Unlocked

Unlocked: Break It Up on bank vaults, studio songwriting and bridging sonic worlds

Photo by Rachel Wetzel

Philadelphia indie-punk power trio Break It Up came together by chance. Singer-guitarist Jen Sperling and drummer Casey Bell connected online – a rare example of a Craigslist musical partnership that lasts more than a few months – and wound up recording some of their earliest songs with guitarist / engineer Dan Morse. He, eventually, made his way into the band, and the trio popped up publicly on the Philly scene a couple summers ago with the lively, infectious rocker “Excavate” (a Bandcamp single). They barnstormed a slew of shows and traveled to South By Southwest in 2012, then went into seclusion mode to flesh out their live setlist into a full album. Working with Jeff Zeigler at Uniform Recording, the album was completed over the fall and winter, and just released digitally last week. We’ve been spotlighting the self-titled set all week, digging into its blend of anthemic, poppy punk and more searing, dissonant moments tapping into the players late 90s indie rock roots. How did they come to bridge these two worlds? I grabbed beers and nachos with them at MilkBoy the night of the album’s release to talk through their journey.

The Key: The album was over a year in the making; some songs you had in place since you recorded your Key Session, others came later. Tell me about the progression of that.

Casey Bell: It’s funny. Some songs are really old, like before Dan even joined the band, and then through the process of writing, some of them proved to be better than early stuff, and we sort of just cut earlier stuff to make room for the newer songs. Overall, I guess maybe it’s been a year? Right? Which is one of the cool things about the record, I feel like it represents this great area of growth of the band. Like how we wrote songs when we were first very new at it, and how we wrote songs at the end, when we had this way of communicating down. So it’s sort of a span of a period of growth that the album represents, which I think is really gratifying to be able of hear all in one place.

Jen Sperling: The last song on the album was mostly written in the studio, actually. Which was something new for me, and an exciting, more spontaneous way to have a song come together.

TK: Tell me about that. I’m curious. I always tend to assume bands have songs, for the most part, ready to go when they go into studios, or maybe there are parts like “oh, this transition needs some work” or “this bridge isn’t working” and it gets kind of tweaked a bit. But I feel like it’s less common, unless you’re John Mayer and you rent out to Electric Ladyland for a month, to write a song in the studio. So how did that work for you guys?

Dan Morse: We had most of the arrangements done ahead of time. We even knew the tempos. I think we tried to stay open to trying different things – more sonically, rather than in terms of arrangement. We tried weird vocal stuff, where Jen was in this like bank vault.

TK: Bank vault? Jeff Zeigler has a bank vault?

DM: [Laughs] Yeah. He lives there [NOTE: not in the bank vault. –ed.], but also he has a whole floor dedicated to the studio with different rooms. And part of it is this big safe where you get this weird echo affect. So we had plenty of time to fiddle with that, which was great. And Jen and I had the luxury of having a lot of time to experiment with guitar sounds. Almost any time we’re playing, it’s at least two different amps, at the same time, which was awesome. We we’re able to do that because Casey finished all of her drums in one day, which was ridiculous. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Interviews, Break It Up, Unlocked

June 12, 2013 | 5:27 PM | By John Vettese

Unlocked: Go inside Uniform Recording with Break It Up

biu The new, self-titled album from Philly indie-punk power trio Break It Up was made at Uniform Recording, the Eraserhood studio helmed by Philly producer Jeff Zeigler. When they had downtime between takes, the bandmates took turns filming one another as they laid down tracks, did vocal warmups, explored Zeigler’s treasure trove of gear and got friendly with his studio golden retriever. Go inside the studio with them in the video below.

Break It Up is the featured album in this edition of Unlocked; hear the spotlighted single “Amplify Me” in Monday’s post, read yesterday’s album review and check back later in the week for an interview and more.

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Break It Up, Unlocked

June 11, 2013 | 4:33 PM | By John Vettese

UNLOCKED

Unlocked: The Key’s review of Break It Up’s self-titled LP

The two songwriters in Philly’s Break it Up always wore their 90s indie roots with pride.

Singer-guitarist Jen Sperling, in her previous band The Fourelles, played a snappy, catchy blend of Riot Grrrl aggression and radio-ready alt-rock – Sleater-Kinney with maybe a touch of Veruca Salt. Meanwhile guitarist (and sometimes singer) Daniel Morse, in his prior group The Wigwams, comes from a more dissonant, mind-bendy art rock world – the stuff of Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth.

I love all of those bands, which is why it probably took me zero time to decide I like Break It Up as well. But here’s the thing – they’re a good example of musicians not simply parroting their influences as much as they use them to create a new whole.

For the most part, Break it Up’s Break It Up sounds like Break It Up. Even Morse’s spotlight moment “Suzuki” – which, of the batch, is the most overtly drawn from the band’s record collection – has a notable flair thanks to his cathartic delivery railing against numbing prefab homes and suburban sprawl. It might remind you of Thurston Moore circa Sonic Youth’s DGC era, but he makes it his own.

Elsewhere, Sperling has her own go at reminding us what she might be have listening to – there’s a teeny bit of Mika Miko in the angular bop of “Out of Time” – but the rule across the whole of the album is being less overt with the homages and simply writing solid songs. See “Amplify Me,” the single we’re spotlighting all week. It’s got no clever references, no tricks, it’s simply an anthemic rocker about the power of music to make your voice heard – or even to hear your true self among the din of the workaday world. “Just turn it up, turn it up,” Sperling hollers, and it’s tough not to comply. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Album Reviews, Artists, Events, News, Recordings, Break It Up, Unlocked

June 10, 2013 | 3:25 PM | By John Vettese

Unlocked: Download “Amplify Me” by Break It Up

BIU It didn’t take long to figure out that I was a fan of Break It Up. When their energizing, inspiring debut single “Excavate” popped up on Bandcamp in summer of 2011, I promptly asked the indie-punk power trio them to swing by the station and record for us, even though it was the only piece of music I heard from them. Turned out they had at least three other songs of equal awesomeness in their repertoire. And seeing them live over the next year and change, that number multiplied even further, showing a mix of feisty power-pop and aggressive, punked-up noise. Last week, the band released its self-titled debut LP to Bandcamp, and it explores these avenues even further. All week we’re digging into the album on Unlocked, The Key’s recurring spotlight on new and significant releases from Philadelphia artists. Tomorrow I’ll have a review, later in the week an interview with the band and an examination of the lively album cover that it collectively drew. Today, we bring you a free download of the song “Amplify Me.” It comes from the decidedly poppier wing of Break It Up’s catalogue, and uses music and performance as a metaphor for self-empowerment. Thanks to the band, we’re making it a free download all week, so get your mp3 below, and check back all week for more on Break it Up’s Break it Up.

Amplify Meby Break It Up, from Break It Up Download

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Downloads, News, Recordings, Scene, Break It Up, Unlocked

May 3, 2013 | 1:00 PM | By Adam Gould

UNLOCKED

Unlocked: The Key’s Review of Grandchildren’s Golden Age

Much like a track runner, Granchildren see the benefit of getting off the block with the burst of energy that will maintain you through the finish line. Momentum is key to Golden Age, the new album by Grandchildren, out May 7^th on Ernest Jenning. The album is big in scope and big in sound, though not maximalist. The album explores quite a few variations of their orchestral pop, while being a more cohesive compared to the band’s debut album Everlasting . For example, the percussion is brought to the forefront on the album and is constantly apparent – though never overwhelming – and never close to being redundant.

Awaking the album is the pulsing and humming “Sunrise,” with it’s tribal percussion, distant keys and ascending vibraphone. From the start you can hear the complexity of the arrangements, which flow into each other like bodies of water meeting and growing as an ocean. Without slowing down much the album progresses to the dreamy title track “Golden Age” and then into one of the standout tracks, “End Times.”

As you reach the middle of the album it opens up into a different kind of album where, instead of combining all the ‘essential’ parts of Grandchildren, like they did to begin the album, they explore the various directions their arrangements can go. This begins with the jumpy, precautionary track “No Way Out” which is highlighted by an idiosyncratic clapping part, otherworldly falsetto and wandering horns. The atmosphere completely shifts for the next song to a gentle, calming surrounding, with something magical in the air. The light strumming, distant drums and lead singer Aleks Martray’s soft, and comforting voice all compliment each other in the beautiful song. Rounding out the middle of the album is the cinematic “Into Gold” which blooms in front of you, and does so elegantly.

The back of the album is less easier to define musically. “You Never Know” is one of the most restrained moments of the album. It shows the band’s musical chops, but does so in a different light. On this album there are various moments where the songs can go in different directions, either going big or pulling back on the reins. This album succeeds because, despite their large size and ability to go bigger, they choose to restrain compositions as a way to let them breathe. The band, on their previous album, were working on defining their sound. Equally important to a band having a sound, though, is having a “voice” and a “vision.” On Golden Era, Grandchildren continue to evolve and mature their sound, while finding focus in their songwriting, arrangements, and studio performances.

Grandchildren celebrate their record release tonight at Johnny Brenda’s with support from The Lawsuits, Laser Background, DJ POW POW (Man Man’s Chris Powell).

FILED UNDER: Album Reviews, Artists, Recordings, Grandchildren, Unlocked

May 2, 2013 | 4:39 PM | By Adam Gould

Unlocked: It’s Alive! Watch a performance of ‘End Times’ from Grandchildren’s recent Underground Art’s show. (playing tomorrow night, May 3rd at Johnny Brenda’s)

This week’s Unlocked series has been about Grandchildren’s expansive new album Golden Age. Earlier in the week we premiered the new track “End Times,” and today the track is getting the live treatment. Shot at their Underground Arts show back on March 1st, this live performance video is a delicious sample of what Grandchildren do best. Their sound has become what it is, in part because of time spent touring and practicing their dynamic live show, which demands precision, but exudes pure energy. Lucky for you, the band is celebrating the release of their new album tomorrow at Johnny Brenda’s with support from The Lawsuits, Laser Background, and DJ POW POW (Man Man’s Chris Powell) spinning througout the night. Watch the video for “End Times” below:

FILED UNDER: Artists, Events, Grandchildren, Unlocked

May 2, 2013 | 7:40 AM | By Adam Gould

Unlocked: Q&A with Grandchildren mastermind Aleks Martray

“The attitude that nature is chaotic and that the artist puts order into it is a very absurd point of view, I think. All that we can hope for is to put some order into ourselves.” - Willem de Kooning, 1968

Everybody deals with getting older in different ways. Some people get motorcycles, others opt for meditation retreats, but everyone faces it regardless. It is the constant struggle to age gracefully, and Aleks Martray and the members of Grandchildren are all dealing with very essential times of their lives. One of the results of the past few years is their new album Golden Age, out May 7th, which The Key is exploring for Unlocked series this week. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the daily routine we caught up with Aleks Martray to chat about the recording process, growing older, and defining the Golden Age.

The Key: What is the Golden Age?

Aleks Martray: It has sort of become a catchall. I tend to write a bunch of music and not really know thematically what I’m working with, or what the message is, it’s all music first. I work a lot more like a composer or an arranger. I have all of this material that I compile, and then I sit back and listen to it and create songs out of it. The lyrics, the words, the concepts, they all come at that last phase once the music has come together. I never really know what I am writing about until the end, and “Golden Age” happens to be the last song I wrote for the album. I think of it like how an author writes an entire book, and then they write an epilogue, and somehow, the epilogue becomes the arc of the story.

For me, that specific song (“Golden Age”) was about the feeling of getting older, and those moments where you feel a narrowing of the openness and possibility of anything happening in your life, and the excitement of it all. And it was about having an experience that was renewed, where you no longer have to see things that way, and things are still open and possible.

It was also about having gone through a lot of things the past few years with family and friends. The past couple years have been weddings and funeral and babies being born, so it is just that time in my life and my band members lives where there is this generational shift, and you are just in the middle trying to place yourself in it. As an adult, and as an artist, and when you are around your parents and grandparents shifting to old age and you have your friends shifting to other phases of life, what happens is everything comes to the surface. It is a sea change moment. “Golden Age” was really revolving around this idea, that everybody, no matter what age or generation, has this magical, golden reference point of the way things used to be, or aught to be, but that is always just a figment of ones imagination.

TK: There seems to be a relationship between the song “Everlasting” from your last album and the new album. Was the thought process that went into “Everlasting” a jumping off point for the new record?

AM: The song “Everlasting” was written, not only at the end of the first record, but a few months after the whole thing was finished. I was actually writing “Everlasting” to start a new record. I think it was the beginning of the process of starting a new record. Two things happened, stylistically I was going in a really different direction. I was a lot more interested in singing and putting the vocals up front, because I have never been a natural singer before, I have always been a songwriter and the singing just came as something I had to figure out. And then beats, being very beat oriented. Those are two things that came together just from writing that song “Everlasting,” and I think that definitely was the beginning of the new album. I see that song “Everlasting”, as a link or bridge between the two albums, and I think you can sort of hear that.
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