There is no question they are still the duo who crept into fans (and blogs!) favorite lists back in 2006, but there is a distinct feeling of evolution taking place and the treatment of Legrand’s vocals are proof of this at play.

A sunny level of haze still rests comfortably around the whole album, but there is more light and energy in this album—they seem to be playing around the with pop idea even more as of late, and the sound suits them. Playful and poppy synth and keyboard punctuations and breathy “uh uh’s” structure around their single, “Lazuli,” with a masterful layering of vocals, swaying between one wavering voice to a final culmination of two, three vocal tracks coated one over the next.

One of my favorite tracks of the album, “Troublemaker” (dare I say, Treblemaker? Wah wah…), starts off with synth noises that seem to mimic ethereal organ music with just a hint of your neighborhood haunted house. As Victoria croones, “Someday out of the blue it will find you / Always always a face to remind me / Someone like you,” shimmery guitars creep in and out and their iconic, 60’s inspired dream pop just soars. Ok, we’re gushing now. Time to take a cold shower…and restart the record…

“We ended up with the name ‘Baobab’ after my partner Whitney–who plays keyboards and triggers computer samples in our live show–suggested it. I think it’s a wonderful word, aesthetically speaking, and it refers to a genus of trees that are indigenous to Africa. So it has a nice organic feel to it – not to mention the fact that my approach to music has been significantly influenced by African music, especially by the harmony-heavy mbaqanga tradition. In fact, the backing chorus on “Farewell” follows a melody borrowed from the traditional South African song “Shosholoza.” (I first heard Shosholoza in The Gods Must Be Crazy when I was a kid and was absolutely blown away by it. I remember re-watching the scene in which Shosholoza is sung about 20 times, mesmerized by the song’s harmonic beauty!)

African and folk influence play a pretty visceral role in Baobab’s collective sound. Their entrance into the musical world was a labor of love, a well-crafted and composed album built around Torres’ methodical creative processes, as he explains, “For me–and for a growing number of musicians these days–the writing and recording processes are intimately linked together. Thus, I often start by recording a single idea (e.g., a vocal harmony, a piano part, a guitar riff). I then listen to this idea and, as a result, generate some new ideas. I record these new ideas on top of the original one and start the process over again. The result is a kind of cybernetic feedback loop in which the computer is no less integral to the songwriting process than the human composer.”

Today, more so than ever, technology is an integral part of music composition and production. Torres used a paper he read years ago to help explain the scientific backing behind creativity and common creative processes. “Subjects were shown a picture of the Necker cube for a brief moment–that is, long enough for them to see the figure, but not long enough for it to undergo a gestalt shift. These subjects had never before seen the cube, so they didn’t know what to expect. They were then asked to picture the Necker cube in their minds for a certain period of time. Amazingly, not one reported experiencing a perspectival shift…what’s interesting to me are the conclusions about creativity that the scientists drew from this: sometimes the only way to see something differently is to externalize it; keeping it in your head just won’t do. And this is exactly what recording technology makes possible: the musician can externalize a melody and, as a result, see it in ways that would otherwise be impossible.”

Music’s unique blend of organic and inorganic substance has Torres convinced that musicians are not unlike cyborgs, and after hearing his argument, this comic book-loving, sci-fi nerd is inclined to agree. “As far as I can tell, musicians have always been cyborgs, since musical instruments are technologies and playing them requires a kind of merging of organism and artifact. But I don’t think music has ever been as cyborgized as it now is,” he explains.

But right now, we have Baobab to enjoy, an album which sounds nothing like the nonsensical beeps and boops of the future. Torres took us through the album’s making, and “rather than recording a single lead vocal and mixing it in the foreground (pretty typical of pop music), I decided to record a chorus of voices singing softly and mix it so that the voices surround the listener. And for the first time I actually thought my voice sounded good! Brownian Motion was the first song that I recorded in this style, and the (surprising) result of this experiment inspired me to keep going.”

Spring Forward is a track off the album that stuck with us, and also happens to be Torres’ favorite. “The whole song was built around the opening vocal chorus, which I recorded in a hurry late one night without any plans for turning it into a song. (I have a whole folder full of choruses like this that I’m not yet sure what to do with!) A couple days later I listened to it and liked what I heard, so I tried to find a chord progression that fit the melody.” If you listen closely, you’ll notice the opening swell of the piece is actually the opening vocal chorus, just flipped around. Throw in some ukulele, guitar, percussion, electronic keyboard and a little “cutting and pasting” orchestrated by Torres’ genius, he explains, “ I like to think of my approach as basically creating my own samples and then combining them on top of and next to each other until a coherent song emerges. Spring Forward is a good example of this, which is partly why I like it!”

—————————————————————————

Baobab is fronted by Philip Torres (with Whitney Trettien). Phil is a writer and former philosophy/neuroscience graduate student. He recently completed his first book, A Crisis of Faith: Atheism, Emerging Technologies and the Future of Humanity, due out this year. Whitney is a PhD candidate in English at Duke University.

Emanating an optimism that originates as much from Justin Vallesteros’ catharsis as it does from his youthful infatuation with uncertainty, Gallery confidently meanders an evolution in Craft Spell’s sound. Gallery fully embodies the contentedness that comes with being home once assured of the worlds infinite possibilities. Speckles of 80′s synth pop and drum loops remain the nostalgic centerpiece, representing familiarity, while Vallesteros illuminates himself as more comfortable venturing outward into the abyss of song-writing. Upon shedding the shackles of insecurity, Gallery unearths a resonating versatility amidst the further crafting of Vallesteros’ musical conceptions.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

• 05/08 Vancouver, BC Venue *
• 05/09 Seattle, WA Neumos *
• 05/10 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge *
• 05/12 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall *
• 05/13 Las Vegas, NV Body English – Hard Rock Hotel *
• 05/14 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre *
• 05/15 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre *
• 05/26 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival

* = w/ The Drums, Part Time

Tour Dates:

• 5/7 Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Concert Hall*
• 5/7 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
• 5/8 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater*
• 5/9 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater*
• 5/10 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater*
• 5/11 Portland, OR – Schnitzer Concert Hall*
• 5/13 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre*
• 7/5 Denver, CO – Bluebird #
• 7/6 Omaha, NE – Slowdown #
• 7/7 Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon #
• 7/9 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop #
• 7/10 Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom #
• 7/11 Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest
• 7/12 Toronto, ON – Opera House #
• 7/13 Pontiac, MI — Crofoot #
• 7/14 Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival
• 7/15 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity #
• 7/18 Missoula, MT – Top Hat #
• 7/20 Seattle, WA – Capitol Hill Block Party
• 7/21 Vancouver, BC – Venue tbd #
• 7/22 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom #

# = with Father John Misty // * = with Death Cab for Cutie

Today we’ve got a little taste of the record to whet your whistle. Here’s an exclusive of “What You Feel,” a B-side from the record that continues to capture Teen Daze’s sunny, upbeat dance:

(via @Noisey)

You can pre-order the record right here, and check out this interview with Jamison by the Creators Project, our arts-oriented sister site. Also, Teen Daze is heading out on tour for the summer. Check the dates below.

Teen Daze Summer Tour:

• 05/11 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands @
• 05/12 – New York, NY – Pianos @
• 06/03 – San Diego, CA – Soda Bar
• 06/05 – Los Angeles, CA – The Virgil
• 06/06 – San Francisco, CA – The Rickshaw Stop
• 06/14 – Saskatoon, SK – MoSo Fest
• 06/22-06/23 – Calgary, AB – Sled Island Festival
• 07/03 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie #
• 07/04 – New Haven, CT – BAR Nightclub #
• 07/06 – Cambridge, MA – TT the Bears #
• 07/07 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore #
• 07/08 – Toronto, ON – Drake Hotel #
• 07/10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Billobox #
• 07/11 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop #
• 07/12 – Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern #
• 07/13 – Detroit, MI – Majestic Café #
• 07/14 – Milwaukee, WI – The Cactus Club #
• 07/15 – Minneapolis. MN – 7th Street Entry #
• 07/17 – Denver, CO – The Hi-Dive #
• 07/18 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court #
• 07/19 – Boise, ID – Reef Boise #
• 07/22 – Vancouver, BC – Media Club #

# = w/ White Arrows and Beat Connection / @ = w/ Supreme Cuts

—

Curious how Nigel Godrich became involved in this crazy project? Here’s the story:

The seeds for A Different Ship were planted in late June 2010 at the Glastonbury Festival. Glastonbury started off rough for Here We Go Magic: onstage before noon in the scorching sun, operating on a few hours of uncomfortable sleep, they struggled at the start of their set to feel connected to the crowd.

“The crowd wasn’t giving us much to work with, except for these two guys standing in front,” says principal songwriter Luke Temple. “One of them was dancing around like a maniac and I was like, ‘I’m just gonna play for those two guys. Then I realized, ‘That’s fucking Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich!’” The band met Yorke and Godrich briefly after their set, and over the next few weeks, Godrich popped up at their shows in London and Paris, eventually proposing to Here We Go Magic that he might lend a hand with their next recording.

Despite an incubation period of nearly a year, and a writing process that spanned two continents, the ten songs of A Different Ship carry a consistent thematic concern. Godrich’s signature production has helped HWGM communicate their hypnotic and hypnagogic live vibe on tape, and the band has never sounded better.