Interviews
Kindest Lines
Interview by: Ellie Sleeper
Covered in Dust, the debut LP from
Louisiana’s Kindest Lines (recently reviewed by WTSH's Ellie Sleeper - read it HERE), opens suitably with a beat that sounds a lot like
like an industrial rendition of The Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’. Brian Wilson cited
that song by the legendary New York girl group as the greatest pop recording
ever, and many refer to it as the perfect example of Phil Spector’s “wall of
sound” production. Those artists established many of the templates for how
modern music is made, but what still stands out is the sense of that music
having been simply dreamed-up. With organic washes of layered melodic guitars
and lush songcraft, this New Orleans-based trio is definitely doing some
dreaming of their own. Kindest Lines are blazing a unique path into an
enchanting realm of darkened electronic indie pop that is at once welcoming and
foreboding.
Lead
singer Brittany Terry expertly navigates the listener through these terrains
with a voice that’s never so cold as to sound detached, and yet never saccharine.
Her sultry earnestness effortlessly compliments songwriter’s Jack Champagne and
Justin Blaire Vial’s moody, punchy compositions while her diary-like lyrics and
unassuming delivery invite the listener into her charmed universe. Keep reading to learn more about this very talented up and coming band.
How and when was the band
formed?
Justin: Me and Jack
started playing together in late 2009 I think. We had grown up
together in a small town just south of New Orleans, and had lost contact
for a couple of years. I had moved home from San Francisco to deal
with some health problems, and Jack’s previous band the Public had just broken
up. We kind of started playing together again by
accident. After a really long time of dealing with flakey musicians,
I eventually broke down and bought a keyboard off of Ebay (I had only been a
drummer previously). I ran into Jack shortly after, and he agreed to
help me learn how to play it. Anyway, instead of teaching me how to
play, we just started writing a bunch of songs. I had heard about
Brittany through a friend, and after stalking her for a while, I approached her
about working with us. We’ve been at it ever since.
Can you tell us what the
band has been working on and what you've got coming in the near future (new
releases, tour, etc.)?
Jack: We’re just currently working on new
Kindest Lines stuff, and also trying to get a few side projects
finished. We realized we had a lot of material in the works that didn’t
really fit with the vibe of Kindest Lines. Though I feel that
Kindest Lines fits a lot of open territory, some of the stuff we were
separately working on was just a little too out in left
field. Justin is working on a dark atmospheric thing called Pretty
Bleak, and I’m working on more of a post-punk/apocalyptic folk project that you
should be hearing soon.
Do you consider your music
to be part of the current shoegaze/dream pop scene, or any scene? Defining
one's sound by genre can be tiresome, but do you feel that the band identifies
closely with any genre? How do you feel about genres in music, in a general
sense?
Justin: I think every artist fears being labeled, but
we’re definitely influenced by shoegaze and dreampop. We’re probably
equally influenced by everything from film soundtracks, to 60’s psych, old
school goth, Phil Spector girl groups, 70’s punk, Italian horror movies, and
countless other things.
Jack: When one of us begins to
write what will later become a finished song, the other band members tend to
take it in their own direction, which is usually a far different place from
where we started.
Britt: Our separate styles of sound seem to
create something familiar, but strangely unheard of. Genres are just another
way of generalizing ideas so people can understand. I say ignore them
altogether. Like the weather forecast - incorrect most of the time.
What do you think of modern
shoegaze/dream pop/psychedelia artists, any favorites?
Jack: I’m not really familiar with
any. I like to stick to what I already listen to, and I don’t want
to take influence from what’s going on currently.
Justin: I’m constantly looking for
new stuff. Even though they’ve both been around forever, I still
really love Dead Meadow and the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Some newer
bands that I like are Wild Nothing, Screen Vinyl Image, A Place to Bury Strangers,
the Soft Moon, and Sleep Over. But I’m still mostly into 60’s
stuff. I think one of my favorite records of all time is from this
band called Gandalf. It’s so dark, creepy, and
ghost-like. I’m also really into the 2 Electric Prunes albums that
David Axelrod produced, as well as Ennio Moriconne’s more freakout-psych type
scores. They’re all just really bizarre and beautiful.
What is the most important
piece of gear for your sound? Any particular guitars/pedals/amps that you
prefer?
Jack: I usually write everything on my
Rickenbacker 330, but always end up recording with my Jazzmaster for some
reason. I recently got an Eastwood Sidejack VI, which I’m using on a
couple of new songs. Other than that, my pedals change from day to
day. I have about 20 in my apartment, but depending on my mood the
pedal board will change from show to show. I guess my favorite thing
to do is to run a Small Clone chorus into my Roland JC 120, which thickens the
sound to a ridiculous extent.
Justin: The rest of our sound is all
synths and drum machines. We try to keep everything as analog as
possible. Brittany plays a Korg R3 virtual analog. I’ve got a
few more I use. My main synth is a DSI Prophet 08, and while it’s
not an exact replication of the vintage Prophet 5, it gets me really close to
vintage horror movie/John Carpenter sound I was always looking
for. Lately I’ve been also using an Arturia minibrute, which I use
in combination with an Oberheim SEM synth module. I control both
synths via control voltage coming from the minibrute, and then I run the
minibrute’s output through the filter of the Oberheim, which creates a really
strange, unique sound. I addition to that I use a Roland RS-09
string and organ synth on just about everything. It has a certain cold and
ghostly sound that works well for what we do. All of the drums are
done by layering one-hit vintage drum samples from an Elektron Octatrack,
with analog drums on an Elektron Analog Four, and effect loops from the
Octatrack and A4 are running to all instruments via effect sends on our mixer. I
haven’t played real drums in forever, but also have a vintage 70’s Ludwig in
massive sizes (26” bass, 15” rack, and 18 and 20” floor toms). I was
originally supposed to just play drums in this band, and I’d like to
re-integrate live drums back in at some point.
What is your process for
recording your music? What gear and/or software do you use? What would you
recommend for others?
Justin: I originally started out
using Ableton Live to record, but since I’ve switched to all hardware
instruments, I’ve started to use Logic instead. We’re demoing new
stuff right now, so at the moment we’re just recording everything straight into
logic via an Apogee Duet, one track at a time. As we start tracking
the next album, I’m going to experiment more with microphones and live
recording. Going forward, we want to do as much as possible “out of the
box” with real instruments and effects.
How do you feel about the
state of the music industry today? There is no doubt a massive change underway;
how do you see it and do you feel it’s positive at all?
Jack: To be honest, I kind of gave up on
caring. I’m writing music for myself, whether people hear it or
not. I don’t really have the patience to look up new bands on
bandcamp or anything like that.
Justin: I
think it’s a double edged sword. On one hand, music making is
totally democratic and it’s going to make it accessible for so many more people
to make music and get their music to people that want to hear it. On
the other hand, it’s near impossible to make any money making music these
days. I don’t think anyone should be rich from writing
songs. I think music is meant to be shared with as many people as
possible as a way of sharing ideas first and foremost. But it does
get difficult to do things the way they should be done when you’re spending
your food money on equipment. At the end of the day, I don’t mind
being poor in order to make our music, but I do wish there was more of a middle
ground that didn’t involve winning the lottery or landing the ever-elusive iPod
commercial.
Brittany: Today's radio play is mostly junk, as it
often is. It's always been my way to seek out the obscure anyway. Now, small
and new name bands must try much harder to be heard. Creating their own merch,
pressing and sometimes self-production. It's worth the digging efforts to me,
knowing the efforts the musicians put in.
When it comes to label
releases versus DIY/bandcamp and the like, what is your stance, if any?
Jack: I’d prefer to have a record
out on a label if it will help it be heard.
Justin: I
wouldn’t be surprised if some bands on Bandcamp make more money on their
recordings than bands on more traditional independent labels.
Do you prefer vinyl, CD,
cassette tape or mp3 format when listening to music? Do you have any strong
feelings toward any of them?
Brittany: Vinyl all the way!
Jack: I just buy what’s
available. And I stress BUY. I think it’s unfair to steal
music. I’m not much of an audiophile.
Justin: I’m good with
MP3’s. Vinyl, of course, is always better, both from a sound
standpoint as well as an aesthetic one, but I really like having 5000 songs at
my fingertips at any given moment. I also have the tendency to be
very obsessive about things, and I’m worried that if I start getting into vinyl
it’ll take over my life. I’m actually getting my first record player
this week, so we’ll see how it goes.
What artists (musicians or
otherwise) have most influenced your work?
Jack: Robert Smith, Ronny Moorings,
Steve Albini, Geordie, Douglas P, and Robin Guthrie
Brittany: I really liked James Figurine,
Lali Puna, Radio Dept. in my early 20s. I got deep into electro anything. Everything
is an influence... Aaliyah to Blossom Dearie to Sam Cooke.
Justin: All of the great Italian film
Composers: Ennio Morriconne, Goblin, Riz Ortolani, Fabio
Frizzi. Italian horror movies have been my biggest obsession in life
for about 15 years now. John Carpenter holds his own against all of
the Italian greats. Phil Spector and David Axelrod are pretty
important to me as far as production goes. I was in a marching band
growing up, so there is a little bit of that in everything I do… Mid-80’s
Dischord-era punk like Rites of Spring and Embrace…Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds,
Black Heart Procession, Blonde Redhead, Glass Candy…60’s Psych, 70’s
punk,
Krautrock…this
list could really go on forever so I’ll just leave it at that
Can you tell us a little
about what you are currently into (books, films, art, bands, etc.)?
Brittany: Got a Wreckless Eric record just
recently. Been gaining more older vinyl. Don't go to movies much, but I suggest
"Valet Girls" - hilarious. More into cooking than books... Mexican
Cokes and enchiladas verde.
Justin: South Korean horror movies.
If you had to choose one
track that was the ultimate definition of your sound, which would it be and
why?
Jack: Probably “Dark Dream”, although we
haven’t played that one live in a while.
Brittany: Our newer track which derived from
Jack's large brain. Titled “A Life"; the sounds flows so perfectly
between us. Feels truly balanced and almost effortless.
Justin: Our sound is always evolving,
so I can’t really think of one particular song that defines us. I
will say that although most of our songs have a bit of a dark sound, I think
there is an underlying thread of hope that ties them all together.
Can you tell us a little
about the band’s song writing process?
Jack: Usually one of us comes up
with an idea, then we get in a room together and work on it until its finished.
Justin: We record a lot, adding
things, taking things away, until we feel like we’re done. I think
it’s important to take a step back and look at a song from a distance, and only
keep things in there that need to be there.
Brittany: Yes, I write.
Having personally lived in
Louisiana for almost a decade, I can attest to the very unique energy in the
southern half of the state. Has being based in New Orleans had any impact on
life as a band for you all?
Jack: As a guitarist, it was very
hard growing up in this town trying to find people to work with. I
can’t stand blues, I can’t stand funk, and I can’t stand
virtuosity. To be honest, I hate the way every guitar player in this
city plays. They all play exactly alike.
Brittany: I wouldn't say it's impacted our
sound, but definitely where and when we book shows. Not a massive scene in
electronics here yet just enough to fulfill.
Justin: A lot of people think we
don’t sound like a “New Orleans” band, but the truth is New Orleans is in
everything we do. We just don’t wear “New Orleans” on our
sleeve. I think a lot of musicians move to this town with a
stereotypical idea of what New Orleans music is supposed to sound
like. It’s never really crossed any of our minds to do a “New
Orleans” version of some other genre of music. We really just all
get together in a room and try to make stuff that we think sounds
good. But New Orleans is always there, you just have to look really
deep to find it.
Have you had any
particularly memorable live moments or any interesting studio stories? Are
there any fascinating behind-the-scenes things worth noting?
Jack: I read in the review you
wrote that in “No Perfect Focus” there was an ebow solo. It was
actually just tremolo picking through a Big Muff. I was very
flattered when I read that. Other than that, we’re just really goofy
and argue a lot.
Justin: I think my favorite live
memory was when we first played the Weird night in NYC. At the time
I was in the midst of a really prolonged bout with Crohn’s disease, and I had
basically been a shut in for about 7 years. It was our first show out of town,
my first time in New York, and I was extremely nervous to be that far away from
home playing in front of so many people, and on an instrument that I was still
learning how to play. The crowd was so warm and
welcoming. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, dancing and
screaming along to our songs. It really felt like we belonged to something. The
next day was my birthday, and Pieter from Weird met up with us and offered to
put out our record. We had written and recorded all of
these songs in our bedroom and never expected anyone outside of our circle of
friends to hear any of this, so it was a dream come true. Anyway, it
was just a really bright moment in the midst of a lot of heavy
times for me, and I’ll
never forget it.
Brittany: He's gettin' all sappy. Jack gets
me every time - when you look over to see him kick his amp or jump off short
things on stage. Sometimes when the sound just isn't good and I look
over at Justin and we both start laughing.
What is your philosophy (on
life), if any, that you live by?
Jack: I
don’t have any.
Brittany: " You can't be a pussy your whole
life," as my Dad says.
Justin: Don’t sweat the small
stuff. Keep it simple stupid. It could always be
worse. Skate or Die.
A full stream of Should's LP, Like a Fire Without a Sound, is now available on Soundcloud. This is Should's immaculately crafted third album, which infuses the pop sensibilities of Eno and Yo La Tengo while maintaining the personal eccentricities and atmospheric flourishes that have always set Should apart: the ultra-sweet male/female vocal melodies, the penchant for the unexpected, and the ability to find beauty in the minimal.
