Ólöf Arnalds – Innundir Skinni

Having her solo debut Við og við named Record of the Year in her home country of Iceland, it would be easy for Ólöf Arnalds to sit on her laurels with its follow up Innundir Skinni . However nothing could be further from the truth.

If anything the classically trained violinist and singer steps out of her comfort zone for this record, deciding to delve into using the English language for three tracks. And as well as the traditional folk influences that were found on her debut, we find more contemporary and even Celtic influences scattered all over Innundir Skinni. Produced again by Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Ros, the record has a wonderful consistency throughout and Arnalds gives the impression of a musician who is completely comfortable with what she is doing.

The opening track Vinur Minn finds Arnalds alone reciting what seems to be an old fashioned Icelandic nursery rhyme before it transforms into some kind of cool seventies soundtrack with baby noises in the background. It really should not work but for some reason it does and immediately Arnalds has the listener intrigued in what is coming next.

The first of the three songs in English comes in the form of Crazy Car, a precautionary tale, warning a fellow Icelandic musician about the pitfalls of seeking fame in the US with Arnalds seeming completely at ease switching from her native tongue.

The stand out track on the album has to be Surrender which features backing vocals from fellow Icelander Bjork. With a wonderful fragility throughout the song, one could think a vocal powerhouse like Bjork may be the only voice you pay attention to, but her backing vocals are just that and the two voices interweave perfectly.

The only gripe with what is at times a mesmerizing swirl of a record comes with the slightly sombre tracks Vinkonur and Madrid which seem to bring the listener back down to earth when staying lost in the whimsical beauty may have been a better option. This said Innundir Skinni is a stunning, unique record from a very accomplished artist and will hopefully bring Arnalds to a much larger audience.

Drop-d Rating: 9/10

Interview: The American Dollar

Hailing out of Brooklyn, New York, The American Dollar was formed by school friends John Emanuele and Richard Cupolo in 2005 to as they say themselves “play the kind of music that we wanted to hear”. The bands captivating blend of cinematic post-rock( if I can call it that) has won them a large amount of critical acclaim and a loyal following stateside. I recently caught up with drummer and keyboard player John, to find out a little more on all things American Dollar.

D: Hi John, thanks for taking the time to do this, you and Rich met in school could you tell us about how The American Dollar came about?

John: Yeah, we met in high school and played in a few different bands through high school and college and we began American Dollar in August 2005, when we were taking a chance making a side project from our other project at the time. Upon our first track that we made being licensed by MTV Battlegrounds, we decided to go forward with making our first full length album.

D: And what about the origins of the bands name?

John: We just thought it fitted the band pretty well, it can be seen as provocative and the phrase has many meanings in different contexts, yet it’s internationally understood and relative especially with what’s happening politically and economically.

D: How would you describe your sound and what are some of your influences?

John: We sometimes describe it as cinematic music, it has characteristics of experimental, indie, post-rock and electronic mixed within it. Our biggest influences have been The Album Leaf, Telefon Tel Aviv, Explosions in the Sky and Pink Floyd to name a few.

D: Do you feel there is huge progression from your debut record to your latest one?

John: From our first album we’d say there is a noticeable increase in the complexity as well as increases in fidelity that have come along with equipment upgrades from album to album.

D: What is the recording process like when you make an album?

John: We record all of our tracks on the fly, they are not written in advance of recording.

D:And what is the most difficult part of transferring this when you play live?

John: Initially the challenge was figuring out how to get all of our live samples to play our keyboard parts, figuring out how to get everything sync’d correctly and be able to hear it properly. Figuring out that part of the equation ended up taking about 2-3 years, so we only began performing live in August of 2008.

D: Since then you’ve toured quite a bit any highlights spring to mind?

John: We once played a show on the roof of the Old American Can Factory in Brooklyn for the Rooftop Films festival. Our friends who came to the show said they could hear our music from several blocks away, mostly due to the three rows of PA speakers that were amplifying our equipment into the night. As we played, people from the tops of the other apartment buildings around us watching were applauding.

D: That’s pretty cool, would love to see you guys play over here, are there plans to tour outside of the States any time soon?

John: Always hoping to tour outside of America, but still no concrete plans.

D: Some critics have said your music would be the perfect compliment for dark, dramatic films about depression, drug use, death, or horror, would you agree with this??

John: Our music definitely has been used in that context in CSI:Miami and many other placements we’ve had in different media. We appreciate and cherish that people think this!

D: So what’s your idea of a perfect soundtrack?

John: I think a perfect soundtrack comes about if it stands on its own beauty and completely fits the dramatic, comedic, or horrific elements of the media it is written for and then goes a step further and impresses you beyond your expectations. Personally, most of my favourite soundtracks are from when I was a child where the music usually appeals to me on some sort of subconscious or emotional level.

D: What bands are you listening to at the moment?

John: Lately we’ve been listening to a lot of different music but two of my favourites at the moment are Baths and Boards of Canada.

D: And John, just before you go, what’s on the horizon for the band in the near future?

John: More recording and just taking on whatever opportunities present themselves. I just want to mention that we have all The American Dollar back catalogue on a name your price download at theamericandollar.bandcamp.com.

D: Cheers John, thanks again for your time.

Interview: Sean Carey (Bon Iver, solo)

While the transition from drummer to front man may not always run so smooth for some, Phil Collins and Ringo Starr spring to mind, Bon Iver percussionist Sean Carey has stepped out from behind the riser to release All We Grow, a hauntingly, beautiful debut solo album two years in the making. The album is the result of a young lifetime spent immersed in music. At the age of ten Sean learned to play the drums and developed a deep love of jazz percussion which led to him graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a performance degree in classical percussion.

Sean has been a band member of Bon Iver from the very beginning and while many are familiar with the cabin mythology of Bon Iver, the story behind Sean joining the band is equally kismet. After hearing through mutual friends that Justin Vernon was looking to put together a band, Sean spent two weeks in his bedroom listening to For Emma, Forever Ago on Myspace, dissecting and learning the drum and vocal parts so well that Justin invited him to join the band on the spot. All We Grow came about during infrequent Bon Iver tour breaks at home where Sean would patiently record these pieces, adding layers each time. Two years later, the parts converged to make the album. I recently spoke to Sean to find out more.

D: Really like the new album, could you tell us a little bit about the inspiration and influences behind it?

SEAN: I’m inspired by a lot of things: nature, love, friends, seeing other bands perform, listening to profound records, discovering artists that expose their insides. I’m influenced by simple, beautiful music, jazz, film scores, drummers. I think there are some really inspirational artists around at the minute like Halloween. Alaska., Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Land of Talk, Menomen,. The National, White Hinterland too name a few.

D: Some of the songs on the record are quite lush and others are sparser, but they all sound complete. How do you know when a song is finished and doesn’t need anything more added to it?

SEAN: That’s probably why it took such a long time! Eventually you just get to a point when you’re… I guess I just had to make a cut-off time. Last October is when we finished the tracking and started doing the mixing, but another friend of mine who does sound for Bon Iver was helping us finish up with recording, and he kind-of made a deadline. I just stopped adding stuff.

D: Does that mean there were things you wanted to add still?

SEAN: Not really, I’m pretty content. I like the balance of everything. Sometimes I knew before, like Move, that one was finished a while ago. Broken, that one came together really quickly and stuck around for the whole ride. It’s tempting though to add more when you have really good musicians.”

D: You have just finished touring with The Tallest Man on Earth, was that your first solo tour? How did it go? Was it strange being the front man?

SEAN: Yeah, it was definitely different being the front man, but I’m getting more used to it. It’s really exciting to play for a room full of people that probably don’t know your music, it can be scary too, but you can feed off the energy of virgin ears, and when people are surprised by how much they like you, it can be flattering and exciting. The audiences became more and more responsive and supportive as the tour went on. It was definitely an amazing way to start touring.”

D: What has been your most memorable show so far?

SEAN: Probably the 9:30 club in Washington D.C. or the Fillmore in San Francisco. The crowds really responded to the songs and the acoustics in both places are fantastic.

D: You have played in Ireland with Bon Iver, any plans to return here as a solo artist?

SEAN: Yes, we are hoping to get over there next spring. The Galway gig last year was amazing and it’s always really fun to play in a truly music-loving country.

D: Can you tell me a bit about how you joined Bon Iver?

SEAN: Basically I learned all of the songs that were on myspace and approached Justin at his first show and told him I knew all the drum parts and a lot of the singing too. This blew him away, and we sang through a few songs before the show and realized our voices went really well together. Homework paid off!

D: And finally, any advice for young bands starting out?

SEAN: Pave your own path, go after a unique sound.

New Wave of French Horror

In the last ten years while Hollywood has relied on the same old horror cliches, a new wave of French horror film has been pushing the boundaries and providing the viewer with terrifying, gritty and original ideas.

Check out my blog New Wave of French Horror which reviews some of the best to come out of this new wave.