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![<a href=”http://volcanoesmakeislands.bandcamp.com/track/time-to-run” data-mce-href=”http://volcanoesmakeislands.bandcamp.com/track/time-to-run”>Time to Run by Volcanoes Make Islands<br /><br /></a>
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Each a Chicago music scene veteran in their own right, the members of Volcanoes Make Islands make up a special kind of aural delicacy that can’t really be pinned down into any conventional genre… so we’re not even going to try. The point is, a Volcanoes Make Islands song has a lot going on, but nothing the detracts from the overall listening experience. They write the kind of music that deserves multiple listens, each uncovering new melodic layers and textures that help you realize why you loved the song so much in the first place.
The Interview:
Henry Bianco took a few minutes to answer some questions for us about the new release, the direction of the band, and to show how adept he is at stringing the words “practice” and “show” together a whole buncha times.
IM: Band members, their instruments and favorite NES/SNES game: Henry Bianco - Guitar/Vocals (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past… I asked the rest of the band this question and the responses spiraled into a multi-thread cacophony of Master System/Mega Drive supernerd, so you can just say that.) Todd Hill - Bass
Brad Sawicki - Guitar/Vocals
Alan Takaoka - DrumsIM: Tell us a bit about the direction of the new album, where does it differ from Sick City? VMI: The easiest difference is that this will be our first full length LP, whereas in the past we have only released 2 EPs. Stylistically I see it as a natural evolution of the writing methods Brad and I honed in on with Sick City, but hopefully more developed and matured and all of those things writers hope upon their work. We spent months working on “pre-production” this time around, aka practicepracticepracticeshowshowshowpracticepracticepractice, as well as recording our own round of fairly fleshed out demos before entering the studio with Dan Smart at Echo/Normal. Tonally it should be in the same ballpark as the last release, but because we have the luxury of working within the full length format there are perhaps more opportunities to experiment with dynamics and the natural ebb and flow of a listening journey. IM: How would you characterize the Chicago music scene? What do you like/what would you like to see changed? VMI: I have a lot of trouble characterizing “scenes.” The Chicago music scene, whatever that might mean, from my point of view has at least maybe a few hallmarks: an insular, almost incestual core of musicians playing in many bands; an aggressive “fuck you, just give this a chance and listen” attitude [even (especially?) held by what might otherwise be called a singer-songwriter balladeer]; and a willingness to experiment within the bounds of whatever given genre so chosen. This isn’t LA, this isn’t New York, and to an extent I think that has always put a chip on our collective shoulder. Or maybe (read: probably) I’m totally full of shit.IM: Why, in today’s music world, should people listen to Volcanoes Make Islands instead of, say, Taylor Swift Bieber [insert animal name] Collective? I dunno man. As a group of musicians, I don’t think there is a genre at least one of us doesn’t have some passing familiarity with (short of top 40 country), and personally I go out of my way to listen to as many different styles, popular or not, as I can track down. Now, that doesn’t mean I actually _like_ everything, but hopefully the world is willing to give us at least a similar chance. The music we’ve made on this record is the music we as a group want to listen to ourselves, and beyond that it’s anyone’s guess as to what happens with it. IM: What the hell is in that album art? VMI: It’s a test shot of an astronaut testing out a new space suit, taken sometime in the mid 60’s. Pretty far out. *This is a lie.
.Matt Tanaka](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m66fiono831qj8lsuo1_400.jpg)
