ARTIST: Softlightes
TITLE: Heart Made of Sound
LABEL: Modular Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 196kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 17m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-00-00
RIP DATE: 2006-11-14
Track List
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1. Heart Made Of Sound 3:06
2. Girlkillsbear 4:00
3. Noah And The Electric Cholos 3:35
4. Introduction To Sunshine 1:48
5. Girlkillsbear (Lo-Fi-Fnk Remix) 4:37
Release Notes:
ôMusically, we don't know what the end destination is, and I like it that way.
Whatever we've created, it wasn't by accident, but it certainly wasn't on
purpose. For me that makes music honest,ö says Ron Fountenberry, the principle
songwriter and unofficial captain of the good ship that is the Softlightes.
ItÆs fitting that Fountenberry references bedrooms when he speaks of the
SoftlightesÆ incandescent and joyfully experimental musicùitÆs there that he
tinkers endlessly with a dizzying array of instruments in search of the perfect
melody; a way to channel an equal appreciation for Alvie Singer, Ready Made
Magazine, Ali G, Boba Fett, Playstation and Larry Davidà a way to be real and
make someone happy through song.
But whatÆs more important to our chat right now are the products of the
SoftlightesÆ collective imagination and recording sessions: the dazzling pop
songs that are collected on their shimmering debut album for Modular Recordings,
Say No To Being Cool - Say Yes To Being Happy.
Without digging too far back, the Softlightes story begins (roughly) in 2003,
when Fountenberry and bassist Kristian DunnÆs previous project, the electro pop
group The Incredible Moses Leroy, had caught the ear of one Mr. Cody Chesnutt.
Or was it the other way around?
ôI remember seeing a four star review of CodyÆs album in Rolling Stone and
thinking to myself æItÆs not that often that a black artist who isnÆt doing a
straight r&b thing gets that kind of attention,Æö remembers Fountenberry.
Meanwhile, up the California coast in Los Angeles, MosesÆ first album Electric
Pocket Radio (E.P.R.) was becoming very popular at the rising starÆs house. From
there came a string of connections between MosesÆ and CodyÆs management. Before
long, Cody took the band on tour with him for a string of sold-out club shows.
ôHe and his management were always promoting us to other musicians and people in
the industry,ö says Dunn appreciatively. One of those people happened to be
Modular Recordings impresario Steve Pavlovic. He immediately took a shining to
the radiant pop that Moses were creating after hearing a copy of E.P.R. passed
to him by CodyÆs Australian tour manager.
After releasing two buzz-garnering albums and working with acclaimed producers
and musicians such as Joey Waronker (Beck) and Keith Cleverlsly (the Flaming
Lips, Spiritualized), Moses disbanded and Fountenberry and Dunn and started up
the ôidea of the Softlightesö in the fall of 2004.
ôProfessionally it felt as though it was time to move on, or maybe throw in the
towel completely. We really didnÆt have a lot of options. I just figured if we
were going to try, I wanted to be happy and make music that was close to my
heart, even if that meant sounding silly to some people,ö says Fountenberry.
ôSince it felt as though it might be our last chance, we decided to go for
broke... something like that Eminem song or Rocky! We just tried to create a
lush and beautifully balanced pop record, like the old days, even if we didnÆtÆ
have a record deal or access to a studio.ö
Over the late summer and fall of 2005, drummer Tim Fogarty (ôbesides being great
drummer, he had a cool electronic drumset, so we knew we had to have him in our
band
ö) and pianist Andrew Van Baal entered the fray and the four embarked on endless
sessions at DunnÆs Los Angeles home studioùbetter known to most as his garage.
As the songs with the full band took shape, Dunn would send CDs to Fountenberry
in San Diego, where the singer would tinker endlessly with melodies, harmonies
and arrangements before calling Dunn to request changes (and more changes and
more changes.)
What resulted was a new home grown masterpiece. From the breezy sun-soaked
opener ôThe Ballad Of Theodore and Juneö to the glitchy electronica of ôGirl
Kills Bear,ö the thundering ôThe Robots In My Room Were Playing Arena Rock,ö to
the utterly infectious ôThe Microwave Song,ö Say No To Being Cool Say Yes To
Being Happy is a celebration of the sounds that would be blasting on your radio
in a more perfect time.
ôThe thing I kept asking was æwhat would happen ifà,Æö says Fountenberry of the
experimental climate that recording at home allowed for. ôWhat if I used a
vocoder here or replaced synths into this guitar part? What if I sampled the
sound of my neighbor upstairs walking really hard and made a beat out of it? You
just canÆt work like that when you are on the clock.ö Dunn adds, ôWeÆd all try
to think about what a regular rock musician would do and then do the opposite.ö
Now that all the what ifs have been answered, the noise is about to begin.
Please bask in the warm glow of the Softlightes with us.