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Their brand of polychromatic electro-pop hews closer to M.I.A.
than, say, Michael Franti.
They have a gift for drawing unexpected connections and an endless curiosity for cutting-edge global rhythms.
In 2008, the bands mixed-media work was even included in theWhitney Biennial.
They werent making stuffy music for galleries, though.
The band released five albums over the course of the decade, culminating in their 2011 full-lengthEye Contacton 4AD.
Then they took a break.
Where their past releases typically packed in a sprawling abundance of sound, their latest has a dreamier quality.
Theres a sense of calm when they perform that really resonated with me.
Im not able to relax and take in the music as its happening.
The second song on the record, J-TREE, was directly influenced by the first song onDisintegration, Plainsong.
Its expansive and and trance-like in a way we dont normally do.
Were usually a bit more spazzy and rushed.
That was a very big influence on our spoken-word piece ( novae terrae ).
Having a spoken-word section helps glue the whole thing together.
That whole span of three or four years of my life preceding the record was all about silence.
Every morning I would look out and I would literally be looking down on the tops of clouds.
I started meditating every day, and then my whole life became a meditation.
I was focusing on experiencing simple pleasures and not much else.
Earthship architectureMost of the things I read [over the past few years] were functional.
I read books on how to build sustainable structures, and books on gardening and things like that.
It does bleed into the record, but its not in this direct art-reference key in of way.
But the things I was studying definitely affected me.
I was studying Earthship architecture.
Earthships are the most self-sustainable, off-grid key in of housing that exists.
He started researching how to construct a living space that didnt require any money to maintain.
The foundations and the walls are made from discarded materials, tires and tin cans.
So anything you do when youre learning and reading about them, it infuses you with that spirit.
Theres no evil involved in any of that.
Most things have a whole lot of evil involved.
Terrence MalickFor everyone in the band, Malick has always been a favorite filmmaker.
I remember thinking a lot about a couple specific Malick moments while making the record.
In an ideal situation I would make a record that sounded exactly like that.
Hes such a master.
Hes making ambient films, theyre so non-narrative and nonlinear, theyre just these floaty moods.
She makes these chalkboard paintings that look like line drawings that have been erased on a chalkboard.
The idea of erasing something thats been drawn is an idea weve been incorporating more and more.
The last song, Salve on the Sorrow, was initially really full-on.
A lot of other instances on the record were also about taking things away.
Michael PowellTheres a quick sample from the Michael Powell filmAge of Consenton Salve on the Sorrow.
Its about this painter basically living on an island by himself.
Thats all the film is about, him living on this island with his dog trying to paint pictures.
That sample is just when he cracks a beer.
Just alone on an island, sounds like a great life.
I can really relate to the desire for that.
I discovered him when we were finishing up the record.
Hes amazing, hes a Bay Area guy from the 70s and 80s.
It was a really interesting use of contrasting textures.
I think of music very visually to begin with, so those things always affect me.
Everything is about color and texture, line quality or pattern.
Its a synesthetic relationship.
Our friend Brooks [Headley] has this restaurant calledSuperiority Burger, and its incredible.
His salads and his soups, to me, have the same quality as the Roy De Forest drawings.
That, to me, is musical knowledge.
