EIC's 10Q's w/ Myyths

"..elements of dark & brooding Post Industrial clamor with Classical-Gothic overtones.."

Myyths

Eerie Biotics

Myyths Bio:

MYYTHS is Syd S. and Tiffany S. The pair met in Brighton, UK, during Winter 2012. brought together by a love for similar artists and each others music. A desire to work together quickly grew and after several months of songwriting collaboration, they released an EP and started gigging as a four piece under the name Fvnerals.   In the fall of 2013, the duo started working on a side project experimenting with electronic production. MYYTHS was born. "Tystnad" was written as a whole, a journey through existence where each song forms an intricate portrait, experimenting with electronic textures, traditional instruments and percussions to create haunting sounds while lyrics revolve around unrequited love, nothingness and devotion. Their debut album was released online on January 13th, 2014. MYYTHS is now looking for a label to help them release their album physically and will start performing live in March/April.

Hello, how are you?
Tiffany: Very well thanks for having us

What are you currently listening to?
Tiffany: The Blood Brothers album 'Crimes' and 'Visions' from Grimes. I've also been listening a lot to Mirel Wagner recently.
Syd: Lately I've been listening to a Turkish cello player named Gülşah Erol, her album 'Psychosis' is amazing. Also 'Pipe Dreams' from Whirr and Barn Owl's 'Lost In The Glare'.

What's the story behind the band name?
Syd: I wouldn't say there's a real story behind it, we thought it fitted our musical world well. I also like the visual aspect of it, I find it eye-catching.

Was there a specific sound you were going for when you began this project?
Tiffany: We spend a lot of time together and our musical personalities combine very well so it was more of a desire to form a duo than going for a specific sound.
Syd: I tend to write music that I would want to listen to depending on my moods and being a two piece was a good way of feeling more free and spontaneous while writing.

Care to shed some info on your debut release; theme, favorite track(s), etc?
Tiffany: My lyrics revolve around unrequited love, nothingness and devotion. I tried to complement the music rather than overpowering it.
Syd: I wanted to write an album that feels like one long piece with different but coherent parts to keep a general dark atmosphere throughout the songs. My favorite song is "Tystnad", I'm really happy of how it sounds and I love Tiffany's vocals on it.
Tiffany: My personal favorite is "Rise". I like the atmospheric feel to it.

Will you be touring extensively for said release?
Tiffany: We are hoping to. We started contacting promoters and are now trying to get shows.
Syd: We'd like to travel with this project too so we're looking for places to play outside of the UK.

Got any other projects we should know about?
Tiffany: We have a band named Fvnerals where I sing/play synth and Syd plays guitar.
Syd: We run a small label named Eerie Echoes. We use it for our releases and share bands we like with our online distro.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
Tiffany: The only movie I watched recently was Con Air and it doesn't fit at all.
Syd: I guess Gus Van Sant's 'Last Days' or Inarritu's '21 Grams' would work, or something like 'The Road' or 'Apocalyspe Now'.

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
Tiffany: 'If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Dreams' by The Mammas and the Papas. It's an album I've been listening to for years and I still haven't got bored of it. Listening to it always makes me want to sing and dance around.
Syd: Beach House's 'Devotion', it's not my favorite album ever, but it's one I never got tired of.

Are you living your dream?
Tiffany: Yes and no. I would not say I’m not living my dream to the fullest yet. There’s a lot I’d like to do, and it’s more of a matter giving each dream time to grow, doing a bit of everything in the meantime.
Syd: I readjusted my dream so much that I'm not sure what it was before or if it even existed. So I guess not but I'm working towards a part of it.

Thanx Syd & Tiffany!

Myyths recently released [what is sure to be] one of the best releases of 2014, check it...

EIC's 10Q's w/ Yöri

"..amongst the silence..something magical would happen.."

Yöri

Trip Hop's Orphic Eulogy

Yöri Bio:

Yöri is an electronic musician from Kópavogur, Iceland. With no greater beauty, no greater purity first martyr in war for the new reality..

Hello, how are you?

I'm great! Feeling very fluffy as a matter of fact and I'm about to go ice skating.

What are you currently listening to?

Beyonce, as usual.

What or whom inspired you the most when you began writing music? Did you have a specific sound/genre in-mind that you wanted to tackle?

Nature has always inspired me the most. The most natural way I can make music visual for me was to compare it to elements in nature. Sound is pretty abstract and sometimes hard to explain it and talk about it, unless you compare it to something visual that everyone knows. Like comparing arpeggios to lighting bolts, choruses to viruses, etc.

Care to shed some light on your latest release; theme, favorite track(s), etc?

The theme is to stare into the abyss and have it stare back at you. It's a very personal record. I had so many songs inside me and the only way to get them out was to put myself in extremely dangeorus, vulnerable positions. So I fell in love but I couldn't help it. And that brought out a very sensitive and emotional side in me which I think comes through in the record. Ocean shifting, continent moving passion. It's about relfecting on your past and starting over. Letting go of what's gone very gracefully and moving on. The album is just one flavour, just me, here, now.

Do you plan on doing any national touring for said release?

No but I am going to start playing live soon!

Got any other projects we should know about?

Not yet but I'm working on my live set! I knew that this release would be directly what I'm about, and it's very hard to start from complete scratch with not tradition as to what you're doing. Although there were some pioneers who were trying to look at the landscape of their country and try to change what they saw and what they felt into audio, to try and translate it. And to find that voice is very challenging, it's almost like you have to invent your own roots. And that's what I'm still working on, creating my own roots.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?

Space Jam

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

Mariah Carey's 'Daydream'

Are you living your dream?

I dream more while I'm awake.

Thanx Yöri!

Yöri is too "under-the-radar" if you ask me, let's change that..spread the word.

Check into (x2) Myyths and Feast Of Violet..

&

+ this:

The above (gorgeous) video of polar-organic Goth/Drag euphoria comes from 1/2 Fvnerals, under the pseudonym Myyths. Their debut album comes out January 13th via the duo's own label Eerie Echoes. Feast Of Violet is Experimental Dub-Gaze as imagined by (one man act) Allen Taylor out of Atlanta, GA. His music (which there's a lot of and is all free!) kind of reminds me of A Sunny Day In Glasgow.. (Which speaking of ASDIG, have you heard their latest single? The new album is "complete" from what I hear, they're just trying to figure out how they want to release it;)

Check into (x2) ḅoƞeṣiƒt and sink \ sink..

&

Although (only slightly) on the opposite ends of the euphonious spectrum, I find both ḅoƞeṣiƒt and sink \ sink create quite the alliance when it comes to scoring the impending season(s). ḅoƞeṣiƒt immediately reminds me (almost exactly) of HTRK and/or Puce Moment. There are also moments of early Projekt sounds there as well. sink \ sink sound like a Lo-Fi Bedroom Pop version of Sigur Ros as produced by someone from the Kranky alumni. You're not even reading this are you? You're too into the music..(I don't blame ya;)

REVIEW: Mayerling - Cut Up

8.75 out of 10

Find it here.

'Cut Up' is Mayerling's debut release, it.. hold on, wait.. this is only their debut?? Whoa. I feel a new obsession developing between my headphones. They assemble (almost) incomparable Dark music I crave? Check. On one of the hottest labels (should be anyways) right now? Check. From France (yeah, I've got a soft spot for all things Parisian/of French origins OK?)? Check. Possibly the best debut release of the year? Che..

Starting with a modulated sounding bell, followed shortly by a French accent speaking in native tongue. Small/quite synths begin to build. The gorgeous drones are becoming more condensed and engulfing, + more synths (of the Spacey variety).. Beautiful drone please don't end, please? Vocals come in, gawd these vocals remind me of someone (I'm not sure who yet, but someone), these vocals are so fu**ing killer (could be an acquired taste, but I think they're nigh perfect). Slowly but surely this relaxing Ambient loop intro that you never want to end evolves into a mopy Pop masterpiece that surprises you with each new layer. This is the general tone for most tracks on 'Cut Up'. If you can dig Dark Pop meets some form of weird Alt-Post-Psych Rock music you will most likely become obsessed with this release just like me. At least listen to THIS, if that's not for you I  give up (on you).

..ck. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (One of 2013's best./for fans of the Dark arts; it's a must;)

Standout Tracks: ALL. but ESPECIALLY: Salomon's Ring and La Mort N'en Saura Rien (∞∞∞∞)

EIC's 10Q's w/ Mayerling

"..the gorgeous drones are becoming more condensed and engulfing.."

Mayerling

Dismal Euphoria

Mayerling Bio:

The Mayerling project has been dozing in the shade for several years. It's creator just needed time to keep his musical roots (originally more codified) away. Now, that's done... Sylvain, has been playing music for more than 20 years as a drummer/singer and songwriter in bands like Second Rate, Generic, Napoleon Solo, Robespierre... and he now lets himself drift away in order to explore new sonic territories. It's been a long way to bring this fragile balance to life, and even if the original idea is to walk alone, the road is often paved with various encounters. The need to share Sylvain's universe led him to share the project with his friend Boris, guitar player and song writer for Gingko, Austin Newcomers and Robespierre. Their collaboration worked out from the start and gives the compositions a more structured definition. On the other side, Sylvain has acquired a wide freedom in expermenting through his musical past in Generic and stage performances with Jean-François Pauvros. Meeting Sebastien Lemporte also appeared as natural and oblivious. They developped their drums/cello duet as another essential side of Mayerling where all sonic drifts are welcome. Various influences such as Mort Garson, Klaus Schulze, Can, Trans-Am, Robert Rich, Peter Murphy, Marteau Rouge, Pauvros or more recently Apparat, Amen Dunes, Peter Broderick and Marcus Fischer have a branded Sylvain's musical orientation. Mayerling evolves in a minimalistic reverbarated cottony universe in wich storm is always theatening...Mayerling makes the listeners look deep into themselves so that they can see what is around them better.

 

 Hello, how are you?

I'm quite good, thank you!

What are you currently listening to?

I listen to a lot of different things, like old soundtracks such as 'Midnight Cowboy' (John Barry), 'Amarcord' (Nino Rita), 'Phantom Of The Paradise' (Paul Williams.) These albums all have their own universe which take me away from this world every time I listen to them.

When did this project come about and did you have a planned sound you were going for?

This project started about two years ago. It took time to find the right balance before thinking about recording anything. I had planned the main ideas of the project, both musically and visually, but I didn't know how it would exactly sound in the end. I couldn't have predicted that. There was a lot of things to take into account. The music really took shape after my friend Boris joined me. He's an outstanding musician who personally got very involved in "Cut Up" so that it could sound really good. Also, the main idea was to be able to play everything live, apart from a few samples. The tracks can sound different every time we play them, depending on how we feel.

Care to shed some light on your debut LP 'Cut Up'; theme, favorite track, etc?

First, you have to know that Mayerling is a multi-shape project, the original shape is a solo version close to Ambient music that was only recorded twice. I play solo during experimental/art performance nights, and I really enjoy it. This is during one of these nights that I met my friend Sébastien Lemporte, cello player and feedback master, who is featured on the last track of the record. On the other hand, I also play with Boris in a more written version of Mayerling. I didn't feel like choosing between one or the other because boths forms are inseparable, that's why they are featured on the same record. The themes are various and also close to each other in a way, there's always some nostalgia, some past prints, lost things and souvenirs involved. That's weird, because I don't feel like I'm a nostalgic person, I always move on, this might be my biggest paradox. The track "Cut Up" is a real cut-up, we recorded it improvising with Sébastien during two days for more than four hours in order to keep the core of it, these 16 minutes that close the album. I really like the whole album.

Will you be touring extensively for said release?

We hope we can tour as much as possible, dates are slowly getting booked. We just needed a record before booking gigs and to allow us to reach more people. Now we have it, thanks to Morgan and Onito for trusting us.

If you could pick 3 artists (dead or alive) to remix your work whom would you pick?

 I don't know much about the whole remixing thing, but I love everything Apparat makes, David Lynch's "Good Day Today" remixed by Boys Noize is killer! My pop side would also mention the amazing Sufjan Stevens.

Got any other projects we should know about?

Yes, I've got something in mind. It's been in my mind for several months, but the idea has yet to develop before I can really talk about it.

What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?

A few of them: Serie Noire (Alain Corneau), La Source (Ingmar Bergman), Zabriskie Point (Antonioni) Eraserhead (David Lynch), Elephant (Gus van Sant) Nausicaa (Miasaky)....

You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

That's too difficult to choose one! OK, maybe a Trans Am album, but I don't know which one since I love them all.

Are you living your dream?

I'm trying...

Thanx Sylvain!

Mayerling currently has a few shows lined up (unfortuanetly none of them in the US), one day soon I hope to witness this act live...

REVIEW: Puce Moment - s/t

9 out of 10

Find it here. 

Thanks to Puce Moment (for introducing themselves to me) I now have a new Dark-Aggro Electronic obsession. Of course how could I not when they (PM) sound like a direct cross-hybrid of HTRK, Android Lust, & Cocteau Twins?

Those names alone should be more than enough reason to skip the rest of this review and just go out and buy this record. But, ..if you want a lil' more.. Underneath/swimming & floating on Puce Moment's debut LP lay dark/intense layers of brooding Electronic-Drones, heavily-distorted guitar sounds, just enough minimal Industrial-esque beats, and heavenly-faint vocals with the ability to lull and stun you at the same time. The overall vibe is "psychedelic-mechanical" I think... A lot of the tracks on this release actually sound different compared to each other, but the flow of this record is flawless and smooth, especially if you're in the mood to just space out and relax a little bit. I also could imagine if you played this album late enough at night you may get creeped out a bit, so it's got that going for it as well....

I trust you like dark sounds right? Trust me when I say this album is absolutely crucial to your collection. HIGHLY (one of 2013's best) RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: ALL. Fenstergang, (Drive), Legacy, Swinging Renaldo, L'ombre, Slw Dwn, Video Dada

New Perturbator..

..speaking of new music..!:

 ..& this too!!:

Perturbator is on FIRE this year..(#Muchlovethisband.). New Chelsea Wolfe + new David Lynch? Ok! I'll take it;] Check out some other new releases here.

How did I miss this DenMother release..?

DenMother is consistently better with every new release she puts out. 'Insides Out' (my new favorite DM) is a lush-futuristic voyage through a deep ominous abyss. Not sure how this album slipped past me, but I'm glad we've become acquainted;]

REVIEW: Castratii - Eora

9 out of 10

Find it here.

More people need to know about this project. More people need to be talking about how important 'Eora' is to the Gothic/Witch House community. More bands need to sound as amazing as Castratii. Perfect Dark music like this only comes along ever-so often.

'Eora' is a supposed biography/documentary of Castratii's local terrain-environment. An album, perhaps more understood, if you're familiar with the area..? No matter, you will still feel quite an emotional attachment to these songs as they bleed heart and knowledge to the nth degree. (To me) Castratii's "Dreamy Gothic" sounds can be compared to Cocteau Twins meets Beach House as produced by Salem. I think more often than not this Sydney duo will be lumped into the Witch House genre (which is ok), but there are strong touches/layers of Shoegaze, 80's Goth Pop, and a few other Ambient Spacey delights. Each track just a beautiful as the next.. (you can tell these guys are perfectionists)

..do NOT pass this band up/highly recommended to anyone with a weak heart for all things shiny morose.

Standout Tracks: (I know, I always say this but they're all soo f-ng good) Limits, Descent, The Hanging (yumm), Low Profile

Check into Pretty Heart..

 

Hello #Morgan, It's nice to meet you. In my opinion there isn't one bad track on 'Half Asleep' (all standouts, especially "O Heart!"). Had C. Wolfe ever dabbled in Witch House more it may have come close to sounding something like this, and I just wanted to thank you for sharing/conducting the atmospheres you've created here. You have given my ears exactly what they need right now, and I hope there's much more to come.. ~New Fan

Check into Vindicatrix..

..more here..

 

..& here..

..+ hear too;]..

EXACTLY what I am looking for right now. Scott Walker through the eyes and ears of Coil perhaps?

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 30 - Ʌ

"It is always by way of pain one arrives at pleasure."  ~Marquis de Sade

Next release comes out November 25th.

EICV7" No. 30 - Ʌ ..coming soon!

EverythingIsChemical Virtual 7" No. 30 - Ʌ comes out November 11th!

  "The principle of the Gothic architecture is infinity made imaginable."  ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

(hopefully you checked out the last v7"?)

Speaking of new.. have you heard the latest Piano Magic?

Piano Magic - You Don't Need Me To Tell You

The Above track is from PM's latest album "Life Has Not Finished With Me Yet" which is out now via the bands site HERE. You really can never go wrong with Piano Magic in-case you're wondering..;]

REVIEW: Ʌ - Patriot Hills

8.75 out of 10

Find it here.

If you blinked you probably missed out, for about 24hrs, maybe less (maybe more, I can't remember), Tundra Dubs had this EP for the "low-low fee" of Name Your Own Price (my favorite). Even if you did miss this golden opportunity I would still recommend you fork over the $1 and get it anyways. Ʌ has quite an impressive resume, he's been pretty prolific since he first sprouted onto the web. A handful of EPs, LPs, singles, compilations, soundtrack work, video installations, etc, there really is a lot out there. It's kind of hard to tell you exactly where to start.. that is, until 'Patriot Hills' came out. Ʌ's personal best offering thus far (in my opinion) and quite possibly Tundra's as well (close anyways).

Most people tend to lump Ʌ in with the Witch House/Drag genre, which may be true for some of his sounds. But, I also believe him to be a bit of a "genre bouncer" as well. Xavier Valentine (Ʌ) reminds me of David Tibet with a flair for modern sounding "Dark-tronic Soundscapes" that unfold into a Gothic fairytale. Most Of Xavier's sounds are very moody, definitely dark and somewhat morose. Gothic Industrial may be a better way to describe his sound, but more "Club-Friendly" ..kind of (mostly melancholy though ..kind of), ..his music is all over the board (mostly always dark). On 'Patriot Hills' Ʌ cleans up his act, tightens his sound, and puts together one of the best Dark Electronic albums I've heard all year. If Ʌ gives us a full length album that would mirror/be this EP's companion, we would probably be listening to the best album of the year.

Get it. Stop punishing yourself (by ignoring it). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Standout Tracks: Sara's Opal Mill (ALL), Insults (ALL), Let Them Go (swoon♥♥--ALL), Wurlitzer (soo perfect--ALL)

EIC'S10Q'S w/ S.C.U.M.

"..it's about self indulging in your darkest moods and exploring every direction they can possibly take you.."

S.C.U.M.
Gloom Pop

S.C.U.M. Bio
S.C.U.M’s debut album, Again Into Eyes is a triumphant arrival. This is a debut which has filtering through the collective unconscious long before its completion, and it already it feels burned into the cortex. Again Into Eyes reels from carnival-esque toughness to a second side that comes close to despair before mainlined redemption in the form of ‘Whitechapel’, a utopian, future-disco monolith, washed in otherworldly Mellotron and Choirs, it’s perhaps the biggest surprise on the record.

Then again, it has been the band’s capacity for reflexive cartwheels – an instinctive disregard and perhaps a faint disgust with what’s expected of them – that has defined their strange and captivating evolution.

When Thomas Cohen (vocal) and Bradley Baker (machines) met in 2008 and called themselves the Society for Cutting Up Men, they demonstrated a deft, offhanded affinity for self-annihilation. This act of effacement found expression with the addition of Melissa Rigby (drums), Huw Webb (bass) and Samuel Kilcoyne (Moog), who whipped their undisciplined, amp-blowing sound into a bass-driven electronic No Wave, engulfed live by acid-test smoke and lights. That, however, was less an incarnation of the group than an isotope, destined to decay and reform itself.

As the front room of their Shoreditch rehearsal space (where Situationist scrawls, lyrics and song ideas were once painted white on black walls) became a gallery, the pub next door was glossed into the 21st Century and luxury destinations for the tasteless sprung-up opposite, the band moved-out to Surrey Quays. As the musical landscape around them seemed to atomize, becoming increasingly light on heroic bands and heavy on Teflon memes, the five-piece consolidated. They learned how to play their instruments, got snapped-up as the first signing of a newly re-independent Mute and set about writing their debut album. ‘If you were to listen to our releases up to this point, they form a complete document of how we’ve developed,’ Bradley Baker reflects.

He’s not wrong. Predating the release single ‘Amber Hands’, the first from Again Into Eyes, was their debut on Loog: the instantly sold-out ‘Visions Arise’, a memory of a more detuned and spectral phase produced by Tom Furse. Also in the back-catalogue: the unique Signal series. ‘The beautiful thing about how that came about was that it was completely by accident,’ says Kilcoyne (brain behind the revolutionary Underage Festival before joining the band). ‘It just happened when we were away,’ adds Webb, ‘We booked some gigs in Poland and we had a day off so we went into a studio and we made this noise. Tom played drums, everything switched round.’

Springing out of the Petri dish that was ‘Warsaw’, the band continued their journey around Europe, adding the dreamscape ‘Berlin’, the piano-led ‘Paris’, and the soon-to-come ‘Athens’ Signal. The tracks show in increments the creative engine of the band finding a maturity and confidence. Drawn out on tour by the intense affection for the band in overlooked pockets of the continent, S.C.U.M were inspired to act as conduits for their surrounds, transplanting them almost unconsciously onto MP3. It’s a path that lies well outside that taken by most groups, just as their purpose and their aesthetic are diametrically opposed to those of schoolboy schlock-rock bands with nothing to say.

Once back in the UK, the band hit pre-production boot camp with legendary drummer and producer Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Teenage Jesus, Sonic Youth, Grinderman). Kilcoyne is readily appreciative of how formative the experience was: ‘We learned both from listening to other records and from being in a studio. Working with Jim, he really went “There’s no need for you to have that extra bar” and “Maybe if you just shut up for that bit and then came in here…” That blew our fucking minds, like ‘Oh, that’s how music works!’

Then followed the writing and recording of the debut album. In ‘the middle of nowhere’, as they put it, they paired-up with producers Ken and Jolyon Thomas (whose credits individually and together include Sigur Ros, M83, David Bowie, Psychic TV). The five’s listening habits in psychedelia, space-rock, avant-garde and ambient soundtracks collide to form a pop trip that neatly balances the innovative with what is rapturously danceable.

With the record set for release in September 2011, the band have been busy honing their skills live, asked on European and UK tours by The Kills and cutting a precocious figure on bills alongside top-draw label mates like Liars, Erasure and The Residents. On stage, the band have never stopped short of devastating audiences. Relying less than before on overwhelming visuals and more upon the weight of their sound, wrapped around frontman Thomas Cohen. With a style suggestive of a Nietzchian Madonna, Cohen is a tall, sardonic-faced art-house shaman contorting himself, finger-fucking the space around him or – at their church shows – blessing crowds with Holy Water.

While his lyrics trade in stacked abstracts and deal with transcendence, escapism and a submission to forces beyond his control, Cohen remains decidedly tied to reality in person, even in the midst of a grueling tour schedule: ‘Touring with The Kills has been really amazing and also takes away from the mysticism of being a band and playing venues like the Roundhouse. There’s so many stories about that place and so many gigs that we’ve seen there, since it’s been reopened, that have been seminal, but then you get there and you get as much space as you would in a pub. I think it’s definitely good at normalizing that experience. However, naivety is what’s created the songs and I think that’s what makes them good. It’s probably quite obvious that I didn’t have a concept of any sort of melody, I saw myself as having a part to play but I didn’t see that in any musical sense at all.’

However modern their sound might be, they are in this manner a very traditional band. Each member makes their own contribution; their trajectory shaped democratically by the different skills of each individual. Rigby in particular, dragged from the clutches of drum school, has helped reign in the chaos generated by Baker and Kilcoyne’s sound-beds and synth lines. The urge for experimentation though is still very much alive – the band count contemporary artists Matthew Stone, Tim Noble and Sue Webster as frequent collaborators – only this time they want it understood properly. With a record that feels like a ten track modern classic, they are set to expand massively upon their base of cult fans this year.

Hello, how are you?
Hello, really well thank you! We are just enjoying a few days off after playing a couple of shows in Portugal. We are also getting ready for two shows in Russia in a fortnights time.

What are you currently listening to?
I’m currently having a slight break from extensive listening. We are going to demo new ideas in the near future and I always like to go into these situations with a clarity to develop my own and my bands ideas.

What, if anything, is S.C.U.M an acronym for?
S.C.U.M is an acronym for the Society for Cutting Up Men. We never really spent too much time looking into names, and it was something that I just thought of early in the project, and then delved into it at a later date. The history is pretty interesting and I thoroughly advise looking into it.

When did you guys begin writing for this project? Did you know what kind of sound you were going for?
In terms of 'Again Into Eyes', we went into the studio with around 60% of the record written in one way or another. All of these ideas were then developed further and updated in terms of sound and structure. The remaining tracks were more spontaneous and came to surface through experimental sessions from the band, using a range of techniques. The sounds created in this process were then implemented into the other tracks to create a lush landscape around the structure of the songs.

Is there a theme on your debut full length?
The theme behind the record was to create a vast landscape of sound. The idea of this was to conjure a visual representation of the music and personal imagery of the listener. I think this was captured well through the experimental soundscapes and sometimes vague lyrical content.

Do you have a favorite track on said album and why?
Track 7 is my personal favorite. The song came from my initial riff, which Huw then put in key, and then we developed the idea on piano until we had a simple structure with which we could further with different instruments. After the double bass and drums were recorded, we set about manipulating sounds to fit around the song. This was a personal highlight of mine during the time spent in the studio.

Got any side projects/collabs coming up?
Not personally but my bandmates enjoy collaborating with other musical artists. As a band we have been spending time remixing bands other tracks such as Spector, Cloud Control, and Big Pink

You can only keep/listen to one album for the rest of your life ..Which album would it be?
'Another Green World'. I always divide this track into two sides in terms of pop and ambient. One thing that interests me about Brian Eno is his interpretation of pop music. I really like his vocals on these tracks, I find the way he uses his voice fascinating. His Ambient music is one of my favorite forms of music. I adore the timelessness of them and the way they can remove you from your surroundings, physically and mentally.

Are you living your dream?
My dreams have been a bit weird recently, so I hope not.

Thanx Chris & Bradley!

S.C.U.M. just released the latest single off of their stunning debut 'Again Into Eyes' called 'Faith Unfolds', go get that and every other single/album they've put out because this band deserves your full attention NOW..

REVIEW: S.C.U.M. - Again Into Eyes

8 out 0f 10

Find it here.

The debut album by S.C.U.M. is exactly everything you (should be) looking for when it comes to Dark/Moapy (semi-electronic) "Rock sounds". "Rock" may not be the best terminology to use when it comes to describing S.C.U.M.'s sound, so how's about this; (and I'm sure they've heard these comparisons somewhere before--sorry) mix Interpol with The Horrors, there you have it:) I know, I know, I'm really behind on reviewing this one, it's been out for a while. In-fact, it already made it's way onto my year-end list, but I couldn't sleep right knowing I hadn't said just a little bit more about it..

'Again Into Eyes' starts off with a distant "chimey/Xmas like" bell/synth slowly fading into Thomas Cohen's "signature vocals (super reminiscent to previous mentioned bands/maybe a modern day Ian Curtis?--I like his vocals A LOT actually) followed shortly by some "psychedelic-esque" bass lines, humming synthesizers/piano chords, and reverby/washed out guitar riffs. Before you know an entire "epic stadium-sized" Rock Anthem has evolved before your ears. Don't start throwing your fist in the air quite yet, the band is just getting started, "Cast Into Seasons" is a modern day Gothic masterpiece, the mood is grim the tone is bleak. What's this? S.C.U.M. like to experiment with their sound a little bit? It's not just about looking good on stage and being monotonous? S.C.U.M. are/seem to be about self indulging in your darkest moods and exploring every direction they can possibly take you.. Or maybe, it's whatever it makes you feel.. 'Again Into Eyes' has it's fair share of both the light and dark, all very easy to follow/swallow assuming you're in a "Rockier" mood. Me, being the person I am, I tend to grasp onto the darker parts of this release. Either way though, give 'em a go (especially if you like "Gloom Pop")..

I absolutely adore this project. This is everything I wanted Interpol to be but weren't "dark or experimental" enough to pull off. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (#53/100 2011)

Standout Tracks: Cast Into Seasons, Sentinal Bloom (such a great build up), Paris (perfectionner)

EIC'S10Q'S w/Tropic Of Cancer

"..mopy Slowcore melodies with Gothic/Dream Poppy vignettes and Minimalist New Wave sounds.."





Tropic Of Cancer

Hyperborean Manufactured Despair



Tropic Of Cancer Bio:

Sorry, I couldn't find a proper biography, here's what Boomkat had to say: Blackest Ever Black made an indelible mark on 2010 with a couplet of stunning releases from Raime. This year they open their leathery wings to shelter Tropic Of Cancer aka Camella Lobo and Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) for a midnight mission away from their spiritual home, Regis' Downwards sect. No doubt, this is their strongest material to date: three passionately gothic odes to the romance of misery. There are clear, strong references to the gothic digital minimalism of Martin Hannet's work on Joy Division, and maybe more apt allusions to the skinny Post Punk of Savage Republic, and Faith/Pornography/Seventeen Seconds era The Cure, but unlike many contemporary guardians of this sound, TOC's misanthropy is articulated with exquisite production values closer to those of Grouper or Broadcast, making their introversion that much more tangible and heart-breakingly glorious. Of these three songs, 'Dive (Wheel Of The Law)' is the most affecting; Lobo's lamenting vocals sigh for your sins while a malnourished drum machine paces echoic alley space like a Kafka character tortuously trapped in his misanthropy, plangent guitars precipitate a cold grey drizzle. This is severely dank, uncompromising material, and therein lies its beauty. If you're on that wavelength, this will probably be one of the most precious 12"s you'll encounter this year.





Hello, how are you?

Hello. We're fine. How are you?

..I'm great thanks for asking:)



What are you currently listening to?

C: I finally got the Grouper double LP "A/A - Alien Observer/Dream Loss" that came out a few months ago. It's just stunning. I've listened to it several times in a row today. Liz Harris' sound always puts me in such a veiled and suspended kind of mood.



When you began this project did you have a particular sound in mind that you were going for?

C: No, there was never a conversation where we sat down and said, "We should play music that sounds like this." Everything we've managed to create has been borne from a natural and intuitive process. Our sound is just what comes out when we work together. Nothing is ever premeditated.



Who are/were the biggest musical influences for ToC?

C: Trish Keenan of Broadcast for me and probably Martin Hannett for Juan.



I love all the EP's you've put out, is there a full length in the making?

C: We have plans to release an LP in the spring of 2012 and have an EP coming out in the meantime on Mannequin.



Will you be touring the country for said release?

C: We'd like to plan a small European tour at some point but a lot has to be set in motion before then.



Any side projects we should know about?

C: Juan is one part of Sandwell District and DJs and makes electronic music as Silent Servant. I'm currently working on a project with Motion Sickness Of Time Travel that we'll most likely release on vinyl or cassette in the next few months.



If Tropic of Cancer was a soundtrack, what film/TV series would it work best with?

C: I suppose I would say anything touched by David Lynch. I embrace the whole tumblr child Twin Peaks revival happening these days. When my mom and dad saw us play one of our first live shows in '07, they said our music sounded like it could be the score for Twin Peaks. I've always stuck to that because it was probably one of the greatest compliments I've ever received.



You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?

C: Erik Satie "Gymnopedie 1-3 / Gnossienne 1-6"

J: The Smiths "Meat Is Murder"



Are you living your dream?

C: Every day is a different one.



Thanx Camella & Juan!



Tropic Of Cancer are currently working on their full length debut, look for that sometime next year, until then be sure to check the band's older material (because you'll regret it of you don't)...

REVIEW: Tropic Of Cancer - The Sorrow Of Two Blooms

9 out of 10

Find it here.

Tropic Of Cancer have a bold/unique ear talent for blending mopy Slowcore melodies with Gothic/Dream Poppy vignettes and Minimalist New Wave sounds. Thus far the band have only released a few singles/EPs, the best one being (so far anyways) this one. Take the dank atmospheres/general pace, feel & tone of Belong polish the hell out of it, add a bit more "Gothic Pop flare/Factory Records sound" to the mix and that's sort of what you get from Tropic Of Cancer, sort of.



"The Sorrow Of Two Birds" is a very clean & crisp album. The supporting sounds & beats are very simple and well maintained. There are no conflicting "white noises" or unneeded filler noise, just two people with a little bit of reverb, a drum pad, a keyboard, a bass guitar, and extremely docile/non nonchalant vocals. I Consider "The Sorrow Of Two Birds" to be the beginning of this band's (very fruitful/meaningful) career. If their follow up (hopefully LP) is only half as good as this one they will still have achieved a sound that most bands only dream about (as well as more ear addictions for me to drool over). "How do I pull off simple and clean while remaining interesting/imperative and carrying some sort of an 'edge'?" This sounds easy enough, but not that many people can pull it off. This EP,which is truly one of the best gifts you can place between your headphones this year, pulled off that concept (and then some) with ease.



STRONGLY (very strongly actually) RECOMMENDED/we need more music like this.



Standout Tracks: Well, it's a shorter "EP", so I would say all, but if I had to pick my absolute favorite; A Color