Paula, multi-instrumentista e voz da dupla Hangin Freud, fala nessa entrevista exclusiva à Sinewave sobre a vida em Londres e as influências musicais e metafísicas do seu trabalho.

Ouça "Truce" durante a leitura:

Qual a formação da banda? É só o casal, ou vocês tem outros músicos que tocam junto?
Até agora, só os dois (Paula é responsável pelos vocais, composições, guitarras, teclados e metafísica; Jonathan toca guitarra, baixo, programação de bateria e eletrônicos). Mas a idéia de encontrar outros músicos é muito bem-vinda.

Como é ter banda em Londres? Vocês fazem shows por lá?
Até este momento, todos nosso trabalho tem sido concentrado em compor, experimentar e gravar, só recentemente começamos a pensar na idéia de tocar ao vivo.

E como é viver em Londres, tendo acesso a tantos shows por lá? Costumam frequentar shows e festivais?
Nós tentamos dividir nosso tempo entre São Paulo e Londres, por razões pessoais e familiares, mas sempre que estamos aqui temos a oportunidade de ver muitos artistas que gostamos, e sem ter que gastar muito também, o que é uma das melhores coisas da cidade.

Falem um pouco das influências da banda. Achei curioso ver que a Paula é responsável pela “metafísica” do som, como é isso?
Nós gostamos de muita música, não conseguimos enxergar músicas dentro de gêneros. Ambos já estivemos envolvidos com uma série de coisas, desde música clássica, pop e eletrônica. Por isto é muito difícil para nós citar quais dessas influências estão aparecendo na música. Eu acho bem interessante quando as pessoas ouvem a música e comentam sobre bandas ou artistas que acreditam ter nos influenciado. Algumas vezes é alguma coisa que ouvimos, mas na grande maioria das vezes, música que nem conhecemos! Sobre a metafísica, foi uma referência meio irônica a respeito das letras, mas pode-se dizer que toda música lida com ela.

O disco saiu também por um net label francesa, o MyHand.Thanx Records. Como foi o contato?
Alguns amigos recomendaram esta net label, e entramos em contato com eles. Eles gostaram do trabalho e resolveram lançar. Nós gostaríamos de agradecê-los e também à Sinewave, por estarem lançando nosso trabalho.

No Myspace vocês citam diversos poetas como Clarice Lispector, Sylvia Plath, entre outros, famosos pela melancolia e pelas poesias introvertidas. Como passar isso pra música? Vocês se consideram melancólicos e introvertidos também?
Na verdade, eu não saberia dizer como não passar esta melancolia para a música. Todo mundo tem um lado melancólico, obscuro e introvertido, e nós achamos que expressar isso é muito importante. Estes são os sentimentos que nos inspiram, que não devem ser ignorados, porque fazem parte de todos os outros aspectos que nos fazem humanos. Mas uma vez que a música cumpra o papel de lidar com este lado, podemos ter uma vida não-gótica normal.

HANGIN FREUD Sunken Genre: Experimental 2010 - Sinewave download

The Twilight Sad is a Scottish indie act that calls itself “folk with layers of noise”. Having been known for their energy and loudness on stage, the band has recently toured with Mogwai in the US, to promote their yet to be released new work Forget The Night Ahead. Andy MacFarlane (guitars, accordion) talks to Sinewave about the recent tour, how they sound live and the darker and noisier tunes on this last album. Enjoy.
–By Luiz Freitas

You have recently toured with Mogwai. How was it? How was it to travel around the USA, and what do you believe the americans found about you?

It was great to tour with Mogwai round the US. We have toured America by ourselves a few times before, but obviously this was much bigger venues which is always a good experience. I’m not sure what the Americans learned about us, maybe that they should have purchased industrial ear protection when going to see us play with Mogwai. We are both pretty loud.

In “Reflection of the Television” we see a darker tune, maybe a little closer to Joy Division. “I Became a Prostitute” has more rhythm changes than your previous songs. What can we expect from these new songs?

It’s a progression from the first album. I do think we have developed as a band, with our sound and song writing. The new album probably has a more darker, noisier sound than our previous stuff.

You haven’t released new tunes for quite a long time. Is Twilight Sad a band that prefers to play live than to record? We can notice that you play different versions of your songs live. Is it intentional or is it like a moment thing? Why?

We like to play our songs different live so that we’re not playing a gig that sounds like the recorded albums. We feel that if we sounded exactly like our recorded sounds people may as well stay at home and listen to the record. So we like to make it a bit different.

You came from Kilsyth, a very small town in Scotland. Do you think that this may have influenced your music, or your career in something?

Probably. We stay in the countryside where there’s not much to do and it rains a lot, we’re all used to it but I suppose it’s had an influence in some sense.

You are from FatCat, one of the greatest labels in experimental music. How did they found you?

We sent them a demo, they came to see us on our 3rd gig and they signed us. It was easy, but we were very lucky that we didn’t have to gig for years before getting signed.

Forget The Night Ahead is available in pre-order on FatCat Records.

http://myspace.com/thetwilightsad

It’s been 18 years that the noise lovers have been waiting for the Loveless sequence, the much acclaimed My Bloody Valentine classic. Kevin Shields said he managed to release new material in the meantime. But all he has done was burn the money Island had offered for a new record, quit the label and collaborate with Sonic Boom, Primal Scream and Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation). At least the band is back, for the joy and glory of the feedback-addicted.

–By Filipe Albuquerque

SW - I was searching some information about the band on the web but there isn’t much available. So, can you give us a little Pinkshinyultrablast’s biography?
PINKSHINYULTRABLAST is four people: Lubov (vocals, keyboards), Roman (guitar), Sergei (drums) and Ivan (bass). We were friends for quite a long time before we started PSUB. Before that we all had projects and bands. At some point we became really close and started to hang out all the time together (we live in the same part of the city), so when our previous projects ceased to exist we thought that we would try to play together. It was in the fall of 2007. After a few months of composing and practicing our songs we did our first show in a local club, which was in the early 2008. We played some more gigs in Saint-Petersburg and then Ivan went to study abroad (in the U.S.). The band continued to play without him, even though he was still counted as a member. The EP Happy Songs for Happy Zombies was recorded with the help of our friend Andrei, who played bass. Now Ivan is back and the band prepares to play in the original line-up. We have built our own practice space, which is really exciting.

Was the band’s name taken from Astrobrite’s record? What is the story behind the name?
Scott was always our inspiration. When we needed a name to announce our first show we could not find anything better than “pinkshinyultrablast”. So it just stayed there. There is actually a nice story about our name. When we made a myspace page we got a message from Scott who said that Andrew from Mahogany told him about our band and it “made him smile”. He told us to play good music and tell everybody where we got our name. You see, Scott is cool!

How do you describe the scene in Saint Petersburg and around Russia?
Dull.

Do you normally play in Moscow and other cities in Russia? What about the countries around Russia, do you travel to play abroad?
There was one gig in Moscow. It was interesting but it was not very successful for a number of reasons. That was our only show outside of Saint-Petersburg. We totally want to play as many places we can but sometimes there are difficulties.

Is possible for the band playing some gigs, even tours, around Europe? How many countries have you been playing since you started the band?
As said, none! But we would be happy to do that. Some Russian bands toured Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, we might do it as well!

Pinkshinyultrablast have influences from the best shoegaze bands, I think, from bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Astrobrite, Medicine. There are so much noise mixed with beautiful melodies as well, with nice female vocals. Are there good audiences for this kind of sound in Russia? I’m asking it because here in Brazil, there are a bunch of bands making noise, however it’s so difficult to find venues to play…
Yeah, same here! Nobody is really into this stuff here, but there are nice people around the world who like shoegaze and want to promote it. We play mostly for them.

How was the contact with Odd Box Records for the EP release? Did they find you first and send you a proposal?
When we had the EP we wanted to try to release it outside Russia, on some strong label. We were messaging to different labels on myspace. LostMusic records agreed to release the EP. But then it collapsed and we stayed with ODDBOX (which formed on the ruins of LostMusic). It is cool anyway.

If the internet didn’t exist probably we would never have this conversation, and I think it would almost be impossible for us to listen to your songs. How do you use the internet to spread your music around the world? Your sound reaches Brazil through the internet…
We have our myspace page and an e-mail. These things are very helpful. We thought about a blog, but we do not have it yet. Actually we use the Internet mostly to download movies about zombies and ninjas.

Can you describe how is the life for an indie band in Russia? What are the most difficult things to be an independent band in your country and the best part to be an independent artist there?
Hm… well, instruments and amps are expensive here, you get virtually no money for what you do and nobody pays attention to your music, otherwise it is all fun!

Do you believe that internet changes the way to make, listen and distribute music forever?
Looks like that! We just hope it changes things for the better!

http://myspace.com/pinkshinyultrablast

Simon Scott has been drumming for a few shoegaze acts. Having started his career with The Charlottes, he became known playing with shoegaze stars Slowdive. After his departure, he created his own project called Televise, together with his own label Kesh. In this exclusive interview for Luiz Freitas, Scott talks about his career, his musical influences and his current projects.

Televise

So, first points I’d like to ask are: Have you always wanted to play drums?
I started after banging a table at school and the teacher stopped the class and said that I should become a drummer. I then took a few lessons and bought a small second hand kit that cost £25.00.

One of the things I like most in The Charlottes is that it sounds like a drummer trying to make the difference under that wall of noise. Since shoegazer and dreampop are focused on the guitars, in your early years have you ever felt smaller for drums not being the most noticed thing in your music?
Well I must admit that in The Charlottes not only did I hit them as hard as possible I also threw myself around the kit like Keith Moon… Perhaps I was attention seeking as the guitars were so loud but it got us noticed! My little drum kit kept falling apart so I was often walking into the audience asking for bits of my kit back. In Slowdive it was all about the music so I held back and helped with suggestions for sounds and new songs etc in the studio. I love drumming so it wasn’t an issue and our music was really important to me so I didn’t want to ruin it by over playing.

And the transition to electronic music? Was it a change of taste, or do you still like the same kind of music, but wanted to do something different?
I naturally became interested in music technology and how I could manipulate sounds as I was writing songs on my computer. This became a huge part of my songwriting and once I decided to move away from London I knew I didn’t need a band so that is how it started to change. I also became fascinated with musique concrete, using noises and loops in composition. I really began to enjoy sound synthesis and sampling but knew I had to keep the songs melodic too. My taste in music is very varied because I listen to everything with an open mind so just enjoy whatever it is that I hear and like. I still love My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth who I loved as a teenager but I guess I am always on the listen out to new forms of music or a great melody.

A variation of the same old question, “how did Slowdive come to an end etc…” . What did you feel at the time? Did you immediately start searching for something else in music, did you get depressed or something?
Well I was tired of waiting for Souvlaki to get finished and Creation was beginning to change so I just took the band to the pub and said I was going to help out a few other bands and wouldn’t be coming back. I went to record with Chapterhouse and that led to playing live with them, I continued to write as my songs didn’t fit Slowdive and did some session drumming. I could see the end as it wasn’t just me frustrated but I just wanted to continue to play and grow as a musician. The tracks I wrote formed the Inner Sleeve album I released in 1998.

I have a bootleg DVD of a show in Toronto, where you’re using a shirt with that same The Who and British Air Force logo. So, I believe you like Keith Moon. What drummers were an influence to you?
A drummer who initially made me want to hit the drums was Phil Taylor from Motörhead… He was outstanding on Overkill and I heard that when I was about eleven so I went and bought a tiny drum kit for £25.00. Then Colm from My Bloody Valentine inspired me to go bananas which is why during The Charlottes I managed to destroy about seven kits and hundreds of cymbals :) I have always loved Mitch Mitchell, Moon the Loon, Jaki from Can and Stewart Copeland was awesome too. One underrated drummer who I grew up with was Budgie from the Banshees/Creatures… Really inventive and flamboyant.

In many interviews, Slowdive ex-members always show their admiration for Ride. In that shoegazer scene, was everyone friend? Which other bands you used to love too, and eventually became your friends?
We played a lot with Ride and I had already toured with them with The Charlottes so they were mates, Chapterhouse became good friends and whoever we toured with we generally became drinking buddies with. The only band we ever fell out with was the 14 Iced Bears who were a Brighton band who drank all our beer and were generally fairly lame when we played with them.

Nowadays you also run a record label. So, what do you think has changed for worse, and what for best, in the music market? Is there still space for everyone, in a time when it’s very easy to start a band? What is important today to make the difference between so many bands?
Well I run Kesh and have the freedom to release whoever I really like so that is great. There is enough inspiring new music out there so long as you dig for it. I get really annoyed that 99% of the public just buy whatever they hear on the radio or read about in glossy magazines so they miss all the good stuff. On the other hand I feel that if I had Kesh CDs on the stands in all the supermarkets, like the major labels do over here, then they wouldn’t like it anyway. I feel that if you search for good music then it is out there… Loads of it! Everyone now has the power to write, record and release whatever they want to and that means there will be so weak music flying about in the virtual world but it also offers real talent to do it themselves and carve out a following for themselves. It reminds me of punk in the seventies when every one began to set up labels, write fanzines and generally flip the bird to the musical establishment that ignores the minorities.

Slowdive

And what about today’s music, which new bands and artists you’re likely to recommend? Do you still listen to ex-Slowdive members projects, like Christian’s Monster Movie and Mojave 3? And do you still talk to them?
Yeah I still stay in contact with the other Slowdive members but we rarely hang out as we all live in different towns now. Nowadays I am a big fan of Taylor Deupree and his label 12k which releases some of the better electronic music that is out there right now. Also Raster Noton from Germany have a great catalogue and combine serious musical experimentation with aesthetically pleasing artwork. Kranky are very varied in release styles but have a great roster and the touch label too. I am more influenced these days by the methods of past composers who were discovering new ways to record sound and music such as John Cage, Stockhausen, Varèse, the BBC radiophonic workshop. I used to make tape experiments when I was a kid without realizing that I was actually doing music concrete. My interests also lie in digital signal processing and using computers to realize new and exciting ideas I have. Lorenzo Senni who uses max/msp patches to make laptop textures is a real find so I am delighted to be releasing his debut album Early Works.

Financially speaking, is alternative music in UK a lucrative business nowadays? Which problems do you face to survive as a band and as a record label, and how to overcome them?
I hate the way that people think you have to earn a living as a musician or composer to be “real”. Basically everyone in a band etc has to find a way to pay the bills and Kesh releasing 500 CDs doesn’t do that so i run the label as I am passionate about music. I study full time at the moment and have a loan to pay the rent etc but if I need to find money I will go and get a job or sell a guitar off or something. Most bands have day jobs and good on them for working extremely hard to get to the soundcheck on time, buy strings, pay for rehearsal time and all the rest of it. The balance is hard but if you believe in your music it should keep you reaching for the stars.

Finally, a very usual cliché here in the Brazilian press: What do you know about Brazilian music and culture (please don’t mention CSS!).
I actually live next door to a Brazilian family and they are totally keen on going to see Arsenal play football so I got them tickets as the club is just up the road from Cambridge. Yeah Brazilian musicians seem to draw from the same influences as a lot of us British do like Slint, Sonic Youth, Low, Can, Suicide and Tarentel etc. Very interesting stuff and totally up my street so it is a shame that I can’t get to see the current bands play. Traveling as a band always costs loads unless you are lucky enough to get label support which most bands don’t get so the acts remain regional or national rather than global. It can happen though as Epic45, who I have just drummed for, have been flown to Japan to tour due to P*dis releasing their music over there. A good Brazilian band who are located over here are called Wry who Televise have played with in London.

Links

- Televise - http://www.last.fm/music/Televise
- Slowdive - http://www.last.fm/music/Slowdive
- The Charlottes - http://www.last.fm/music/The+Charlottes
- Kesh Recordings - http://www.keshhhhhh.com
- Creation Records - http://www.creation-records.com

iLiKETRAiNS is based in Leeds, England. One of the best new bands today, with two albums released (2006 Progress Reform and 2007 Elegies to Lessons Learnt), they are hard to classify, something between post-rock and shoegazer. Dave Martin, singer and Notts County supporter, told us by e-mail a little about how iLiKETRAiNS started, their goals, how difficult it is to play in a band, the videos made by trumpetist Ashley Dean, and the damage that the “bailes funk” make with the image of our country out there. Check it out :)

SW - First, the same old question: How did you start? How did you form the band, met each other, grew up musically and became what you are today?
Dave - Guy and I knew each other from school. We were in a band, that played a few small gigs, but never really did anything. Guy actually played drums in that band. We both moved up to Leeds to go to university. Well, we mostly moved to Leeds to form a new band and make exciting music, but university was our excuse. It started as the two of us with acoustic guitars, and we recruited the others through university and friends, and gradually decided we liked to make lots of loud noise with electric guitars. A big turning point for our musical direction, was seeing Sigur Ros supporting Radiohead. The rest is history!

SW - You write mostly about historical themes. How do you want people to understand your music? Is this just about history, or is there something else inside? And by the way, tell us a little more about these historical themes, for people who don’t know them.
Dave - When we first started writing historically based songs, we did it because no one else in modern music seemed to be doing it. At least not to the extent we have! The first song we wrote in that way was about a man called William Huskisson, who was the first man to die on the passenger railways in Britain. We did it because it tied in with our name mostly. Since then, it has developed, and i think that most of our songs have a resonance with what is happening in the world today. On Elegies to Lessons Learnt we tried to illustrate how history repeats itself, and that we never really learn from our mistakes. I think that a good historical knowledge is important, and more so if you’re in a position of power.

SW - How did music enter your life, when you decided to become musicians, and which are your favorite bands? Do you agree with people that classify you into post rock, shoegazer, or something else?
Dave - My earliest memories of music, are listening to Beatles and Paul McCartney albums in the car on holiday in France. I have an older brother who really got me into music, and always encouraged me to play guitar. Now I’m trying to encourage his children to play the guitar! During the mid 90’s bands like Blur and Radiohead really made me take being a musician as a serious proposition. More recently bands like Godspeed.., Sigur Ros and Nick Cave have influenced our sound. I can understand that people classify us as post rock, or shoegaze. People like to categorise bands. I don’t think we’re really that simple to categorise, which makes me very happy. It means we’re doing something right!

SW - You are just finishing the tour of your last album. What do you think has changed in the band since you released Elegies to Lessons Learnt? What can we expect for the future of iLiKETRAiNS?
Dave - That’s a difficult question. We will probably know more about that in a year or so. I think that we understand the music industry a lot better now. For bands like ours, it is about taking small steps in the right direction. We won’t get huge overnight, but if we keep playing good shows, to as many people in as many different countries as possible, and keep putting out good albums, we can do this for a long time. Where as the bands that get all the hype, and get famous very quickly will often burn out in a year or so. As for the future of iLT… there is only so long you can look back on the past, before you start looking to the future.

SW - We see in your web page that you used to rent your van for another bands. Since playing music has huge costs, what more do you need to do to make your job lucrative? And what are the difficulties that you still experience when playing in England?
Dave - I think I started to answer this question before! It is very difficult to make a career out of music now. People aren’t buying as many albums as before. Bands need to find alternative sources of income in order to survive. This is where our van comes in. It is only the beginning. We have other plans also. As for playing in England, I think that it relies too much on the media and press. The bands that excite me, are rarely talked about in our media, they are seen as too challenging for the general public. Thankfully the internet is reducing the importance of the radio or music magazines, people can find out about bands that they love, and it doesn’t matter whether the ‘taste makers’ think they are cool or not. It seems to me that the audiences we play to in the rest of Europe, Germany, Greece and Poland for example, are much more open to being challenged by music and art.

SW - Your videos are famous for being very instrospective, with dark colours, and some of them made with small models and puppets. How did you get this idea?
Dave - Ashley makes all of our videos. He has been doing animation since before he was in the band. It means he can create entire worlds on a very small budget. Imagine how much it would have cost to film “Terra Nova” for real at the South Pole!

SW - What do you know from Brazil, like music, people, or brazilian culture? Is there anything from it that you like? And do you aim to play here someday?
Dave - I know CSS, because the NME talks about them constantly. I saw them at a festival we played in Italy. It wasn’t really my thing! I know of Baile Funk, but I think thats a bit too happy for me too! I studied the Brazilian rainforests, favelas, and the Iron industry in Geography at school. I guess the thing I admire the most from Brazilian culture is the football. I would love to come and play in Brazil, and to go to a football match perhaps. If anyone can make this happen, then don’t hesitate to get in touch!

SW - Finally, do you like trains? :D
Dave - No answer!

____________________________________
iLiKETRAiNS
http://www.iliketrains.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/iliketrains