The Next Big Thing – Twin Goat!

Poet, poster child, and elevatrix Maggie Cleveland tagged the Boolean Studio house band (aka Twin Goat) as part of The Next Big Thing. Briefly, TNBT is a way for writers to promote recent projects and publications by answering a set of standardized questions. Maggie thought it would be great to expand the circle to include other creatives, and now we’re “it.” Below are the questions we’ve been assigned to answer (modified for our particular situation):

*What is the working title of your album?

“Don’t 1913”

*Where did the idea come from for the album?

For the past six years (except 2012), we’ve participated in the RPM Challenge. The idea is to write and record an album during the month of February (“album” is defined as 10 songs or 35 minutes).

*What genre does your album fall under?

Typically, Twin Goat albums are instrumental, incorporating both acoustic and electronic sounds, and often generate comparisons to soundtrack music. This year, we decided to use only electric instruments, with the exception of some percussion.

*Which musicians would you choose to play on your album?

We’re lucky to have a talented network of musicians who are willing to give us a hand every year. There’s always a good mix of returning and new contributors. Nicole has a not-so-secret musical crush on Stephen Malkmus, so that would be a dream collaboration for her. Ian has always wanted to collaborate with Kelly Clarkson on a lo-fi indie pop album; no auto-tune, raw recording style, stripped-down.

*What is the one-sentence synopsis of your album?

“This is the soundtrack to a low-budget sci-fi film from the early 1970’s, based on a book written in the 1800’s about what the future would be like in the year 1913.”

*Will your album be self-released or represented by a label?

All of the Twin Goat material is self-released, usually in a short-run of hand-screened CDs, followed by digital release. This year, we’ll just offer a digital download.

*How long did it take you to write the album?

Twenty-eight days to write, record, and mix (give or take).

*What other albums would you compare this to within your genre?

Early Kraftwerk or Neu!, maybe some Ennio Morricone on a song or two.

*Who or what inspired you to write this album?

We’ve been listening to a bunch of dark wave, psychedelic, and shoegaze the past few months: bands like Soft Moon, Tropic of Cancer, Young Prisms, Suuns, Wooden Shjips, and Eternal Tapestry.

*What else about your album might pique the listener’s interest?

This is the only way to hear Twin Goat. We never leave the studio, and the songs are never recreated. We’ve forgotten how to play them already!