Some bands appear to arrive fully formed from the off. All their influences, musical stylings and concepts are in place, the flaws ironed out, right through to the final execution with every piece intact.
The Eastern Swell are one such beast. An Anglo-Scottish outfit, formed in Edinburgh in 2014, the final pieces of the jigsaw were the name change from Lainie & The Crows to The Eastern Swell and signing to Edinburgh’s Stereogram Recordings.
Produced by Pete Harvey (of Modern Studies, Meursault and King Creosote repute) in his own Pumpkinfield Studios, “One Day, A Flood” is an album ideally listened to right through as a whole in a single sitting. A proper album in the 60s/70s sense. Many of the tracks are linked together so that despite wide-scoping musical styles, there is an underlying cohesion.
Musically it spans many genres – folk, neo-psychedelia, pastoral-psych, punk, psych, prog and late 60s/70s rock can all be detected in places. There are some pretty interesting and tricky time signatures in there too, which add a math-rock element.
In this interview, we virtually sit down with Eastern Swell to discuss the new project, influences, and more.
Full Q&A as well as links and a stream of One Day, A Flood below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
We’ve got a pretty wide range of genres in our music. Folk, neo-psychedelia, pastoral-psych, punk, psych, prog and late 60s/70s rock can all be detected in places. This has just build up over the course of lifetime of listening to great music, no matter the genre.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
We came together in 2014 and got gigging straight away, honing our sound and cohesion as a band.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Our influences include 60/70s era artists such as Syd Barrett, mid-period Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, Stevie Nicks and Todd Rundgren through to more (relatively) contemporary artists such as the Pixies, Thee Oh Sees, Cat Power, Gillian Welch and Tame Impala. What keeps us going? The love of creating music of course! Simple as that.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
The single Rattling Bones comes from our forthcoming debut album “One Day, A Flood” which will be released through the Stereogram Recordings label. The album was produced by Pete Harvey (of Modern Studies, Meursault and King Creosote repute). Ideally, it’s listened to right through as a whole, in a single sitting. A proper album in the 60s/70s sense. Many of the tracks are linked together so that despite wide-scoping musical styles, there is an underlying cohesion.
What was the last song you listened to?
Chris has had I’m In Your Mind Fuzz by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard on repeat. They’re a great live band and that record captures something of the full-tilt vibe they can create.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
They all serve a purpose! Vinyl is brilliant because it’s visceral and there’s something of a ceremony in getting the needle on the record. The sound quality can also be great and it allows for great album cover art. CDs are like a more practical version of that and have their own unique vibe which we love too. MP3s allow for music to potentially reach the widest audience, so they’re also cool. We’ve opted for CD and download for our forthcoming album, “One Day, A Flood”.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify has everything…it’s a gift that just keeps giving. Saying that, it would be amazing to get even better sound quality into the digital format! Bandcamp is a great source of music too.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
Because we span such a range of genres, it’s sometimes hard to explain our sound in an easy digestible sound-bite. But we’ve found that once people actually hear our stuff they realize how it all fits together.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
We gig pretty regularly in Scotland, so that’s the best place to catch us. We’d love to do a US tour though, if that was even in the offing.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Our Facebook page, the Stereogram Recordings website, Bandcamp, Spotify and all good music outlets!
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Keep an eye out for debut album, due for release on 16 September 2016. Happy days!
