisch um Sie als Person.
Marius: Von daher war es logisch auch einen Bandnamen mit Bezug zu ihr zu wählen. Auch wenn der ein bisschen aus der Not geboren war. Bis zur Fertigstellung von “Siren Songs” haben wir uns mit der Namensfindung ziemlich schwer getan.
- Welche musikalischen Einflüsse habt ihr?
Marius: Wir kommen eigentlich aus recht verschiedenen Ecken. Ich habe früher ziemlich viel seichten Indie-Pop und Singer/Songwriter-Kram gehört.
Florian: Bei mir rotierte eine Menge von dem, wo auf möglichst viele Effekte getreten wurde. Also in erster Linie Shoegaze und Postrock-Sachen. Mittlerweile haben wir uns da eigentlich ganz gut angeglichen und teilen eine gemeinsame Liebe für Bands wie Wild Beasts, The National und Deerhunter.
- Wie arbeitet ihr normal an euren Songs?
Florian: Meistens kommt Marius mit einem groben Konzept auf der Gitarre vorbei, wir nehmen das dann auf und überlegen zusammen, wie man das zu einem Song ausbauen könnte. Der Aufnahmeprozess ist auch gleichzeitig Songwritingprozess. Wenn wir eine Idee haben, nehmen wir die auf. Auch wenn wir zwei Tage später nicht mehr wissen, wie wir das eigentlich gespielt haben.
Marius: Ich nehm das Ergebnis dann mit nach Hause und versuch auf das Instrumental einen Text zu schreiben. Das Ganze ist ein bisschen so wie mit Lego spielen bei uns. Wir setzen Baustein auf Baustein und gucken, was passen könnte.
- Was inspiriert euch zu euren Lyrics? In welchen Situationen schreibt ihr an Songs?
Marius: Auch wenn es ein mieses Klischee ist, fallen mir Textideen überall ein. Das können einzelne Sätze sein, die mir morgens in der Bahn kommen und die ich dann hektisch in mein Handy tippe. Wenn mir das am nächsten Tag noch gefällt, versuche ich einen ganzen Text darum zu stricken. Was das Songwriting angeht klimper ich meist zu Hause auf der Gitarre rum, bis mir eine Idee kommt, die ich interessant genug finde um sie Flo vorzuspielen.
- Wie, wo und wie lange fand die Produktion von ‘Siren Songs’ statt? Was war der beste, was der schlimmste Moment während der Aufnahme? Was ist die meist erzählteste Anekdote?
Marius: Wir haben die ganze EP innerhalb von 4 Monaten in Bonn geschrieben und in Flos WG-Zimmer aufgenommen. Und dabei eine Menge Kratzeis gegessen.
Florian: Der beste und schlimmste Moment war eigentlich der gleiche. Wir hatten die Songs fertiggestellt und mussten die in einer Nacht mastern und hochladen, weil Marius am nächsten Morgen nach Berlin gezogen ist und ich erst zwei Monate später nachkommen konnte. Schlimm war auch, als es nur noch zweimal Kratzeis Zitrone gab.
- Ihr habt ‘Siren Songs’ komplett in Eigenregie aufgenommen und gemischt, woher hattet ihr die Kenntnisse, wie kann man sich Vorstellen, wie ihr an den Songs gearbeitet habt?
Marius: Wir hatten eigentlich gar keine Vorkenntnisse. Flo hat sich in die ganze Materie eingelesen und wir haben einfach geguckt, was sich für uns gut anhörte.
Florian: Das war teilweise ein bisschen zermürbend. Eigentlich weiß ich bis heute nicht, was ich da genau gemacht habe.
- ‘Esther’ ist unser Lieblingssong auf ‘Siren Songs’ – könnt ihr erzählen worum es darin geht, wie der Song entstand bzw. ob es eine Geschichte dahinter gibt?
Marius: Die musikalische Grundidee dazu kam mir im vergangenen Winter, als ich ein halbes Jahr in Prag gewohnt habe. Esther ist die Hauptfigur in Sylvia Plaths einzigem Roman, “The Bell Jar”. Ein deprimiertes wie faszinierendes Mädchen, das unbedingt einen Song verdient hat.
- In der Info auf eurer Facebook-Seite steht, dass ‘Siren Songs’ während dem regnerischen Sommer 2011 entstand und ihr während dieser Zeit zumeist Super Nintendo gezockt habt: Entstand ‘Siren Songs’ also nur aus Langeweile bzw. wer von euch beiden ist der bessere ‘Superstar Soccer’-Spieler?
Florian: Eher andersrum. Das Zocken haben wir nur in den Pausen gemacht, wenn wir gerade mal nicht weiter kamen und den Kopf frei bekommen wollten, um zu den Songs Abstand zu gewinnen. Dummerweise gingen bei den Spielen oft mehr Nerven drauf, als beim Aufnehmen.
Marius: Flo ist ein richtiger Treter. In den meisten Spielen ging er nicht mit elf Mann vom Feld. Gewonnen hat er komischerweise trotzdem meistens.
- Jetzt wo ihr nach Berlin gezogen seid und wohl mehr Ablenkung haben werdet – wie sehen eure weiteren Pläne für Freakish Atlantic aus?
Florian: Als erstes wollen wir versuchen so häufig wie möglich live zu spielen und dann weiter Songs zu schreiben. Die kommen dann hoffentlich irgendwann auf das erste richtige Album.
- Was nervt euch als deutsche Band an Deutschland?
Florian: Jörg Pilawa und die Warschauer Straße. Und vielleicht, dass guter Musik in Deutschland noch etwas die mediale Aufmerksamkeit fehlt.
Marius: Es gibt ne Menge gute deutsche Bands in den Weiten des Internets. Wir würden uns wünschen, dass diese mehr gefördert werden.
- Was macht ihr, wenn ihr nicht gerade Musik macht?
Kinderwagen anzünden und Kratzeis essen.
- Das haben wir 2011 gelernt?
Feier was du liebst.
- Eure Top 3 Alben aus 2011 bisher? Warum?
Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver, weil es die richtige Portion Pathos hat
Wild Beasts – Smother dramatisch, rhytmisch, gut
Fleet Foxes – Helplesness Blues, weil Nihilismus noch nie so harmonisch klang
- Welcher Song passt zu eurer aktuellen Stimmung?
Hazy Mountains – Regret // Hazy Mountains ist das Projekt von Julian Prott, der eigentlich bei Shoreline, Is Gitarre spielt. Regret ist ein wunderbar epischer Song, der ganz ohne Vocals auskommt. Der ist trotzdem so toll, dass man eine Badewanne damit vollmachen und sich gepflegt reinsetzen möchte.
- Welcher Song bringt euch jedes Mal wieder zum Tanzen?
LCD Soundsystem – All my friends. Leider nie live gesehen, leider nie wieder möglich.
- Wie würde eure persönliche “Bedroomdisco” aussehen?
Wir brauchen ein Bällebad, Gin Tonic und Mila Kunis. Der Rest ist egal.
- Wer hat den Fragenkatalog ausgefüllt?
Marius und Florian
Es fühlt sich an, als wäre eine halbe Ewigkeit ins Land gegangen, seitdem wir zum ersten Mal auf die südafrikanische Indie-Band Dear Reader und ihr Debütalbum ‘Replace Why With Funny‘ hingewiesen haben. Und so hat sich auch viel getan bei der Band: das Quartett, das zuvor im Kern aus dem Duo Cherilyn MacNeil und Darryl Torr bestand, ist zu einem ein-Frau-Projekt zusammengeschrumpft und hat sich zeitgleich auch örtlich verändert, musiziert man doch mittlerweile in Berlin. Grund genug für uns die sympathische Frontfrau zu ihrem mittlerweile dritten Bedroomdisco Interview (das letzte Interview gibt es hier zu lesen) zu bitten – dem wohl letzten in englischer Sprache geführten…
1.) Band facts
- Name: Dear Reader
- Band members: Cherilyn MacNeil
- Founding year: 2008
- Residence: Berlin
- Current album: Idealistic Animals
2.) Questionnaire:
- It’s been two years since our last interview and we imagine much has happened?
I guess you could say so, yes. Most notably, I parted ways with the other founding member of Dear Reader, my good friend Darryl Torr. And I relocated from Johannesburg to Berlin. Then i wrote and recorded a new record, and the aftermath of that is playing itself out now, as i type…
- You’ve left your home South Africa and moved to Berlin – for what reasons?
Many reasons… because there is more for me to do over here than there is over there, in terms of my work. the market for alternative pop music sung in english is very small in south africa. Because i really wanted to get out of Johannesburg, and be somewhere new, immerse myself in a new culture. Berlin because City Slang is based here, because i had already made some friends here, because i was able to get a visa to live in germany as a self-employed musician (no small feat), because it is amazing to live in an affordable city when you have an artist’s income…
- How is your German now that you’ve already lived some time in Germany?
Mein Deutsch ist ziemlich gut geworden. Ich lerne immer noch. Ich war am Anfang hier in Berlin bei einer Private Sprachschule. Ich kann jetzt viel verstehen, und mich ziemlich gut ausdruecken. Mein Grammatik ist aber nicht so gut. Ich will sehr gutes Deutsch, aber jetzt muss ich wirklich Mühe geben um weiter zu kommen…
- Also with the move came a split between you and your former Dear Reader band member Darryl, who had been a great influence to the last record. How come and did he have any contribution to ‘Idealistic Animals’ in the end?
There were a number of contributing factors to Darryl and I splitting up (please note, we were not romantically involved, just musical partners). For one, I was moving here, and he has a successful career and business producing music for bands in South Africa. He’s just built a lovely new studio, and will be getting married soon. Also, in the end, it was just time for a change. We are interested in different things, have different focuses, and were veering in different directions. We are still good friends, and I look forward to seeing him this December when i fly home for Christmas.
In the end, Darryl was not involved in the new record at all. It was a clean cut we made. Of course i miss him, and doing it without him also showed me all the things he does so well. But i learnt a lot during the process. Before, we were always working in biggish studios, with really good equipment – hi-fi recordings. This new record was made more like a home recording – recorded mostly with simple, cheap equipment, in people’s homes and rehearsal spaces. I was a lot more hands on, and did part of the engineering, the editing, sat in on all the mixing… it was a really growing experience for me. I wanted to try lo-fi, and now i know better the strengths and weaknesses of both ways.
- On your last tour you said that on the new record the live band (Michael + Jean-Louise) should have a greater influence on the new songs, so that it would get more of a band-record. How did it end out with the new circumstances?
Michael also parted ways with Dear Reader, because he didn’t want to be spending so much time overseas, and suffered a great deal from homesickness when we were on the road. I miss him very much. JL was involved in the record from Johannesburg. She sent through viola and vocal parts, many of which she wrote herself. We had a lot of collaborators on this record. A lot of people lent their beautiful talents and ideas to the project. The band I am touring with currently were all involved in the recording, and it’s cool, to have done that ‘together’ (we weren’t all recording together in one room at one time). I wouldn’t say it was really like a band recording together. Brent and I still really held the reins on the project. But we’ll see what grows out of this new set of circumstances…
- Could you tell a bit about about the production process of “Idealistic Animals”? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
i wrote and demo’d most of the material for ‘Idealistic Animals’ in my bedroom in Rixdorf. It was a pretty dark time for me, I was unhappy, and the record comes from a very personal, internal space. I don’t feel it was really much influenced by external factors, i feel i could have written it anywhere.
Then, Brent and I went to Leipzig to start recording at our live sound engineer (Fritz Brueckner)’s rehearsal/recording/living space. It was December, snowy. We camped out in that space for 2 weeks and barely left. At the start there was no hot water, just a small hot plate in the ‘kitchen’ (Things got more and more comfortable day by day). We set up a bunch of instruments – guitars of all kinds, a bunch of synths, drums, organ, vibraphone etc., and then we basically jammed over the demo’s I had made – the skeletons of the songs, and fleshed them out with layer after layer. Lots of people came to visit, and added layers. Often, Brent wouldn’t even let them listen to the track before recording their first take (so as to preserve the freshness of their first impressions).
Then, after christmas, i flew out to Portland, where Brent lives, and we recorded some more layers with some more friends. But mostly, we spent 3 weeks sifting through all the material, editing. There were a ton of ideas. Too many ideas. It was a process somewhat like mosaic – finding pieces we like, seeing where they fit. In the end it was sometimes a painful process as well, of having to say goodbye to parts we loved, because the songs were just too dense.
Then we went to John Askew’s studio (Scenic Burrows) and he mixed it – well, we mixed it. Brent and I were in there too, every step of the way. Often Brent was behind the controls. I was involved in terms of decision making. We slept very little. I would say on average we worked 14 hour days. Near the end, once or twice, we worked all night, stealing naps on the sofa, sleeping in our winter coats. We had a very firm deadline – my return flight to Berlin, and i think that is always really important. It forces one to let go. Otherwise one never might.
One of my favorite moments during recording was working with a Shape Note choir in Portland. They have a really distinct singing style, and ever since meeting them i have been a little obsessed with Shape Note music. (It’s the oldest american music there is, sung in 4 parts). When we listened back to KITE (Soon We’ll Light Up) after having recorded the choir parts, i burst into tears because i was so happy with it.
Worst moment… Brent and I went for a walk, with our ipods, listening to the mixes, taking notes. We walked through Portland, there was an open gallery night, lots of people in the streets. We were walking into places and looking at the art while we listened. Then, at some point on the way back, Brent realized he had lost his notes. There was no way we would find them – just a folded up piece of paper – amongst all the chaos. He was really crushed. He had had so much clarity, and felt like it was all lost. That was really awful.
- As a constant you did again work with Brent Knopf as producer on the record – how would you describe his way of working as a producer? What influence did he have on the record?
I think i’ve covered some of this above. Brent has a very unique way of working. He is interested in catching inspired performances, special moments. Of course though, when you’re not prepared, and you don’t know what you’re supposed to be performing before you begin, you do not play something from start to finish without mistakes. Everything on the record has been cut together, like a mosaic. That really is the best way to explain it. Brent had a strong influence on both records we’ve made together. He plays a lot of instruments on them, sings, his fingerprints are everywhere. On this record he really encouraged me to be more strong about what i want, (i struggle to know and to assert what i want) and to also try jamming out parts, to be more fearless and reckless. I have a long way to go on these fronts, but i feel like i grew a lot during this process.
- “CAMEL (Not Black Or White But Camel)” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
The song is about bumping into an ex, some time after you’ve broken up. It is based on a real experience, but exaggerated.
The camel-coloured smoke coat he’s wearing… i guess it’s describing that feeling of ‘we were so close, we were so intimate, knew each other so well, and now you feel like a stranger to me, someone i barely know’. i think we all know this feeling. it’s such a strange phenomenon.
A moment that sticks out during the recording of this song is recording the vocals on the instrumental interlude that comes at the beginning and again at the end. I was really ill in Leipzig, could barely speak, and Brent was doing one of his fun things – making a choir of himself, by loop-recording the section over and over and singing over himself, with lots of different harmonies and vocal styles. Then he asked me to do one, and i really didn’t want to, because i could barely squeak a note out, and tend to be afraid of recording when i have no idea what i’m supposed to sing (go figure!) But he really pushed me, and i started singing the ‘shalala’s’. they just came out. And my voice sounded really weird, because i was ill. And i can really hear it, so clearly, every time i listen to the song. But somehow it’s cool. And it is a great moment for me, because those ‘shalala’s’ came out, even though i was so afraid and reluctant.
- At which point did you come up with the animal-metaphors, what did you want to achieve with them?
The album title and animal song-titles only came at the end. I didn’t set out to make a ‘concept record’. But once i had all the material in front of me, i noticed subtle themes running through everything, and the song ‘Idealistic Animals’ really seemed to sum it up very well. I actually started writing that song a really long time ago, while we were mixing ‘Replace Why’, and back then i thought, i would really like to name an album after this song. I had forgotten that for a long time… Then, once i had decided to name the album ‘Idealistic Animals’, brent actually said, hey, we’ve got a ‘Mole’ already – why not name the songs after animals (See, his fingerprints are everywhere!) And I really loved that idea. It was really clear to me that ‘Idealistic Animals’ the song, was MAN, humanity. One of the ideas i had been thinking a lot about was the animalness of humans, how we are much more like animals than we are different to them. And so it was obvious to me that man should be one of the animals. And then, i chose animals to represent each song. Not always logically, often intuitively. The system is not very consistent. For example, BEAR is called that because the song is set in Berlin, and Berlin is a bear. But for lots of other songs, i was looking for animals that somehow embodied the spirit of the song. It’s kind of abstract, not poignant, and should be taken with a big pinch of salt. In the end, it’s just fun, to have a zoo on the back of my record.
- At which point did you know that the record is finished?
It’s never really finished. As i said, we had a really strict deadline to meet, and we worked right up until the last minute. And then it was really a case of, well, that’s it. What it is now is what it will be. Without this painful cut-off, i could probably work on something indefinitely, and it would never be finished, and i would never release anything. The whole process involves me detaching myself from the work, accepting that i have to let it go, even though it’s imperfect. I never feel a sense of satisfaction, like ‘this is exactly what i wanted to make. it is right’. That never happens. I never listen to my own music once it’s finished. I am really self-critical. Once in a while i might hear something of my own work, after a long time not hearing it, and have a wave of objectivity, and think ‘hey, that’s pretty cool’. But mostly i just find fault.
- Which development do you see in your music and songwriting from “Replace Why With Funny” to “Idealistic Animals”?
I feel like my song writing is a bit more grown-up (even though i’m still such a kid compared to most of my peers, and probably will always retain that element of naivety). I guess i feel like my ideas are less predictable than they were, my song-structures more unusual. I feel like i’ve grown. But none of this was really tried for. I guess it is just exactly like growing older. I have had more experiences, have heard more, done more, written more, played more. The process of song-writing remains for me something pure, something natural, like giving birth. It feels like something that happens to me, rather than something i do. And i never want that feeling of ease to go away. I have always written songs just for me, and that remains the case in that moment when i am writing a song. Only afterwards, do i consider the people who might listen to the songs later.
- In what situations do you write songs/lyrics? Which themes do inspire you to write songs?
A continuation from above i guess… songs come to me, and i feel like i just channel them out, that they come from somewhere else. Many people say that, so, i know i am not alone there. But at the same time of course, they are something that comes from me. Like i’m having little babies. My songs are driven by my emotional state, by things in my gut that i just need to express somehow, and music is my ‘how’. Often they are based on my personal experiences, which are just a starting point, and are then exaggerated. Other times the songs are fictional, but still based on my own emotions. I express my feelings through true or fictional stories, and usually the music is just a boat, to carry the words. Music is not really important to me, not like the words are. i don’t think a lot about music. but i love music, because it is like magic, because it can connect to the parts of us deep down that we’ve hidden under layers and layers of bullshit.
- What are your next plans?
I am flying home for a month in December, to see my family, and to play shows in South Africa. Then in January we are touring Europe, and hopefully we will continue to do that into 2012, and hopefully play some festivals in the summer. I also want to start working on something(s) new, though what it will be has yet to take shape…
- What are you doing if your not making music?
I spend a lot of time doing a lot of admin-y, practical stuff to do with being in a band. A lot of organizing, managing things, and well, yeah, i guess people don’t often think about that part of doing music as your job. I spend a lot more time doing that stuff than i do playing my interments, or writing songs.
Otherwise, what do i do… i love to read, i love to swim, i love to be outdoors, in nature, i like to go dancing with my friends, i like going to dress-up parties, i like going to the cinema, or curling up with a good movie at home, i like cooking, i really like eating (hehe)… man, this list is boring. i really should take up a non-music-related hobby…
- What did you learn in 2011 up to know?
Oh wow. Um… I’ve learnt that it really is easy to turn your back on possibly good experiences, because of fear of future pain, and i really don’t want to do that. So I am trying to be on the lookout for times when i am saying ‘no’ to things, just as a default reaction, and thinking about why i’m saying ‘no’, and whether i should actually be saying ‘yes’.
- Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to know? Why?
I haven’t really listened to any music for the last 2 years. Really, truthfully. What have i listened to… i listened to the new ‘The National’ album a couple of times. That might have been last year though. It is beautiful. Gut-wrenching. I really like Micachu and the Shapes. I’ve listened to their album a few times too. Tuneyards, what i’ve heard of that record is incredible. She is wonderful. I know it sounds crazy, but for some reason i have had absolutely no desire to listen to music for a long time now. Perhaps this will change soon…
- Which song would fit to your actual situation?
i really don’t know how to answer this question. Sorry.
- Which song makes you dance independent of your situation?
‘You Can Call Me Al’, by Paul Simon
- How would your “Bedroomdisco” look like?
It would be a room filled with metal objects. Floor to ceiling with trinkets made of steel. And the there would be white lights, bouncing off all the shiny surfaces. But the floor would be bouncy, and we’d all be going for it with all we’ve got, looking like we’re possessed, and nobody would impale themselves accidentally on a fork.
Eine ausgiebige Deutschland-Tour auf die Beine zu stellen kann für eine kleine, noch relativ unbekannte Indie-Band aus England ein ganz schöner Kraftakt sein. Doch bietet es auch die Möglichkeit einen großen Haufen neuer Fans an Land zu ziehen – so geschehen im Fall der fünf Jungs von Spring Offensive aus Oxford. Diese machten sich Ende Oktober für 10 Gigs auf den Weg nach Deutschland – mitsamt ersten Vorschusslorbeeren von der BBC, NME bzw. der Uncle Sally*s. Neben Konzertbühnen gab es auch einiges an Presseterminen zu bewältigen, immerhin war man ja nicht zum Spaß unterwegs, sodass auch wir Stift und Papier zur Hand nahmen und die Herren zum Frage-Antwort-Spiel einluden – hier das Ergebnis: Spring Offensive im Bedroomdisco Interview!
1.) Band facts
- Name: Spring Offensive - Band members: Lucas Whitworth, Theo Whitworth, Matt Cooper, Joe Charlett, Pelham Groom
- Residence: Oxford, UK
- Current album: Pull Us Apart
2.) Questionnaire:
- How did you start making music – had you been forced to play an instrument somehow or was it in your own interest? What was the occasion?
We were all forced to play instruments, but we don’t play those instruments any more. I guess picking up a guitar rather than sitting at a piano is some kind of rebellion. It makes you look cooler too. Right?
- Do you remember the first song you’ve ever written? What was it about, do you remember a line of it?
The first song? I think Matt wrote one about a Space Cow… All tapes of us from before the last 10 years have been destroyed.
- How did you all come together and decided to form a band?
We’ve known each other for about a decade, and have been making music together on and off the whole time. A couple of years ago, we started writing and recording in this formation. It seemed to work!
- In which situation did you came up with the name “Spring Offensive”, why did you choose it and what meaning has it for you?
There’s a brilliant poem by Wilfred Owen with the same name. A lot of what he does in that, we try and do as well. Basically it’s a nice bit of writing, and a good conceptual springboard for us when we started out.
- How do you normally work on songs? What are the steps/processes, what are the usual problems of finishing a song?
Generally speaking the songs start with a lyric or a concept of some kind. We try to have a clear and focused idea of what we’re writing about, and the music grows out of that. Then we arrange it for a band, make them sound like songs. That’s the part that takes time, and can be quite frustrating, but also hugely rewarding.
- Could you tell about the production process of “Pull Us Apart”? How long did it take, where did it happen, what were the difficulties, how did you prepare for it? What was the best, what the worst moment? Most told anecdote?
We started working on it in 2009, and attempted to make a record with real coherence. At the time we had just moved into Oxford, a town none of us were from originally. It was difficult, and we felt kind of isolated. It made being in a band almost unbearably intense, and the songs tend to be born out of that obsessive quality in us. It also made us stronger as a unit, as a group of friends. The best moment was probably when we signed off on it, and could move on. It was our most ambitious project to date at the time, so finishing it was momentous for us.
- “A Stutter and a Start” is one of our favorite songs – can you tell us what it is about, how it was done and if there is a story behind it?
The song is the story of a man whose car has broken down, and, sitting in the cold, he decides that staying there is preferable to what he was travelling towards – his other half, waiting for him in a restaurant, where he was planning on ending their relationship. Better to stand someone up than face the shame. The narrator believes himself to be triumphant somehow, as though the realization that he is stuck there is a triumph of some sort. It’s a confused song. Hopefully in a good way.
- There is also a very nice and tricky video to this song – could you tell a bit about the shooting and the idea behind it?
We liked the idea of making something that involved a level of artistry, was fun to watch, and could be done on no budget. I think we achieved all three. Firstly, we got to work with a great filmmaker, Dave Matthams, who could realize what we wanted to achieve. Matt and he plotted through the shoot, in which a man walks through his whole day from start to finish. It was tricky, and involved a day of rehearsal, but finally we got it on the 5th take. Videos are hugely important; the most common way that people consume music is through YouTube videos. If the video is good enough for people to watch it again, and share it with people, then you are more likely to get people listening.
- In what situations do you write songs/lyrics/which themes do inspire you to write songs?
Really it’s all sort of things that inspire us. Matt usually comes up with the original theme, and I join in at that point. At the moment we’re writing songs about not having much money and struggling to meet the rent. That’s because we tend to be thinking about it a lot right now. It hasn’t always been the case, and nor will it be. But right now it’s a preoccupation for many people, so it’s worth singing about.
- We heard that you’ve plans to work on an album soon – can you tell a bit about how far you are into preparing the songs, how the plans look like and what we can expect from the new songs?
The new songs can be heard live! We can’t say much about how or when they will be released yet, but we’re very excited about them.
- You’re currently touring through Germany: What went well, what not so well, what was the best meal you ate and what will become the most told anecdote?
Right now we’re in Mainz, having been to Berlin, Hamburg, Köln and Siegen. It is, quite frankly, absolutely incredible. Everyone is so friendly to us, the crowds are amazing and cities and countryside and people are beautiful. It couldn’t be better. Apart from the long drives. Oh, and we haven’t eaten a bad meal so choosing one would be difficult, but last night’s spread at the Vortex was top notch.
- What are your next plans?
We’ll go home and work out a way to come back here next year.
- What are you doing if your not making music?
Working at jobs that aren’t particularly interesting, and thinking about making music while we’re doing them.
- What did you learn in 2011 up to know?
That Germany is more fun to play in than the UK. And to always trust your instincts.
- Your Top 3 records of 2011 up to know? Why?
Lifelike by Joan of Arc, Smother by Wild Beasts and C’mon by Low. Bon Iver’s album would be the bonus. Why? Because they’re all awesome.
- Which song would fit to your actual situation?
Poor Man’s Son by Chris Trevor. It’s pretty much the tour song.
- Which song makes you dance independent of your situation?
This Charming Man by the Smiths is completely irresistible. Miserable indie kids that we are.
- How would your “Bedroomdisco” look like?
Probably quite cramped, but in a sexy way.
- Who did fill out this questionnaire?
Lucas, mostly, with some essential assistance from everyone else.
. Zum Albumtitel kamen wir durch die Lyrics des Albums. “Excuse My French” sagt man ja im Englischen, wenn man etwas zu offen daher geredet hat…
