The era of the major label is vanquished. In the wake of its destruction stirs a new renaissance for music. Bands now have to be twice as crafty and imaginative in not only their marketing but the creation of their sound to stand out amongst the tens of thousands of bands vying for public attention. Commercial success is no longer measured in units sold, but how many playlists your album or single is boasted on, and how many hits your new You Tube video has accumulated.
With this renaissance comes the vast multiplication of sub genres, almost to a comedic level. Bands will label themselves in creative mutations of genres past, present, and in many cases, invented on the spot in order to get themselves noticed or somehow classified.
So imagine my laughter as I stumbled upon Work Drugs on You Tube. Recommended to me by a friend of mine from Philly, I felt an immediate connection to them and their quest for smooth music. Describing themselves on MySpace as “sedative wave” and “smooth-fi,” the music seemed to draw from all the places I revered in pop music. Their debut effort Summer Blood was a collection of laid back ditties with enough of a back beat to keep your head moving. At the tail end of the record are 3 pieces recorded from an island getaway. Immediately the band was showing multiple facets to their sound while not getting too complex or arty.
With their first full length effort Aurora Lies being released on November 7, I wanted to catch up with them and chat a bit about influences, their production methods, and of course…YACHT ROCK.
Wyllys: 1) I read up on your amazing moniker and it’s a funny story. Can you retell this story for our HT readers?
PS: WE LOVE THE NAME. We think you should start a side project of speedwave remixes of your songs called Adderall.
PSS: I just made up speedwave
Tom Crystal: Well the Lady Work Drugs was the name of our former sail boat. Needless to say the name drew a bit too much attention from the maritime authorities…so when we picked up the new ship, we named it Flying Zambo and kept the name for the band. Some people really think the name Work Drugs was derived from a line on a premium American television show…but those are just rumors really.
Wyllys: Your first release, Summer Blood, is an EP with a video for most of the songs and three tunes from an island recording session. Can you tell us about your recording process (island and other) and how these videos are being used to portray the songs?
Tom Crystal: The process starts with Ben and I sitting on the roof deck with the acoustic guitars and cold Becks writing little bits of songs while the roar of I-95 can be heard in the distance. From there we continue to work out whichever song or songs seem to make sense at that time. Sometimes the videos are inspired by the song or vice versa. As for the island sessions, our friend Jackie T. usually invites us down to his private island for a quick getaway once or twice a year. This year we decided to release a few songs that came out of a late night recording session around the bonfire. Plenty more in the bait box.
Wyllys: You are about to release your first full length album Aurora Lies on Nov 7. How will this record differ from Summer Blood and can we expect to see you guys out on the road to support it?
Tom Crystal: I think Aurora Lies is a bit like Summer Blood on steroids…or some type of new upper.
It’s hard to say if we will tour for this album or not. We never actually planned on touring for Summer Blood, but the wind picked up and pushed us out west for a few weeks with Two Door Cinema Club in April. We’ll see how the tides look in 2012.
Wyllys: The video for Blue Steel is hilarious and features footage of Mannequin, obviously for the Philly connection. Was Blue Steel inspired by the movie?
Tom Crystal: I don’t think we really had the movie in mind when we wrote the song, but when it was done it definitely felt like an ’80s montage type song. We had been repping our sailing adventures a lot lately, so it was time to showcase a Philadelphia cinematic masterpiece in one of our videos.
Wyllys: Your music is very soothing but certainly has a back beat to keep your interest. Who are your major influences? Who would be a dream producer for you guys to work with?
Tom Crystal: Our major influences include older stuff like Hall and Oates, Phil Collins-era Genesis, and Pablo Cruise…and some newer stuff like At The Drive In, Grizzly Bear, and Kings of Convenience, etc. We currently enjoy working with our silent master – collaborator/producer Bobby Cahn, but if Narada Michael Walden was available, he is definitely someone we would love to work with.
Wyllys: As far as Philly is concerned, the music scene there is blowing up. Do you guys have a rival scene going with The War on Drugs or are you guys starting The Federation For Shady Band Names? Who are some of your favorite local heroes?
Tom Crystal: We met Dave from The War on Drugs a few months back and I think we smoothed everything over. Aside from The War on Drugs (whose new album is incredible), some of our other favorite local heros are The Norwalks (RIP), Post Post, the Mopey Puppies and Crucial Taunt.
Wyllys: What was your favorite album of 2011 so far?
Tom Crystal: Definitely the new Feist album. It’s a slow burner that sneaks up on you like a rogue wave in the Baltic. The runner up award goes to the new M83 and Destroyer albums. It’s about time both of those groups are getting some recognition. People should really start digging into their back catalog!
Wyllys: Finally ,it sounds like you guys are into Yacht Rock. Have you ever seen the internet TV show of the same moniker?
Tom Crystal: Never heard of it, but it sounds pretty smooth.
2 Responses
I heard that Crucial Taunt is playing a double bill with The Shitty Beatles tonight at the Iron Works
A person essentially lend a hand to make critically posts I would state. That is the very first time I frequented your web page and so far? I amazed with the research you made to create this actual put up amazing. Excellent process!