LR: How are things going?
Rohner:
Really good. Trying to keep a cool head...ya know...Not falling into
patterns of drugs, late nights and women. All the stuff that comes with
the big time.
LR: Hah! A regular day in the life for Division Day?
Rohner:
But really, we’re good. The album release is coming up and we’re all
excited. We just got the full artwork and copies of the record a few
days ago. Its nice to see it finally happening. Everyone’s just ready
to get rolling.
LR: Yeah it’s been a long time. When was the original release date with that other label?
Rohner: I think earlier…like March.
LR: But you guys self-released it too right? And what exactly happened with that label that fell apart.
Rohner:
Yeah, we originally put out a thousand copies and had signed a deal
with this other label that fell apart a few months later. They sent us
to CMJ on their dime which was really nice. And we got some stuff done
while they were paying for it.
Under that deal the album was
supposed to come out in March and that even got pushed back quite a bit
which was a bummer. But it ended up being a good thing because we’re so
much happier with Eenie Meenie, much more comfortable. It was worth the
wait.
LR: How are things going?
Rohner:
Really good. Trying to keep a cool head...ya know...Not falling into
patterns of drugs, late nights and women. All the stuff that comes with
the big time.
LR: Hah! A regular day in the life for Division Day?
Rohner:
But really, we’re good. The album release is coming up and we’re all
excited. We just got the full artwork and copies of the record a few
days ago. Its nice to see it finally happening. Everyone’s just ready
to get rolling.
LR: Yeah it’s been a long time. When was the original release date with that other label?
Rohner: I think earlier…like March.
LR: But you guys self-released it too right? And what exactly happened with that label that fell apart.
Rohner:
Yeah, we originally put out a thousand copies and had signed a deal
with this other label that fell apart a few months later. They sent us
to CMJ on their dime which was really nice. And we got some stuff done
while they were paying for it.
Under that deal the album was
supposed to come out in March and that even got pushed back quite a bit
which was a bummer. But it ended up being a good thing because we’re so
much happier with Eenie Meenie, much more comfortable. It was worth the
wait.
Man Man is
unlike any other band. From their stage setup, to their music, to their
monikers they bring nothing else to mind – and this is wonderful. I was
lucky enough to talk with the sexy voiced Honus Honus, aka Ryan
Kattner, singer and keyboardist of the band, before their most recent
show in Seattle. I am completely in awe of this man who is an
incredible artist and also a cool dude with a great sense of humor. He
also let me hear an in-progress version of one of their newest songs –
a murder ballad – and it is fantastic.
Live in Brooklyn. St Vincent's Marry Me comes out on Beggars Banquet, July 10th.
The Sea and Cake
Everybody
2007 | Thrill Jockey
Everybody is a throwback to earlier Sea and Cake, taking a noticeable step away from their 2003 release One Bedroom.
It’s an album with the ability to shake off the gray skies and bring in
some warmth. The songs have the ability to sound minimal and yet full
at the same time, such as “Up on Crutches” the opening track. The
signature slow climbs are still present, but sometimes the songs don’t
always hit the mark. I feel like occasionally they lack some character
that was more apparent in earlier albums.
As a whole, the album
is an enjoyable listen, however not one particular song stood out for
me. Each song seems to spill over into the next, creating a
long-playing, relaxing buzz. This aspect of Sea and Cake is not a bad
thing though. The interconnectedness of the songs does relate to the
distinct jazz influence on the band, and keeping this in mind, the
flowing of the songs makes sense. I’d recommend “Lightning” and “Left
On” if you really wanted to extract two excellent songs from the album.
-Elana Rintala
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