Lost
by Enrico Vacaro
TRAMAVIRTUAL – see the original interview here
Labirinto releases EP (donwload) and also complete two years recording Anátema, it´s full “orchestra” record should come out in 2010.
The lost style of the pictures reveals not only the balance forest like sound – echoing misterys, just like post-rock does – but also does reveal the most recent trajectory of the band. The “island” in this mistery case refers to Labirinto, group from São Paulo City. Like the TV series, into music enviroment, the more one may explore, the less solutions are to come out.
An example of the excess of paths to be taken – either at the search for timbre, or harmonies or construction concepts – it is the long production of the Labirinto first full album, Anátema, that has completed two years since the beginning of the recording sessions, and it will be still in the oven in 2010. It is like a journey, an impossible adventure, TV series style like. The new record will be remarkable for the introduction of new instruments, and it should take the band sonority into an advanced stage of orchestration, reminding the canadian Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Being part of the brazillian headline of post rock scene, Labirinto has released this year the EP called Etereo, that reminds the magnetic image builder vocation of the band, wich songs last over than ten minutes and also create an environment that fits perfectly at an imaginary motion picture or, again, the Lost TV series, that will bee back again on TV just as the record “Anatema” comes out. The EP is a good initiation to LP “Anatema”. Just like as it would be as an TV show pilot episode.
We talked with guitar player Erick Cruxen.
How is the prodution of Anátema going? When it will come out?
We are at the half of the recordings, we still have a long way to go. Labirino have been preparing this album for the last two years, putting a lot of dedication on the tunes, on the songs, on the compositions, on the effects, on the quality of the recording and mixing. It is a slow process, since we have already tried a lot of different sonority for the songs, and different timbre and dynamics. There are a lot of instruments recorded on the Anatema. Beyond cello and analogic synths we already use on the band, we came up with the use of violin, piano, banjo, brass and citar on the songs, and also we have a lot of musicians as special guests. We expect Anatema to be released on the middle of 2010.
How is the record going to be? Will It follow the same line of work of the EP Etereo?
Anatema will be completely conceptual, with long and image like songs. The record will be the telling of a tale we created, and the songs will be part of this context. The similarity between those and the songs of the EP Etereo happen to be due to the construction and the development of harmonies, and dynamics, and arrangement and effects. They became more complex in comparison of those from the band’s first EP.
Is it the excommunication record of Labirinto?
(Laughs). After anátema, our first album, everybody in Labirinto will be excommunicated. It is certainly one of the meanings of the record. There are others, but only listening and seeing the album one can sense it.
How was the participation of the band at the Dissenso collectanea and how does the band work the construction of images from the post rock?
It was pretty cool to take part of Dis1. There was a lot of repercussion and complements due to the collectanea, it did put together four experimental bands, from different regions of Brasil, (Constantina, Fóssil, Labirinto and Ruído/mm), and also many graphic pieces from several visual artists. We are anxious for the second issue.
As the songs are instrumental pieces, we built melodies and arrangements, as a sound landscape. It is a plurality of grooving, effects and textures that blend in to develop an idea, a scene or a feeling we intent to materialize. We try to make songs as pictures, searching for influences beyond music. Our references come from different forms of artistic manifestations, like cinema, literature, photography, I mean, several of those wich we are in contact on a daily basis.
I believe the post rock scene is a bit saturated, if you take for an example the present production of classic bands such as Mogwai, Explosions in The Sky e Pelican. Even so we still had some good national production like those of Fóssil e ruído/mm. Is there a way to be creative at the post rock? How to?
I believe this saturation is something punctual. Perhaps, It may be a big paradox, because what is the post rock? Certainly it is one of the most extensive and subjective classification, once its own definition points out to numbers of styles and musical influences, reinvented every instant. Also good and worst records are common for every band, on every style. There are many good projects coming up, called post rock, experimental, post metal. The important thing is not to be stuck to a single paradigm or cliche, searching new bands and references, at different points of the planet, since we got internet as a tool. At Labirinto, we seek for several different musical influences, wich make it easier to try out and explore new textures and image like ambience. That attempt may be called post rock, progressive, experimental rock, instrumental music. We let people be free to define it.
What are your plans for 2010?
Initially, release the record, and also carry out a few shows as part of release and publicizing. For the beginning of the second semester we are finishing arrangements for a tour in Europe. Besides, we expect to put together a few events and projects by Dissenso, promoting and publishing excellent altenative artists/bands material.
