"..tell me you didn't get goosebumps.."
Implodes
Gloomy Semblance
Implodes Bio:
There are some musical traditions - ancient ones - that are grounded in the natural soundscape; the everyday sounds of life arranged into patterns, attempts at mimicking the whoosh of wind, the howls of an animal, the crack of thunder, the thump and scrape of a rice mortar. We emerge into the world having been exposed to these sounds, along with the vicissitudes of our mothers' heartbeats, and we connect to them as we grow. To the extent that we can train ourselves to remove subjective notions about music, we can find musical potential in virtually every sound.
Some prehistoric ancestor slithered out of the ocean and its perceptions of reality were changed forever. Murky ribbons of light were replaced by the warm glow of the sun, rhythms dampened by seawater became sharp and brazen in the air. These sounds and images from eons ago stamped themselves indelibly into our consciousness and have remained there as we have evolved. The band Implodes has, on their previous albums, tapped into the deep psychic recesses where our sonic memories first took shape. They have played the part of the ancient ancestor, lying submerged in the shallows, waiting to make its gambit onto dry land and into a new world. With their new album, Recurring Dream, Implodes breathes fresh air. Melodies that were once distant echoes are now suffused with energy and clarity of purpose, submerged rhythms now walk in the light of day. Implodes does not, however, eschew its heritage. Heaviness abounds. The band has not abandoned the crushing pressure of the deep, dark places. But Recurring Dream breaches the thin membrane that contained its previous efforts and preys unmolested in its new environment. There has always been an organic component to Implodes' music, and not just because the band is comprised of humans. Its music is tied to those very earliest of our sonic traditions, to the sounds of Earth and space and deep water and simple machines. Recurring Dream is about waking up in the dark and witnessing the slow birth of consciousness, still tethered to fantasies and nightmares, and walking into the unknown.
Hello, how are you?
J: I'm fine, 'cause I know that the Lord is coming soon...
E: Hi, ready for Spring!
K: Sleepy, starting to get hungry...
M: Having a beer, so I'm good..
What are you currently listening to?
J: Krzysztof Penderecki's "Magnificat"
E: I've been enjoying Kevin Ayer's "The Confessions Of Dr. Dream And Other Stories," the self-titled Troller LP, Jesse Ware, and the beautiful album by Harold Budd & Cocteau Twins "The Moon And The Melodies."
K: "Tomorrow’s Achievements: Parry Music Library 1976-86", Streetwalker "Future Fusion", Ruth White "Flowers Of Evil"
M: Fielded 'Nineteen Thirty Thirty'
What specifically was "imploding" when you began this project?
J: Nothing for me. I don't think.
E: That might be a better question for the boys from the 'burgh. They started the band and I was asked to play after James moved to California. It seemed like Matt had a lot of ideas he was recording at home and he asked Ken and Justin to join him in making them expansive, lush compositions.
K: I think the band name we originally picked was in the process of implosion at the time.
M: Sobriety
Care to tell us a little bit about your latest release 'Recurring Dream'; theme(s), favorite track(s), etc.?
J: It just seemed very natural to follow the last record with these songs. I really enjoyed what Emily added in the process too.
E: This is, technically, the first album I contributed to start to finish. So, I relished the process of recording with Bill Skibbe and mixing with Jason Ward. I think the theme was, for me, apparent only after it was all put together. The name of the album was inspired by a Neil Young song that references a dream he often has and I thought that our songs are a continuation of a sound/vision that Implodes may collectively hear and see.
K: This record is more sonically complex than our first. There is a greater variety of textures and we spent a lot of time organizing them in the mix. It feels cinematic to me.
M: I think 'Black Earth' was much more internal and claustrophobic. The recording was more or less finished before we played our first show. 'Recurring Dream' is more external and it breathes much more. most of the songs were fleshed out playing live.
Will you be touring pretty extensively for said release?
J: Would be nice. Probably not though.
E: We plan on touring some, I don't know about "extensively." I would love to have that opportunity.
K: As much as we are able to. I would love to do a European tour.
What's your favorite Kranky release of all time?
J: That's tough. There's so much that I don't know, but I really like Cloudland Canyon's 'Lie In Light' - it feels like church... in a good way. And my dance rock obsession makes it impossible to forget Out Huds' 'Let Us Never Speak Of It Again'.
E: I was a Godspeed! fan in high school but didn't look in to the label at the time. Later I was reacquainted with the label when I was working at a record store in New Orleans and I stumbled upon Labradford's 'E Luxo' So. Over time, I have revisited the Stars Of The Lid and Growing albums and, ultimately, really was drawn to the Grouper albums. So, if I had to choose, it would be a new one, 'The Man Who Died On His Boat.'
K: Stars Of The Lid "Avec Laudenum"
M: Stars Of The Lid 'Tired Sounds…'
Got any other projects we should know about?
J: Always making different music with different friends. I try to play a lot.
E: I am in a band from Chicago called Mayor Daley. It's a three piece Pseudo-Prog outfit that allows me to stretch out and be a little busier on bass. I like to record solo at home, as well, which are mostly guitar compositions with effected vocals.
K: I have a solo record coming out on Kranky later this year. I also have a project with Alex Barnett called “Runawei”
M: I play off and on with Papa M. Justin plays in a band called El Major.
What movie would work best on mute while listening to your music?
J: The Black Hole
E: Alien, The Shining or The Thing would all do just fine.
K: The Brood
M: 2001..
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
J: That's easy - '1999'. Seriously.
E: Pretending this is not an impossible question, my answer would be ONE cassette with The Cure's 'Faith' on the A side and Bob Dylan's 'Desire' on the flip.
K: Robert Ashley 'Private Parts'
M: Neil Young 'Decade' is that cheating?
Are you living your dream?
J: I'll tell you when I wake up.
E: Sometimes it feels like a dream.
K: I try to keep things pretty dreamy.
M: Still playing, so yeah
J: Would be nice. Probably not though.
E: We plan on touring some, I don't know about "extensively." I would love to have that opportunity.
K: As much as we are able to. I would love to do a European tour.
What's your favorite Kranky release of all time?
J: That's tough. There's so much that I don't know, but I really like Cloudland Canyon's 'Lie In Light' - it feels like church... in a good way. And my dance rock obsession makes it impossible to forget Out Huds' 'Let Us Never Speak Of It Again'.
E: I was a Godspeed! fan in high school but didn't look in to the label at the time. Later I was reacquainted with the label when I was working at a record store in New Orleans and I stumbled upon Labradford's 'E Luxo' So. Over time, I have revisited the Stars Of The Lid and Growing albums and, ultimately, really was drawn to the Grouper albums. So, if I had to choose, it would be a new one, 'The Man Who Died On His Boat.'
K: Stars Of The Lid "Avec Laudenum"
M: Stars Of The Lid 'Tired Sounds…'
Got any other projects we should know about?
J: Always making different music with different friends. I try to play a lot.
E: I am in a band from Chicago called Mayor Daley. It's a three piece Pseudo-Prog outfit that allows me to stretch out and be a little busier on bass. I like to record solo at home, as well, which are mostly guitar compositions with effected vocals.
K: I have a solo record coming out on Kranky later this year. I also have a project with Alex Barnett called “Runawei”
M: I play off and on with Papa M. Justin plays in a band called El Major.
What movie would work best on mute while listening to your music?
J: The Black Hole
E: Alien, The Shining or The Thing would all do just fine.
K: The Brood
M: 2001..
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
J: That's easy - '1999'. Seriously.
E: Pretending this is not an impossible question, my answer would be ONE cassette with The Cure's 'Faith' on the A side and Bob Dylan's 'Desire' on the flip.
K: Robert Ashley 'Private Parts'
M: Neil Young 'Decade' is that cheating?
Are you living your dream?
J: I'll tell you when I wake up.
E: Sometimes it feels like a dream.
K: I try to keep things pretty dreamy.
M: Still playing, so yeah
Thanx Brian & Implodes!
Implodes just released 'Recurring Dream' (in my opinion their best album yet!), do yourself a favor and get that NOW.
