Reviews today from the Kitchener-Waterloo Record and Guelph Mercury, mainstream daily newspapers where I do a weekly consumer guide review column.
In alphabetical order, we have: Federation, Jay-Z, Kevin Michaels, Ghislain Poirier, Prefuse 73, Seal, Sigur Ros, Spiral Beach, Wintersleep, Neil Young.
Not appearing here, but that ran in the paper are: Band of Horses, Bishop Allen, Buck 65, Duran Duran, the Inhabitants, the Most Serene Republic, Sadies, Shaggy, Siouxie, and Peanut Butter Wolf. Different reviews of Buck 65, Bishop Allen, Duran Duran and Siouxie ran in either Eye Weekly or Magnet; those will be posted here shortly. If you work with any of these artists and need a clipping, let me know.
Federation – It’s Whateva (Reprise/Warner)
Now that Timbaland, the Neptunes and Kanye West are all firmly entrenched in the mainstream—where they walk a fine line between gleeful subversion and tired old tricks for the highest pop bidder—there’s a void waiting to be filled by the next great American hip-hop producer who can take things to the next level. So far the safe money should be on Rick Rock, the architect of San Francisco’s hyphy scene and the puppetmaster behind Federation.
The three MCs here are entirely disposable jokers who are too stupid to be offensive; thankfully, that also means they’re easy to ignore, leaving the listener to instead focus on the fat synths, rubbery bass and ominous beats that signify the hyphy sound. Rock only stumbles when he tries to be commercial, like on the sappy Snoop Dogg track “Happy I Met You”; he does, however, pull off some solid electro soul balladry on “When I Was Your Man” and even some shockingly convincing metal crossover on “Black Roses,” featuring Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.
Rock is the true star here; as for the Federation themselves—well, whateva. (November 1, 2007)
Jay-Z – American Gangster (Roc-a-fella/Universal)
Now that he’s the richest man in hip-hop—as well as president and CEO of DefJam Records—Jay-Z is nothing if not a shrewd marketer. Linking himself to the streetwise story of Harlem heroin kingpin Frank Lucas is undoubtedly a bid to bolster the gangster persona of this now-respectable mainstream MC. This is not the soundtrack to the new star-studded Lucas biopic of the same title, though Jay-Z claims that each song is based on a scene from the film; snippets of dialogue can be heard throughout.
The story of Lucas—much like most of the less cartoonish aspects of gangsta rap—argues that criminal culture is one of the only options for impoverished African-Americans to buy into the American dream. Whether this is still relevant 50 years after the beginning of desegregation is subject for debate. But in an era when corporate cronyism and outright deception are government policy, the glorification of gangster culture as a metaphor for American life—found everywhere from The Sopranos and The Wire to The Clipse and 50 Cent—is more timely than ever.
In returning to this subject matter, Jay-Z pens some of his more memorable lines in years, particularly when he gets into the “genesis of the nemesis,” recalling his broken home and Brooklyn youth. But he also embodies the nihilism inherent in Bush-era America, where every criminal is quick to absolve himself of responsibility. Everything can be rationalized as being a product of the environment.
For starters, Jay-Z is not ready to be a scapegoat in the ghetto language debates sparked by the Don Imus incident earlier this year. He’s unrepentant for the self-loathing that his language reflects back to his own community—and others, as the Imus confusion pointed out. “I missed that part/ Where it stopped being about Imus/ What do my lyrics got to do with this sh*t?” he asks, like an innocent bystander, not the cultural icon he is. “Are you saying what I’m spittin’/ is worse than these celebutantes showing they kitten? You kiddin’… / Let’s stop the bullsh*tting/ ‘til we all without sin/ let’s quit the pulpit-ing.”
Right—so unless everyone is without sin, we all might as well go on sinning. It’s a thought echoed by MC David Banner, who has openly attacked America’s black leadership—especially Al Sharpton—for not solving every problem that faces black youth today, essentially arguing that the persistence of racism in America is the fault of the previous generation. Banner wrote in a statement: “This life we are continuing to live was handed to us by the people before us who didn’t do much to clean it up.” Ghetto life is what it is—it’s not the kids’ fault. Blame it on the parents.
Jay-Z takes this and runs with it: “We ain’t thugs for the sake of being thugs/ nobody do that where we grew up, nigga, duh… / You ain’t gimme forty acres and a mule/ so I got my Glock 40, now I’m cool/ And if Al Sharpton is speakin’ for me/ somebody get him the word/ and tell him I remove the curses/ if he can tell me our schools gon’ be perfect/ When Jena Six don’t exist/ tell him that’s when I’ll stop sayin’ ‘bitch.’”
When trying to tie in his own story with that of Lucas, Jay-Z backfires a bit when he goes on an anti-snitching screed on “No Hook”; after all, Lucas only served 12 years of his 70-year sentence—many believe it’s because Lucas himself started talking to police. Just like any gangster, Jay-Z doesn’t have any trouble stretching the truth to his own ends. (November 8, 2007)
Kevin Michaels – s/t (Downtown/Warner)
This might sound familiar: a cocksure Italian/African-American who plays a mean guitar and wants to mix up his rock and R&B with a spine-tingling falsetto. For young Philadelphia singer Kevin Michael, the comparisons with Prince stop there: instead of being a one-man show, he employs a small army of co-writers and collaborators, and much of this debut album doesn’t rise above pedestrian songs along the lines of “Liquid Lava Love” and “Hood Buzzin’,” despite guests such as Q-Tip and Lupe Fiasco. Michaels’ lyrics are at times downright embarrassing: “Rent is racked up and my toilet is backed up/ Damn, wish I could flush the drama away.”
Yet he does show plenty of promise, mainly because of his elastic voice, which shows all of the range of his labelmate Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley. And he also boasts two great singles, “We All Want the Same Thing” and “It Don’t Make Any Difference To Me”; each of them appears here twice, once in highly produced pop version with a guest MC, and then again as a low-key acoustic number. It’s too bad all his talent goes into those two songs. Next time out we’ll be expecting a lot more. (November 1, 2007)
Ghislain Poirier – No Ground Under (Ninja Tune/Outside)
The term “urban music” has always been a bizarre, unnecessary code word for hip-hop and R&B. Other than the weird racial politics behind this, it’s a waste of a perfectly good descriptor. Montreal’s Ghislain Poirier makes music that speaks directly to the multicultural urban experience, where harsh electronics punctuate the daily rhythm, where speaker-rattling bass is the one sound that unites all. Poirier’s vision of urban paradise is where Brazilian baile funk meets UK “grime” hip-hop meets Jamaican dancehall with Arabic and East Asian melodies on top.
Poirier has never had a problem concocting compelling instrumental narratives, but as a safeguard here he lines up a wealth of obscure MCs to toast on top, including Toronto’s nerdcore Abdominal, Quebec’s joual jokers Omnikrom and Chicago dancehall king Zulu.
No Ground Under is his first release on a reputable international label—a chance for him to give back to the globalized beats he borrows. Soon enough, however, the world will be borrowing from him. (November 15, 2007)
Prefuse 73 – Preparations (Warp/Fusion 3)
In his work as Prefuse 73, Guillermo Scott Herren always came across like an ADD kid who took meticulous delight in splicing up hip-hop and jazz samples, re-arranging them into itchy and glitchy compositions that gave you the jitters. In his considerably more pastoral alterego of Savath + Savalas, Herren makes ambient Spanish folk music that fades into the background all too easily.
On Preparations, however, Herren happily marries the lush arrangements of his other project onto the sliced and diced beats that are the trademark of Prefuse 73. This results in a captivating tension, where beauty proves eternally elusive as Herren continually pulls a bait-and-swith with the rhythm, yanking the carpet out from underneath. It’s no coincidence that tracks are given titles like “Aborted Hug” and “Spaced + Dissonant.” There are times when it sounds like someone turning a radio dial in rhythm—is that necessarily a bad thing?
While his earlier recordings were certainly innovative, this is the first time Herren sounds like he’s finding his own voice as a composer.
And as a bonus to fans, instead of recycling the leftovers into separately sold EPs—as he usually does—they’re included here on a bonus disc devoid of any beats at all, which is a lovely, light dessert after such a dense main course. (November 15, 2007)
Seal – System (Warner)
This suave Grammy magnet clings to the 90s formula that made him a global superstar: Euro pop with techno underpinnings elevated by the occasional folk flourish and Seal’s soulful voice, which promises assurance and salvation in a cold, heartless world. You can’t argue with his System, which even at its most maudlin still stands tall over anything else you’re going to hear in the drugstore aisles. Celebrity watchers will delight in the “Wedding Day” duet with his supermodel wife Heidi Klum, but nothing here tops the opening track, “If It’s In My Mind It’s On My Face,” where the eternally glum and scarfaced singer takes the weight of the world off Bono’s back and carries it himself. It’s overwrought and heavy-handed and has the cheap disco pulse of a World Cup anthem, but only a singer of Seal’s depth could begin to pull it off. (November 22, 2007)
Sigur Ros – Hvarf/Heim (XL)
Icelandic band Sigur Ros never do things normally—like sing in a language they didn’t make up themselves, for starters. Chock it up to their contrarian nature that these two EPs are not the soundtrack to their new concert film, which bears the similar title Heima. The movie was shot during their first-ever full tour of Iceland, where every show was free: from a crowd of 25,000 in Reykjavik to small community halls in remote outposts. During that tour, Sigur Ros played acoustically for the first time ever, which led to the decision to release an EP of that material, accompanied by an electric EP of b-sides and re-recordings of early material.
While the film sounds fascinating, the not-quite-a-soundtrack isn’t exactly essential for anyone but hardcore fans. Sigur Ros music is already sparse, haunting and gorgeous—playing it acoustically doesn’t prove to be revelatory. Likewise, the b-sides—which date from 1995 to 2002—slipped through the quality filter of their full-length albums for a reason; some of this is the most heavy-handed material the normally delicate band has ever made. Save your money for a movie ticket. (November 22, 2007)
Spiral Beach – Ball (Sparks Music)
As we all know, graduating from adolescence is daunting and scary. Toronto’s Spiral Beach hadn’t finished high school when they recorded the exuberant pop of their first album; now that they’re a bit older, the world isn’t as colourful and joyous as it first appeared. The carefree, almost cartoonish nature of early material is replaced with ghosts, black eyes and beasts; the sci-fi vibe remains, and each member’s instrumental prowess gives even the weaker material inventive twists. Despite their talent, Ball falls short of their considerable potential. No worries, though—there’s lots of time. (November 15, 2007)
Wintersleep – Welcome to the Night Sky (Labwork/Sonic Unyon)
Are the 90s over yet? Wintersleep don’t seem to think so. Thankfully, the Halifax quintet have moved on from being moodier Pearl Jam disciples and have started to mine Radiohead’s The Bends—while vocalist Paul Murphy is bearing a remarkable resemblance to Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, with shades of Peter Gabriel on the slightly Celtic alt-rock of “Weighty Ghost.” Thankfully, Wintersleep are more melodic than other crass imitators, and the rhythm section of Loel Campbell and Mike Bigelow—both can often be found moonlighting in Holy Fuck—are several steps above many of their peers. There’s a great band in here somewhere with a voice of its own, though that’s still at least one album away. (November 8, 2007)
Neil Young – Chrome Dreams II (Warner)
It’s hard to believe that someone as prolific as Neil Young still has hours of unreleased material in his vaults—especially considering the dubious quality of many of his official releases. This album is somewhere in between.
Though it features mostly new material—much of which is instantly forgettable—the title is a nod to a 1977 album that Young recorded and scrapped, releasing some salvaged tracks (“Like a Hurricane” and “Pocahontas” among them) on other albums. Don’t bother looking for any kind of thematic thread, however—the title is merely a red herring for geeky fans.
The single reason most of his disciples are excited about this is the presence of “Ordinary People,” a song that dates back to 1988. It’s notable only because it led Young out of the wilderness of much of his 80s output, acting as a bridge into the career renaissance that was 1989’s Freedom.
The 18-minute song is a by-the-numbers portrait of a crumbling consumerist American dream, but Young’s scorching guitar solos—there’s one after each of the nine verses—speak more about paranoia, collapse and frustration than anything he expresses in the actual lyrics. They also explain why he would shortly embark on a mutual love affair with Sonic Youth and the grunge generation.
But even this song is a mixed success: the structure is monotonous, the groove is plodding, and the horn section is a wasteful distraction. No wonder he kept it in the vaults; there are several similar tracks on Freedom—both lyrically and musically—that are far superior.
You have to be a major Neil Young geek to appreciate Chrome Dreams II. Anyone else with the strange urge to buy a new Neil Young album should stick with the 1971 Massey Hall concert released earlier this year. (November 1, 2007)
Showing posts with label Prefuse 73. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prefuse 73. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Battles: Beans and Prefuse 73
Auxiliary files from my Magnet piece on Battles. My conversation with the full band is here.
Guillermo Scott Herren of Prefuse 73 was the band's first big champion, who got them signed to Warp. Their first major break was a worldwide tour with Prefuse and Beans, which is why I wanted to talk to both of them for this piece. That tour was where a lot of the Mirrored material would have debuted live, and I also knew that these two men would have some insight on the interpersonal dynamics in the band.
Herren took time out from promoting his Savath + Savalas album that came out on Anti earlier this year; he's just released his best work as Prefuse 73 in ages, called Preparations, on Warp. Beans dropped the bomb that Antipop Consortium are getting back together and working on new material; his new solo album, Thorns, features collaborations with Toronto's Holy Fuck and just came out on iTunes. He's already working on the follow-up.
Beans
July 31, 2007
Locale: cell phone
How long have you known them?
I’ve known Ty[ondai Braxton] from when he used to come to Antipop shows. When things were a little slow for me and I was looking for a day gig, he helped me out with getting a job. When we went to Japan, I met the rest of Battles and we toured with Prefuse. John [Stanier], the drummer, is a big hip-hop head. I got along with the rest of Battles. I even gave one of them a pair of shoes, man, coz I had a couple of pairs on me and his shoes got fucked up and he kept borrowing my shit, so I ended up giving ‘em to him. They fucked him up—it was dope, but it was fucked up.
So was Antipop still around when Battles started?
No, this was before Battles. Years before. I’d seen him around and he told me he was starting a new band called Battles, walking around Williamsburg. That’s where I’d see him. I’d ask him about his dad and he wouldn’t talk too much and then he told me he was starting this new band. After a while we started doing shows together. The first person who had always waved the flag for Battles was Prefuse. He was like, ‘Yo, Battles, Battles.’ Scott is the one who brought them to Warp. I knew them and I knew Ty and it was all good, and then we started touring together. Battles is ill, man! Very refreshing music.
It took them a long time to put out their first proper album, but people love it and are so excited about it.
You know what it is, too? It’s the live show. It’s stimulating. The drummer is the center-piece.
For whatever reason, people want to hear this kind of music now, even though they’re not an easy band to digest right away. It’s dense music.
What’s interesting too is that part of the reason why people like it is the climate of what is considered rock right now. You need a band to fulfill the function that they do, a band that will shake the shit up every once in a while. And they definitely shake it up. I love watching them perform and the structures to their songs: really interesting intros and then a point where it all starts to make sense. As it continues to progress, it forms its own entity and you’re watching it be born.
Everything coalesces at one moment.
It was really interesting to hear. I really like the album. I think it’s one of the better ones this year.
How did they go over on that tour? Because you played first, didn’t you, and then they were on before Prefuse? And nobody knew who they were, did they?
No, but they won a lot of people over.
Why did you go on first?
It was that way because I was by myself. I wasn’t working with a DJ at the time. I think I played everything on an iPod. It was a good tour.
Most people probably didn’t show up expecting a rock band.
That’s another reason why it worked, because it wasn’t typical of anything. But honestly, in my whole touring experience, I’ve never gone out with all hip-hop acts. Maybe overseas, but in the States I’ve toured with rock acts like the Rapture and Tortoise. I’ve always toured with the more expansive and expressive collectives.
What about personal dynamics? Is there one person leading it?
From my observations, I think Battles is very collaborative. Each one adds and accentuates the others’ performances. They bring out the best in each other. Even when they’re alone and chillin’, no one person is more dominant than the other.
Because they’re all different ages and experiences.
Yeah. John—that dude is a busy dude. He’s in like three bands.
And one of them is in Australia.
Yeah, and his girlfriend was in Berlin, so he was all over the place. It’s crazy. I remember seeing him around. When I met him, I knew people that knew him. We had the same people we hung out with. I didn’t know it at the time. John is mad cool, man.
He has the big rock experience, but he seems to be the one who’s most into hip-hop and electronic music.
He’s a big hip-hop fan. And he loves Kompakt, which is one of my favourite labels.
Anything else we should know?
Have you ever heard Ty’s solo music?
Yeah, I’ve seen him perform.
It’s very much in continuity with what his father was doing in jazz. I observe that when I hear him. Seeing how his dad [Anthony Braxton] is the root of where he’s from, it definitely makes sense. It’s definitely his own thing, but he’s definitely his father’s son.
Do you think other people make those connections?
I don’t know if people are that familiar with his dad’s work. His dad is an acquired taste. His father is a genius. I met him when they played at Bowery Ballroom, and I totally geeked out. I had no idea what to say, and I just made an asshole of myself. That was the very first time that he had seen Battles perform and he was just like, ‘Yo.’ He was giving it up. He was a proud dad. I love that shit. I love Battles. They’re dope. I’d rock their shirts in photos all the time. I love that shit.
What’s new with you?
I’m trying to put out this record I just finished called Thorns. And Anti-Pop is getting back together.
How did that come about?
From years of getting older and realizing that we miss working together. It took a long time, to be honest with you. We all have to go through our things and do what we have to do.
Nothing’s started yet, though?
Naw, it’s just starting to come together now.
What about my friends in Holy Fuck?
I did some tracks with them for Thorns, and I’ve already started working on the next one, which is called End It All. That’s a bunch of collaborations. I also have a side project with the drummer from Interpol called Gotham Wolf Knights.
Guillermo Scott Herren, of Prefuse 73 and Savath + Savalas
August 1, 2007
phone interview
How and when did you become aware of them?
I wasn’t even up on Battles. Battles wasn’t in the picture. It was a normal friendship I made with Tyondai. Out of that relationship came Battles. I knew his stuff before I knew Battles. We had met and said we should do some shit together, which ended up on a Prefuse record. From my perspective, it was hard, but taking them with me all around the world so that people could see them was the most gratifying thing ever. Just to know that people are going to respond to that kind of music within the format that I play in.
Where did that tour take you?
We went to Japan, the U.S. and Europe. I have my stubborn side, and I decided that I was going to take these guys on tour with me until they don’t go away and Warp will have to sign them. I had a plan, like, how the fuck is this going to work? How can I put this in Warp’s face that this band is 1) dope and 2) has the potential to do much bigger things if it was just coming through the right outlet. I’ve learned that in the past year, that the outlet and the exposure you’re put through creates a whole different perspective on what you do. What Battles does isn’t stereotypically Warp, but if they came out on some indie rock label it might not do them as much for their mystique, maybe. That’s a complete hypothesis, but I think it’s done them more good than bad.
It’s interesting where they sit there, because part of the appeal is the way they compose music, which seems more in line with what you’re doing, or other artists on Warp. And yet they’re doing it entirely with rock instrumentation.
Yeah, that was the line that first connected when I first saw Battles as a band. What Tyondai does on his own is completely different thing, and that’s what I saw first. But when I saw Battles as a band, I thought it was a lot like Prefuse: these sharp, individual melodies coming from odd places. You don’t know what sound is coming from which player when they’re playing live, other than the drummer. It’s all broken up and so tight around the rhythm that it does reflect a lot of stuff that I’m coming from with Prefuse.
Were you a fan of any of their other previous projects?
I knew some things about Don Caballero, but I wasn’t from that scene of music. I knew about them, totally, but I wasn’t so well-versed on that—I don’t know how to explain it—dissonant, indie rock, intelligent… (laughs) I was more from the school of seeing Helmet on MTV when I was younger, in between rap videos. I thought they were dope. It was the first metal I’d ever heard where all the cats were short-haired nerds who were just killing it. Then there was John, who turns out to be in Battles years later, and he’s a homie.
The cool component to him is that he on his own—not as a career or a personality—he makes beats too. He’s a total beat head. And I don’t mean on drums, I mean the same way I make beats. Being on tour with them for so long, I was able to bond with them in my own way, with the exception of Ty, who I knew before. Dave [Konopka] and I both have the same kind of stupid humour. With John we could talk beats. Ian [Williams] is just a complex individual who I could just hear him talk and get something out of that.
How do you see the personal dynamics in the band? Because if I’m not mistaken, it’s quite an age range. I imagine John is probably in his late 30s, and Ty seems much younger, and they all have quite different experiences.
John and Ian are more the vets, as far as age. John is the pro. He’s the one. I got mad respect for John, because I know how big Helmet was. Anybody would have to be dumb who wasn’t there and saw how big they got. And this cat went back to sleeping on people’s floors just to make this band work. That in itself says a lot for his character. That dude is pretty hardcore.
I mean, I won’t do that shit! I’ve never been a rock star, but you won’t find me on people’s floors and shit! But John’s doing that to this day. He probably got up this morning and was on somebody’s floor last night. I’m like, shit, put me up someplace nice. When I put on a show, I’m tired. One, I don’t want to intrude on someone’s home, and two… I don’t know. My point is that I got a lot of respect for him and Ian going that duration, and then Ty and Dave being younger, I don’t know how they feel about it. They’re my age, I guess.
I definitely acknowledge the difference in age and the amount of time they spent on tour. They started a decade before I ever went on tour. And Ty is just starting to tour for real. It’s impressive how he’s just gone into that hardcore. Because touring sucks. Touring is fulfilling when it comes to your fans and pleasing them, but it takes its toll on your patience and your everyday routine being the same. You’re in a dirty backstage every night with beer and shit, and you get no sleep, you play a show, and those cats are roughing it to save money or whatever they’re doing. I don’t know what their ultimate plan is. I think they’re fucking crazy, actually.
About that one tour, is that when most of the material on Mirrored came together? Listening to the EPs again, they do sound like were recorded on borrowed time in studios at 5am. Whereas this material is much more full-on rock stuff that probably comes from performing live so much. Did you see that material develop on tour?
When you’re on a tour, you are in that routine. You just rearrange the same songs you’re going to play. Both bands, when we played live, would venture out into different territories. Mirrored is pretty meticulously and oddly composed music. It definitely has its share of improvised stuff, but a lot of what Ty put in from his perspective of a composer mentality, there’s a lot that would be hard to come out of just straight improvisation rather than a composition. Which you can hear. If you ask them how they write, I know that Ty comes with a composition, for sure.
I’m surprised by the reaction to this album, where people who don’t normally like this kind of music are really excited about this, for whatever reason in this cultural moment, like it’s something they’ve been waiting to hear.
That puts it back in perspective for me, because I have gotten—and still get to this day—the same shit from rock people. Usually when I have my crowd in front of me, I have kids who want to hear beats and kids who want to hear some odd shit, the kind of stuff me and Battles have in common. That’s why that tour worked so well. A lot of people were being introduced to them, and saying, ‘Woah, this is really heavy music and complex rock shit,’ but everyone was headnodding and getting into it because it had this hip-hop execution. When you see them live, you get that. The way I stand on music, I hear hip-hop in a lot of things that aren’t hip-hop. It could be some folk shit on a guitar but I’ll be nodding my head to it while everyone else in the room is just staring. With Battles, they come with that. They have that presence, the same way you would go see a straight hip-hop show.
Were you a fan of Ty’s father before you met him?
Yeah. I’m not like a die-hard free jazz connoisseur kind of guy. I’m definitely into it. But meeting him and hearing him--philosophically a lot of his stances on music are just amazing and mind-blowing. I know this [interview] isn’t about his father and I know I shouldn’t be speaking about Ty’s family in an interview that isn’t even mine. But his philosophy is also totally different than Ty’s take on music. They’re absolutely different people. It’s really inspiring for me to hear someone say profound stuff like his father said. And I’ve had conversations with Ty just breaking down what it is to be a musician, an entertainer, all this nerdy philosophical stuff. I’m just happy that the world and the whole universe brought that whole unit of people together. It’s a really special thing to happen, because it was real random!
When are you going to work together again?
When Ty finishes what he longs to finish, which is a compositional, grandiose album of his own. And there’s a new Prefuse album [Preparations, released this week] and John is on it. As long as we’re around, we’ll work together. We’re going to grow old and be friends and make records together. I can see us working together in many forms for a long time. I don’t mean to focus on Ty, but I can’t help it. Out of all of them, I spent the most time with him outside of playing music. But all of them are amazing and cool people and great musicians and they’ll be doing shit forever.
-end-
Guillermo Scott Herren of Prefuse 73 was the band's first big champion, who got them signed to Warp. Their first major break was a worldwide tour with Prefuse and Beans, which is why I wanted to talk to both of them for this piece. That tour was where a lot of the Mirrored material would have debuted live, and I also knew that these two men would have some insight on the interpersonal dynamics in the band.
Herren took time out from promoting his Savath + Savalas album that came out on Anti earlier this year; he's just released his best work as Prefuse 73 in ages, called Preparations, on Warp. Beans dropped the bomb that Antipop Consortium are getting back together and working on new material; his new solo album, Thorns, features collaborations with Toronto's Holy Fuck and just came out on iTunes. He's already working on the follow-up.
Beans
July 31, 2007
Locale: cell phone
How long have you known them?
I’ve known Ty[ondai Braxton] from when he used to come to Antipop shows. When things were a little slow for me and I was looking for a day gig, he helped me out with getting a job. When we went to Japan, I met the rest of Battles and we toured with Prefuse. John [Stanier], the drummer, is a big hip-hop head. I got along with the rest of Battles. I even gave one of them a pair of shoes, man, coz I had a couple of pairs on me and his shoes got fucked up and he kept borrowing my shit, so I ended up giving ‘em to him. They fucked him up—it was dope, but it was fucked up.
So was Antipop still around when Battles started?
No, this was before Battles. Years before. I’d seen him around and he told me he was starting a new band called Battles, walking around Williamsburg. That’s where I’d see him. I’d ask him about his dad and he wouldn’t talk too much and then he told me he was starting this new band. After a while we started doing shows together. The first person who had always waved the flag for Battles was Prefuse. He was like, ‘Yo, Battles, Battles.’ Scott is the one who brought them to Warp. I knew them and I knew Ty and it was all good, and then we started touring together. Battles is ill, man! Very refreshing music.
It took them a long time to put out their first proper album, but people love it and are so excited about it.
You know what it is, too? It’s the live show. It’s stimulating. The drummer is the center-piece.
For whatever reason, people want to hear this kind of music now, even though they’re not an easy band to digest right away. It’s dense music.
What’s interesting too is that part of the reason why people like it is the climate of what is considered rock right now. You need a band to fulfill the function that they do, a band that will shake the shit up every once in a while. And they definitely shake it up. I love watching them perform and the structures to their songs: really interesting intros and then a point where it all starts to make sense. As it continues to progress, it forms its own entity and you’re watching it be born.
Everything coalesces at one moment.
It was really interesting to hear. I really like the album. I think it’s one of the better ones this year.
How did they go over on that tour? Because you played first, didn’t you, and then they were on before Prefuse? And nobody knew who they were, did they?
No, but they won a lot of people over.
Why did you go on first?
It was that way because I was by myself. I wasn’t working with a DJ at the time. I think I played everything on an iPod. It was a good tour.
Most people probably didn’t show up expecting a rock band.
That’s another reason why it worked, because it wasn’t typical of anything. But honestly, in my whole touring experience, I’ve never gone out with all hip-hop acts. Maybe overseas, but in the States I’ve toured with rock acts like the Rapture and Tortoise. I’ve always toured with the more expansive and expressive collectives.
What about personal dynamics? Is there one person leading it?
From my observations, I think Battles is very collaborative. Each one adds and accentuates the others’ performances. They bring out the best in each other. Even when they’re alone and chillin’, no one person is more dominant than the other.
Because they’re all different ages and experiences.
Yeah. John—that dude is a busy dude. He’s in like three bands.
And one of them is in Australia.
Yeah, and his girlfriend was in Berlin, so he was all over the place. It’s crazy. I remember seeing him around. When I met him, I knew people that knew him. We had the same people we hung out with. I didn’t know it at the time. John is mad cool, man.
He has the big rock experience, but he seems to be the one who’s most into hip-hop and electronic music.
He’s a big hip-hop fan. And he loves Kompakt, which is one of my favourite labels.
Anything else we should know?
Have you ever heard Ty’s solo music?
Yeah, I’ve seen him perform.
It’s very much in continuity with what his father was doing in jazz. I observe that when I hear him. Seeing how his dad [Anthony Braxton] is the root of where he’s from, it definitely makes sense. It’s definitely his own thing, but he’s definitely his father’s son.
Do you think other people make those connections?
I don’t know if people are that familiar with his dad’s work. His dad is an acquired taste. His father is a genius. I met him when they played at Bowery Ballroom, and I totally geeked out. I had no idea what to say, and I just made an asshole of myself. That was the very first time that he had seen Battles perform and he was just like, ‘Yo.’ He was giving it up. He was a proud dad. I love that shit. I love Battles. They’re dope. I’d rock their shirts in photos all the time. I love that shit.
What’s new with you?
I’m trying to put out this record I just finished called Thorns. And Anti-Pop is getting back together.
How did that come about?
From years of getting older and realizing that we miss working together. It took a long time, to be honest with you. We all have to go through our things and do what we have to do.
Nothing’s started yet, though?
Naw, it’s just starting to come together now.
What about my friends in Holy Fuck?
I did some tracks with them for Thorns, and I’ve already started working on the next one, which is called End It All. That’s a bunch of collaborations. I also have a side project with the drummer from Interpol called Gotham Wolf Knights.
Guillermo Scott Herren, of Prefuse 73 and Savath + Savalas
August 1, 2007
phone interview
How and when did you become aware of them?
I wasn’t even up on Battles. Battles wasn’t in the picture. It was a normal friendship I made with Tyondai. Out of that relationship came Battles. I knew his stuff before I knew Battles. We had met and said we should do some shit together, which ended up on a Prefuse record. From my perspective, it was hard, but taking them with me all around the world so that people could see them was the most gratifying thing ever. Just to know that people are going to respond to that kind of music within the format that I play in.
Where did that tour take you?
We went to Japan, the U.S. and Europe. I have my stubborn side, and I decided that I was going to take these guys on tour with me until they don’t go away and Warp will have to sign them. I had a plan, like, how the fuck is this going to work? How can I put this in Warp’s face that this band is 1) dope and 2) has the potential to do much bigger things if it was just coming through the right outlet. I’ve learned that in the past year, that the outlet and the exposure you’re put through creates a whole different perspective on what you do. What Battles does isn’t stereotypically Warp, but if they came out on some indie rock label it might not do them as much for their mystique, maybe. That’s a complete hypothesis, but I think it’s done them more good than bad.
It’s interesting where they sit there, because part of the appeal is the way they compose music, which seems more in line with what you’re doing, or other artists on Warp. And yet they’re doing it entirely with rock instrumentation.
Yeah, that was the line that first connected when I first saw Battles as a band. What Tyondai does on his own is completely different thing, and that’s what I saw first. But when I saw Battles as a band, I thought it was a lot like Prefuse: these sharp, individual melodies coming from odd places. You don’t know what sound is coming from which player when they’re playing live, other than the drummer. It’s all broken up and so tight around the rhythm that it does reflect a lot of stuff that I’m coming from with Prefuse.
Were you a fan of any of their other previous projects?
I knew some things about Don Caballero, but I wasn’t from that scene of music. I knew about them, totally, but I wasn’t so well-versed on that—I don’t know how to explain it—dissonant, indie rock, intelligent… (laughs) I was more from the school of seeing Helmet on MTV when I was younger, in between rap videos. I thought they were dope. It was the first metal I’d ever heard where all the cats were short-haired nerds who were just killing it. Then there was John, who turns out to be in Battles years later, and he’s a homie.
The cool component to him is that he on his own—not as a career or a personality—he makes beats too. He’s a total beat head. And I don’t mean on drums, I mean the same way I make beats. Being on tour with them for so long, I was able to bond with them in my own way, with the exception of Ty, who I knew before. Dave [Konopka] and I both have the same kind of stupid humour. With John we could talk beats. Ian [Williams] is just a complex individual who I could just hear him talk and get something out of that.
How do you see the personal dynamics in the band? Because if I’m not mistaken, it’s quite an age range. I imagine John is probably in his late 30s, and Ty seems much younger, and they all have quite different experiences.
John and Ian are more the vets, as far as age. John is the pro. He’s the one. I got mad respect for John, because I know how big Helmet was. Anybody would have to be dumb who wasn’t there and saw how big they got. And this cat went back to sleeping on people’s floors just to make this band work. That in itself says a lot for his character. That dude is pretty hardcore.
I mean, I won’t do that shit! I’ve never been a rock star, but you won’t find me on people’s floors and shit! But John’s doing that to this day. He probably got up this morning and was on somebody’s floor last night. I’m like, shit, put me up someplace nice. When I put on a show, I’m tired. One, I don’t want to intrude on someone’s home, and two… I don’t know. My point is that I got a lot of respect for him and Ian going that duration, and then Ty and Dave being younger, I don’t know how they feel about it. They’re my age, I guess.
I definitely acknowledge the difference in age and the amount of time they spent on tour. They started a decade before I ever went on tour. And Ty is just starting to tour for real. It’s impressive how he’s just gone into that hardcore. Because touring sucks. Touring is fulfilling when it comes to your fans and pleasing them, but it takes its toll on your patience and your everyday routine being the same. You’re in a dirty backstage every night with beer and shit, and you get no sleep, you play a show, and those cats are roughing it to save money or whatever they’re doing. I don’t know what their ultimate plan is. I think they’re fucking crazy, actually.
About that one tour, is that when most of the material on Mirrored came together? Listening to the EPs again, they do sound like were recorded on borrowed time in studios at 5am. Whereas this material is much more full-on rock stuff that probably comes from performing live so much. Did you see that material develop on tour?
When you’re on a tour, you are in that routine. You just rearrange the same songs you’re going to play. Both bands, when we played live, would venture out into different territories. Mirrored is pretty meticulously and oddly composed music. It definitely has its share of improvised stuff, but a lot of what Ty put in from his perspective of a composer mentality, there’s a lot that would be hard to come out of just straight improvisation rather than a composition. Which you can hear. If you ask them how they write, I know that Ty comes with a composition, for sure.
I’m surprised by the reaction to this album, where people who don’t normally like this kind of music are really excited about this, for whatever reason in this cultural moment, like it’s something they’ve been waiting to hear.
That puts it back in perspective for me, because I have gotten—and still get to this day—the same shit from rock people. Usually when I have my crowd in front of me, I have kids who want to hear beats and kids who want to hear some odd shit, the kind of stuff me and Battles have in common. That’s why that tour worked so well. A lot of people were being introduced to them, and saying, ‘Woah, this is really heavy music and complex rock shit,’ but everyone was headnodding and getting into it because it had this hip-hop execution. When you see them live, you get that. The way I stand on music, I hear hip-hop in a lot of things that aren’t hip-hop. It could be some folk shit on a guitar but I’ll be nodding my head to it while everyone else in the room is just staring. With Battles, they come with that. They have that presence, the same way you would go see a straight hip-hop show.
Were you a fan of Ty’s father before you met him?
Yeah. I’m not like a die-hard free jazz connoisseur kind of guy. I’m definitely into it. But meeting him and hearing him--philosophically a lot of his stances on music are just amazing and mind-blowing. I know this [interview] isn’t about his father and I know I shouldn’t be speaking about Ty’s family in an interview that isn’t even mine. But his philosophy is also totally different than Ty’s take on music. They’re absolutely different people. It’s really inspiring for me to hear someone say profound stuff like his father said. And I’ve had conversations with Ty just breaking down what it is to be a musician, an entertainer, all this nerdy philosophical stuff. I’m just happy that the world and the whole universe brought that whole unit of people together. It’s a really special thing to happen, because it was real random!
When are you going to work together again?
When Ty finishes what he longs to finish, which is a compositional, grandiose album of his own. And there’s a new Prefuse album [Preparations, released this week] and John is on it. As long as we’re around, we’ll work together. We’re going to grow old and be friends and make records together. I can see us working together in many forms for a long time. I don’t mean to focus on Ty, but I can’t help it. Out of all of them, I spent the most time with him outside of playing music. But all of them are amazing and cool people and great musicians and they’ll be doing shit forever.
-end-
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