![]() My buddy Bob, who goes by Hanssen, and then Jon Convex did a remix of "Another Tomorrow." For "Lucky" I got remixes from Jeremy Greenspan from Junior Boys, Steve Hauschildt of Emeralds and then Marktin Enke, aka Lake People.In Lusine's song "Another Tomorrow," the lyrics seem to convey a sense of emotional turmoil and longing for someone who is causing stress and confusion. You just play the chord with the piece of software and it triggers all the synths. I started with that and built it up from there. I have a lot of monophonic synths and no poly-analogue synths, but I have this plug-in that sort of joins them all together so that you can trigger them all at the same time for arpeggiation. I did the synths in one take and then edited them to work inside the structure of the song. It's one of those songs that sort of sounds live. The song starts off simple enough, but as the track progresses you keep layering sounds. The arpeggiated synths on "Stratus" have a really hypnotic quality. And he was working with a live bass player and live drums but it still sounds electronic. I wasn't really into The Field when I first heard him, but with the last album I really got into it. And lately I've liked this John Talabot record, which is a good album all the way through. He also does a lot of arpeggiations, which I like. Then there's Dosh who makes live drum-inspired electronic music, which got me wanting to work with live drums a bit more. I like that kind of thing where it doesn't' have to be a full-on song or an instrumental track but something in between. Bands like Röyksopp and Junior Boys, the way they put together their albums. ![]() The more I've been messing with vocals, the more I like music that is transitional and not completely pop music or completely experimental. What other musical influences may have pushed you in new directions? I didn't want something that had total, final closure. It just felt right at the end of the album. I liked leaving it at the end where it just feels like it could go on instead of end. Jumping ahead to the album closer "February." Did you know this was going to be the closing track when you recorded it? It sounds as if it encapsulates the sentiment of the entire album.Īfter I finished it I thought, Yeah, this is definitely the last track. The area where I'd say you are right is the chorus where there are a lot shakers and a break-y sound to it. I really loved their stuff early on, and I'm sure some of that seeps into my music. As a result, the song is kind of a nod to the past but also incredibly current. There is an irregular, warbling quality to the track "Without a Plan." It reminded me a bit of mid-'90s Chemical Brothers. There are a lot of tracks like that on the album, like the opener "Panoramic." But I got into the idea of using arpeggiators and multiple analogs together, letting things go and tweaking things as they go along. Some tracks on the album are obviously more produced than others. I've been kind of getting into groups like Emeralds where it just seems like they're really messing with their hardware. Or at least letting things go a little more. It probably has something to do with what I've been listening to lately, and getting away from the overly-produced sound. The new album sounds simultaneously produced and live-a bit looser in a way. I have an idea what will work as an opener and closer, and what the arc will be, but only once I have a few tracks. Lusine: I think I had a general idea of tracks I wanted to jump on, but I didn't have an idea of how the album was going to be before I started. Was that the case on The Waiting Room or did you have a more definite idea for the new record? ![]() Thump: You've talked in the past about not pre-planning albums. I had an opportunity to chat with McIlwain about The Waiting Room, and how he endeavored to let things go a little more in the recording studio. As a sonic document, The Waiting Room is complete-its trajectory offering up many aural-induced experiences that demand quality speakers or headphones for full, sonic immersion. Pop and experimental forms find balance, which has been one of McIlwain's primary goals in recent years. Synths weave around each other in alternately spare and densely hypnotizing patterns. The Waiting Room-the first Lusine album since 2009's A Certain Distance-is his strongest to date.
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