Q + A: THE WIDEST SMILING FACES

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Posted:
January 17, 2012
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The Widest Smiling Faces

Q + A: THE WIDEST SMILING FACES

The Widest Smiling Faces is Brooklyn singer-songwriter Aviv Cohn.  On his second full length LP, Me and My Ribcage (available for free on The Widest Smiling Faces Bandcamp page), Aviv channels his subconscious mind, by creating an equally fragile and uplifting sophomore album sounding as if from within a lucid dream. I had the pleasure of talking to Aviv about the release of Me and My Ribcage, the Brooklyn “visual” music scene, and spending 2012 in an underground bunker.

DISCOSALT: I know you live in Brooklyn now but where are you from? Where did you grow up?

THE WIDEST SMILING FACES: I grew up in Long Beach out on Long Island, about 45 minutes away from the city. It’s a really interesting community, that basically doubles in size every summer.

DS: Where does the name, The Widest Smiling Faces come from?
TWSF: It was originally part of a short story I wrote in college, the story wasn’t all that great but the syntax and imagery of the phrase really stuck with me. The overt attractiveness but latent sinisterness of a disingenuous smile is fascinating.

DS: Who or what was responsible for The Widest Smiling Faces coming to be?
TWSF:Art has been a major part of my life as long as I can remember. Growing up I had wanted to be a filmmaker, then for much of my early adolescence I was interested in being a video game designer. But when I started playing Guitar and appreciating the ability of music to convey elaborate, beautiful imagery through melody and timbre, I realized there was nothing in the world as compelling, and that it was how I wanted to spend my time. I began writing music even before I knew what I was playing, and have continued since then.

DS: I listen to Me and My Ribcage and I hear someone who grew up listening to Smashing Pumpkins and Sparklehorse – is that accurate?
TWSF:I did grow up listening to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins. I discovered Sparklehorse much later. I wish I had been listening to Mark Linkous when I was younger. Definitely a lot of Radiohead, Sigur Ros…I guess what you’d expect. As a young kid my musical taste was pretty bland, as I started writing more I began to gravitate to new things and looking at music a bit more deeply, and my taste changed accordingly.

DS: Who or what influences you the most?
TWSF:I’m not sure. Sometimes, I just feel weighed down and need to let something out, and then music comes. Sometimes it comes on it’s own when I don’t expect it – I don’t know where it ever comes from.
DS: The guitar work is amazing on this album. It’s trance-inducing and mesmerizing.
Who or what influences that unique sound?
TWSF:I’m really turned on by polyphony, and the feeling of multiple notes and melodies affecting one another. I was always drawn to playing guitar with my fingers as it allowed me to play multiple notes and melodies at once. It also feels really good to have the guitar strings in your hand, directly on your skin, where you can affect them more closely, it’s more visceral for me, and I feel closer to the instrument that way.

DS: When we listen to music, we have a tendency to tie it to our own lives: our own experiences, our hopes, dreams and desires. Throughout Me and My Ribcage, there is a definite melancholy vibe, but somehow, this record sounds more vibrant, more spiritual and optimistic than Rituals. Is that safe to say?
TWSF:I definitely would say it’s more spiritual, or at least attempts to be, and I suppose more vibrant as well. I had been thinking a lot about conceptions of God and reading esoteric religious texts during the recording of the album. I put a narrative together around those ideas and the way they affected my personal feelings.

DS: As the title might imply, Me and My Ribcage has numerous lyrics about the human body (eyes, fingers, hands) Lyrically, how important was that idea of basic human sensation?
TWSF:I’m one of those people who can’t take a blood test without looking away, because if I see those tubes full of blood I get pale. The idea of being alive, and basically being composed of all manner of liquids, with them moving around inside me has always been something that’s deeply affected me.

DS: The Widest Smiling Faces has always been a band heavy on visuals. Me and My Ribcage looks very different from Rituals; It’s oils instead of acrylics or mixed media instead of “other” mixed media. In your opinion, what other musicians or bands would you consider visual?
TWSF: I think all music can inspire feelings of synthetic color and visual imagery if one listens to it with the right mentality (or is predisposed to experiencing music in that way). Certainly though, some musicians clearly seem to have it in their minds more than others. I think of Boards of Canada as one example of a band that puts a great amount of attention towards the imagery their music inspires. Of course that’s just how it strikes me personally.

DS: Did you have it in your head that this was going to be a more stripped down acoustic record or did that evolve naturally?
TWSF: Well, I like the acoustic guitar/piano’s ability to be a “spine” for a recording – it has a percussiveness to it that can give music a certain “stability.”  But I’ve also always found the electric guitar to be a more evocative instrument, tonally, and we used electrics a lot on the album. So we were going for both, the “weight” of the acoustic instruments, with the “color” of electric ones. We didn’t have a set plan in terms of making the album’s sound, Chris Wojdak (producer) and myself just tried to do every song as compellingly and honestly as possible.

DS: What are your plans for 2012? Any possibility of a tour or will you be counting down the days on your Mayan calendar?
TWSF: Well, I plan to keep writing, and keep performing, touring is definitely something I really really want to do as well.
DS: Thanks so much, Aviv.
-Casey Bowers
Posted:
November 17, 2011
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antlers

Q + A: THE ANTLERS

This week, Discosalt caught up with Darby Cicci; the keyboard, trumpet, banjo contingent of Brooklyn band - The Antlers,  to discuss life on tour, duck sex, zombie heads and their most recent album Burst Apart.

DISCOSALT: What have you been up to today?
DC: I sat in the van for 3 hours on the way from Manchester to Glasgow, during which time,  I watched Dario Argento’s horror film Tenebrae. We also went to the best highway stop in the world – near the border of England and Scotland.  It has an amazing selection of lamb and deer meat products!  I also watched (and filmed) some ducks mating…

DS; Duck porn? That could be an untapped market to get into, that is, if the band gets tired of recording albums. Speaking of which, congrats on your most recent album Burst Apart. We have it on heavy rotation. It’s much more up-tempo than Hospice, and surprisingly more electronic. How would you describe the album?
DC: It’s kind of like those ducks,  who were dunking each other under the water in their act of sexual intercourse. That’s the way they mate I guess, by hopping up and down on one another. Afterwards, they didn’t seem to want to get anywhere near each other. Hospice is sort like, if the ducks needed to stay together out of guilt, and Burst Apart is more like, what actually happened. They’re both about different kinds of relationships.

DS: “I Don’t want love” is such a powerful song, both musically and lyrically. Is there a story behind the song?
DC: No story, really. It started out as this uplifting, triumphant song that kinda sounded like it could be an Olympics theme or something. That’s was the working title actually: “Olympics” (All our songs have ridiculously stupid working titles). Later it got changed to “Old limp dicks,” which sounds like “Olympics”,  if you say it out loud.

DS: Old-Limp-Dicks… Old-Limp-Dicks… O-Lympics! You are right! That’s a good one to remember to shout out loud on tour, I bet. And the band has been touring a lot this past year. Do you have a best friend on tour?
DC: It’s basically a constant struggle to stay at peace with yourself; try not to let exhaustion and emotions get the best of you. It’s impossible to live a normal life when you’re on tour for 7 months out of the year. Learn to accept your own insanity and have fun with it. I watch a lot of horror movies. When I’m on tour,  I feel a bit like a serial killer who is on the run; kinda separated from society, except for intense moments of human interaction. Those moments would be shows. Otherwise, it’s just: van, hotel, highway stop, dressing room. Not a lot of normalcy.

DS: Since on tour, have you found a favorite spot to play in? Do you prefer playing the clubs or music festivals more?
DC: I like both, for different reasons. Venues of course are more comfortable,  and you always have time to sound check and fix equipment, and sit around and play on the internet. Festivals are more fun…more lively, but generally require a little more frantic loading of gear, and more stressful situations.

DS: Last year, you had a chance to tour with one of my “other” favorite Brooklyn bands, The National. Can you tell what the tour was like?
DC: The National completely rule. They’re incredibly nice guys; really organized, and the band and crew are extremely professional. I wish every tour was like our two with them. I’m a huge fan of their music, and I watched them every night without fail. We got to play some of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever performed in. It was an experience I will always remember.

DS: If you could have a free pass to one music festival, which one would it be?
DC:  Primavera in Barcelona is pretty special. We haven’t been to Coachella yet, but I hear it’s pretty cool. I really loved Pitchfork festival a few years ago. Really hope we get invited back to that one at some point. Some of the best festivals are the really small 2 stage festivals throughout Europe. They just feel really local, with tons of character and local flavor. And they always have great food.

DS:  When you are moody, do you have a “go-to” song that cheers you up?
DC:  [Wilco’s] Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has always been a “go-to” calming record for me. Or, [The Beach Boys] Pet Sounds. Or,  anything from Au Revoir Simone. Or, anything from Elliott Smith or Bjork. A lot of times,  I just drink and watch horror films. Watching zombies get decapitated always cheers me up.

DS:  Nothing like a decapitated zombie head to scare the tears away.  Now that we are toward the end of this year, what have been your  favourite albums of 2011?
DC: I would say St. Vincent, Bjork, Braids, Modeselektor, Youth Lagoon, Phantogram, Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx. Fuck,  there are too many. I’m really not good at picking favorites; they’re just too different.

DS:   Is there any band you would like to collaborate with in the future?
DC: Modeselektor.

DS: If you were in  a band from seventies or eighties, who would it  be?
DC: Maybe, Depeche Mode. Maybe, Stone Roses. Or, any band with a lot of “synths”. Maybe Phil Collins and I would have gotten along?

-Hayalsu Altinordu

Posted:
November 16, 2011
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Vincent_Moon hands New York

Q + A: VINCENT MOON

Vincent Moon (real name Mathieu Saura), is the prolific independent film maker behind “Take-Away Show”, a series of recording sessions published for La Blogothèque. Since 2006, Vincent Moon has recorded with REM, Arcade Fire, Beirut, The National, Sigur Ros, Phoenix, and just about every indie band in between. He lives a simple life, traveling around the world shooting musicians, experimenting with images and sounds in an attempt to re-define the limits of nomadic cinema in the 21st century. His most recent project, “Petites Planetes”, chronicles these adventures. We envy him most, perhaps, because he is free.
DISCOSALT: Your shooting style is so unique. It really takes “guerilla film-making” to an entirely new level, we rarely see in music videos. How did you first get involved in film?
VINCENT MOON:I have a background in photography, so that was my first approach to images. When I was seventeen I started working with my friend Raymond Depardon, a very good photographer and a contemporary artist. I was impressed by him. I wanted to be like him, taking risks and being adventurous. For five to six years I went to every concert and movie in Paris and trained myself. Then I started shooting.
DS: How did the concept for “Take-Away show” and “Petites Planets” come about?
VM: From the beginning my relationship with music was always organic. Shooting musicians, capturing the images, to me, means dancing and catching the rhythms. After being a photographer for years and trying to figure out what I really wanted to do, I started working with Chryde on La Blogotheque Project. That’s how “Take-Away Show” concept was born. But working on “Petites Planets” and shooting musicians in suburban areas is more interesting for me now.
DS: There are a lot of people who think you are the real force behind “La Blogotheque”.  Does the crew of La Blogotheque ever get upset or jealous by that?
VM:I started the project with Chryde but we couldn’t get along. I was the director and he was the producer and he couldn’t take that. That’s why I stopped working with them. They sometimes still publish my videos; mostly the more “indie rock” ones.
DS: As far as we know, you work on your own. Does that ever become difficult?
VM: Of course it is. But the main point is to struggle. I succeeded in the last two and a half years and many people around the world are looking forward to working with me and sponsoring me. However, it’s impossible for me. I don’t want to produce something for money.

DS:  You’ve been travelling and shooting different musicians from all genres for the past 11 years. How do you finance yourself when you don’t have a sponsor?
VM: Actually you are asking me if it’s better to travel and get to know different cultures, or stay in Paris shooting musicians around twenty to tweny-five years old and take place on Pitchfork. If I stayed in Paris I would keep doing the same things and I wouldn’t be able to improve myself. That’s why I’ve been travelling and learning about different cultures. I earned very little money over all the films I’ve made. However, this is my choice. It’s a “life style”. I choose to struggle, but live freely, rather than eating and drinking in luxurious restaurants. My life style is more interesting compared to the stable life-style. I have a website and people can make donations through it. Other than that, when somebody wants me to shoot a project, they pay my flight ticket and my living cost.

DS: You don’t sign contracts but would you work for a sponsored job some day?
VM: No, I don’t think so. I want to be free and to do that, I have to be contract-free.


DS: How do you decide which country you will visit next?
VM: Most of time a friend of mine offers me a project and that decides which country I will visit next. My friend Stefan told me about this project taking place in The Black Sea. He offered me a plane ticket and my food & beverage costs for the project. So, I accepted his offer,and here I am in Turkey. Most of the time, I wait to travel until someone comes up with a project, because I can’t afford the plane ticket fare.
DS: How do you decide which artist you will shoot?
Posted:
November 15, 2011
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-2

Q + A: LIFE IN FILM

Life in Film are Samuel Fry (Guitar and Lead Vocals), Dominic Sennett (Bass Guitar and Vocals), Ed Ibbotson (Guitar and Vocals), and Mickey Osment (Drums and Vocals). If you watch one of the many videos from London guitar pop band, Life in Film,  turning out an impromptu acoustic performance in the middle of the street, their own garden, or a newly opened Burberry shop,  you hardly notice the gimmick – but you instantly recognize their immense talent for song craft. Their ability to strip a song down, play it straight, and come off as brilliantly as if they’d had an entire 16 piece piece orchestra backing them is truly impressive.
Equally impressive is this: They’re in the middle of recording with British producer extraordinaire, Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, Pete Doherty…The Smiths!).  Taking a break from the sessions, the band snuck out of the studio to talk to Discosalt and answer a few
questions.
DISCOSALT: In this new batch of songs I hear equal nods to both Brit Pop and American Indie Rock, but overall, it feels very English.  Was this a conscious effort or was it just an organic byproduct of you know, actually being from England?
LIFE IN FILM:The whole process is very organic from start to finish for us. Working with a very British producer obviously helps push it towards the British feel but to be honest that’s just the way we sound.

DS: You’ve posted on twitter that you were really happy with the recording sessions. How did it go working with Stephen Street, the famed producer of The Smiths, Blur, Pete Doherty and countless others? As a Smiths fan, did you get a little star-struck or were you able to separate those two sides?
LIF: Stephen is great to work with. He’s got a really chilled approach which works perfectly for us. We are definitely a little star struck. His previous work is obviously on our minds but it’s one of those things where you want to ask but you don’t want to bombard the guy with questions. I’m sure we’ll get some stories out of him during the course of the album.

DS: How does a Life In Film show go from ordinary to memorable?
LIF: That often depends on the crowd to be honest. We have had some absolute shockers like any band. We usually get pretty excited when we’re onstage.

DS: Other than now, what was the best time period in music?
LIF: Couldn’t really say anything but the 60′s could we?

DS: The London Riots were a few months ago but are still fresh in most of our minds, as Englishmen, how did that affect you/ your state of mind/ national pride? And did it affect this new album?
LIF: Me and Sam live in Dalston and the community spirit was great round our way so there wasn’t any trouble for us. There were cars on fire outside Eds house though. He had to spend the night at our house. It was pretty depressing to watch on the telly. It did cause us a bit of a delay as we couldn’t get to the studio to mix the tracks but given that some people had their houses burned down we weren’t going to moan.

DS: What other artists (musically and visually) would you like to collaborate with?
LIF: We’ve recently been working with designer Kate Moross on the visual side and she’s been fantastic. We’re really looking forward to continuing to work with her.

DS: Who would win in a football match, Life in Film or The Vaccines?
LIF: Sam has a mean right foot, we’d smash them!

DS: What other current London bands are you into right now?
LIF: We do like The Vaccines album. We’ve been really busy recently so I haven’t really heard much new stuff.

DS: You have been to New York a few times now, where’s your favorite place to check out/ hang out?
LIF: We’re actually waiting for our first New York trip but will definitely let you know. Any tips?


Posted:
November 14, 2011
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DISCOSALT EXCLUSIVE: DRAGONSLAYER DIRECTOR TRISTAN PATTERSON

Tristan Patterson’s first film, Dragonslayer is this year’s SXSW Best Documentary Feature & Best Cinematography winner and the Grand Jury Award for Best International Feature at HotDocs. Using 10 album tracks jarringly spliced together to structure the film, we are brought into the restless and compelling  world of  Fullerton-based skaterboarder Josh “Screech” Sandoval, as he skates local abandoned pools and battles with the balance between new fatherhood and teen freedom. It’s a portrait of a  specific moment in time that captures a new generation of kids confronting the future.

DISCOSALT: You’ve talked about how you made this film right after the American economy collapsed. With more houses foreclosed in California, there were obviously more abandoned pools available to skate in the film. How does the “decline of western civilization” play into the greater punk ethos of the film?
TRISTAN PATTERSON: What’s interesting to me about the cultural moment we’re living in right now is that there seems to be a lot of fear out there, like people are just putting on blinders and desperately trying to cling to a status-quo that feels increasingly obsolete. There’s also a huge pressure, I think, to fall in line with the status quo. You know, lets not shake things up any more then they already are or we’re all going to be asking for trouble. And my feeling is pretty much, fuck that. I’m so desperate for anything that’s not pre-packaged or market-tested or whatever else the powers-that-be keep coming up with in these vain attempts to try to save their sinking ships. Making Dragonslayer really came out of this feeling. When I met Josh, he reminded me so much of all those awesome punk kids in movies like “Over The Edge” and “River’s Edge” and “Suburbia.” He had all the same affectations: this crazy green Mohawk, a ripped Screamers T-shirt, he reveres Johnny Thunders and GG Allin, even the fact that he skateboards seems almost retro in its way. But what really grabbed me was the fact that for him these aren’t bullshit hipster-poses based on false nostalgia. This is the culture that raised him, and in a strange way, I think it prepared him for the moment we all now find ourselves living in. There’s an amazing line from this Adolescents song “Kids of the Black Hole” that was recorded in 1981 that goes, “It was once a green mansion, now it’s a wasteland, our days of reckless fun are through.” Thirty years later, I think that’s no longer something some weirdo punks from Fullerton, California feel. I think it’s something we all feel. And so the movie, on one hand, is this very personal portrait of a kid who just so happens to be a weirdo punk from Fullerton, but it’s also, hopefully, a kind of punk statement in and of itself that says, let’s fucking open our eyes to what these times really feel like for all of us.

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DS: Skating comes across as this zen-like escapist activity in the film. Josh seems to find joy through creating something beautiful in his dark and uncertain times. Do you have a personal connection to the art of skating or was this something you took away by being an observer of the culture?  Is there anything in your life, besides film-making, that you could relate to “the joy of skating” in the film?
TP: I feel a personal connection to anyone who is trying to do anything in life that’s coming from a pure place. Josh is doing that, and doing it really well. No one skates like him, and he doesn’t skate like anyone else. I like to compare him to Pablo Picasso because they’re both short. In terms of me, besides making movies, or trying to make movies, I so fucking wish… I drink too much red wine and go to sleep dreaming of motivating to take a Yoga class. Shit like that.

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DS:  Would you say that the culture in Dragonslayer is the new California skate/punk scene? Are today’s skaters redefining anything like they did in the 70’s or do they stand for something unique for today?
TP: I don’t think there’s such a unified thing anymore. It’s not like in the ’70s when you had this singular group of teenagers redefining skate culture on their own terms, or even like in the ’80s with street skating. I’m also not really convinced that skaters ever stood for anything. I mean, if the police put up a sign that says, “no skateboarding,” then I guess skaters stand for skateboarding, but that’s about it. They’re just like any other kids who want to be allowed to express themselves by doing something they love. If there’s a culture on display in Dragonslayer, I think it’s the culture of new suburbia, and I don’t think it’s unique to California. Maybe the sunshine is, but I think there’s an entire generation of kids out there who’ve been raised in these really bankrupt realities. It’s the American cliché that it doesn’t matter where you are because it all looks the same, but it’s more than that too. Everything feels deeply broken in these places. But what’s amazing about this generation, or at least what’s amazing about the kids in Dragonslayer, is how supportive they are of each other, and how resourceful they all are. It’s like, if you don’t like the way people are living in the world around you, invent a new way to live. If you don’t like your family, go out into the world and create a new family, and that’s really what they’ve done, or at least what they are trying to do.

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DS: Conceptually, this is a film that really captures a specific moment in time. Not only because of the subject matter but because of the technology used. Did you really film parts of this movie on flip-cameras?
TP: I didn’t film parts of the movie on a flip-camera, Josh did. I gave him one on the first day of shooting with no direction whatsoever other than to try to remember to press record, and his footage is incredible. I was really obsessed with YouTube being an almost anti-cinematic experience, completely voyeuristic and totally pointless. But I also think the aesthetic can be kind of beautiful in its own way, and strangely revealing. I felt like, instead of having talking heads telling you what to think, I’m going to put a flip-camera in Josh’s hands and you’re going to experience how his life actually feels in real time. Pretty early on, he filmed this party and you can hear him off camera saying, “I’m just drunk and filming my eyes.” If it’s a choice between some talking head telling me what to think about him or footage like that, I know what I want to watch. It’s visceral, it captures something truly immediate and it’s all his own. It’s also kind of the whole point of making movies: to feel drunk and film your eyes.

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DS:  How important is honesty in the film and the authenticity of the experience? The film was split between the more cinematic footage and reel shot by the character’s themselves. Do you think this way of filming, brought more reality to the film, or a more self-conscious , voyeuristic element to the process?
TP: I like that the film has that dichotomy because it reveals its methods. It’s not trying to hide how it was made. It makes the collaboration explicit. I was hyper-conscience about not filming anything that was only happening because I was filming. More to the point, there’s nothing I shot that’s any more revealing or personal than footage Josh shot of his life when I wasn’t around. If anything, his footage is even more personal and revealing. My point is that you can’t watch this movie and think what you’re seeing is only happening because I was there filming, and I think that’s of paramount importance. The film may have a point of view that’s all its own—it’s certainly not a diary—but part of its point of view has to do with trying to uncover a new way of authentically capturing reality. It’s not enough anymore to just say, this happened and we caught it on film so it’s authentic. We live in an era of reality television. The motives have to be authentic as well.

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DS: The soundtrack for Dragonslayer stands out as a driving force for the film, mostly because of the jarring way it is integrated into the film structure to define chapters. It was unlike any other film I’ve seen. How did the 10 song album structure for the film come about ? And how did you decide when to end a track?
TP: When I was filming, I kept asking myself what this movie should feel like. And I kind of had this idea where I started wanting it to feel like some lost punk tape you discover in the trash, like it was the fucked-up demo from a band that went on to achieve greatness, but no one had heard them in their original form when they were just practicing in their garage. So tracks get interrupted, shit gets fucked up, but every now and then a moment crystallizes into something amazing. Maybe it was a way of being flippant about this thing I spent years of my life making, but I also thought it was essential. It was the only idea I had that felt honest to what the experience of making the movie was actually like. And I felt like, with each track you listen to, even if one of the tracks is just static feedback, you get closer to something essential. Hopefully, by the end of the movie, you arrive at a truth.

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Posted:
November 10, 2011
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fenech-soler

Q + A: FENECH-SOLER

After a nomination at the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards this year, rising UK electro-pop band, Fenech-Soler, cemented their success headlining the Fieldview Festival and playing the Glastonbury Music Festival. Discosalt writer Hayalsu Altinordu interviewed the band’s bassist-keyboardist Daniel Soler just before their first gig inTurkey, at one of the best music venues in Istanbul –Babylon.

DISCOSALT: Since your formation, Fenech-Soler has been an important band in the UK indie-rock scene.  Which bands do you follow?

FENECH-SOLER: Personally, I’m a really big Muse fan. For me, they’re one of the best live bands going. Their shows are always a spectacle!! In terms of the music I listen to, on a day to day basis, I guess it depends on what mood I’m in. The Metallica black album has certainly accompanied me on arrival to a few festivals this year – it always sets me up for a good show. The most recent thing that I’ve been listening to on the iPod is ‘When Animals Stare’ by The Black Ghosts – recommended.

 DS: This year, you remixed songs by Marina & The Diamonds’ and appear on a Groove Armada track.  Seems the last two years have been extremely successful. Looking back at this year, how was 2011 for Fenech-Soler?

FS: 2011 has been a bit of an up and down year to be honest. Ben was diagnosed with testicular cancer back in February and at that time, I don’t think any of us knew how this year was going to end. It was a period that definitely made us stronger as a band, and, in that respect, it ended up being quite a positive time for us. It felt like we had a fresh start and we had a moment to stop and look at what we were doing for once, and improve things. We had just come back from Australia after playing the Good Vibrations festival with Phoenix, Mike Snow and The Friendly Fires, and the energy and inspiration from that experience meant coming back for the summer festivals, better and stronger than ever, was important to us. Thankfully, Ben’s treatment was successful and we’ve been back on the road, now, since June. We’ve also just finished our UK and European tour, which was the biggest tour we’ve ever done. And we’re out again supporting Example in the UK from the 21st of November, till the 15th of December, which will bring us nicely to the end of the year!

DS: Since we are close to the end of the year, we have started to compile our “best albums of the year”. What is the best album of 2011 for Fenech-Soler?

FS: Metronomy’s new album “The English Riviera” is an album I’ve enjoyed this year. I really think that band has moved forward so much with their sound, and it’s great to see them having some great success in 2011.

DS: Who came up with the festival films video?  

FS: The videos were something we all wanted to do. Previously, when we’ve toured, you find yourself filming things on your phone and documenting funny stuff, but not really doing anything with it. This time we wanted to document every show and make some short movies that we were uploading on a daily or weekly basis, so that fans could watch back moments from the particular show they saw us at. We also wanted to give people an insight into what we get up to, when we’re off the stage.

DS: You guys seem to be pretty good with social media and blogging. Who is the best blogger in the group?

FS: I’d say Ben is the one who takes care of most of our social media sites, like twitter and facebook, but we all get involved in our own blog.

DS: Out of the band members, who is the most serious, the funniest and the most laidback person?

FS: I don’t think any of us are particularly serious, unless a big decision has to be made. In which case, it would probably be Ben. Andy’s wit does take some beating, I think most of our conversations involve some kind of sarcastic comment. Ross is pretty laid back most of the time.

DS: If you could have a free pass to a festival which one would it be?

FS: After going toGlastonbury for the first time this year and having the best festival experience of all time, I would have to say, I would want my free pass to be there! The lineup is always great and the people who go are all about enjoying themselves. It has such a good vibe!

DS: Is anyone in the band collecting vinyl? Any favorites?

FS: Andy has just gone through the process of replacing his CD collection for Vinyl, and that’s the only format in which he buys music these days! I believe that he’s waiting for an album called “La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Vol. 1” by White Zombie that comes on glow in the dark vinyl!!

DS: Analog or digital?

FS: Analog.

DS: As a band, what’s the word you use the most?

FS: We all use the word “eggy” quite a bit to describe things that, shall we say, are a bit disappointing or crap.

DS: Describe Fenech-Soler in 3 words.

FS: Triangle, Sine, Saw-tooth.

Posted:
October 10, 2011
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Q + A: THE DO

DISCOSALT: Hi there! It’s been such a long time for me, since I first saw you guys. It’s great to finally meet you!

Dan: Which festival was that?

DS: It was Eurosonic Noorderslag festival in Holland.

Olivia: In Amsterdam?

DS: No, It was in Groningen. Nice festival but it was quite cold at that time. You were touring for so long in Europe and the USA. How did you find time to record in all that time?

O: Actually that’s a good question. Everybody kept asking like why it took us to record so long but actually it took us only 1 year to record.  But yes we toured for almost 2 years for the first time. It was a long time. And we were impatient to record new songs.

DS: Where did you record the new album “both ways open jaws”?

O: We started recording in the house we rented in South of France. We started for a few weeks. We took all our stuff from the studio and rented a truck.  We started going around with that truck and also different musicians came there to work with us. It was very important for us to get away from Paris and being in a new environment.

DS: What do you think about Paris these days? I’ve spent the last 2 summers there and I find it much more touristy now compared to 10 years ago.

O: That’s true. I think Paris is going down. We want to move somewhere else soon but we are not sure where it will be. Maybe to Berlin.

DS: Olivia, you are from Finland and Dan, you are from France. I assume that most of your time is spent together because of the tour, but when you are not touring…do you still spend time together?

D: We do music very often, so most of the time we are together. But when we need we take some time off and go apart, we do.

DS: And when you are on tour for a long time, who is your best friend?

D: Musicians.

O: I don’t know. I can’t focus on a book when I’m touring.  I can’t really actually focus on something else.

D: Normally, when you are on a tour, our best friend is our bed. We are so tired that when we have time to sleep we are extremely happy.

O: It’s also good to have good headphones. Listen to your own thing.

DS: Who do you listen to these days?

O: Tune-yards.

D: Micachu and The Breeders.


DS: On your new album, there are two songs that stand out for me, which I love: “Bohemian dances” and “was it a dream”. Can you tell us the story behind those songs?O: I remember I wrote Bohemian Dances when I was very sick. I wanted to break free, go out and start singing again. I was so bored. It was like a freedom anthem for me.D:  “Was it a dream’s” story…We wanted to make an old school song. And nobody is dancing slow these days.DS: (Olivia and Dan start dancing a little)

DS: Olivia,  this question is for you… Your style is very interesting.  Do you choose your clothes or does somebody else choose them for you?

O: Since I don’t really have time to go and pick them up somewhere,  a friend goes out for me and help me out.  Sometimes I just have time to go around and do shopping very quickly.

DS: What was the first album you bought?

O: I remember that the first I bought was with my brother. Michael Jackson:  “Dangerous”.

D: Mine was also from Michael Jackson: “Thriller”.

O: Was that on tape or  vinyl?

D: Vinyl. I’m older.

O: I’m a girl from 80’s. You are from 70’s.

DS: You are old Dan! (they both laugh)

DS: What’s the “phrase” you use these days, as a band?

D:: Can you feel the groove tonight! We just want to say that like a thousand times a day.

O: Oh it’s a long story. But you know you find the most cheesy video on Youtube and you keep watching it and it becomes a habit.

DS: Do you have any secret talents?

O: He’s (Dan) really good at cooking.

DS: Yeah? What can you cook?

D: Whatever you want.

DS: So if one day you decide to stop being a musician,  you always have a second job!

D: My parents have a restaurant for 35 years, so I have a talent.

DS: If you were to be a band in 60s or 70s, who would you be?

O: Can we be the Beatles?

DS: No! Everybody wants to be The Beatles.

D: The Kleenex.

- Hayalsu Altinordu
Posted:
September 28, 2011
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DISCOSALT EXCLUSIVE: ANR AND THE COMING APOCALYPSE

Miami’s ANR navigate post-apocalyptic musical territory on their new album Stay Kids.


The end of days may be imminent, but right now, we are going to need more napkins.It’s about 95 degrees and feels like Cambodia in the back room of Mikey’s, a greasy, Asian-influenced burger joint in the Lower East Side. I’m sitting down with Floridian (psych-synth) chill-wave band ANR, trying to stave off forehead sweat and keep my shirt clean, while politely navigating the house signature: a patty infused with corned beef hash, smothered in curry chili.If the Apocalypse looms near then two of the four horsemen have potentially revealed themselves as some unlikely but dubious “signs”: a lamb satay burger and a restroom door handle made of tissue paper. If this is, in fact, our last meal, I regret not having ordered the avocado shake. The horror…

ANR’s Michael-John Hancock and Brian Robertson are concerned about the coming apocalypse – their worry rears itself into our conversation more than once over the course of the night. This is, most likely, because of the band’s South Florida roots – an area notoriously devastated by hurricanes. In fact, the duo’s last album, Stay Kids, is a concept album about the recent Gulf Coast disaster, the earthquake in Haiti, and the fear that Miami will soon find itself under three feet of water.

“Miami has like 20-50 more years before its like Venice, before it’s flooded,” says Michael-John. “I think some people don’t want to talk about [the apocalypse]. This year especially, waking up New Years, dead birds falling from the sky, dead fish floating in the waters, that dumb ass with his head shaved in Arizona, all this stuff happening in the Middle East. So [the album] Stay Kids also means, ‘Go back to square one and deal with it, like a kid would.’”

The band has opened for such big name acts as Yeasayer. But, they tell me, they don’t get out much – and for some reason, I believe them.

Together, these “reclusive” Miami music-makers create complex, atmospheric synth-heavy dance music; A sound the band describes as  “apocalyptic psychedelic pop.” They create loud, virtuosic melodies with haunting, brilliant falsettos that reach a shimmering chorus of electro-pop juju with raw, punk rock intensity.

ANR is equal parts energetic and unnerving. Theirs is the kind of music befitting the soundtrack of a horror movie.Which, incidentally, it is. Slasher? I barely knew her is the band’s new, film project, in which Brian – the quieter of the two – plays an eerily believable killer. The short is an extended music video cum horror epic, reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and based on ANR’s single, “Big Problem.”

“It all started with the idea of shooting spear hooks through this girl’s back, through her boobs, into her boyfriend’s hands,” Michael-John explains. “That little idea became a short film.”

We discuss the merits of Star Trek versus Star Wars, breakfast cereal with the Chariots of Fire soundtrack, evangelical radio preachers, and what it’s like living and making music down South. Brian tells us that one of the major handicaps to the South Florida music scene is its lack of venues. “It’s a pretty cool, self-contained scene, in a way, being so far South…So far out of the way from the rest of the country. You have to just get together, collaborate, make stuff. “

While our conversation occasionally drifts into darker waters, ANR’s laid-back, quintessentially southern style has me at ease like we are swapping ghost stories on a road trip. (Or how movie killers deftly charm their victims into thinking everything will be okay.)

But ANR truly will make everything okay, because they are a pop band that transcends pop music. ANR has managed to find an emotional catharsis in the chaos of the apocalypse and cultivated a sound and style that is surprisingly hopeful for the future. Stay Kids is really about “just trying to put a positive spin on the coming apocalypse,” says Michael-John.

If the end of days is coming, ANR is spending their time wisely.

Continue Reading the full article > Download the Summer 2011 Issue of DISCOSALT MAGAZINE

 

Posted:
September 14, 2011
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Q + A: FLORENCE + THE MACHINE

Since the remarkable reaction to her teaser track ‘What The Water Gave Me’ which was released online late last month, Florence + The Machine announced the new single “Shake It Out” and full details of her highly anticipated second album today. The 12 track album or deluxe 20 track double album, ‘Ceremonials’ will be released in the UK on October 31, 2011 on Island Records and in the U.S in November on Universal Republic.
Discoalt writer Hayalsu Altinordu recently sat down with Isabella Summers; the “Machine” of Florence +The Machine and one of Florence Welch’s best friends.

 

 

DISCOSALT: Can you tell us about how music entered into your life and how you started making your own music briefly? On your Myspace page,  you stated that you like to work on hip-hop music more..is it true?
ISABELLA SUMMERS: I was 9 years old and I had 2 boy friends who gave me a cassette. In one side snoopy dog and the great diggers on the other side. I listened to it over and over again. As a teenager I hanged around with them. They were Djing and scratching, listening to lots of hip-hop music. When I was 18, I want a pair of deck. So then i bought a deck and i started to make music, and mixes. When I was in college, I started working in a hip-hop label, and then i decided that i wanna become a producer.Then I started making hip-hop, then I got my own studio and then I made Florence. And now I do all kind of things.I have to say I really have an open mind for music. 3 years ago I think I always wanted to make hip-hop music, I was always determined to do that. But I always wanted to make songs, now I’m learning to play guitar. I appreciate everything.
DS: You are known as the “Machine” of Florence + The Machine. For how long you have been working with Florence? How did you guys meet? And why are you called “Machine” particularly?

IS: When we first started making music together I had a mpc machine which made beats. It was my idea to make a song. So she came to my studio, i made beats and she sang. She felt like she was the robot when she pressed the play button. And my machine was actually my mpc. So we were together the robot & the machine. So when we set up a group it became “Florence + The Machine”. I was the machine because I was the one who had the machine and who always had the ideas.

DS: You’ve been touring a lot lately. I last caught you at the Primavera festival at Spain and you guys were amazing!  How does it feel to work with Florence? Can you tell us about your relationship with her? Do you have any interesting/funny memories together that you can share?

IS: Yeah it was a weird day because one day before we were in Leeds playing for a university ball and we finished at 3 am. And then we had a flight at 7 am to fly to Barcelona. We were really tired when we are there. Our plane was delayed so we were all over the place. But I’m glad you enjoyed it! I definitely remember writing “Dog days days are over”. I had my mpc machine, I don’t play guitar and i didn’t have a proper keyboard. We only had drums and I was like “how are we gonna do it” she was like “yeah we are gonna make a record!”. One night she bought drinks and she was hitting the walls to Express the beats in the dog days are over. The first time we played in Glastonbury she had a clown dress and she forget one of the song’s lyrics and it was fun! She is crazy & amazing. Now we are really good friends.  I think I should keep a diary about all these stuff. I have lots of photos. I think i should make it a book.

DS: You co-wrote and produced many songs on the Lungs album. What inspires you most when you are writing? How did you feel when the album won a Brit award?

IS: It’s amazing. I’m a workaholic. I still didn’t have a real break and think about the success but it’s amazing we’ve done so well thinking that we are just learning to make a song. We created a song in a small studio and now hundreds of people are singing that song.

DS: What are your thoughts on the future of the music industry? We continue to see record sales dropping, online sales rising and concert/festival tickets getting really expensive. Meanwhile, bands are offering music lovers free song downloads…
IS: I don’t know really. I kinda feel like I work hard to get to this point. In life if you try hard you can also get something back. I think the internet is amazing. How people sells records..But selling records is a process in this business.I think people will always gonna need music. I don’t think the internet will kill music or it’s sales.

DS: Can you name some bands you love?

IS: I really like Jimmy Hendrix, early Janet Jackson. Marianne Faithful, led zeplin are my current discoveries. But I also listen Lady Gaga and Rihanna. I always keep an eye of everything. I even listen to Justin Bieber! I listen to everything people put in front of me.

DS: What are your future projects? Who would you like to collaborate with?

IS: I always wanted to work with Rick Rubin and David Grohl. Beyonce would be cool! I’m really with my studio and the people I’m working with.

DS: If you were to organize a festival, who would be your headliners?

IS: The XX, for sure! They are great. We recorded with them before they got really big, about a year ago. We toured with them and it was fun. Yeasayer would be also nice.

Posted:
September 7, 2011
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Q + A: THE NATIONAL

Discosalt writer Hayalsu Altinordu sits down with The National to discuss their writing process, the best thing about New York, Headliners at the ultimate music festival and what’s on their ipod shuffle.

 

DISCOSALT: Can you tell us a bit about the writing and recording process of your last album High Violet? It’s an amazing album, worth waiting for, but why did it take so long to record? 

THE NATIONAL: Thank you for the compliment. Writing and recording and our band are two sides of the same coin. The process starts with musical sketches which Aaron and/or Bryce will record and pass on to Matt to consider. For the ones he likes we go back and record drums for and just kind of massage into finished mixes over thecourse, in this case, of many long months.

DS: High Violet sounds even heavier compared with your previous album. Also, the songs all seem to have a New York theme…what’s your favorite thing about New York? And what parts of urban life inspired you to write this album?

N: Generally the songs do share a theme as you say. Sonically, too, they are similar in their darkness. As for New York, I believe that the city takes care of its own and is rife with opportunity. I like the seeking aspect of the city life.

DS: Sorrow and Anyone’s Ghosts are albums with some really amazing lyrics, almost magical… I love the line, “I had a hole in the middle where the lightning went through. I told my friends not to worry.” How did the idea for these songs come about ?

N: I like those lyrics too. This is Bryan, the drummer, and I’m afraid I can’t speak for Matt who writes the lyrics. Though Matt is on record in the New York Times Magazine, saying: “[Sorrow]’s about the idea of sorrow more than anybody’s personal experiences.”

As for Anyone’s Ghost, there is an undertow of alienation there. My favorite lines from that song are: “You go out at night with your headphones on, again/Walk through theManhattan valleys of the dead”.

DS: Why did you choose to record this album in your home studio?

N: Well, we blew our budget building the place so we couldn’t really afford to go somewhere else.

DS: Matt, what do you do when the band is working to put the songs together?

Again, Bryan the drummer here, while we’re working in the studio Matt’s at home listening to the demos over and over and agonizing over the lyrics.

DS: What about the artwork of the album? Whose idea was it? 

N: Matt suggested the image of Mark Fox’s piece and Scott put it all together in thedesign.

DS: When you look back at your career thus far..which album do you think defines “The National” the best? And why?

N: For me it would be Cherry Tree the EP. It captured us as we were really coalescing into a “real” working band.

DS: Do you like interacting with your fans through social media sites such as Facebook,myspace & twitter?  

N: I personally don’t use social media sites. I do however write an on-and-off-again tour diary for brassland.org and sometimes gothamist.

DS: Do you prefer playing in front of big audiences, in big festival or in smaller venues?

N: I don’t really have a preference really. I mostly just keep my head down and try not to fuck up.

DS: If you could organize your own music festival, who would headline?

N: Alive or dead? Alive: The Walkmen; Dead: The Grateful Dead

DS: If you had to explain The National in one sentence, what would it be?

N: Hot tar + loose wool = The National.

DS: Can you tell us three songs on your ipod shuffle right now?

N: “Notorious Thugs” by Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls)

“Lover” by Nite Jewel

“Silver Soul” and “Norway” by Beach House

Posted:
July 22, 2011
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Q + A: JEF BARBARA

Our friends at Sick Of The Radio recently caught up with Jef Barbara right before kicking off his European tour, to talk to him about his newest release Cocaine Love w/DannielRadall, and also his plans post-tour.

s.o.t.r.-You just released the EP Cocaine Love with producer DannielRadall. The song “Cocaine Love” originally appeared on your debut Contamination. How did this new EP with Radall come about?

Jef-I became aware of DannielRadall because we’ve both released on AMDISCS. I remember him being quite excited about Larmes de crocodile, off my Contamination tape. A few weeks after the record came out, Rado (label head) asked if I could send Danniel the stems for Cocaine Love and I said yes. I was told that it was going to be a Tears For Fears-type remix but that didn’t pan out.
Still I wanted to push Cocaine Love with a video, which I had already shot scenes for. And because I felt Contamination had run its course, I needed to find a way to get the song the attention it deserved. So I asked Radall if he was down with making more than one remix and the rest is history.

s.o.t.r.-Your music, especially with “Cocaine Love”, seems to have a heavy 80’s feel. what about the 80’s culture attracts you the most and what artists would you say influence your work the most?

Jef-I was born in the 80’s. The 80’s have impacted my musical identity like no other decade, although at times, I’m more of a 70’s guy. I’ve always loved how 80’s pop stars projected larger-than-life personalities, in line with that decade’s glitzy excess, which can be assessed when watching MTV staples like Beat It and Express Yourself. With time though, I’ve ventured beyond the obvious, and started listening to things that weren’t as easily accessible when I was younger. Namely Francophone New Wave like Elli & Jacno and West Coast P-Funk like Cameo. But these are just examples of how varied my tastes are. Furthermore, the 80’s seemed to be infused with that sort of fantasy that died as we entered the 90’s. Even masculine androgyny was seen as cutting-edge because homosexuals had not yet fully impregnated collective consciousness, via reference points like Will & Grace. Hence why such looks were perceived as daring and artistic, rather than just gay. Gender-bending singers now tend to be constantly affected by acceptable ideas of how to look gay. It’s just not as freeform as it used to be.

 

s.o.t.r.-What are some current artists that you find favorable and that our readers should check out?

Jef-There are so many. I could tell you about labelmates like Pears, whose next album I’m really looking forward to. And then there’s Montreal acts that I dig, mostly friends. Bernardino Femminielli, who co-wrote both Cocaine Love and Wild Boys, has got a few recordings under his belt. He put out his last tape on his own record label, called Los Discos Enfantasmes, which has some releases worth checking out. Most of the other acts on the label venture into noisier pastures though. I also dig the shoegazey noise of the Rape Faction. One of my favourite songs from the past year is called Où sont les fleurs? by a talented young woman named Xarah, who plays in a band called Léopard et Moi. It’s got the the weirdest Oriental-type time signature that I can’t follow when I hear it yet it’s so damn dancey!

s.o.t.r.-The release party for Cocaine Love is on July 27th in Lodz, Poland. How was that location chosen and what are the plans for the event?

Jef-I picked Lodz out of all the other dates on the tour because the organizers have been staunch supporters thus far. They hosted a one-hour radio special on Radio Zak a few weeks ago and they turned out being total nerds, referencing things I did years ago, which I don’t really want people to know about. Hence why I decided to have the release party there. I don’t know what I’m gonna do, in addition to introducing the DannielRadall remix. I’d rather be spontaneous.

s.o.t.r.-You are undergoing a European tour right now, what are some of your favorite places to play in Europe? How would you say European audiences differ from Americans? Often times Europe is seen as more welcoming to innovative and new artists, would you agree?

Jef-Europeans are known to be more open to eccentricity, whether it’s in music, film, or even politics. I must say people’s reaction to me has been more intense in Europe than in America thus far. But I guess it’s something I will have to confirm once I’m done touring both continents. In answer to your other question, I can’t say what my favorite places are, as this is my first time playing Europe and I have yet to play my first gig, which is tonight. I’m kinda bummed out because I missed my flight to Prague. So I’m at the Paris airport, making the most of my time by writing well thought out answers.

s.o.t.r.-What are you plans post-tour? Are there hopes for a full-length release with Radall?

Jef-I would be open to collaborating with Radall in the future. I believe he’s very talented, like all the wonderful people I surround myself with. However for now, my main priority is a follow-up to Contamination, which I’m planning to wrap by this fall. So studio time is definitely in the cards and I can’t fucking wait!

Get Jef Barbara‘s Cocaine Love split EP that you via Amdiscs HERE.

Buy Contamination HERE.


Posted:
April 5, 2011
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Q + A: SUCKERS

Discosalt’s Rachel Covert sat down with the band Suckers in their Brooklyn recording space to discuss their new album Wild Smile; the epic debut following up 2009′s self-titled EP produced by Yeasayer‘s Anand Wilder. The album, available on French Kiss Records, is a rowdy mix of indie art rock and synth. Equal parts experimental and accessible, at times echoing some of the glam grandeur of Bowie. The three singers/ multi-instrumentalists Austin Fisher, Quinn Walker (Fisher’s cousin), and the mysterious Pan share some insight into their music, David Bowie, touring with Menomena, stories from the road, albums in heavy rotation and “Labryth Rock”, a term coined by album producer Chris Zane (Passion Pit, The Walkmen, Les Savy Fav).

Shot back in August, a small camera crew “SNAFU” led us to believe the footage was completely lost, but eight months later, the tape has miraculously resurfaced…

And now, the lost Suckers interview:

Interview with Suckers from Discosalt on Vimeo.

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