And so it begins. Every year, we listen to mp3’s of every band scheduled to appear at SXSW. We then present you with an A to Z preview of the bands that we think should earn your attention. Whether you’re coming down to SXSW (recommended!) or just looking for new music, there’s no better time of year. There’s a variety of music here, so buckle up for some different sounds. We’ll be previewing two letters per day, which’ll take us right up to SXSW Music Week. Then we’ll give you our picks for the “Ten bands you must see at SXSW!”. This is part 5 of 13!

The band: Imaad Wasif
Where are they from: Los Angeles
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/imaadw

The band: Intimate Stranger
Where are they from: Santiago, Chile
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/theintimatestranger

The band: Japanther
Where are they from:
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/japanther

The band: Joe Pug
Where are they from: Chicago, IL
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/thejoepug

The band: Jon Kennedy
Where are they from: England
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jonkennedy

The band: Jonneine Zapata
Where are they from: California
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/jonneinezapata

The band: Junius
Where are they from: Boston
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/junius

Previously: The A’s and B’s
The C’s and D’s
The E’s and F’s
The G’s and H’s

Our weekly recap of the best songs that entered our iPod’s this week!

Bolywool- Keep Me Like a Daydream

Satellite Crush- Paris To London

The Deer Tracks- Yes This Is My Broken Shield

Doveman- Angel’s Share

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Why aren’t we living in Sweden? While the prospect of great bands coming from there is hardly new, it would seem that 2010 will be the year of the Swedish invasion once again. Mono Stereo aim to be on board for the voyage and will certainly find their way into your heart. Shimmering guitars, throbbing bass lines and vocals that manage to rise above the beauty to add an atmosphere of dreamy bliss. While they rightfully acknowledge their Ride and My Bloody Valentine influences, we hear Postcard and Loop references that set them apart from the crowd. Legendary producer Kramer (Galaxie 500 among others) is set to produce their debut record. In the meantime, the group took time out to answer a few questions about impending fame.

We start you off with the brilliant, “A Matter Of Confusion”

TDOA: To start, why don’t you tell us a bit about how the band formed?

MS: The band started in the summer of 2006, but we knew each other a long time before then. Then it was Geggan, Jakub, Kjell and a guy called Jonas on bass. Jonas left the band in early 2007, and then Gunnar joined on bass. Kjell and Gunnar had previously played in a band together. Jonas is still very much involved with the band though, sometimes joining us on live shows.

TDOA: You firmly embraced the shoegaze tag that some bands try to deny ever hearing of. What bands influenced you?

MS: First of all we like 80’s and 90’s bands like Ride, My Bloody Valentine, Stone Roses, Spacemen 3, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Oasis, and also a lot of 60’s bands as Byrds, Rolling Stones and many psychedelic bands from that era.

TDOA: What do you say to those that think the shoegaze revival has been overdone?

MS: We don’t really care if people think it’s overdone or not. We have a genuine love for that type of music and think it’s timeless. To us the fact that more and more bands playing this music appear is only positive. R ‘n B – that’s overdone!

TDOA: You’re the 3rd or 4th Swedish band we’ve interviewed in the past month and each group sounds different than the rest. Certainly Sweden has had a great music scene for a while, but is it growing again or are we just catching on over here?

MS: We haven’t really noticed the scene here growing, but of course there are a few bands from here that we really like, bands like the Early Days and Dinah Wants Religion. Maybe it’s easier for us than bands from other non English speaking countries since our English is generally good and we are all exposed to British and American culture from an early age.

TDOA: You’re recording your first album with the legendary producer Kramer. What’s the story behind that brilliant development?

MS: We became friends with him on MySpace and he immediately wrote back to us saying he would love to work with us if we wanted to. The initial idea was for him to mix and master our second EP, but when he got a copy of our first one he changed his mind and said he really wanted to produce a full length album instead. We are very excited! We will start recording with him in early February.

TDOA: How did you come to make the Orange Is Green video? Who directed it and did you enjoy the process? We hear so many bands complain about the prospect of having to make videos, so we’d like to hear your feelings.

MS: It was our first bass player Jonas who made that video actually. He had some ideas about making it in black and white and use photos as a way of telling a story. We shot it on the very coldest day of last year, but besides that it was an enjoyable experience for us. It’s great working with someone you trust and know very well.

TDOA: For the guitar geeks who read our site, can you tell us about your setup? Guitars, amps, pedals?

MS: To be honest we don’t have great knowledge when it comes to equipment. We usually don’t know what people are talking about when they try to start a conversation with us about technical stuff. The gear we use though are Gretch and Epiphone Hollow Body’s with Fender and Music Man amps. The pedals we usually use are different types of delay and fuzz. The bass is a 65 Höfner President, also Hollow Body. The Hollow Body’s tend to produce a powerful and resonating feedback which is important to us.

TDOA: Do you have most of the material for your new record already written or will you do some in the studio?

MS: All the songs for the album are already written and we are very pleased with all of them.

TDOA: To what extent would you let a producer like Kramer “change” your songs, whether it’s changing the arrangement, adding instruments, etc.?

MS: We have been been working very hard on getting the songs exactly like we want them, but we are also open to suggestions from him. After all, it’s supposed to be a collaboration between us and Kramer.

TDOA: What plans does the band have for 2010 once the album is finished?

MS: We will be releasing a 7¨ single on the American label mpls ltd. in the spring. The album will hopefully be released in the beginning of summer, and besides that we will hopefully be playing a lot of shows all over Europe. A trip to the US later this year is also being planned. And remember 2010 is mono time!

TDOA: We heard you played a couple of shows in London at the end of last year to support your debut EP – how did they go ?

MS: We had three shows and we especially loved playing at Proud Galleries in Camden. Great venue and great atmosphere. We played with a band from New York City called Violens who were great guys and they invited us to play in the US with them.

mono stereo’s debut EP Space Out is available online and they still have some limited edition physical copies left. You can get in touch with them through their website, from where you can follow links to other communities. You can also join their mailing list. You’ll get a free four track live EP if you do!

You thought we were done, didn’t you? Well, the promos and emails have been flying in at an ever increasing rate since our post this morning and this is a compilation of the stuff that’s grabbed us. To view a schedule for the bands we’ve previewed click on the link below:
2009 CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival: The Dumbing of America’s schedule.

Grand Analog- Ok, I need you to open you mind because this isn’t your normal TDOA fare. Please know that Land of the Loops, Chemical Brothers and Autechre occasionally make their way onto our turntable. This Canadian (?!) group reminds us of a sexier, funkier Tricky. And that’s a good thing….

Home Video- Interviewed by us, here. Somehow we missed them the first time around, but don’t you make the same mistake.

Ume- We gave them props after their SXSW performance and this is certainly another chance for you to see one of the best Texas bands around. Blissnoise at its’ best.

Still Life Still- Canadian group that sounds like Pavement crossed with The Smiths. And now that we’ve set your expectations unreasonably high….

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You know that feeling when you stumble upon a great song? The thrill of discovering a great, new band? That internal battle of wanting to keep is as your own private secret versus shouting it from the tallest building? Well, we’re taking the express elevator to the top floor to tell you about Apteka. Hailing from Chicago, they made a huge splash at SXSW in 2009. With a heady mix of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the epiphanal rush of shoegaze, with the intensity of Jane’s Addiction they’re truly the great band that’s flown under your radar too long. They released a “tour EP” to coincide with their appearance at SXSW and subsequent tour that would end up on most critics top ten lists if there was any justice.
Without any mega-buck videos for us to show, we’re going to stream some songs here and throw a live video at the end for your viewing. Close your eyes and just imagine this sound washing over you while standing in your town’s mega-arena.

The Sheet

TDOA: You’re sound has been compared to the “shoegaze” movement that’s started to gain momentum again. Do you like the comparisons and what music do you think influenced you the most?

Apteka: We’re all really into some of the early shoegaze bands like MBV or Ride, but we’ve always been a bit surprised by the comparisons. We’re definitely not opposed to the shoegaze label or anything, and
it’s great to see all this exciting guitar music reemerging under the shoegaze banner, but I guess it’s hard to see it in our own music. The ethic is definitely there. We write songs to envelop and blanket you with sound; to create some sort of sensory overload or take you someplace else, whether that’s through our use of volume or guitar textures or whatever. So I guess in some ways, the end results may be similar. But to be honest, we all grew up rock kids, so as much as we love Slowdive, we’re probably more influenced by Led Zeppelin.

TDOA: The sound on your ep is tremendous. Please tell us about the recording process for the band; where you recorded, who produced it, etc.?

Apteka: Thanks, we actually recorded everything ourselves in our noisy little practice space, which can be a total madhouse. If you listen close you can hear all sorts of ambient noise from metal bands down the hall, or a stray vocal traveling through the vents, or just someone slamming a door. But, all the little mistakes and imperfections really ended up adding something to the recordings. especially because they were recorded digitally. The imperfections seemed to give it an analog quality.
None of us has ever really worked in a studio, so the process of getting things sounding right was done mostly by trial and error and trusting our ears. By recording it ourselves we could compensate with time, what we didn’t have in gear or experience. We could spend hours or even days working on guitar tones, or the drum mix, or changing the arrangement a bit. Not having an engineer or producer really forced us to improvise and experiment with the ways we record and write, which at times was really frustrating, but in the end opened a lot of doors musically. That being said, it would be a lot of fun to spend some serious time in a proper studio and see what we would come up with.

TDOA: When we hear bands with such a dense sound, we’re always intrigued about the songwriting process. Does one member of the band generally write parts that the rest of the band build on or do you find most of the music comes out of rehearsal “jams?

Apteka: It really varies from song to song, but for the most part our best stuff happens pretty spontaneously. I’m not really sure where it all comes from, but someone will play a riff or a drumbeat or whatever and everyone will just lock in. We’ll look at each other and just know. These are my favorite moments, when everything is happening in real time, and the four of us are in sync. A song like “Traitors”
for instance came together that way. I just started playing this riff and within minutes the song was pretty much all mapped out.

TDOA: What do you think are the overall themes of the band lyrically?

Apteka: I’m not sure if there is an overall theme to the lyrics, but most of the songs deal with pretty standard themes, you know, love, loss, excess, fights in the dark. Often the actual lyrics are left intentionally vague. I don’t want to imprint the songs with a specific message or meaning
that hits you heavy over the head, but rather to leave things a bit more ambiguous so they can evolve or adapt to the situation or listener.

TDOA: It sounds like you got some good press from your appearance at SXSW this year. Tell us about the experience of playing their. What were the crowds like and did you get a chance to see any bands that you
really enjoyed?

Apteka: SXSW was amazing. we played 5 shows in three days. It was hot, chaotic, and a lot fun. We played in all sorts of venues from a biker bar to a little taqueria. We were so busy that we didn’t have much of a chance to check out that many bands, but it was a great experience. We can’t wait to get back.

She Is Riots

TODA: Most of the press you’ve gotten discusses the injustice of your failure to be signed. Are you just waiting for the right offer or is this another case of even the indie labels having their heads buried
in the sand?

Apteka: Yeah, we’re working on that now. More than anything we’re looking for a supportive label that’s a good fit for the band. It’s not like we’re holding out for some insane deal with a crazy advance or the promise of a castle in the English countryside or anything.

TDOA: I remember a time when the Chicago music scene was pretty vibrant with labels like Drag City and the Chicago Reader covering local bands. How would you describe the scene now and the level of support
from local media?

Apteka: Chicago is pretty much the same as far as I can tell. It’s taken some hits recently with the closing of Touch and Go and some of the print media has gone under or has radically changed, but with the rise of
Pitchfork and other online media, it’s kind of reasserted itself as the center of the indie universe. Chicago has always had this really strong indie identity, to a fault at times. Not being New York or LA, it’s developed a sort of outsider complex, and I think that’s why so many great indie labels started here. It’s still a great place to start a band. the rents are reasonable, there’s a lot of great places to play, and a lot of great bands making exciting music.

TDOA: The only videos of the band are youtube performances and you don’t post pictures of yourselves anywhere. Do you think the visual emphasis people put on musicians is over-rated and takes away from the
purpose of being in a band?

Apteka: I’m not sure that was really our intention or that conscious of a decision. We’re not photo averse or anything. We just happened to find this designer when we first started playing shows whose posters
we really liked, and whose work seemed to represent our music visually in a way that band photos just can’t. His name is Dylan McConnell and we love him.

TDOA: You released your first EP in April. Any plans to record a full-length?

Apteka: Until we get the whole label situation figured out, we’re just planning on pressing limited edition 7in’s. We would love to make a full length and all, but at the moment, it just makes more sense for us to put out singles on a regular basis, than to disappear into a full length.

It’s a Wilderness…

TDOA: What’s the next step for the band? Will we see you outside of the midwest and at SXSW in 2010?

Apteka: Yeah, hopefully we’ll get out of the midwest for some of the winter hate. We went out to the west coast in June to play a couple shows with Band of Skulls, and had a great time and are looking forward to
playing there again sometime soon. We’re definitely planning on heading back to Austin for SXSW. In the meantime, we’re about to demo out a bunch of new tunes, and see where they go.

For more information about Apteka, visit their MySpace page here.  To purchase their ep, go here.

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Every couple of weeks, we like to share some of our favorite new releases. This week, we’re taking advantage of our relationship with iTunes to provide you with links to everything you see below. Buy an album or just buy the song. As always, we steer clear of the obvious selections of your favorite (payola-driven) bloggers and try and pick some things you haven’t heard before.

The Fauns- Cool Stuff

Care Bears On Fire- Everybody Else

And So I Watch You From Afar- Don’t Waste Time Doing Things You Hate

Asobi Seksu- Transparence

The Brownies- Fight Night

Sic Alps- L. Mansion

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Not since The La’s imploded, have we heard such a perfect pop explosion as Britain’s The Bishops.  Shimmering guitars and pitch perfect vocals that melt in your mouth.  Twins Mike and Pete Bishop provide the vocals and guitars/bass that’ll have you hunting down your Knack records, while drummer Mike McConville gives it the necessary punch.  Their newest album “For Now” is sugar-pop cereal that we’ll happily lap up with a little splash of milk.  The boys destined to top your pop charts sat down for a few moments to tell us how to get The Bishops.

While the band have quite a few videos, they don’t have one for our favorite song, Wandering By.  So please indulge us by listening to this gem, before diving in…

TDOA: ‘Wandering By’ stuck us because of the many great references it evokes.  We hear Morrissey, the La’s and a host of influences.  Tell us about the music you listened to that you think influences your music.

Peter: There is definitely a lot of British influences in what we do such as the early Sixties beat scene, British garage, punk and more current indie references. The La’s is a good example of a band who were very influenced by the past in a way which was very original and fresh, something that would later become Britpop. I Love the guitar riff of ‘There She Goes’ and the pop perfection of its 2minutes 30 capsule, which is pure magic. I think in simple terms we really like great melodies and a really orthodox approach to writing and making music in a way that great pop/rock does.

TDOA: We watched the interview on Japanese television with a mixture of amusement and awe.  What led you to this appearance and what can you tell us about your popularity in Japan?

Peter: The video was from a TV programme we did in Yokohama. We maybe seemed a bit lost and dazed because we had only just arrived in Japan and were instantly whisked away. I remember getting changed on the train and feeling completely knackered but really excited. When we were doing the interview I think we maybe seemed a bit lost, and look like we don’t know what was going on which was definitely the case!! It certainly looks like a possible contender for ‘Lost in Translation 2’ haha! We have been to Japan once and have released 2 albums there. Certainly from our experience there I would say we have a good fanbase, very enthusiastic and fanatical!

The Bishops on DNA TV in Japan

TDOA: Our site gets a third of its hits from China.  When we saw your Japanese appearance it started a conversation about the impact of Western rock on the Eastern Hemisphere.  Do you think there’s an untapped market in this area

Peter: I think that with a growing affluence and an increasing influence of Western culture a territory like China will look towards bands, culture trends in the West in a similar way that Japan does. China is obviously a huge place and hopefully this would also mean a growth of Chinese bands coming to the UK and US also.  There is definitely a lot of potential there for such a market and u can also see that its happened in the arts already.

TDOA: Obviously people in that part of the world are open minded enough to listen to music from all over the world, yet we don’t see the same happening in the West.  Did you see great bands when you were in Japan and why do you think people in this part of the world are reticent to explore the rock music being made in that part of the world?

Peter: There are some great bands in Japan and one band that we have seen and played with in the UK is called The Suzan. They have some great songs and have a great live show. It is a shame that in the US and UK bands from Japan and other territories struggle and one of the main reasons is that we both have such saturated markets and its so competitive. Maybe also they are put off by the language difference also, which shouldn’t be a reason but I think comes into play.

TDOA: The band has done quite a few videos!  MTV in America rarely shows videos.  Is England a better forum for videos and if not, can you discuss the thinking behind making videos as a promotional tool?

Peter: I think the showing/frequency of music videos on TV has become less but I think the growing presence of You Tube has encouraged bands to promote themselves as much as possible using such formats. We have done quite a few videos now and I think it is a good reference point for people to see and watch the band. I know that I really enjoy checking out bands and music online.

TDOA: The styles of your videos vary greatly.  Do you have a favorite video of yours and can you tell about the storyboarding of that video?

Peter: I really like the Breakaway video, I think the producers planned it really well and they presented the band really well. I think they used our twin image well and the monochrome appearance of the band. I think it really syncs well with the music which is difficult to achieve. We are currently working on a new video for our new single ‘Hold On’ and at the moment we are working with a ‘domino effect’ that I think will look really effective.

TDOA: The vocal melodies on your songs are such a integral part of your music.  Since you’re twins, the assumption is going to be that this is effortless.  Do your songs tend to start with a single vocal melody, with the addition of the harmonizing coming later, followed by guitars or what exactly is the process for a typical Bishops song?

Peter: The vocal harmonies are definitely a trademark of the band sound, and this does have a big part to play with the development of a song idea. We write a lot of music together from scratch and usually the vocals come in at an early stage. Generally speaking the vocals are effortless and easy to achieve but sometimes also we have to take a bit of time to craft certain parts. Its always a great source of argument over who is doing it wrong! The ideas are then brought to the rehearsal space where we run through the ideas with Chris on the drums and then it really starts to happens.

TDOA: Tell us about working with Brian O’Shaughnessy and how he influenced the sound of the new record, please.

Peter: Brian was great to work with, he brought some strong production ideas and experience regards some new instruments and sounds we were curious to try out. I think the vision of the album ultimately came from us but Brian guided us through and helped us to achieve this. He brought a lot of strong guitar ideas and extra things such as synth parts that chracterised the production of the final song written idea.

TDOA: What’s next on the agenda for the band?  Plans to come to America and play festivals, perhaps?

Peter: We would love to come to America to play but so far the opportunity has evaded us. We have released an EP back in 2007 in Seattle on a small indie label which was great and we were due to play at SXSW but the label/band could not make the trip in the end. This was a shame as there was a nice build up starting to happen, we even had a mention in USA Today amongst a strong list of upcoming bands. I think our plan now will be to approach a state and see what we can stir up. New York would probably be the most ideal place at this stage. We have done a lot of touring in Europe and wanted to build on these territories and I think we all feel that very soon we will try and establish something in the States!

To learn more about The Bishops, visit their website: http://thebishopsband.com/

You can purchase their new album, “For Now” via Amazon

Hyperbole (pronounced hye-PER-bə-lee, from ancient Greek “ὑπερβολή”, meaning excess or exaggeration) is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is rarely meant to be taken literally.

Genius (pronounced jeen-yuhs) refers to a person, a body of work, or a singular achievement of surpassing excellence. More than just originality, creativity, or intelligence, genius is associated with achievement of insight which has transformational power.

Occasionally, we’ve been accused of being a wee bit hyperbolic.  But never before have we called a bands’ first album, a work of genius.  In this case hyperbole is necessary to describe the strong feelings we felt upon hearing Heat-Ray.  Hailing for Calgary, Alberta, Canada, their debut album Loveallover was released in July on Pop Echo Records.  From the first second of ‘Come Closer’ to the last gasp of shredding feedback from ‘Vampire Blues Pt. 2′, this is a record that makes you swoon and sweat without allowing you a moment to catch your breath.  Not since Loveless or Laika, have male and female vocals meshed in such a way that you were left, yearning for more.  Not since Swervedriver has an album seemed so demented, yet perfectly poppy within the same song.

This is pure manic genius and we intend for you to take this literally.

Heat-Ray: Come Closer

TDOA: Your band bio references that your group is made up of the pieces of a number of other great bands.  Tell the novices among us about your old groups and how you came to be together in Heat-Ray.

Aaron: Sheila and I are old high school friends and had played in Lotus Galaxy (www.myspace.com/lotusgalaxy). We were a very ethereal and lush sounding and were once called a 4AD farm team band which was very fitting. After we ended, I moved on to Hot Little Rocket (www.myspace.com/hotlittlerocket), an indie rock group. With all our touring we had be-friended an Edmonton band call The Floor (www.myspace.com/thefloorband) and ended up playing quite a few shows with them. Matt was their singer and whenever we met he and I would always talk about our love for guitars, pedals and shoegaze music. When Matt decided to move to Calgary, Sheila and I jumped at the chance to start a new project with him. We recruited Jon and Joel to finish the heat-ray line up.  Both played in a popular Calgary band called Shiver (before myspace).

TDOA: When people leave one band to join another they generally take one of two clearly defined directions.  They either veer as far away from their old sound as possible or they take their favorite elements of the old band and incorporate them with their new band.  Which direction best describes how each of you have approached Heat-Ray?

Aaron: Heat-ray definitely started with a mission statement to play a musical style that was different than our previous projects. The intention was to try writing, playing and creating sounds that we’ve never been fully able to do before due to constraints in our other bands. That being said, I think we’ve amalgamated the best elements of our old bands into what we’re doing now as you really only end up sounding like yourself at the end of the day.

TDOA: Reviews of the band liken you to a who’s-who of our favorite bands; My Bloody Valentine, Catherine Wheel, Ride, Swervedriver, Dinosaur Jr., etc..  Can you talk about the impact these bands had on your music?

Aaron: When I first heard Dinosaur Jr., Swervedriver, Ride and My Bloody Valentine, I remember feeling almost sick from a concussion…like my whole world and how I heard music had been smashed in. I couldn’t comprehend it but was simultaneously enticed by the violence and beauty that I heard. It was like everything that I listened to before didn’t matter anymore. Heat-ray has really been about trying to communicate that initial gut feeling I got from listening to these bands.

Oooh Yeah

TDOA: Some bands eschew comparisons to other bands for fear of being pigeon-holed.  Do you agree or do you think it’s a logical “welcome mat” for potential fans?

Aaron: I’ve never had a problem with being compared to or comparing myself with bands that I like. I find it an easy way to communicate what I’m trying to do and a validation that someone else has understood what I was aiming to accomplish. Right now a working title for one of our songs is Sonic-Harvey which really speaks for itself what it turning out to sound like. When I hear of a new band, I always ask who do they sound like and get frustrated when I hear just rock or pop. etc. No band is 100% original and it’s the resulting variance of failing to emulate others perfectly that makes music evolve.

TDOA: The first time I heard My Bloody Valentine or Laika, one of the things that endeared me to them was their use of male and female vocals in a way that didn’t endlessly repeat itself on every record.  With Laika, the division of vocal duties was a source of conflict which eventually led to the demise of the band.  During the songwriting process, how do you make the decisions on who’s going to sing on each song?  When you perform live or as you sat down to determine which songs to put on the record, how do you resolve the “let’s use the song I sing on” dilemma?

Aaron: Matt and Sheila have fought it out every step of the way regarding who sings what and how to sing it. But it’s goes beyond them as we’re a very conflictual band with little patience and big egos. Compromise is really tough with us but we do try to make sure that everyone has a say in the writing and performing. That might be the problem with having played in so many previous bands as we all think we know the best and only way to do things. So far no one has taken their ball and gone home yet. I hope we don’t end up like Laika too soon as I we’ve just gotten started and think we still have a lot good potential to write some good songs. I’m a really big fan of how great Matt and Sheila’s vocals sound together.

TDOA: The production on the album doesn’t sound like a small indie band from Canada.  One of the things that jumps out at me is how each song “sounds” different.  Tell us about the recording of the album, who produced it and how you make a sonically dense record on a small budget.

Aaron: The recording was done by Calgary producer, Arran Fisher. We actually were aiming for a raw, live off the floor sound and did so by recording the bed tracks live in our rehearsal studio (which is a sound proofed double garage). The resulting big sound probably came from the many guitar overdubs we had done after the beds were done and Sheila’s wanting for a “high fi” vocal production. Each song is very different probably due to the unique vision we had for every track during the writing process. For example “Oooh Yeah” is our attempt at writing a Misfits style song while “Take it Down” is really an effort to emulate a classic Creation label sound.

TDOA: Is “If Love is the Drug” intended to reference the Roxy Music song?  If so, can you tell us how you came to be a fan of Roxy Music?

Aaron: Total coincidence. I don’t think any of us like Roxy Music. Brian Ferry looks cool in a suit though. I think we’re not convinced that Love IS the Drug while Roxy Music is quite clear on the matter.

If Love Is The Drug

TDOA: Your artwork makes it clear that there’s a couple of guitar pedals going on there.  Can you indulge the guitar geeks in the crowd and tell us about your setup?

Aaron: Matt and I very much have a revolving door in terms of the pedals we buy and use, so I can’t even remember which ones were on the album. Right now, Matt’s a big fan of Coloursound pedals and really sticks to only one when we play live. However, he has a Fuzzface and Interstellar Overdriver, plus an old Fender fuzz-wah that he pulls out once in a while. Currently I’m having fun with the Death by Audio Fuzz War with a Ibanez Tube King which I run through a Boss DM-2 and a MXR Carbon Copy. I also have a old 8TI fuzz wah that’s great to play with in the studio. Joel’s using a Devi Ever-Soda Meiser through an Electronix Submarine bass boost pedal which really sounds heavy and cool.

TDOA: I grew up in Detroit, so I’ve always been well aware of the many great Canadian indie bands. Can you talk about the support you get from Canadian crowds?  I’m not sure people in the U.S. realize how fervently Canadians support their own.

Aaron: It’s been a gradual build for in terms of establishing a good fan base. We started playing just at the tail end on the whole Canadian trend for indie bands to play with 10 people on stage with harps, accordions, banjos, and glockenspiels. So to come out swinging with fuzz-noise guitar and amps dialed to “11″ was met with some distain. However, we’ve been gradually winning people over and are really building quite a solid base. Canadians are really very loyal to their favorite bands but that can also be a drawback when your different from the sound of the day.

TDOA: What’s next for the band?  Will you tour the U.S. with this record?  Any plans to play festivals in the U.S. like SXSW?

Aaron: We’d love to play SXSW. It’s got to be the best music festival anywhere. I think we’d also like to try to head down the west coast as we have some good friends in Los Angeles. I’d really like try to play a bit in the U.K. as well as we recently made some friends with a good Scottish band called Keser following the Calgary music festival Sled Island. A recent idea kicking around is to maybe try to get into Electrical Audio in Chicago with Steve Albini as his pure analog approach might be a great way to capture our live sound.

For more information about Heat-Ray and to order their debut album, visit their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/heatray77

You can also check out more great bands by visiting their label at: http://popecho.com

One of the joys of running this site is the daily discovery of new bands.  As we’ve said before, this has been one of the most vibrant and exciting years for music in decades.  But this week we had the incredible pleasure to re-discover a band we’ve loved for years.

Nine Black Alps are a Manchester quartet that formed in late 2003 and were quickly snapped up by Island Records.  They spent a year touring and recording with acclaimed producer Rob Schnapf who had worked with Beck and Elliot Smith.  Their first album, ‘Everything Is’ was a sonic masterpiece.  I always loved the Sub-Pop grunge era and Nine Black Alps felt like the next logical step for the genre.  Not derivative, but a hint of the British punk energy that was far more entertaining than America’s attempt to turn grunge into arena rock (see Staind, Creed, etc.).

All that being said, the second album was a bit of a disappointment.  When Love/Hate came out it sounded less like the sophomore jinx and more like a major label trying to turn the band into something that it wasn’t.  Sure enough, the band left Island in early 2008.

2009 has brought us a new Nine Black Alps album that blows away the masterpiece that was their first album.  ‘Locked Out From The Inside” is the sound of a band unsatisfied with their lot in life and we all know that angst frequently brings out the best in a band.

Recently, we’ve interviewed so many bands that yearn to be on a major label.  Unintentionally, we’ve stumble upon a parable on the evils that can befall the greatest of bands.  This is a call to arms.  Once you read this interview and listen to their music, we’re hoping that you’ll immediately buy the new album.  Do it to fight back against the oppression of the major label.  Do it to show this band your support.  But mainly, do it to add a fantastic record to your collection.

Lead singer and guitarist, Sam Forrest surveys the damage and gives us the view of Nine Black Alps.

Vampire In The Sun- First single from new album: Locked Out From The Inside

Nine Black Alps- Vampire In The Sun

TDOA: The new sound feels like a return to the more raucous sounds of the first record.  What led the band down this path?  Tell us about the songwriting process on this record, please.

SF: I wanted to write songs that were less ‘crafted’ than on the previous album, more punky and instant and obnoxious.  I think after we got dropped by Island there was a feeling of wanting to tell everyone to fuck off and this probably came across in the attitude and feel of some of the songs.  The process was fairly similar to how we’ve worked before.  I’d usually sit at home and scratch out a couple of dozen rough song ideas and then we’d chip away at these songs in our practice room for a couple of months until we’d ended up with 11 songs that we were happy with.

TDOA: I’ve always felt that the band had a sound that was similar to the great Seattle/Sub-Pop bands of the 90’s.  Do you feel an affinity for those bands or am I mis-identifying your influences?

SF: You are probably right.  I was a teenager in the early nineties so it was part of my growing up to hear Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Nirvana and Hole.  I do miss the rebellion that those bands had in not playing up to the dumb-ass rock star roles…

TDOA: We’ve always heard horror stories about major labels dictating the sound and content of a record.  To what extent did Island get involved in the process of the second album?

SF: They basically chose the producer for us, which was not the producer that I had in mind.  So yes, it definitely dictated the sound of the second record to an extent.  Island weren’t so much involved in the process of  the second album, they left us to it with the producer.

TDOA: How do you feel about your experience with Island?  It seemed like they were fully behind you for “Everything Is”, but in the U.S. Love/Hate didn’t get as much of a push.  Are you better off going on without them?

SF: We are better off creatively without them as we recorded our best album last year with no interference and very little money in only two weeks.  Financially, we are not at all better off without the major record label as it’s really hard to tour without their funding and we are all broke now.

TDOA: To what extent have you gotten to choose your producers? I’d love to hear a discussion of the differences in working with Rob Schnapf v. Dave Sardy and Dave Eringa.  Were any more hands-on than others?

SF: We chose Rob for our first album because of his work with Elliott Smith and Beck, he was really fun to work with and let us follow our noses with ‘Everything Is’ and was fairly transparent in his role which I really liked.  It didn’t feel like his personality was all over the record.

For ‘Love/Hate’, Dave Sardy was chosen for us by the label.  He definitely got much more involved in the songwriting and the production side of things in terms of orchestration and dynamics, which was interesting.  Dave Eringa did our third, most recent, album.  We chose him because of his work with Idlewild.  He was great to work with in that he helped us record really fast and live, experiment with sounds much more and most importantly we had a really good time with him.

TDOA: NBA has played everything from small clubs to Glastonbury and other huge festivals.  What do you prefer?  The intimacy of the small club or the grandeur of the large venue?

SF: I’ll take the pay cheque from a large venue every time, but I think my favourite shows are usually the smaller club ones with friendly audiences.  I don’t think the venue matters half as much as the attitude of the people within it.

TDOA:  Any plans to come back to America and perhaps play SXSW again?

SF: (We) would love to, but I can barely afford to catch the bus to the supermarket at the moment, never mind fly to America.

TDOA: How do American audiences compare to those in England?

SF: They seem to smile more and have better teeth and sun tans. And ‘whoop’ a lot.  They also have more tattoos.

You can stream the new album at: http://nineblackalps.com

Download it via Itunes here: http://tinyurl.com/m6fsz4

Purchase your own shiny cd here: http://www.nineblackalps.com/preorder.php

We had intended on doing a weekly recap of great new music, but frankly last week was a little….meh. We’d rather wait until there is music worth tweeting about, rather than just regurgitating the promos that Stereogum was paid handsomely to write about (seriously? Muse? Can we assume a review of the new Daughtry can’t be far behind?). Oh wait, did we say we weren’t going to be mean-spirited and snarky anymore? That was so last week…..

Here’s the songs that tickled our fancy this week:

Lovvers- The new album “OCD Go Go Go Girls” from this Nottingham four-piece is chaotic and edgy. But the best of this genre are those that know how to write a carefully crafted melody. Listen closely and you’ll hear manic pop thrilling genius.

Four Count

Ten City Nation- Lulling you into a false sense of security with a quiet little intro….go ahead, turn it up, it won’t hurt you. This British group (do we listen to American bands anymore?!) reminds us of Ride and Swervedriver. Taking the concept of blisspop and using razor blades to cut it to pieces, this group makes a sound that would sound brilliant bouncing around Wembley, Lollapalooza and the world.

Flashing Lights

Zooey Van Goey- ….and because you think we only like loud music. Have we mentioned our undying love for Jenny Lewis? Frankly, we could listen to her sing the ABC’s and we’d be enchanted. There’s nothing like a good singer/songwriter and Zooey fits the bill. Why aren’t we programming music for Josh Schwartz? This would fit the bill on any number of your favorite shows.

Sweethearts In Disguise

Obfusc- Ambient brilliance from New York based photographer and graphic designer Joseph X. Burke. While it reminds us of Phillip Glass’ best work, it engages you in a way that Radiohead’s more atmospheric work does. Put this on and endless loop and you can drive from NYC to LA in one night.

Oceanic Glow (night mix)

The Big Pink- We’ve written about them before, but their new record is the next logical step to immortality. Expect this band to be on plenty of year-end top ten lists.

Dominos

Oh and as a bonus, here’s the Julian Plenti appearance on Jimmy Fallon last week. Epic. UPDATE: Apparently NBC (in their infinite wisdom) doesn’t want you to see this. Here’s our latest attempt to give you a working version of this.