Sarah explains the disappearance of Katie (don’t worry, she’ll come back around) and proposes a road trip to check out Surfer Blood opening for the Pixies in Asbury Park. Who’s in? The AudioVole caravan has room for more and, believe you me, it’ll be legendary.
Surfer Blood – “Swim”
Stream Tarot Classics over at Pretty Much Amazing.
From: Sarah Braunstein
To: Marites Velasquez (and Katie Gallegos)
Oh hey, Marites. It’s me again. Katie had to drop out of the conversation because of work related obligations. She teaches Spanish to high-schoolers (god bless her) and el trabajo piled up. We’ll be sure to get her back for a real conversation otra vez but for now, it’s you and me.
Did I say “Voyager Reprise” reminded me of “All My Friends”?? I meant “Drinking Problem.” We really need to get a better editor around here. [ed: I am the editor this month.] Listen again, you must hear it! The structure of the two songs is similar; the instruments kick off the tracks and continue to play pretty much the same repetitive parts for the duration. Both James Murphy and John Paul Pitts sing melodies that walk up and down scales in single steps. And they’re both singing about friends! The instrumentation, the tempo, the grandiosity – those elements aren’t shared – but I’d say “Drinking Problem” and “All My Friends” have enough genetic overlap to be called cousins.
Marites, you said that you think a more polished sound is an indication of musical maturity. If a band has good production, their record should sound polished. According to DrownedinSound, Astro Coast was was recorded largely in Pitts’s dorm room. I haven’t been able to find out where Tarot Classics was recorded but it’s got the sheen and clarity of studio-produced material. I’m not trying to poke holes in your argument – I think Surfer Blood has progressed since their first release – but taking in their live show will be the proof of the pudding. Speaking of, it looks like they’re currently opening for the Pixies and are playing a show in Asbury Park. Road trip?
Surfer Blood is working on their sophomore album with Phil Ek, a producer who has worked with the likes of The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Modest Mouse, and Built To Spill (you should check out his discography, it’s seriously impressive). Astro Coast and Tartot Classics have the Pixies/Weezer/Morrissey sound going on and I sincerely hope Mr. Ek can pull some more Doug Martsch out of the Surfer Blood guys. Add some pedals, texture, and a pinch of darkness, taking the sound further down the path of “Voyager Reprise” and “Drinking Problem”…and, well, that sounds like something I can really get behind.
“At least I know who my friends are,”
Sarah
Get the new Surfer Blood EP Tarot Classics here:
Kanine Records | InSound | Amazon
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