You might have noticed a new image on the home page of Breeder’s Digest. It’s a hand-painted record by Hildebrando Bellizzio that was given to us at the Amoeba in-store performance.
Also new, more dates have been added on the tour page, from New York to New Zealand.
We’ve added dates (and MORE) for these festivals to the TOUR PAGE:
Summercase Festival - Spain 7/18
Latitude - Southwold, England 7/20
Fuji Rock Festival - Nigata, Japan 7/27
The Capitol - Perth, Australia 7/30
Fowlers Live - Adelaide, Australia 7/21
Metro Theatre - Sydney, Australia 8/2
The Zoo - Brisbane, Australia 8/4
Billboard - Melbourne, Australia 8/5
Connect Festival - Scotland 8/29
Electric Picnic - Ireland 8/30
Bestival - Isle of Wight 9/5
How did you approach the design for Mountain Battles?
All of our projects are undertaken after serious consideration of the music, it’s tone and values, the reading of lyrics and after discussion with the artist. In this case Kim briefed us on a particular direction for the art which we misunderstood but still came out with something she liked. She’s such a cool client. She doesn’t interfere but let’s us know when it’s not quite right and she always passes everything by the band which can result in a diluted result but here we have something that everybody confers upon. It’s a good relationship and, by the way, we are being given a bunch of songs that actually inspires us.
Who took the photograph on the front?
Long term collaborator and proficient artist in his own right Marc Atkins. It was a privilege to work with Marc and he managed to imbue the imbue with a real sense of spontaneity, beauty and violence. I don’t know how he does it but it really captures the essence of the music for me. There’s a brutal tenderness in there methinks.
Where was it taken?
In his studio in his house in the middle of France.
Were there any special effects?
Throughout the shoot Marc was obliged to wear a pair of Wedgewood platform shoes to slightly elevate his perspective. I don’t think this shows. The work is without tremor.
How long have you been working with this Marc character?
Marc has worked with us on a number of projects over the last 5 years. When he first came in with his portfolio we got on so well that he that he didn’t open his book for the first 3 hours and he left after 9 hours. So, yes there is an empathy between us.
[ Bonus Question unrelated to Mountain Battles ]
What’s your favorite font?
My desert island font would be Bodoni in the Poster Bold version, such a sexy, curvaceous number. Okay, a little bit old fashioned but I could spend all night with it.
Manny watches Kim and Kelley at Refraze, riding the faders from a 2″ - 24 track recording to a 1/2″ mix using the soon to be patented on-the-fly technique.
Curious about how we record? Steve Albini offers this perspective on our un-patented process:
The “All Wave” philosophy, which loosely stated, is that everything should be an analog sound recording of someone playing or singing, rather than using a computer to generate or digitally manipulate sounds separated from the dimension of time in which they were performed.
In short, to record All Wave one must use no computers, no digital recording, no auto-tuning, or any other mainstays of contemporary production.A parallel drawn with the realist film movement (including Lars Von Trier’s Dogme 95 school) is not inappropriate.
The All Wave philosophy carries through the entire production and mastering process, including mixing, editing, sequencing, post-production and the exceptional step of an all-analog direct-metal master for the vinyl LP.This process has been employed on Title TK, the Off You EP, and upcoming Mountain Battles.
Kim commissioned the lovely little “All Wave” logo you will find on these records in an effort to identify them, and possibly start a movement. This should not be construed as a call to arms, but could become at least as significant as the Ska revival or perhaps the WNBA.
— Steve Albini
The Waterphone is an acoustical-friction instrument made of stainless steel and bronze that utilizes water in the interior of the resonators to bend tones and create echoes. It can be played with either a bow or mallets.
I found this one in Los Angeles.
Listen to a sample:
Manny Nieto mastered the record in England at Abbey Road. He sent these pix and had this to say:
A. All hands on the EMI Abbey Road mastering console. Setting EQ on the fly - the way records used to be mastered. Bad ass.
B. Breeders new record being cut onto the plate. Vinyl albums will be pressed from this plate.
C. The master 1/2″ tape of Mountain Battles.
D. Steve Rooke proudly holds the Dayton / East Los Angeles collaboration in his hands.
