Interview with Negative Scanner

The debut, self-titled LP from Chicago band Negative Scanner saw the light of release last month from the best-in-class label Trouble in Mind. It rips with eleven burners: the longest song clocks in at a pi-mimicking 3:14 and the rest of the songs fall closely behind. While most bands will "diversify" a record (read: drift from their strengths) by putting in cringe-worthy ballads or slow jams, Negative Scanner instead plows through with memorable song after memorable song. What Negative Scanner does best is leave a hook rolling around your dome in record time, like garage rock nuggets cooked to juicy perfection through a darkening, postpunk frier. Bottoms up, motherfucker.

The four-piece (Rebecca Valeriano-Flores, Matt Revers, Nick Beaudoin, Tom Cassling) have been making the rounds through basements, record stores, and official venues since 2012, releasing a couple 7" singles and live sets before the eventual transition to long-playing record. The LP is Negative Scanner at their best. The tight, venomous energy seen live has finally transferred to a slab of wax and we're all the richer for it. I'll say it right now: this recordwill end up on my year-end list.

Not only are Negative Scanner an excellent band, but they might provide you with deep dish pizza and ice cream drumsticks if you interview them. How do I know? Because it happened to me, Jack! So before I go any further, thanks guys!

Jordan Reyes: I think I saw you guys for my first time on Record Store Day of 2014 at Saki. Have you guys always been a four-piece?

Nick Beaudoin: Well, for a couple months we didn’t have Matt, but we didn't play any shows or recorded anything, so for all intents and purposes we’ve always been a four-piece.

JR: Got it. And you guys have the two 7”s, a couple digital live sets, and now the LP?

Rebecca Valeriano-Flores: Yeah, there are actually multiple live sets that have been recorded. Two that are completely online - one from New York, when we played Rough Trade, and one from Young Camelot in Chicago. There’s another from the Owl that hasn’t yet been released.

JR: So tell me about recording the LP. You guys did the whole recording yourselves? Where was it recorded?

Tom Cassling: Well, we practice in the basement of my spot so we did it there. We tracked it to a Tascam and went from there.

JR: How long had you guys had those songs written before you put them on the LP?

NB: Some of them for a while, but others we finished a second before we recorded, literally. “Ivy League Assholes,” the first song on the record, is one of our older songs.

RVF: There were a couple songs we wrote as we recorded so we were making up our parts and recording them immediately. At least two songs were recorded somewhat spontaneously like that.

NB: “Low” was recorded like that.

RVF: Oh, so then there are three - “Gone Wild” and “Forget It” too.

JR: So is the practice space a creative space? Do you go in with the mindset of new things happening there?

NB: I think it’s more of a rehearsal space, but every once in a while there will be a moment or Rebecca will come in with an idea. I don’t think we go into practice thinking we will write songs.

Matt Revers: There’s not a lot of loose jamming.

NB: Also, as soon as we write a song, it’s incorporated into the setlist immediately.

JR: Had you guys played live before you recorded or did you record first and then play live?

RVF: We played live first. We recorded a few times and had demos, but we had probably played a handful of shows before we started recording.

MR: I think when I was approached to play, you guys already had five songs written or so. Was it just you two [points to Rebecca and Tom].

TC: Oh yeah, I guess that we had a quick demo before we had a band. We had done a five song thing with a member of Nick’s other band. Rebecca and I were splitting duties on bass parts.

JR: And y’all (Rebecca and Tom) played together before as Tyler John Tyler?

RVF: Yup, that was me and Tom.

JR: I don’t think I lived in Chicago when that was still active.

RVF: We were only around for a few years and we put out one LP and three 7”s but when that ended, it was very clear that Negative Scanner is a very different band. It’s always strange to me to hear people say that Negative Scanner came from that band because the songs are so different and Matt and Nick add a lot to the band.

JR: [To Rebecca] And you usually will come in with lyrics and riffs, right?

RVF: Yeah, I’ll come in with chords and lyrics before we hammer out the rest of a song in the practice space.

JR: Fairly personal lyrics - I think there’s an Empty Bottle mention on the album?

RVF: (Laughs) Yeah, that song ["Fan vs. Wild"] has some name-dropping, like Empty Bottle.

NB: And there’s a nice shout out to an Ocean Beach in that song, too.

RVF: The Ocean Beach in San Diego. There’s also Mission Street from San Francisco in there, which is a strip and even like a neighborhood, I’d say.

MR: How long did you live in Chicago before you moved to Miami? You grew up here?

JR: I spent like 7 years of my childhood here. I was born in LA, moved to DC, then Chicago, then North Carolina for college, back to Chicago for like two and a half or three years, and now I’m in Miami. I still plan on coming back to Chicago a lot. There’s just so much compelling art happening here. I think Chicago’s kind of spoiled actually. There’s such variety and also a history of experimentation: Sun Ra’s from here - he’s all-encompassing and no one’s caught up to him yet. Then you’ve got Thrill Jockey, and Trouble in Mind, and Hozac. I think there’s always something of merit happening in any city, but there’s just so much here. And there’s not really anything of the caliber of the street festivals we get here like West Fest, Do Division, and Green Fest.

RVF: Yeah, there’s so many in Chicago. It’s pretty cool.

NB: But that’s just the West side of town. There are really stupid, awful ones in Lincoln Park like Rib Fest. I had to bike there last summer and I swear I heard like a Fallout cover band once every few streets. And it was just like, “What? Where is this coming from?”

JR: Are there certain bands that you guys all like? I hate to say influences - it’s like “oh you guys just sound like this band."

RVF: Labels or reviewers will list our “influences” when they describe the band, but really the bands that we have in common are just like classic rock n’ roll bands or punk bands. I can say that I’m really influenced by Wire, which they might put on our record reviews, but only one or two of us are really into Wire. When you talk about something we all like, the common denominator between the four of us is like…

TC: The Stones!

RVF: Or Blondie? Or the Ramones! It’s funny. We don’t really think about it that way when people are talking about the “influences of Negative Scanner.” And someone will put Siouxsie and the Banshees. I mean, I like that band, but we all listen to different stuff.

JR: I feel like when people do that, they just go for the easiest reach. It’s usually not even true. Like, a lot of hardcore will be compared to some other hardcore band and yet, the person making it is like the biggest Nick Drake head. You never know what’s going on in someone’s mind.

MR: The bands that I listen to the most aren’t necessarily the ones that influence me the most, either. Sometimes yes and sometimes no.

JR: You guys are going to tour this record?

TC: Yeah - we’re going out the last week of August through early September.

JR: Where all are you guys going?

TC: I think, historically, Rebecca and I have a bad habit of booking Southern tours in August. (Rebecca laughs)

NB: That’s the only route that I’ve been on.

MR: I’m looking forward to this route - it’s different than the last one we did.

JR: You guys don’t go to Florida, do you?

RVF: We were hoping we could incorporate it, but this one’s only going to be about two weeks so no such luck.

JR: Atlanta?

RVF: Yup. We’re doing St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Austin for two nights, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, and Bloomington, IN. That’s all of them in order from memory.

JR: That’s pretty good! Never been to Texas.

MR: Austin was really fun last year - we played Beerland. Do you (Rebecca) know where we’re playing this year?

RVF: We’re playing Hotel Vegas on Saturday night and a place I’ve not heard of on Sunday night.

JR: Were you guys there for South by Southwest?

RVF: No, it was before South by.

JR: I imagine that’s more fun, like, not being there for South by.

MR: You can actually park the van - I’ve heard that’s impossible at South by.

TC: I’m too cranky for it. I’ve done it before and I don’t think I’d do it again. We all have jobs and Rebecca’s in school. It’s hard to schedule all the time off and I personally would rather do a proper tour, rather than be thrown into the mix with thousands of people who are burnt out by 2 pm. It’s fun to hang out with friends from across the country you haven’t seen in a while, but it’s so complicated.

JR: When you guys play live, do you have fun playing?

RVF: Yeah, definitely.

JR: I’ve been talking to a bunch of people about this lately. I do a solo folk project. And I feel fucking terrible when I play, but I do it because I think it’s important. It amazes me that people do it and have a good time.

MR: Sometimes it’s almost like how you feel good after you go for a run. I don’t like running all that much, but there’s a physical side to it. When you finish, your body’s tired in a way that’s specific to music.

JR: Cleansing?

MR: Maybe, especially if it’s some sweaty basement.

JR: There are no basements in Florida.

MR: So what do you guys do for DIY shows?

JR: Some are outside. Some are inside. There’s always go between. Sometimes there’s like a pool too. It amazes me that they aren’t shut down immediately. Here, people are more strict about DIY stuff though. You have to be discreet.

MR: The cops are pretty eager to bust up parties or illegal shows.

RVF: I wish we could play a pool party. We just played West Fest last weekend, and these big street festivals are the only places you can see music outside. In the past when DIY shows have happened outside, they get in a lot of trouble or people get a ticket.

NB: We had one friend pull it off where he had like four bands play. At the end, cops came in and shined a light, but the band was playing “Woolly Bully,” which is like a cop call I guess. (Everyone laughs)

JR: So when did you guys meet each other?

MR: OKCupid. (Everyone laughs)

TC: I met Rebecca about eight or nine years ago.

RVF: Yeah, right after I moved here - I was probably barely twenty-one. I used to go see Tom’s old band.

JR: Let's change things up a bit. What do you guys think makes music good? Why would you listen to a song?

RVF: I have no idea.

NB: Album art. Wizardry.

MR: Pitchfork reviews.

NB: Like, if a CD comes with something, I’ll pick it up.

TC: If the record has a cool color or swirls.

MR: I like too wide a range of music to answer that I think. I’m thinking about songs that are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of what you’d consider music and I don’t think there’s anything in common other than that there’s sound. I couldn’t tell you what unifies them.

RVF: There’s a something, but I don’t know what it is.

NB: You could come up with any adjective and like a song that’s the complete opposite of that. Something with a lot of attitude like Iggy Pop and then something with no attitude.

RVF: Or Television personalities. Or even Hooks! But there’s also noisy or no-wave stuff that I like too that doesn’t have hooks like pop music. Guitars! But there’s also bands I like that don’t have guitars.

JR: Hip hop doesn’t have guitar.

RVF: Klaus Johann Grobe doesn’t have guitar.

MR: Or Suicide. Do you have an answer to that question?

JR: Me?

MR: Yeah.

JR: Yeah, I think purity matters. The reason that I play music or support bands is because I think the stuff that’s really good isn't attached to the corruption of this world. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t reference it. A lot of punk or noise touches on ugliness, but it isn’t happy that it’s here. I get really sad about how the world works and it can be really debilitating. Sometimes when I listen to a song, it’s comforting to know someone else is in the same place. But I also like Madonna a lot. In the 80s, Madonna glorifies capitalist corruption, but then I start thinking “Well, you’re not happy either! Who are you trying to fool?”

MR: Yeah, solidarity’s nice.

NB: It’s like the opposite of listening to the Strokes.

JR: I hate that band.

MR: That makes sense. There are few reasons why I should like them but I do.

JR: Well, that’s the other thing because like…I listen to Madonna first and then I rationalize it, but no, that’s not everything. I like pop too and I'll run to a Katy Perry song occasionally. But the music that I support will be pure or that I can see myself in.

RVF: Now that I think about it, I like music that my friends make. You could say that there are so many bands now that are good in all sort of genres and cities. But with friends, I’ll already like it before it gets made. But, I can’t say that for music that was made before I was born.

JR: And noise always throws something in. I feel like everyone listens to noise, at least peripherally. It makes things interesting. I was talking to this guy in Florida, actually for like two hours, and he was like “What is music? What’s music, man?” And my answer is that it’s “Sound with form.” Some people are like “music needs rhythm and harmony and melody” and it’s like, well, you’re thinking too much. When noise was first made and someone was like (knocks on wood) okay, I recorded that, then someone hears it, and there’s an automatic reference. Subsequent experiments relate to the first experiment. They’re always refracted light from the first.

RVF: I see what you mean. For noise to be music, it has to have a start or an end. Or be limited. In time. Or in something else, perhaps.

NB: What was that band who put out a record that was like twenty-six records long? Like, side a and side b existed but there were 26 pieces of vinyl glued together.

MR: Who’s got time for that?

JR: Public Image Ltd. had that one record in the metal box too. And I know there was one record where the sleeve was sandpaper so every time you pulled the record in or out it fucks up the record. Well, that’s about all I got - anything else from you guys?

NB: I’m going on tour with another band this summer so I’ll be gone pretty much all of August. Getting ready for that.

RVF: We have a lot of shows in September and the tour.

MR: We have a song coming out on a compilation tape!

RVF: There are actually a few comps that we have. That one is by Not Normal, who are super cool. Then we have songs on compilations from Max Pelt from here and Dark Circles.

TC: Then we’ll start recording another LP in the fall.

JR: Wow. You guys have songs ready for that?

NB: We have a couple locked to be on there.

JR: Shit, that was fast. But I guess you guys had this record planned for a while.

MR: Right - six months now.

NB: Yeah, and we had gone in to record the record a while ago, but it didn’t sound the way we wanted. So we’ve had a chunk of new songs ready to go.

JR: Are you going to try and put that out next year?

TC: From the pace at which we work, it’ll take like six to nine months to record it.

MR: We’re no longer a “go into the studio for a weekend” band.

RVF: I’d say it’s probably six months to write and record and then six months to get it actually pressed. We should make that goal right now. We like deadlines.

NB: And now you’ve got that recorded so you can crack the whip if we’re late.

Interview with Dick Diver

Melbourne from the Australian state of Victoria boasts a population of more than four million people and is the second-most populous city in Australia & Oceania. Melbourne from the United States state of Florida has a bit over seventy thousand people and is nowhere near the most populous city of the Floridian state let alone the United States. With me so far? Dig: Melbourne, Florida is the third LP from Melbourne, Australia band Dick Diver, featuring gentle tones, pop songwriting, and effortless harmony. It's also the first Dick Diver LP to have a domestic release for a United States audience, by the ever-prescient, ever-tasteful Trouble in Mind Records.

Dick Diver has been on an American tour for close to a week at this point, starting in Chicago and making their way Southeast, passing through Texas en route to California before careening across the pacific Northwest. Tonight they play the Nightlight in Chapel Hill with one of my all-time favorite bands Spider Bags and if you're anywhere within the Triangle area, you need to catch this show or you're going to be kicking yourself later.

I got to bother Bill Roe (Trouble in Mind co-mogul and supreme overlord of band chaufferage) and Dick Diver for a few questions while they're on the road. Unfortunately, I will not be able to catch them on this tour, but that's no excuse for you!

Jordan Reyes: How is Bill Roe as a driver? I understand that he runs a mean record label, but if you had to give him a yelp review as a chauffeur, what would you say?

Alistair McKay: We thought Bill was coming for a holiday, but he just works from the wheel. The road is great for listening to new bands he says. I looked over at his phone one time after we'd just swerved to miss a goat and it said 'LOL. Thanks for sending. Love the sound of this :D got anything else though? :D'

JR: In all seriousness, how is tour going so far? Have there been any highlights so far?

AM: Tour is great. We've been looking up famous serial killers from each city we visit. Some real sickos. Show wise, New York last night was a blast. Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today.

JR: What are the logistics like for touring in Australia - is it feasible to tour by car? Do bands tour much outside of somewhat close cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane?

AM: Lots of places to play but people are spread pretty thinly outside the cities. Last year we played a show in a town called Cockburn. It's in the outback near where they filmed the first Mad Max. population 28. I think 17 people turned out. Cockburn has 2 pubs so I guess the others went there instead. Not a lot else to do.

JR: Tell me a little bit about your record Melbourne, Florida. You guys recorded this with Mikey Young [of Total Control & Eddy Current Suppression Ring] again, right? Is recording pretty quick and easy at this point after working with him so much?

AM: We rented a place on Air BnB near the beach and set up there for a week. We took a piano down and all our other gear. Rolling hills, miles away from anyone else. It was great. We did most of the record there. We did a couple of tracks - “percentage points” and “boomer class” - and some overdubs afterwards at mikey's house and al's girlfriend's house. 

JR: How did you guys decide to release your record with Trouble in Mind? I know you went with Chapter for a domestic release. How is it having more affordable international distribution? Does this change a lot for you?

AM: Al Montfort knew Bill through Mikey Young and suggested we send him and Lisa a copy of the record as they've done a bunch of stuff we like. It's great having a label based in the states. It makes it easier to tour and to get our records over here.

JR: When I listen to your new record "Melbourne, Florida," one of the things I notice quickly is that there's not one person singing all the songs. Beyond that, these songs cover a lot of ground. Do you each write songs for Dick Diver? Are there specific themes and ideas you guys cover in a Dick Diver song?

AM: Yep, we all write songs for Dick Diver. I think everyone just writes about whatever is holding their interest at the time. My current interest right now is 90's plush toys. Love is Rupert’s.

JR: In addition to the four of you all, you had some guest appearances by way of a synth, saxophone, and trumpet on "Melbourne, Florida." Had you written these parts in before recording? Did they just come to you as you recorded?

AM: We had a rough idea of where we wanted the horns to go but the parts themselves were mostly improvised by the players Gus and oscar.

JR: I know that the name Dick Diver came from an F. Scott Fitzgerald book. Do you guys get to do much reading while touring? Have you read any good books lately?

AM: I vomit if I read in the car. I'm writing this in the car now and am close to spewing. Zadie Smith's 'NW' is a recent highlight for me. Also Javier Marias's 'Your Face Tomorrow' trilogy.

JR: Have you guys ever seen Wake in Fright with Gary Bond and Donald Pleasance? That movie blew my mind and it actually still freaks me out when I think of it. Do you think it's at all a good representation of life in the outback areas of Australia?

AM: Top movie. Rupe and I went and saw it together when they rereleased it a few years back. I remember we came out of the cinema afterwards both stinging for a beer. It was very confusing. I mean how can you still want to drink after THAT? I don't think it's representative but it might not be too far wide of the mark of a couple of joints I've visited. There's some pretty weird places. But there's a lot of outback so thankfully it's various. Like men!

JR: What all is in the future for Dick Diver?

AM: We’ll keep writing songs and making records. Hopefully we'll come back to the states early next year. Europe beckons too.

JR: Anything else you'd like to say?

AM: Thanks to everyone who's come out to see us play so far this tour. We're here having a ball for another two weeks!

Tour Dates:

USA & CANADA TOUR 2015

Wed 07/01/15 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Thu 07/02/15 - Cleveland, OH - Happy Dog
Fri 07/03/15 - Philadelphia, PA - Philadelphia Record Exchange instore
Mon 07/06/15 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Upstairs
Tue 07/07/15 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby's All Right
Wed 07/08/15 - Baltimore, MD - OttBar
Thu 07/09/15 - Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
Fri 07/10/15 - Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
Sat 07/11/15 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
Mon 07/13/15 - Austin, TX - Mohawk (inside)
Tue 07/14/15 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
Thu 07/16/15 - San Diego, CA - Soda Bar
Fri 07/17/15 - Los Angeles , CA - Jewels
Sat 07/18/15 - San Francisco, CA - Make Out Room
Mon 07/20/15 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Tue 07/21/15 - Seattle, WA - Vera Project @ Local 46
Thu 07/23/15 - Missoula, MT - Real Lounge

Interview with James Tom of Krakatau

I pick up every record that Trouble in Mind puts out. It's just something that I do. Wanna know why? It's because Bill & Lisa Roe only put out slam dunks! Krakatau's Water Near a Bridge from last year falls into this category.

Krakatau is a three-piece (Dylan Lieberman, Danny Smith, & James Tom) Australian band in the vein of Popol Vuh or even Chicago's own Bitchin' Bajas- sort of psychedelic slow burn, sometimes as reminiscent of a transposed Gregorian chant as rock music. They're about to come to the United States to play Austin Psych Fest at the beginning of May and are priming the release of two separate records that they're hoping to finish by the end of that month (they detail these below).

This sportsfan cannot wait!

Jordan Reyes: You guys just released your debut LP on Trouble in Mind, US label, last year. I'm curious since you're from Australia - how did you guys get in touch with Bill and Lisa? Did you know each other (or know of each other) before?

James Tom: I was talking to my friend James Vinchi who plays drums in Total Control and at the time I lived with his girlfriend in a share house. Asked what he thought about Trouble In Min as a label: turned out he personally knew Bill and Lisa and sent our album to them. Literally an hour later they contacted me offering to put it out.

JR: That record "Water Near A Bridge" is made of three longer pieces. How much of those pieces is pre-written and how much is improvised?

JT: The first and last of the tracks are semi improvised pieces, we would perform these and at a glance or musical signifier, change to the next section within the piece. So lots of room for improvising with each of our individual parts within the pieces. The second piece on the album ‘All Water Near a  Bridge’ is  a posthumous track created in the studio with organ tape loops made from Riddells Creek, it sort of tied into a bigger idea I had for the record and I liked the duality of meaning in the title. The album signifies the end of an era in someway; our bass player was moving to Canada on exchange for a year, we were in the early stages of playing more complicated progressive material but wanted to catch what we had been up till this point. ‘Water Near a Bridge’ is a retrospective record even at the time of recording.

JR: Water as an element or theme appears in many of your song/movement titles for "Water Near A Bridge" like "Riddells Creek" and "Leviathan Theme." Is this a conscious decision? Was the idea of water important in the construction of the album?

JT:  The title ties mainly into what I talk about in the above paragraph; A metaphorical water (the band changing) passing under the bridge yet it hasn’t quite. Kind of playing with the ‘water under the bridge’ idiom. As for ‘Riddells Creek’ that’s the geographic location of where we recorded that tune and wrote the piece with that location in mind. The feeling of the record to me is a dark naturalism; water may be s key part of this feeling though!

JR: Similarly, the name Krakatau is the same as Krakatoa, a massive volcanic island. Seems like the theme of uncontrollable nature is important to you guys. Do you find that you guys function at all as conduits of the uncontrollable or perhaps the unfathomable?

JT: When we started we were 100% about improvisation (or semi-improvisation) it has always allowed an important performance aspect congruous to our sound and allowed us to become better musicians over a shorter period of time. So I guess in that sense there was a tie in to our name; unstable, improvisational etc. But melodic change and pattern has always been paramount to how I write songs with Krakatau. We don’t really rely on effects at all these days (though still use sparingly). I think we’ve progressed a lot since 2012 & Water Near a Bridge.

JR: One of the bands that comes to mind when I think of you all is Popol Vuh, who did a lot of Werner Herzog's movies. I can't help but think of your music as functioning in the realm of film. Do you guys have any interest in the film medium? Would you ever consider scoring film?

JT: We all love Popol Vuh and have for a long time; ‘In den Gärten Pharaos’ and ‘Hosianna Mantra’ are seminal records in my opinion. I actually studied film and have scored music for all of the shorts I’ve made. The crossover to me feels really natural and I would love the opportunity to do more film scoring. Also I should mention Goblin are another huge influence for Krakatau. 

JR: I saw on your facebook page you're trying to finish two records before May. Are these LP length records? Seems like a lot to do!

JT: Well yes, our last record was recorded in 2012 so we've pretty much been working on new material since. The first record we finish will be a 12” ‘single’ but I use this term lightly as both songs clock in around 10 minutes. This will also include possibly our most accessible tune to date, a slow synth driven jazz-funk slow burner. So I’m interested in how people respond.

JT: The other record contains material that we've literally been work shopping for years. It’s our most complex, arranged and progressive work to date. It has two almost side long tracks (one with vocals even!) and a third track that we’re not sure if it will fit on. This one will be released probably late 2015/early 2016 where the 12” will probably be out in a few months.

JR: How's the writing/recording process going? Where are you guys?

JT: As it stands we still need to record half the album so each weekend we have two days of rehearsal where we painstakingly go over different sections fine tuning rhythmic and melodic relationships between each of the parts in the song. It is close to being recorded.

 

JR: You guys are coming to the US to play for Austin Psych Fest. Are you going to tour at all around this appearance?

JT: Pending Visa approval yes, there will be a tour!

JR: Are there any artists you particularly want to see at APF?

JT: Fuzz and one or two others. Most of my favourite contemporary music these days is outside of the rock sphere. Sometimes I wish there were more artists blurring that divide between rock and electronic (techno, house, experimental).

JR: What all is in the future for Krakatau?

JT: These two records I’ve mentioned, a music video that ties in with the 12” single, a US tour and probably late 2015/early 2016 a third full length album. 

Release of the Day: Espectrostatic - Escape From Witchtropolis

Alex Cuervo of The Hex Dispensers has a synth-spun side project called Espectrostatic and he just released his second album Escape From Witchtropolis. The name "Espectrostatic" is pretty perfect as a description. "Espectro" is Portuguese for "specter" and "static" is English for "static." You put the two together and have some ghost-riddled electronic jams. That's not to say that the music is straight up Goblin worship, either. Alex draws from the trans-global lineage of psychedelic music in addition to simple horror icons.

For instance, the title track relies on a motorik rhythm while a playfully sinister synthline dances on top. Part of it sounds like it could have been on a Neu! record, but only if Neu! were running from some ghouls as they were cranking out some kosmische shamanry. But not every track can be pinned down to the same influences. Like, let's take a gander at the first track, which is more or less the calm before the storm: "Removing the Bandages" is a piece dedicated to mood, and while electronic instrumentation is apparent, unfamiliar wafts of stringed accompaniment find their way in. I think I hear a cello and a violin, though to be fair, I don't have the best ear for figuring out arrangements, so there may be more.

So what does that mean for the record? Well, first off, it means that the record excels at making a hell of a lot of diverse sounds. It also means that it is absurdly fun to listen to. It really does sound like it could be the soundtrack to a great horror flick. And, to be perfectly clear, there is not even one dud on the record. All eleven tracks are evocative, strange pieces that blossom with repeated listens. It's a must-listen-to for anyone even remotely interested in the weird, the psychedelic, or the electronic.

Release of the Day: Holograma - Waves

Holy moly Trouble in Mind has another total burner on its hands! Holögrama's debut LP is motorik spacerock of the finest order. The one-man project of Francisco Borja of Spain, Holögrama has thus far put out a split record with We Are The Hunters and a few other digital or CD-R only releases before Waves, which is my first experience with the band, and what an experience it is!

The LP, clocking at six songs in thirty four minutes, is an exercise in refined taste. My immediate thought is that there's no wasted time on the record - something exciting is going on at each moment, maybe a lead-up, a deep groove, a new instrumental part, or a climax. The central song "Pink Sky," manages to incorporate all of these, starting with a hypnotic bassline before adding in vocals, an impressive spindly, sci-fi guitar solo, spacey noise elements, and more. It's the longest track at nine minutes, but it's one-hundred percent engrossing and virtuosic.

And it's funny because immediately following its finish comes this lithe, bouncy organ part, kind of checking the listener to make sure he or she is not too complacent, but then a familiar bass groove enters the picture before Borja's vocals and a harpsichord complete the picture. It's a touching moment in a record that gets a lot of its power from a steady rhythmic dynamic and goes to show that Borja is in complete control of his pacing and mood.

I can't help but think of the record Mind! put out last year and that's because they're both spacerock bands from Spain, and they don't even sound all that similar because of different instrumentation. Holögrama's record is more electronic-based and willing to collapse into a groove, but on a personal level, it does make me wonder about other Spanish psych bands that I may not know. If you know of any I should check out, feel free to send me an e-mail or comment below!

Interview with Jack Cooper of Ultimate Painting

The only thing that I knew about Ultimate Painting before seeing them the first time was that Bill and Lisa Roe were putting out their record on their label Trouble in Mind and they were from England. There's yet to be a record on Trouble in Mind that I don't love so I took it as a sign and caught them at a free in-store in Permanent Records with local heroes Negative Scanner.

So, yeah, this is an interview that I did with Ultimate Painting. Read between the lines. Obviously they blew my face off. Bill had explained to me right before their performance that they were somewhat like later incarnations of the Velvet Underground or the Byrds, which to me meant stripped-down pop and that's what I got for the most part, but the spaces in between friendly chord changes and gentle vocals were filled by impressive guitar solos and psychedelic experimentation. At one point, James (who is also in Veronica Falls) bent down to crank his fuzz pedal before embarking on a distorted journey down Rad Times Lane. This duality is necessary to understanding Ultimate Painting: these dudes are not content with being a lullaby. It's like a mischievous baby-sitter rocking a child to sleep, but just as the eyes droop for their final descent to the land of nod, the baby-sitter shrieks, propelling the baby into the land of bad ass rock n' roll.

I picked up their self-titled debut, which is available as they tour around the U.S., but will also be available at your fine, local, independent record shop on October 28. It's an excellent slab of wax for both the music fan and the music historian. See 'em at CMJ if you're going to be in the area! You will not regret it!

The following interview with Jack (also of Mazes) deals a lot with music criticism's fixation with pushing things forward and how it's total bullshit. I strongly believe that there are no original thoughts. There is no original creation. There is no genesis. The only originality comes from synthesis. We weave together what we know and through this act of weaving, we come closer to creating something novel, except it isn't really novel. So why put an emphasis on creating something original when originality is actually a gathering process? Everyone knows Newton's laws - matter is neither created nor destroyed. The same train of thought applies to artistic endeavor.

Jordan Reyes: Saw you enjoying a crowd surf during White Fence’s set. How was that?

Jack Cooper: It was good – I was getting like bro’d around. You get to a certain status band-wise and then there are bros who go and I’ve just never been a mosh-pit kind of guy. It’s weird to me.

JR: It’s weird that it’s White Fence.

JC: I mean, they really play hard but I don’t understand…that’s why I crowdsurfed – because I just wanted to get out of there.

JR: So you’re in Mazes now still?

JC: Yeah, we released an album like six or eight weeks ago, but we’re not going to play out that much.

JR: Do you guys live near each other?

JC: Yeah we live really close together.

JR: What’s the reason for not playing together?

JC: Well, we have. We did like a two week tour after the record came out and we’ve had offers to do a European tour. I think we’re just a bit burnt out on it – we’ve been a band for nearly six years, which is quite a while. I guess the Beatles were a band for only ten or so years though.

JR: That’s a hard standard to live up to.

JC: That’s definitely true. Yeah, so we were burnt out a bit and I won’t go into it because it’s boring music industry stuff. There were just a few things that happened that took the fun out. We were in a position where we could question where we were. Do we continue? Do we split up? And the resounding answer was to just put it on ice for a bit.

JC: I think there’s a lot of bands who make a big deal about breaking up and have a big proclamation, but it’s like, who fucking cares? It’s just a band. I saw that with Thee Oh Sees and I was like “oh, that’s a downer,” but then they announced some shows. Or Frank Sinatra. How many times did he retire?

JR: Jay-Z does the same thing.

JC: Yeah, he does – it’s the oldest trick in the book.

JR: It works for a lot of people too.

JC: It doesn’t work for bands like Mazes though. If Mazes broke up it would just have been something people would shrug and say “another one bites the dust.”

JR: So how did Ultimate Painting come together?

JC: James and I made the record together. Mazes did a tour with Veronica Falls and James and I just really hit it off. I had known James for a while, but London is kind of weird – it’s a bit like New York – it’s very careerist. It seems like every band is really trying to “make it.” I lived in Manchester for a while where no one gave a fuck.

JR: Yeah, I guess Joy Division and Factory Records came out of there and that’s the least commercial stuff that eventually became commercial.

JC: Yeah, that’s kind of carried on with bands that I like in Manchester now. But those bands don’t sound anything like Joy Division now. Manchester’s almost a reaction against that kind of music now.

JR: Really? Well, I guess I know Stone Roses.

JC: Yeah, people get really sick of Joy Division and New Order.

JC: Anyway, me and James met and really hit it off. I guess Mazes is vaguely lo-fi punk. So Ultimate Painting came from that scene in London, more influenced by 90s American music.

JC: First off, both James’ and my favorite band is the Beatles by a million miles. I consider myself an authority. I think I could enter a Beatles trivia contest with one hundred people and I reckon that I could beat ninety-nine of them, but James would be the one who wins it. He’s obsessed with the Beatles. I love them, but James is far and away above me.

JC: It’s come full circle now. I think in the 90s, people began to realize “Yeah, the Beatles are fucking awesome.” You know. The 60s happened and the Beatles were the biggest, most influential band ever and it took until the 90s for people to start talking about them in the same terms again. Even now, you still run across people who will say “Oh, Paul McCartney sucks,” and all I can think is “You’re a fucking moron.”

JR: Well, a lot of people are contrarian and want to prove that they’re original in their thought and it’s just like, “Dude, you’re wrong.”

JC: Every genre of music that is around now, and maybe there are exceptions, but at least in popular music, can be traced back to the Beatles. And that's not to say they weren't influenced by bands back then.

JR: But genius doesn’t require original thoughts, it requires original connections.

JC: Yeah, and processes.

JR: So you recorded this Ultimate Painting record on your own? Over the course of how long?

JC: Over the course of a couple of months where we’d meet up and hang out. Some days nothing would happen or one of us would be in a mood, but it was almost like…well, you must have had it, where you meet a friend for the first time, or a start in a relationship like a boy and a girl or a boy and a boy and you have that thing where it’s super intense when it starts. That’s how it was like with me and James when we started recording. As soon as we were friends, we started recording together. We were recording and figuring each other out. Best artistic experience I’ve had ever.

JR: Where’d you get the story on the back of the record?

JC: It’s a true story. In the mid 60s, there was a collective of artists who bought some land in the Colorado desert and it was the first commune in America, kind of post-beats but proto-hippy. They were like “Fuck this, let’s move” and they were all artists of a sort. Many have actually become very successful architects because they were very interested in that stream. They built geodesic domes where they lived.

JC: But they made a bunch of artwork as well and one that captured me was this piece of art called “The Ultimate Painting,” like the best painting ever. That’s just such a bold statement. Such a cool thing to proclaim. I actually wanted us to be called “The Ultimate Painting” because I think “Ultimate Painting” could be almost a sport.

JR: (laughs) Like extreme painting?

JC: Yeah, like extreme painting.

JR: I’d love to see that.

JC: Yeah, totally. But even if you search us online, as you do, there is that thing. There is competitive painting. I searched it and sure enough there are people that do competitive painting. That’s fucking insane.

JR: The best art is collaborative rather than combative in my opinion.

JC: Yeah, well, I think it becomes invalid if it’s for a commercial or competitive reason, I guess.

JR: I think purity is important in art.

JC: Yeah, I do too.

JR: What’s the story of that one song that’s almost spoken?

JC: Oh, yeah. It’s almost like half of it is stuff I just made up and half of it is stuff that I speculated that could happen. Like this one time I was in a bar and thought my drink had been spiked. So that’s a little bit about what it’s about. Some of it is about my friend Austin, who’s in that band Parquet Courts, who’s from Texas but has a very New York point of view. He’s embraced New York. I mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

JC: When I was over in February right before we recorded the Ultimate Painting record, I was hanging out with him and we’d go out drinking and it’s kind of about that.

JR: It reminds me a little bit of that Velvet Underground song “The Gift.”

JC: Yeah, I mean, it’s even almost the same chords as “What Goes On.” It’s like a Velvet Underground song pretty much. There’s this emphasis nowadays on being original. Journalists are the only – no offense to you, my friend – people who are preoccupied with pushing things forward or being innovative and it’s bullshit really.

JR: Total bullshit.

JC: It’s total bullshit! People will make a movie and it’ll be influenced or inspired by everything that’s come before it and all of a sudden over the last ten or fifteen years that seems to have become less valid. It’s complete bullshit. Everything you do is influenced by things that have come before. No one is influenced by the future or even the present. Everything is influenced by the past. And so to be more overt is to be less valid? That’s bullshit.

JC: So, doing a song, which is almost a Velvet Underground pastiche, like who cares?

JR: I just think it’s fun to make connections.

JC: Me too.

JR: If you like something, try it out. When music loses the fun, what’s the point?

JC: It seems like that’s something that people just expect though in music. No other art form is really as preoccupied with pushing things forward.

JR: I’d say literature is.

JC: Maybe, but that’s ridiculous. I mean, there are only so many words. There are obviously variances on stories, but there’s only so much you can do with a hero.

JR: I’ve often thought that a great thing to do for a book would have this massive heroic cycle story and then the hero gets hit by a car.

JC: Yeah, I agree. No one would read Catcher in the Rye, though, and say, “Oh, the angry young man is too influenced by Hamlet.” No one would say they’d disregard it because it had been done before.