The Mountain Goats :: All Eternals Deck

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Stream the album from npr

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The Mountain Goats :: "High Hawk Season"

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The Mountain Goats :: All Eternals Deck ~ Merge Records ~  Claremont, CA ~ March 29th 2011

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Black metal music has sprung up before in The Mountain Goats catalog, most notably in the song ¨"The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton" on All Hail West Texas. However, skepticism would be natural when hearing that their new album was going to be a metal album (particularly since there´s a track called "Liza Forever Minnelli"). All Eternals Deck turns out to be more metal inspired and thankfully holds true to The Mountain Goat´s style, with a never before seen intensity.

There was a glimmer of aggression on the song "Psalms 40:2" from 2009's excellent post-apocalyptic biblical themed The Life of the World to Come. However, the new record features a couple tracks where songwriter John Darnielle gets to yelling and growling. That´s not all the record features however. There are plenty of ´"traditional" goats tunes and, probably the most unique and hilarious track on the album, a viking war hymn called "High Hawk Season."

Darnielle has always had a proclivity for concept albums that tell stories. The amazing EP with John Vanderslice from 2009 called Moon Colony Bloodbath starred a cannibal in a story about an organ harvesting colony on the moon and the sci-fi lyrics best resemble those in All Eternals Deck. The Life of the World to Come also had similar pagan imagery. What´s always amazing about The Mountain Goats is that the concept is present, but it doesn´t distract from simply enjoying listening to the album.

The new record opens with a vampire victim and what is hopefully a condemnation of the sugary night-creature book series that shall remain nameless, with "Damn These Vampires." The lyrics hold up to metal themes with names like "Age of Kings," "Outer Scorpion Squadron," and "Birth of Serpents." However, they always maintain their goatyness with insightful lines like from the latter, "that young man that dwells inside his body like an uninvited guest." As with most of the Mountain Goats albums, it carries an intriguing story that can only be unwound with multiple listens.

The vinyl of the album has an alternative cover (below). The first 500 pre-orders also came with a cassette that included individual hand drawn artwork, which is a shame that they're sold out. It's great to see bands the size of The Mountain Goats doing this kind of stuff.

mountain-goats.com

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VIDEO: Woods :: Death Rattles

A new video from Woods off of last year's At Echo Lake. The awkward medieval frolic nicely matches their intended death rattle.

woodsist.com/woods.htm
myspace.com/woodsfamilyband

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Kurt Vile :: Smoke Ring for My Halo

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Kurt Vile :: "Jesus Fever"

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Kurt Vile :: Smoke Rings for my Halo ~ Matador ~  Philadelphia, PA ~ March 8th 2011

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Kurt Vile returns for his proper second album after 2008's Constant Hitmaker. His simple, lazy, and catchy acoustic songs are less soaked in effects this time, but still drenched in wavy hair. There's more diverse instrumentation and it's a little cleaner, a little less vile, but still definitively Vile. The vocals being more in the forefront greatly benefits the cleverly penned bits of sarcasm, like "Peeping Tomboy." His words are a bit subversive, as "Puppet to the Man" and "Society is my Friend" challenge traditional folk anti-establishment mentality. It's nicely sharpened songwriting and more clever, dreamy self-commentaries.

kurtvile.com

matadorrecords.com/kurt_vile

testostertunes.blogspot.com

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VIDEO: The National :: Conversation 16

Below the jump, the latest video from The National is a little tale of political intrigue. It features John Slattery from Mad Men and Mel (Kristin Schaal) from Flight of the Conchords. The director of the video is a writer for The Daily Show. All excellent connections.Read more about the Mango Nebula favorite album from 2010 here.

www.americanarmy.com

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The Dodos :: No Color

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The Dodos :: "Black Night"

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The Dodos :: No Color ~ Frenchkiss Records ~  Frisco, CA ~ March 15th 2011

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The Dodos have a good ear for mechanical noise, natural bedroom room reverb, and the unique usage of a drum kit that makes their music sound like they're playing right in front of you. Their excellent 2008 album Visitor played with song structures and tempos and was catchy as hell. No Color is a return to that form, but prominently incorporates electric guitars for the first time and some digital noise. The group has sadly lost their vibraphonist for this album and dropped down to a duo, but they gained vocal support from The New Pornographers' Neko Case.

Stream No Color via the Hype Machine.

dodosmusic.net

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GIRLFRIENDS :: CAVE KIDS B/W EAT AROUND THE BAD PARTS

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Girlfriends :: "Cave Kids" :: (from flophouse session)

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Girlfriends :: Cave Kids ~ Black Bell Records ~  Jamaica Plain , MA ~ April 1st 2011

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Girlfriends have a new seven inch single Cave Kids b/w Eat Around the Bad Parts. The trio experimented with a touch of hi-fi on their Good to Be True single, but the lowest filth is where they belong and the gang laid this one down perfectly. It's a similar release to last year's Government Seizure vinyl single.  "Cave Kids" is the best Boston anthem I've ever heard, capturing the late night drunken mischief of riding bikes, taking the T, crashing playgrounds, climbing trees, breaking into abandoned buildings, and finding the city's hidden treasures. The line "We underachieve and live below our means, and can’t get to sleep 'cos we have oversized dreams" defines such characters perfectly. "Eat Around the Bad Parts" is a darker, faster, and heavier song with a title that's clever as hell. Making political consciousness and economic reform fun, the song even nods to some soviet perestroika (use those search engines kiddies). The last line is: "We’re embittered, thickly settled, where all the pots attack the kettles," making both songs extremely indicative of Boston.
Get this thing on black or green vinyl while you still can.

Here's a live video of "Cave Kids" at Great Scott


girlfriendsband.bandcamp.com
girlfriendstheband.tumblr.com

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Do It Together Boston :: 2010 Review, Part I

The internet was the best thing to ever happen to music, especially illegal downloading. It was a mutiny of sorts against the vending machine of “talent” constructed by corporate labels, publicists, booking agents, and magazines, gaining suffrage for working class music. With advancing technology bands could record, distribute and notify the world all from the same laptop. It made do-it-yourself a hell of a lot easier. Before, if a band wanted to go the indie route, they had to pray for the support of the smallest bankrupt indie label, tour like crazy, and rely on fliers and buttons as the soul means of exposure.

The benefits of the digital uprising are apparent in places like Boston. Bands there don’t save up money or blow their lifesavings making ear-friendly records in a professional studio. They use whatever means they have available to them and package things by hand, which adds another personal layer of individuality to the music. From writing through mastering, it is an unfiltered product of the same creative minds, which almost makes it more focused and complete. Low fidelity becomes more than just an aesthetic, it becomes an identity; part of the setting that documents what is happening to these people in this place. This kind of thing is happening with armies of coffee shop workers all over the country. What makes the underground Boston unique isn’t just the talent of the bands but also the forward thinking, open, welcoming mentality of things like the Yes Wave that all the bands share, as well as the network it has helped them begin to create.

Still in its infancy, this particular underground group of bands, labels, and showspaces has yet to reach the half a decade mark. However, in no way does that mean that people aren’t taking it seriously. Some of the most interesting activity of 2010 revolved around The Whitehaus Family Record, Breakfast of Champs Records, Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts, Grinding Tapes, Mama Bird Recording Company, and many other do-it-yourselfers already amounting to what must be more than a hundred releases. The bands are incredibly active and are constantly setting up concerts across Greater Boston, trekking to Jamaica Plain, Allston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Chinatown. The shows take place in venues that double as bars or restaurants, but also in emerging spaces, art galleries, basements, living rooms, rooftops, and just about anywhere they can get away with it. Bands even manage to get their physical records into stores like Rhythm & Muse in Jamaica Plain and Weirdo Records in Cambridge. Last year also saw the best of several annual festivals including the all day Whitehaus’ Blastfest, the anything goes Weirdstock, Bodies of Water’s Homegrown fest, and Campout Fest at a summer camp in the middle of the state. Everything is researched, booked, paid for, organized, and set up by the individuals and friends.

The collective is young, but that’s what makes it exciting. In no way has it reached its peak yet, and there is a lot of potential. Yet, Boston musicians face many obstacles. Boston’a legal system is constantly posing problems. The list includes making it impossible to post flyers for fear of fines, the law that forces places to be 21+ only, and even the early hours for the train. Cops will occasionally break up basement or living room gatherings, mistaking what is a huge difference between people gathered to enjoy music and underage teens trying to drink to excess and have a wild party. Then there are the permit difficulties that non-established venues face. For example, The Temple is a new venue in Jamaica Plain that opened up in 2010. It was the type of space that gave many bands their only opportunity to step out of the basement, without having to claw their way into The Middle East. It also hosted a lot of that year’s festivals and kept Jamaica Plainers from having to lug mountains of equipment to the Cambridge YMCA. Plenty of places like this exist in New York City, but Boston has a real need for them. The Temple was shut down partway through the year for lack of the appropriate licenses to run a venue. You can find out more information on this issue in a well written piece by Liz Pelly here. For a city populated by a plethora of artists and college students, they don’t have much of a voice.

Despite the problems, bands have begun to come together through shows and are bringing new friends into their circles. The network is growing, but it has a ways to go. Another area Boston needs help in is promotions. Dan Shea of The Needy Visions is working hard getting people to shows with Bodies of Water, which has an in depth website that collects nearly every show in the city. Last year also saw the birth of The Boston Counter Cultural Compass with help from Needy Visions bassist Sam Potrykus. They are brightly colored fliers that contain highlights of the month´s events and are strewn across the city in bars, stores, coffee shops, and anywhere place of which you could think.

The music could also benefit greatly from other systems of underground distribution and exposure. I’ve had plenty of awkward conversations with friends in college who have never heard of any of the bands I mention. I’ve also brought plenty of friends to shows who, like me, felt like they found the alternative Friday night they’d been looking for in a world they didn’t even know existed. For a musician, getting people to come to shows can be a trick as well. A lot of bands can only publicize the abstract name of a house on their social media of choice; an address only those from the circle would know. Even if people could find it, it takes a lot of courage for some to wander into a stranger’s living room. Sometimes the only way to get there is to have an in by knowing someone and that makes it unintentionally exclusive.

So, it becomes a place where a lot of the records and shows are music made for musicians by people that are compelled to make art, and many of those in attendance are just that. Label owner and manager for Mission of Burma, Rick Harte, said in a quote lifted from Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could be Your Life, "A band should think only national.Selling records to a local market is a hobby, like making records for your friends. It doesn't justify the cost and effort." Although it is great to have records that have an intrinsic artistic value, bands are working like dogs with little result.

Boston has DIY mastered. They create beautiful, handmade or locally pressed records and distribute everything themselves. They plan successful shows and festivals. The environment of places like the Whitehaus are what I image late nineties Athens, Georgia would’ve been like. Even the smell. It’s exactly the kind of self-contained, inspired incubator that could produce a world renowned work of art. Great things are in store for 2011, and I´m sure even greater obstacles. These groups could be breaking into the national consciousness very soon, especially if they do end up building an underground infrastructure that mimics that of the mainstream, because let’s face it, that system works. The area is just the type of location that could become an alternative democratic music organism focused on art rather than commercialism. Instead of a scene, it could be a movement. The digital revolution has corporate labels still scrambling for a way to monetize the distribution "wave of the future" that will replace compact discs. Underground micro-communities strewn across the country are a much favorable system to usurp it. Seeing such potential in Boston, its hard not to hope for. Maybe the city will get that push when they get their In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. For now, what Boston needs is a term that I borrowed from an article written by Amy Klien of Titus Andronicus and a book called “In Every Town: An All Ages Manifesto” by Shannon Stewart. Boston should do-it-together. 

Read Part II
(and listen to Boston)

whitehausfamilyrecord.com/blastzone

breakfastofchampsrecords.com

facebook.com/pages/Mama-Bird-Recording-Co

grindingtapes.org

bodiesofwaterartsandcrafts.com

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VIDEO: The Mountain Goats :: Wisconsin Rally Songs

Below the jump, a video of The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle covering a Billy Bragg song called "Power in a Union" in support of the labor unions in Wisconsin. By attempting to limit bargaining rights, the state's politican's aren't just trying to reduce salaries and pensions, but eliminate the union's ability to ever get them back again. Read more here.

A message from Darnielle:

"Everybody knows I don't generally do the acoustic guitar guy rocking political jams deal but as a former member of SEIU 660 & the California Association of Psychiatric Technicians & a kid who benefitted from great teachers I wanted to spend tonight saying WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE xo jd"

More videos at John Darnielle's Vimeo here.

If states are trying to reduce the deficit, maybe there's a better solution. Here's a  a quick list of multi-million dollar corporations who don't pay taxes (courtesy of http://commoditydemocracy.blogspot.com)::

...in 2009 Bank of America didn't pay a single penny in federal income taxes while it paid its top executives $6 million to $30 million.

...between 2008-2010 Boeing didn't pay a single cent of U.S. federal corporate income taxes despite receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer funded subsidies.

...in 2009 Exxon-Mobil paid $15 billion in taxes but not a single cent went to the American Treasury due to offshore subsidiary tax loopholes. Later that year Exxon-Mobil paid its CEO $30 million.

...in 2009 General Electric (the world's largest corporation, by the way) paid nothing to the U.S. government. CEO earned $9 million...

...in 2009 Wells Fargo didn't pay a single cent in federal taxes.

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Do It Together Boston :: 2010 Review, Part II

On a snowless day in January, I moved to Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Since the previous summer I had been working to promote and prepare releases with an art collective called The Whitehaus Family Record. Through the group and other associated collectives, I saw most of my favorite shows of 2010 and the Whitehaus even had a hand in one of my favorite records of 2010.

My new apartment was just down the street from their four story house that is best explained as a living and breathing art project. Junk, toys and broken instruments dangle from every corner and every chandelier as an ongoing dumpster diving piece. The place houses anywhere from ten to fifteen people, stacked high on homemade bunk beds or sometimes even living behind a curtain under the stairs. They are any manner of artist including poets, musicians, and visual artists. On any given day, one could walk into the house and find them performing a number of rarities: from remixing the audio from children’s VHSs on a floor littered with pedals to eating extremely salty oysters and preparing a living beverage called Kombucha.

What makes the Whitehaus and also the other musicians in Boston all the more interesting is that they tend to share a collective ethic both musically and spiritually. At the Whitehaus they call it The Yes Wave, and it also serves as their genre to subvert categorization. Sure, it’s based around openness , inclusion, and anti-elitistism, but it’s really about addressing and accepting everything that comes your way. To welcome whoever or whatever comes to your door and wants to play in your living room, to be open to whatever someone is trying to show you.

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THE WHITEHAUS FAMILY RECORD

Whitehaus Family Record Family Record  whitehausfamilyrecord.com March 20th The Whitehaus Family Record

The music that comes out of the house is diverse and The Whitehaus Family Record Family Record has a little bit of all of it. Capturing the house’s constant “hootenannies,” the record’s eclectic nature made it very similar to the kinds of shows one might stumble upon at the house. It was the first vinyl compilation the group had released and was a great way to kick off the year. Read the Mango Nebula review of the record here.

Greg Mullen :: The Hungry Ocean gregmullen.bandcamp.com March 26th Songs With Homes

There were a lot of inspiring things in this record that made it a favorite. Greg Mullen was one of the masterminds behind Blastfest and held the stage by himself for his set. Most of Mullen’s shows in 2010 were solos with a meager attendance, which is a shame, because his songwriting is amazing. Unfortunately, Mullen has since moved to Austin, Texas, but hopefully his tour route will wind its way to Boston again. Read the Mango Nebula review of the record here.

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MANNERS :: White Wool Fog or The Cave of Light Within manners.bandcamp.com June 5th Son of Bees

The man behind MANNERS, Greg Besun, is from Portland, Maine, but has lived at the Whitehaus for a long time. MANNERS started out with heavy influences from Phil Elvrum. The early releases bear an experimental randomness similar to The Microphones. In 2009, MANNERS recorded the darker Look Into, Look Unto as a three piece band. It includes the scary and honest track “Knives,” which has the line “I wear a coat of knives, try and hold me.” 2010 saw MANNERS taking the recording process to the next level, using professional equipment and a four track machine. The result was a more fully realized, more MANNERS, MANNERS record called White Wool Fog or The Cave of Light Within. A highlight of Blastfest was when MANNERS changed the lyrics of “Knives” during their set to “I shed my coat of knives so you could hold me.” Read the Mango Nebula record review here.

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Many Mansions and Truman Peyote :: Peaced Together http://manymansions.bandcamp.com/ http://trumanpeyote.bandcamp.com/ March 2nd The Whitehaus Family Record

These two groups share a loop and sample heavy style that made this split release make a lot of sense. Many Mansions underwent some exciting changes in 2010. Usually the group is just one Shane Donnelly, kneeling over pedals and wires like a snake charmer after someone had dumped out a bag of snakes before him. Donnelly started playing with members of Lord Jeff (another band that I saw a lot in 2010) and the arrangement came to include drums and guitar, which made for an interesting addition to the spiritual aboriginal samples and beats. I didn’t see a lot of Truman Peyote in 2010, but they played a lot. The band was doing very well for themselves and also had an excellent split EP with Breakfast of Champs artist, Turtle Ambulance. Peace, Loving travelingband.org I wish I could include some audio from Peace, Loving here, but this is a band that makes much more sense to see. Sure, an instrument like a banjo will make an occasional appearance, but their sets are mostly comprised of flowing noise pieces: factory saws, chains, spinning coins, bird calls, and the staggering poetry of Brian S. Ellis. Peace, Loving is a real experience to see. Check it out here.

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Breakfast of Champions

Breakfast of Champs was a record label that really picked up in 2010. Surprisingly, the base of operations was also The Whitehaus as one of the founders, Jimmy Hughs, moved there at the beginning of the year. Read the Mango Nebula article about Breakfast of Champs here.

Quilt :: Agents of Play quiltmusic.bandcamp.com May 1st Breakfast of Champs

Quilt is a clever experiment, because it found a new and very different niche for the styles of the bands its members came from. Anna Fox Rochinski had been doing more folksy music with ethereal vocals and Shane Butler came from the pop nonsense of The Good Party. However, Quilt is a slightly psychedelic, electric heavy, haunting project. Together with drummer Tayor McVay, who also worked with MANNERS, they formed a trio of swirling vocals to make one of the most unique bands in Boston. Read the Mango Nebula record review here.

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JAMAICA PLAIN

Girlfriends :: Government Seizure girlfriendsband.bandcamp.com July 1st Aurora7 Records

Besides the Whitehaus and Breakfast of Champs, Jamaica Plain is host to a slew of other creative minds, such as Girlfriends. Perhaps the most promising band of 2010, Girlfriends followed the release of their first cassette with a vinyl single, Government Seizure. They were even voted best rock band of 2010 by the Phoenix. The band’s lyricist, Ben Portrykus, is the same as from another Mango Nebula all time favorite band, Christians & Lions, and Girlfriends bears the same poignancy with a goofier attitude. Read the Mango Nebula review of the record here.

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The Points North thepointsnorth.bandcamp.com The Points North :: "We Have Opened Up!"

Even though they didn’t have a proper release except for a couple singles, The Points North deserves to be mentioned because they played a lot of shows in 2010, even in Australia. They are a folk band that could put Fleet Foxes to shame. Their first album I Saw Across the Sound came out in 2009. Similar to the Whitehaus, they live at an artist’s house in JP that hosts occasional shows. As a tribute, “We Have Opened Up” captures the spirit of Jamaica Plain and its citizens quite well.

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The Needy Visions :: Not Titled Record theneedyvisions.bandcamp.com May 5th Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts

The Needy Visions are a band that are very definitive of Jamaica Plain. Simple, fun loving music designed with a community in mind. Main songwriter Dan Shea is a very active promoter and organizer responsible for some of the best events in the city as Bodies of Water Arts and Crafts. Together with bassist Sam Potrykus, they assist with the Boston’s Counter Cultural Compass, which are brightly colored show-notifying fliers you may have seen in various places across the city. Read the Mango Nebula review of the record here.

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BOSTON

Hands and Knees :: Wholesome handsandknees.bandcamp.com December 1st

Even though Wholesome came out in 2011, it’s included because it’s one of the things I listened to most in 2010. I’m not sure exactly what part of Boston they’ll say they hail from, but the music is perfectly suited power pop rock for Allston basements. I had the privilege of playing one such show with the band and it was the most I’ve ever danced in Boston. Even their Christmas single has all the energy and attention to detail as any other album song. Read the Mango Nebula review of Wholesome here.

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Doomstar! :: Rainbow Bloodsucker doomstar.bandcamp.com February 18th

Born in the sludge of some cement lined room with snaking pipes in a city where broken glass lines the streets, Doomstar! are surprisingly poppy. It’s shoegaze with rainbows. Along with Young Adult’s LP, Rainbow Bloodsucker was one of the most interesting things to come droning out of a basement in 2010. Spirit Kid spiritkid.bandcamp.com January 19th Emeen Zarookian is a hard working musician, releasing music under his own name and playing with loads of other bands for years. In the disguise of Spirit Kid, the first album hits his spastic, irresistible pop just right. It manages to be a bit experimental within a short pop format and maintains just the right lo-fi quality for being well recorded. They even got a song in Weeds. READ PART I

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VIDEO: Bright Eyes :: Shell Games

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Bright Eyes :: "Shell Games" :: The People's Key

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Directed & Edited by: Nik Fackler ~ Cinematography by: Sean Kirby ~ Produced by: Dana Altman

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Below the jump, the first video from Bright Eyes' The People's Key. A simple little short of the band playing in a chiaroscuro cabin during a snowy winter. It's one of the only that features a band playing music, songwriter Conor Oberst having a fit with a microphone in the center of it all. Highlights: it features a monkey and a baby kangaroo.




Website: conoroberst.com or thisisbrighteyes.com  

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Bright-Eyes
Twitter: twitter.com/brighteyesband
MySpace: myspace.com/brighteyes
www.saddle-creek.com

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Bright Eyes Interview : Performer Magazine

In the last issue of Performer Magazine, there was an interview with Bright Eyes that was unique because it was mostly focused on the recording technique of the band. The article is an interesting look at the creative process of the Conor Oberst, Nate Walcott, and Mike Mogis team. Read the interview below or at Performer.com: here.

The Reinvention of Bright Eyes By: Daniel Kohn
In the nearly four years since the last Bright Eyes LP, Conor Oberst has been very busy. Between his work with Monsters of Folk and the Mystic Valley Band, the singer/songwriter hasn't had a dull moment. While working with Monsters of Folk, Oberst learned what made his colleagues, M. Ward and Jim James of My Morning Jacket tick. "It was great, it was like taking a look behind the curtain and seeing how things worked," Oberst remarks. "I learned a lot from watching those guys work." And it shows on the latest Bright Eyes album, The People's Key. Like each of the band's previous records, there are a slew of appearances by many in the group's far-reaching network of friends. Performer caught up with Oberst to talk about the band's new studio, the direction of the group's sound and his songwriting process. Catch Bright Eyes in April when they perform at Coachella, and read our full review of The People's Key in our February issue. What made writing The People's Key different than the last few side projects you've worked on? Every record is sort of a different experience. To be back with Mike [Mogis, producer and multi-instrumentalist] and Nate [Walcott, trumpet and piano] was nice. We were making a whole record from start to finish in our studio, which we built a couple of years ago and haven't had a chance to use yet. We knew what we didn't want it to be, I guess, more than what we wanted it to be. We were burned out on the Americana, rootsy kind of thing, so we wanted to step away from that. Since this was the first time you've recorded in your new studio as Bright Eyes, what was it like working in the space from start to finish? Do you guys use Pro Tools or tape? We recorded this on tape. Mike has a hybrid approach. We record onto to tape then do dubs and overdubs on the computer. Working out of there was nice; it's basically attached to his house, so essentially it's like recording at home. It was really comfortable; it's a completely hi-fi setup so you have the best of both worlds. Was this your first time recording on tape? We've tried it a bunch of different ways. Actually, my last couple of solo albums I wanted to use pure tape the whole time, which we did and that was fun. Mike's general approach, which I've found to be the best sounding, is to do the additional tracking on tape for the louder instruments. How many tracks does the console have? We have a Neve console, which I think is 48 tracks. And we have a CPI console that's a little smaller - there are two studios in there. We actually worked in both of the studios a lot. Sometimes we'd start a song and me and Andy [LeMaster of Now It's Overhead] or me and Andy and Nate would be in one room while Mike would be working on another song. We were multitasking, you could say. How many rooms are there in the studio? Is there a live room and several other smaller ones? There are two full studios, and two big live rooms. The A studio is bigger in both the control room and live room, and obviously the B studio is a smaller version. And actually there's a C room that's in the middle that has a Pro Tools setup. It's very luxurious. Was this the first time as Bright Eyes that you guys have recorded an album from beginning to end in the same setting? We did it before at Mike's old studio in Lincoln, Nebraska. We made some records there. It's nice to record closer to home this time. Mike's got a wife and a couple of kids, so it's nice for him to go inside and eat lunch with his kids and come back out to work on some more joints. Did you go into the sessions with the songs prewritten or did you guys collaborate while in the studio? About half and half. Some of them we had already written and those became the template for the record. Time wise, it was about a year of recording with lots and lots of breaks so there was stuff written over the course of that time. Not so much in the studio, but after we were on a break for a month, I'd come back with a couple of more songs and we'd keep going. There are a lot of different types of songs on the album, ranging from indie-pop to some darker songs. Was this intentional? Yes. We're trying to make the songs as good as they could be individually, but once the record was on its way, like when we had four or five songs down, then the theme started to emerge. Then there was more of a deliberate effort to make it one piece. "Machine Spiritual (In The People's Key)" is one of my favorite songs on the album. What was the writing process for that one? That one I specifically remember writing. It was one of the earlier ones and I wrote it while I was in Mexico in this town called Tulum, which is a beautiful town on the coast. I was staying in a house with some friends. I wrote that one on the beach there... Did you bring what you had to the rest of the guys and just go from there? The song usually starts with a chord progression, either on piano or guitar then we'll add vocals or melodies. I'll just demo it real fast and bring it to the band, then we decide how to approach it. Sometimes we'll try several different versions and we'll talk about what the drums and bass should do. We're not a live band at all. We're a band because what you hear in the end is sort of a composite of all our ideas, but we're not a live band in the sense that it's very much a studio project. We've been doing this for a while so it's always good to mix things up and not get too set in your ways. This was an interesting record because we had unlimited time and space. We didn't feel the pressure in the sense that we were taking breaks between sessions. A lot of times the guys think about songs by living with earlier versions of them and saying "I like this" or "this isn't working" and we'll go back and try it another way. That was a good thing for us because with other records we were under the gun. No one was watching the clock or anything and I think the songs are better for it. What was it like having Bob Ludwig master the album? He puts magic on it; what he does enhances the record. He doesn't blow it out or compress the shit out of it. Mike said something really interesting, "When we showed up here with our mixes, there were little things in every song that I wish I would have done differently but they're too small to remix." They were little things that he heard in the songs and after the mastering, those little things were gone, which is a testament to just how good Bob is. It's been nearly four years since Bright Eyes released its last album. Why was there was such a long layoff and what made the group decide that the time was right to record? We all have pretty separate lives and we're very rarely in the same city. Mike is a full-time producer and he makes a lot of records. A lot of times Nate gets hired for strings or horn arrangements and last year he was on the road with Broken Bells. So we were working amongst all of our schedules and that's why it took so long. After the last record, it felt like we needed to have a break - I made records on my own and everyone did their thing. But I felt it was good to be back together. Between the last two records, there wasn't really much of a break and we toured the whole time. I think the last three years were a good way to cleanse the pallet and come back and feel new again. We wanted to turn the page and make something that was interesting to us, 2011-style.

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Weekly Dig Article :: Boston Counter Cultural Compass

The Weekly Dig just did a nice article written by Jen Choi about the Boston Counter Cultural Compass and one of its creators, Sam Potrykus. Link to the article here or read below. Check out the BCCC at: bostoncccompass.com

PHANTASMA: SAM POTRYKUS

Posted on February 28, 2011 by JENNIFER CHOI Email

Christians and Lions was just the beginning.

Sam Potrykus, a member numerous bands including the former Christians and Lions and currently The Needy Visions, is one of Boston’s ultimate champions for the counter culture and the local DIY community.

As a member of Whitehaus and Bodies of Water, Potrykus and co-promoter, Dan Shea, created the Boston Counter Cultural Compass in March 2010 as a means of letting the community know about local happenings in an easier, all encompassing outlet.

“There are a lot of really cool kids out there and it seems sad to me that it was so hard for them to find something cool that was going on,” said Potrykus.

Inspired by Greg Shaw’s 1966 rock’n’roll newsletter, Mojo Navigator, Potrykus and Shea set off contacting their friends in the coolest local bands they could think of.

Nearly, a year later, the Cultural Compass is the place members of Boston DIY go to find the most note-worthy shows of the month.

Through various media including the traditional coffee shop and local venue flyer, to digital promotion via Facebook and its blog, the Compass has become more than just a place to get news but a place to find shelter from mainstream cultural pollution and a totem symbolizing the rich and ever-evolving Boston counter culture.

“It’s something that people in the DIY community can rally behind and have in common. It’s about meeting other people and making relationships.”

In the sea of Boston fanzine-dom, the Counter Cultural Compass works in three ways: first, to bridge gaps between various scenes in the city secondly, to champion DIY and finally, to crush and completely reject the mainstream.

“The mainstream strangles enthusiasm out of the youth,” says Potrykus. “The Compass can be something people can gather around. I mean, I’m not bringing the Compass to Starbucks or shitty places, I am taking it to cool places where the so-called ‘counter culture’ can unite.”

In our fair city’s largely transient community, the counter-culture’s resiliency is astounding and impressive on its own. In the Compass, Potrykus nods to every sect and scene as one and the same.

“In Boston, there are between 60 to 100 righteous bands that range from experimental noise to acoustic blues. Here, the counter culture is extremely diverse and vast.”

Among the various groups there have always been the largely self sufficient and established punk scene, the emerging rock scene and many others gathering in rowdy basements and DIY venues all over Jamaica Plain, Allston and other neighborhoods.

Through organization and communication, these sects of bands become less alien to each other—promoting a really proactive, open and welcoming environment.

“There are a bunch of houses that are really welcoming. Where there are a lot of thoughtful, creative artists who genuinely want people to unite under a cause.”

Being as respectful of these venues as possible. Potrykus leaves out address when appropriate and invites those who are new to Boston’s counter culture to make that extra leap to get involved.

“There are a lot of bands that are trying to make it big out of Boston but I’m not really into that. I’m into people who are about preserving the underground.”

Whether it is submitting tips for the next Compass or contacting Potrykus with questions about venues and bands, the Compass stands as a shining gateway to the Boston that’s self-made, creative and beyond the mainstream influence.

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