[Dew Process: 2009] Young and exciting Australian indie four-piece Yves Klein Blue are set to release their much-anticipated full length debut on June 26. The album title ‘Ragged and Ecstatic’ came from the words of Jack Kerouac describing the meaning of life as “the ragged and ecstatic joy of pure being” – a befitting choice of words for a record that overflows with addictive pop hooks, youthful vigour and impressive musicality. After a tiring year of continuous touring and recording, the boys are home for a national tour ending with a spot at Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass festival. We caught up with super enthusiastic and charming bass player, Sean Cook, to discuss the band’s amazing year as well as talk about red hair, champagne and who he’s listening to... The band recorded ‘Ragged & Ecstatic’ in Fairfax Studios in LA with Kevin Augunas (Cold War Kids) – a far cry from the small local studio in Brisbane where they self-recorded their EP. Sean told us the experience was humbling for the band. “It was a shock for us – having Kevin there constantly wanting something better, re-working the melodic parts, always interested in a better way or a different way of approaching a song… Initially we were really taken aback having someone challenging us constantly”. So did anyone get their feelings hurt? “Ha ha! Yeah absolutely – we all had our moments. The process was a kind of non-stop whirlwind, really a creatively bizarre time. We were spending 24-7 with each other and thinking, breathing, dreaming about this record”. But obviously great things came out of it? “It was an education, because we were challenged and our ideas of how to make a song were challenged… but I think as a result of that we made the best record we possibly could.” ‘Ragged & Ecstatic’ is a really impressive album – especially considering it is the debut of a group of guys that are so freaking young. The album - and the Yves Klein Blue sound in general - is difficult to categorise as it doesn’t stick to one obvious genre. In fact, the album veers from the piano-driven pop swagger of single ‘Getting Wise’ to the acoustic call-to-arms of ‘About the Future’ and the The Hold Steady-esque rock storytelling of ‘Dinosaur’. The diversity of sound is linked to the huge catalogue of bands and songs that the band listens to. “We have a pretty scattered list of influences, but I guess at the heart of it we are into good songs – not necessarily die-hard supporters of particular bands.” At the moment he said he’s been listening to Nick Cave’s “Boatman’s Call”, Led Zeppelin II, Elvis Costello’s “Armed Forces”, among endless others. It was straight-up rock ‘n’ roll talent that led to Yves Klein Blue signing with Australian label Dew Process in 2008. Sean said to celebrate they went out for steak and champagne, “it was extremely civilised, actually.” Champagne is pretty rock and roll though? “Yeah! And we didn’t use glasses either. Put that in!” Now a year later, the band will play before the green fields at Splendour in the Grass, for the second time after gracing the stage in 2008. “It was probably my favourite gig we’ve ever played – to put it simply. As kids we used to go there and it’s a great festival to be at – it has a pretty unique feel. So being up on the stage and looking down into the crowd… that is completely surreal! We just love playing music together, and now we are getting to travel around and play our music to people…. It’s like a culmination of all this rehearsing and recording and playing our instruments and actually being rewarded for it. I have to pinch myself!” We asked Sean what his favourite album of the week is and he said a new album that he’s been listening to called ‘North Hills’ by a band called The Dawds - sunny Laurel Canyon-style California pop. We would like to say thanks to Sean for the tip - and for being such a delightful, down-to-earth guy. Yves Klein Blue have gained a reputation as an exciting live band, and they certainly have genuine charisma and a stage presence that belies their youth, so keep an eye on their tour dates to check them out for yourself. “Ragged & Ecstatic” will be released to the masses on 26 June. For more information on the band visit their website
Album of the Week was lucky enough to spend some time with the lovely Sarah Blasko last week in the midst of her promotions for her third album As Day Follows Night and in preparation for the lead up to Splendour in the Grass 2009. Sarah like many others floating around was battling the common cold however she took time out from her busy schedule to give us the low down on her latest work... and how grateful we were.
AoTW: Hi Sarah how are you going this morning? I bet you are probably sick of talking to press but I will try and come up with some inventive questions for you. Sarah: Yeah unfortunately I am sick and have been swallowing lots of cold and flu tablets to try and get over it… Its not very good timing. AoTW: So this is your third studio album – what differences can listeners expect between this album and The Overture & the Underscore / What the Sea Wants, the Sea will Have? Sarah: Well I wanted to make a more straightforward record, more classic and simple. There is no electric guitar, no bass guitar, no keyboards. I went into the studio with the aim of making a modern pop version of old jazz standards. The last record was more complicated and intricate. In this album I’ve used all air instruments, there’s a lot of piano, there’s baritone saxophone, strings, double bass, not many heavy sounds like guitars or keyboards. I wanted air instruments to be the main influence. AoTW: So we read that for this album Bjorn Yttling from Peter, Bjorn & John was the producer and helped you take a different direction? How did this come about and how did the collaboration work out for you? Sarah: Well I had heard a lot of his work and I thought that his sounds would suit my vision for this album so I wrote him a letter and with it sent him a demo of some of my work and then I just happened to be travelling in Europe and we arranged to meet up to discuss it all. It was kind of weird to work with him at the start as we were basically strangers to each other and it is hard when you don’t really know someone… but we played each other some music that we liked and musically we understood what we were doing and so it just worked. It was an exciting experience really because we were both coming from different places but we understood where we were both coming from and then in the end when things started coming together it was quite exhilarating. AoTW: You have toured overseas a bit and recorded parts of all three albums overseas, as well as supporting acts such as Ray LaMontagne in the US… how important is it to you to break into the overseas market? Sarah: Well it is pretty important to me. I want to continue to keep myself challenged and when you go overseas to the US or Europe you realise just how many people there are out there playing music in all these other countries, in other languages, other types of music and it is a challenge to think that you are amongst all this. You can get too comfortable in Australia, I like to get out and be challenged and keep myself inspired by seeing all that’s out there. AoTW: So what are the differences for you between recording overseas and recording in Australia? Sarah: When you are recording overseas you are not near any comforts, its all about recording, you are living in the recording world. You are surrounded by all these different ways of living, different types of food and nothing is comfortable. It’s good to get out of your comfort zone. AoTW: So do you have any items that you need to take with you when you record or any superstitions that you need to fulfil when recording? For example I read somewhere that some of the Metallica band members liked to only eat a special type of sandwich when they were in the studio. Do you have any quirks like that? Sarah: Umm… no, not really. All I took with me and all I needed were my notebooks and my guitars. That’s all I really needed from home. AoTW: So this will be your third time playing Splendour in the Grass – do you prefer this festival to other Australian festivals? Sarah: I love playing Splendour. It has a really good vibe to it, it’s not too big, there is lots of space and it’s in such a beautiful natural setting. You can’t really fault it. It’s very different to other Australian festivals, like Big Day Out – that is pretty insane, it’s almost scary insane. When I played Big Day Out in Sydney I would look out into the crowd sometimes and it was crazy. I was playing in the year when Bjork and Arcade Fire played so it was pretty amazing. AoTW: Do you go out and about into the crowd and watch other performers or do you like to just hang on the side of the stage to watch? I suppose it might get annoying standing in the crowd to watch if people start to recognise you? Sarah: Um yeah I like to do both. I like to stand around in the crowd depending on who the act is. If it’s a big act with loud performances its sometimes better to get into the crowd to experience it, but then it can get annoying if people start coming up to speak to you… its kinda like disrespectful to the performer if they are talking to you while someone is up there playing. I like standing on the side of the stage sometimes, like at Big Day Out I stood and watched Bjork and then my friend and I went over to chat to her after her performance. That was something I regret... I regret it because my friend gave her this big compliment about her performance and she just said “thanks”. It was a bit disappointing as I am such a huge fan of her music. AoTW: So you like Bjork’s music – what other artists are you impressed by? Did you get into music because of seeing some of these artists on TV or hearing them on the radio when you were younger? Sarah: Well I like the David’s – David Bowie and David Burn. When I was a child I listened to a lot of pop music… but it was more a love of singing that got me into it. It was just in me. It was something that I felt inside in my heart. It wasn’t really influences from other artists; it was more just something that I felt I needed to do. It was a real presence, this love of singing. AoTW: I read that you were bought up in a fairly religious family. Did Church music and hymns influence you when you were younger and have you held onto this spirituality as you’ve grown older? Sarah: Well I think some Church hymns are really beautiful songs. There is a real beauty and amazing expression to those songs. Some of those hymns are so powerful and so bold, but quite simple in their layout… I feel lucky to have grown up with some form of spirituality. I feel lucky to have been bought up thinking there is something bigger out there than us… but it is hard to shake a lot of the negative aspects of religion. I think sometimes religion is used to discourage people from living, from experiencing things and I think in this way there are some negatives because if I have kids I want them to experience life, to feel uninhibited and I think sometimes religion doesn’t allow for this. AoTW: In 2008 you took time out to compose the score for the Bell Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamlet - how did that impact or change you as an artist? Sarah: It was great. It was great to be able to work on someone else’s project. I could play a background role which was really refreshing. It was a nice change to work under someone else’s direction and not have to be the decision maker all the time. It was scary don’t get me wrong but it was a nice change. AoTW: So the question we always ask our interviewees here at AoTW is what is your album of the week? Sarah: Oh that’s a tough one… let me think, I have been listening a lot to Camera Obscura’s latest album, My Maudlin Career. They are a Scottish band. They have made about 4 records. This is a sad, heartbreaker album. Great songwriter with this Scottish accent, it sounds very 60s/70s. AoTW: Thanks very much for taking time out to talk to Album of the Week. We hope you feel better soon. Is it cold where you are? Sarah: Yeah I am in Sydney at the moment and it’s pretty chilly. Thanks. Have a good day.
Click here to download no turning back off Sarah's yet to be released album for free!
Sarah Blasko’s As Day Follows Night will be released via Dew Process/UMA on July 10. Sarah Blasko plays Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay on July 25 & 26.
[Dangerbird: 2009] Put your fingers in your ears if you are a Silversun Pickups fan before we say this sentence... In the past the Silversun Pickups have been criticized for ripping their texture and riffage from 90s rock outfits - particularly The Smashing Pumpkins.... and we agree that perhaps they've borrowed a lot from alternate 90s rock gods. HOWEVER Swoon is sure to silence the heretics as its well constructed guitar soundscape, instrumental interludes and thought-provoking lyrics come together to produce a remarkably distinct and damn good final product. Sprouting from the centre of LA’s Silver Lake indie rock scene (where they borrowed their name from a local convenience & liquor store) which has at various times been called home by Elliott Smith, the Eels, Jane’s Addiction, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Tom Waits - it is little wonder that the Silversun Pickups have found significant local and international recognition.
Swoon, recorded in their own studio called The Dark, is the Silversun Pickups second full-length album after building a dedicated fan base with their debut release, Carnavas. A well designed matching is Brian Aubert’s undeniably effeminate lead vocals with Nikki Monniger’s husky backup vocals about which even Aubert’s admits, “I know what we were doing when we wrote it, and I hear my voice, and I'm like, "Oy, who's that guy? He sounds like a chick."
'There's No Secrets This Year', 'Growing Old is Getting Old' and 'Panic Switch' are the high points of the album, featuring layered arrangements and epic guitar solos. 'There's No Secrets This Year' explores some complex thoughts on relationships with lyrics like, “let's make this perfectly clear, there's no secrets this year, lay your head down rest your feet, I'll blow you kisses while you sleep and when I know you’re safe and dreaming, my escape plan's in full swing. Who would know all the reasons you're a bore, because the seeds were planted firm right here, let the branches tear it all apart”.
'Catch and Release' impresses with a beautiful orchestral arrangement and the 'The Royal We' grabs your attention with stunning dynamics throughout the song.
At times it can be difficult to tell the songs apart as the sound seems to mesh into one solid form. One the whole, however, Silversun Pickups have done well to produce a solid album with a instantly recognisable sound - who doesn't love a little bit of 90s?
[Lewis Recordings: 2005] In 2005 a white Jewish guy from Boston released this album. That year it made my top ten, but I had forgotten how good it is. Then I listened to it three times in a row a couple of days ago and it blew my mind so much I was dancing in my chair and I wanted to tell every single person around me to listen to it. So, the music: It’s a sample-crammed psychedelic suitcase packed with countless references – 60s pop, early rock styles, droning feedback, drum loops, 70s funk breaks, and jazz. Edan’s mic skills are astonishing – ruthlessly witty, completely inventive with a surrealist bent and an aggressive word-spitting flow that comes at you like a clenched fist, this record has so much you’ll never get bored. ‘Beauty and the Beat’ is like a time machine of hip hop goodness that is both one of the most refreshing standout rap albums of the last ten years and a genuinely respectful nod to the old school. This record is so undeniably excellent that anyone who has ever had a Jones for hip hop needs to listen to it right now or, at the very least, tomorrow. I’m out of breath it’s so rad. Phew!
[Independiente: 2009] Formerly known as Waikiki a breezy pop band from Sydney, the newly named Howling bells moved over to the UK, got all serious on us and released their well-received self-titled debut album. They have now released their second full length recording Radio Wars. Vocalist Juanita Stein’s husky tones attract you from the opening track Treasure Hunt oozing a sexy laidback cool. The rest of the band hold their own and compliment her distinct delivery with the subtle driving beats of the rhythm section and the moody layers of guitar as well as nicely timed backup vocals. The album as a whole definitely stays at the one pace and, depending on your mood, this can be good or bad. This consistent casual tempo can get a tad repetitive as the album unfolds but if you are in the right mood you’ll find Radio Wars to be a real grower.
[big dada: 2009] Thomas Wesley Pentz, commonly known as talented Philadelphia white boy and beats magician Diplo, is something of an overachiever. He hit a huge highpoint with a Grammy-nomination for producing M.I.A.’s ridiculously good single ‘Paper Planes’ and released one of last year’s best records - the psychedelic dub/trip-hop/punk-rock/electro mixtape collaboration with Santogold, Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub. Naturally, after making such an amazing record, it isn’t all that surprising that Diplo has been winding down off the peak and into more comfortable, less groundbreaking territory. The result is this solid collection of remixes, including songs by Black Lips, Spank Rock, Hot Chip and Peter Bjorn & John as well as four original tracks - most notably the amusing ‘Smash the Kangaroo’. Decent Work For Decent Pay is exactly that: decent. It will make for a reliable dancefloor-filler until Thomas Wesley reaches his next peak.
[Dew Process: 2009]
