I would go as far as to say that Sun Airway is my favorite new band. They play an exceptional brand of organic bliss-pop that really hits home with its staunch authenticity. Their debut album, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier, was one of 2010's hidden gems. Back in March, when the band played our Foburg showcase, Art/Official had the privilege of interviewing the band's talented and polite frontman, Jon Barthmus.
What i'm trying to say here is that they've just put out two new tracks that are undoubtedly worth your time, money, and hardrive real estate. Below stream, download, and check out the unofficial video of the meandering beauty of "Wild Palms." You can also buy the digital 7" from iTunes here, or pre-order the physical wax from Insound here. These guys are the real deal.
"The craziest nights of our lives always happen in New Orleans."
Last Sunday night, after Art/Official’s Foburg showcase at Saturn Bar with Small Black, Cults, Cloud Nothings, and Sun Airway, I caught up with Jon Barthmus, frontman of Philadelphia bliss-pop outfit Sun Airway. They started the night off beautifully with a visually and aurally engaging set. This outstanding band has been turning heads in the indie world recently, and righteously so. They bring to mind a hybrid of Animal Collective and The Postal Service, with their own added authenticity. Their debut album Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier came out last year. In the front seats of their tour van, we discussed the following…
art/official: You guys have found a great medium between organic and electronic in your music. How did you accomplish that?
Jon Barthmus: That was the main intention going into the record. We were coming from a guitar rock background, but I always wanted to make electronic music. For Sun Airway, the music is “synthetic,” but I wanted to make it real.
a/o: How do you usually approach writing a song?
JB: It really runs the gamut. Usually lyrics come first because that’s the hardest part for me. I really write in every possible way. Sometimes I’ll work on a song for months and months, and sometimes I’ll finish a song within a day. There’s really no rhyme or reason to the process.
a/o: I saw a video of you guys playing an acoustic version of “Oh, Naoko,” and it had a real folk/Americana vibe. Do you tend to experiment with different ways to play songs?
JB: I’ve been experimenting with electronic music for a really long time. I wanted to make a record that was mine. All of the songs can be played with real instruments, but that’s really expensive, and during recording I didn’t have a ton of money. A lot of the songs can be played in different ways. The final product on record is what I wanted to put out there, though.
a/o: Do you write all of the songs yourself?
JB: Yeah, I write them all myself. After everyone quit my old band (the A-Sides), the drummer and I continued making music. I would record a bunch of stuff on my own in my basement, and bring some of it to the studio.
a/o: After touring, what’s your next move?
JB: We’re working on a 7” to put out this summer. We’re going to try to do a European tour. We’re doing Pitchfork Festival this summer along with a few others.
a/o: Do you have any collaborations in the works?
JB: I really wanna do something with Jana from Lower Dens. I love doing remix swaps, too.
a/o: Judging from the sound of the songs on the album, it sounds like somewhat of a break up album, but I see you’re wearing a wedding ring. What’s the story there?
JB: It’s not really a break up record. A lot of it was inspired by the book Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Actually, the songs “Oh, Naoko” and “Waiting On You” come directly from the novel. The book just really spoke to me. It’s this great, heartbreaking, coming-of-age work. I won’t give too much away, but I definitely recommend it. Then take a song like “Put the Days Away,” where it might sound like a break up, but it’s more about time in general. But yeah, the album isn’t entirely autobiographical.
a/o: What do you think of New Orleans so far?
JB: I love it here. The craziest nights of our lives always happen in New Orleans.
Mardi Gras is finally over; all of the staff members at art/official have survived (that we know of so far), and Foburg is fast approaching. The music festival, which takes place this coming weekend, has done a fantastic job of securing great local, national, and even international acts to perform this year around.
It stands to reason that a smaller, but similar festival would suffer from being scheduled on the same weekend as Austin’s SXSW, but the opposite stands true. Many bands participating in SXSW this year, anxious to make the best of their time in the dirty south, will be playing at both festivals this weekend and all of the heavy hitters on the bill for Sunday night's showcase at the Saturn Bar are a testament to this. Thanks to our friends at Deft Jams, many of the biggest names on this years Foburg lineup will be sharing the same stage - or spot on the floor at the front of the main room in the Saturn Bar.
First on the list is a band always eager to work with Deft Jams, Small Black, hailing from Brooklyn, New York. These guys were in New Orleans last on October 28, two days after the release of their first full length LP, the hazy, nostalgia drenched New Chain. This very talented outfit has been described as anything from synth-pop, to chillwave, to acoustamatic.
Next on the lineup is Toro y Moi, stage name for chillwave poster boy Chazwick Bundick. Toro y Moi is currently on tour following the February release of his second studio album, Underneath the Pine. The album has been described by many as step in a direction away from the chillwave genre, characterized at times by a feel that is borderline funk, but this hasn't seemed to hurt his success in the least bit. Pine received a "best new music" from Pitchfork, which could be argued as one of the pinnacle achievements in the independent music world. Furthermore, in between the close release of his first two albums, Bundick has stayed busy releasing a plethora of other material, such as remixes and the like. I hope he has a live drummer with him...
Yet another big name on the lineup for this Sundays showcase is Cults. Still without an entire full-length to their name, this indie pop band created huge amounts of buzz in 2010 with the release of their painfully catchy single "Go Outside." The track is a lazy retro feeling gem with a jangling glockenspiel riff and lyrics that will stick in your head untill your sick of them.
Cloud Nothings are an energetic and noisy lo-fi punk/power pop group from Cleveland that really likes braided hair - maybe even a bit too much. Their music is full of catchy hooks that are a product of the mastermind behind Cloud Nothings, Dylan Baldi. The bands latest self titled full-length was released at the beginning of this year via Wichita/Carpark records.
The last band on the lineup is "bliss-pop" duo from Philadelphia, Sun Airway. The groups depute full-length, Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier (what a name), came out late last year. I don't know too much about these guys, but their music is hazy and dreamy. It makes me anxious for the summer and has been compared by many to Animal Collective, which is a good thing. Besides, who doesn't love adorable hipster girls frolicking in the ocean, riding a bicycle care-free through a city, or even better, laying in bed in her underwear, dreaming?
Foburg festival and this show are definitely two things you shouldn't miss out on if you're in New Orleans this weekend. It isn't everyday we get the opportunity here to experience so much great music all in the time frame of a single weekend - take advantage of it.
