Greenhorse: Q&A

Greenhorse have been sparking a buzz among fans and critics since the release of last year's Transcontinental EP. The duo, made up of high school friends Chris Hackman and Shawn Day, is currently writing songs for their follow-up to talk to about musical influences, dream collaborations and explaining what "post-pop" means.


How did you come up with the name Greenhorse?

In a way, it was inspired by the film Broken Flowers. We wanted to create an image that symbolizes rebirth and hard work. And we wanted something simple and clean.

What were your early musical influences?

Shawn: As early as 16 I loved the Smashing Pumpkins. When I moved out to London, the first band that inspired me was Arcade Fire. Hmm… We recently got referenced to the band "Suicide", and I thought that was pretty interesting.

Chris: I'd rather not tell you what I was listening to early on… Some of my influences from medium-on include Radiohead, Primus and The Crystal Method.

What was the first album you bought?

Shawn: Guns N Roses, Appetite for Destruction

Chris: Live, Throwing Copper - we recently recorded with the engineer from that album and it was an amazing experience to come full circle like that.

What artists/producer are you currently listening to, and which ones would you like to work with?

We really love the work that Bloodshy and Avant are doing right now; We love the last Mike Snow album. Ideally, we'd want Trent Reznor to produce our first full length album.

How does the songwriting and music production process work?

One of us will start an idea and bounce it over to the other. We'll kick it back and forth until it's listenable. Now that we've been writing for awhile, a lot of our songs are inspired by shared experiences. For example, we recently recorded several new songs inside a cave in Wyoming.

What kind of musical sound can fans expect from your upcoming EP?

Post-pop. It's a sound we've been carving out for the last year. It's got the emotional weight and musical depth of classic pop, but with greater immediacy. You're not going to know whether to dance or just stand back and listen.

Artist Profile: Jamaica

Dance music with no synthesizers? Blasphemy! Paris-based duo Jamaica commit this unspeakable act and manage to create some good music out of it. Relying instead on grungy, trunk-rattling bass grooves, snappy, sparse drums and irresistibly hooky new wave guitar riffs, the pair create a sound that is simultaneously organic and deliriously danceable at the same time. Listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like JAMAICA at Myspace Music

Find more artists like JAMAICA at Myspace Music

Find more artists like JAMAICA at Myspace Music

Artist Profile: Hurricane Bells

Hurricane Bells, the brainchild of Steve Schiltz, produces a variety of musical sounds. "I Can't Remember," with its distorted, watery "la la's",  and the somber, down beat tom tom drums and lean, muscular guitars of "The Winter's In New York," embrace an evocative, other-worldly pop sound.

Gentle, winding guitar bends mark the mid-tempo "Freezing Rain," the soft, driving drums conjure up images of a train swiftly moving along, providing an escape from the past to the future. The melodic rocker "Monster" shows Schiltz can turn up the volume when needed, while the cover of The Shirelles classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," a duet with Scout's Ashen Keilyn, reveals a romantic side. Listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like Hurricane Bells at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Hurricane Bells at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Hurricane Bells at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Hurricane Bells at Myspace Music

Artist Profile: Voltaire Twins

Voltaire Twins combine an upbeat electro-pop sound, full of hand claps, digital blips and a whirlwind of synthesizers with sometimes cryptic lyrics. "You'll never be friends with them/You'll never be close with them/Like I am," the duo sings over the booming drums and dark, grimy samples of "London."

"D.I.L," with its stuttering beats, shimmering synths and deep bass, reveals a poppier sound, but a grim outlook for newcomers looking to survive in the big city. "The future's bleak for you my dear/So much can change in just a year." "Cabin Fever" trades in the angst for anger, telling an ex-friend/lover off nursery rhyme style. Voltaire Twins offer danceable depression, which in this current economy is lot cheaper than Valium. Take a listen below:

Find more artists like Voltaire Twins at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Voltaire Twins at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Voltaire Twins at Myspace Music

Artist Profile: Daddy Lion

Washington D.C. Daddy Lion put a unique spin on the indie rock format. Whether it's the crunchy guitar attack of  "Just Die Young, the gentle acoustic twang of "Morning" or the Joy Division-inspired blend of acoustics and synthesized melancholia ("Tomorrow," "Falling To Pieces"), the band creates a moody, evocative sonic landscape. Not bad for a band that met through Craigslist. Download two tracks from Daddy Lion's self-titled EP below:

Divine

Morning

Artist Profile: Avery Sunshine

Atlanta-based R&B artist Avery Sunshine is no newcomer. The singer-songwriter and former member of duo DaisyRew has lent her vocals to movie soundtracks like Fighting Temptation, did a stint as choral director for the National Black Arts Festival production of Dreamgirls and performed at President Obama's  inauguration.

Needless to say, she's been in this game for a minute. And such experience shows on the dazzling assortment of musical styles she explores. Whether it be the sultry jazz of "Ugly," the deep house groove of "Stalk You," the sweet doo-wop/R&B of "Pinin," or the rich harmonies and gut-bucket gospel belting of "Blessin' Me," Avery Sunshine displays a deep knowledge of both music and mastery of her voice. Take a listen to a few tracks from her self-titled debut below:

Vid Pick: Darwin Deez "Constellations"

An offbeat, quirky pop song deserves an equally offbeat and quirky video. And Darwin Deez delivers in the clip for "Constellations," a video filled with images of apples snapping themselves back together, tea that leap frogs from cup to cup and water particles and small trees suspended in midair. Deez even throws in a one-night stand for good measure. Watch the clip below:

Artist Profile: Greenhorse

Post-pop duo Greenhorse began as a transcontinental collaboration between high school friends Chris Hackman and Shawn Day. The result was 2009's appropriately titled Transcontinental EP. Greenhorse craft a sophisticated, cosmopolitan brand of energetic electro-pop. However, the music still retains its emotional punch while still being devilishly danceable at the same time. The duo are currently working on a follow up. In the meantime, listen to a few tracks below:

Find more artists like Greenhorse at Myspace Music

Find more artists like Greenhorse at Myspace Music

B Slade "Kick Ft. Ohene"

B Slade throws another musical curveball on this track, trading in the ferocious rock and rage of "BSSF(Rated R)" for smooth jazz stylings and 40's harmonies, mixing them with his trademark bold, uninhibited lyrics. And as usually the result is sublime. Listen to the track below and download it here:

Remix Of The Week: Missy Elliot Ft. Nelly Furtado "Get Ur Freak On"

Missy amped the freakiness by adding then newbie Nelly Furtado to the remix of 01's "Get Ur Freak On." Speaking of the Supa Dupa Fly, where has Missy been? She needs to get some new music out ASAP and show the wannabes how it's done. Timbaland, are you listening? Lay off the techno pop for second (even though that has been paying the bills for a minute) and come back to R&B/hip hop, the music that made you. But I digress. Listen to the track below:

Kavinsky "Nightcall (Dustin Nguyen Remix")

French-electro artist Kavinsky's new remix of his single "Nightcall" is definitely worth a listen. The grimy synth-bass and digitized chip-tune crunch are a definite plus, while the singer's cold, robotic delivery, paired alongside the warm, sultry vocals of CSS' Lovefoxxx gives the track a unique contrast. Besides anything produced by a member of Daft Punk is worth a least one spin. You can also download three other "Nightcall" remixes below:



Nightcall (Dustin NGuyen Remix) by Kavinsky

Nightcall(Breakbot Remix)
Nightcall(Robotaki Remix)
Nightcall(SAWAGii's Revenge Remix)

Album Review: Otis Grove: The Runk

Remember crunk? That mix of booming 808 bass, drum machines, sinister samples and screamed, one-syllable chants that gave birth to countless strip club anthems ("Get Low" anyone?) and provided the soundtrack to countless nightclub brawls? Which would account for about 80 percent of Lil Jon and the Eastside Boys' music. Well maybe not 80 percent. But at least 50 percent tops.

Well make way for runk, a mix of funk and rock birthed by Boston trio Otis Grove. Drawing on those genres as well as R&B, jazz and hip hop, the band comes up with some truly unique sounds. Album opener "Monark," with its blistering, distorted riffs and maniacal organ, sounds like Metallica dropping in on a New Orleans church service, while the collision of twin guitar solos and whirling, eerie synthesizers sound like a long lost Red Hot Chili Peppers track.

The laid back guitar licks and bright organs of "Uncle Runky" would feel right at home at a afternoon barbecue. "Waiting," crafts a seductive mix of minimalist licks and sharp drums before surrendering midway to a monstrous groove of floor-shaking bass, fiery, frenetic guitar solos and a wailing wall of organ sound. Brash funk freakout, "Fausto" with its fuzzy distortion, rubber-band bass, is another standout track.

Otis Grove are clearly talented musicians, able to both improvise and snap back into the melody at a moment's notice. Sam Gilman coaxes a endlessly array of sounds out of his organ, electronic piano and mellotron, while guitarist Tyler Drabick and drummer Blake Goedde display enough versatility to keep with Gilman's experimentation. It would be interesting to hear what the band would sound like with words and vocal melodies. But Otis Grove have provided more than enough ways for listeners to get runk.

4/5

Vid Pick: Rubblebucket "Came Out Of A Lady"

Rubblebucket's acid-triptastic video for "Came Out Of A Lady" proves that great clips can made off a shoestring budget. The band spent only $2,000 and shot, directed and built the set themselves, including the colorful tent/crazy lady trap thingy they perform in. The effort was definitely worth it, although I would recommend watching this sober:). Take a look below:

Aficionado: "The Same Original Idea"

Picture crashing drum rolls bashing alongside roaring power chords unleashing punk-rock fury before morphing into twisted, Master of Puppets-style dueling guitars, while an organ, piano and a flute steal moments from the chaos to get solo spotlights between vocals that sound like a bizarro version of School House Rock. All in the course of a single song. Somehow, Albany-based post-punk band Aficionado make this tangled web of instruments and styles work, creating a strange (did I mention there was a flute), wacky, but subversively catchy track. Listen below:

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Artist Profile: The Parlotones

The Parlotones create energetic pop/rock sound, marrying electronic samples and smooth harmonies with a straightforward guitar attack. This clever approach results in tripped-out synth-pop jams like "Giant Mistake" and the crunchy rock riffs of "Life Design," complete with a hey chant (always a welcome addition). The band also shows their stadium rock ambitions on "Push Me To The Floor," a dark, romantic plea of sexual desire cloaked in huge guitars, bouncy synths and booming drums. Take a listen below:

Find more artists like The Parlotones at Myspace Music

Find more artists like The Parlotones at Myspace Music

Find more artists like The Parlotones at Myspace Music