Releasing their second album, Hello Ambition, at the start of June, Chicago duo Coltrane Motion has been taking that album title to heart and greeting hard work head on. Touring since the end of May, the band makes their gallant return to Illinois with a show in Woodstock tonight, with plans to continue sharing their new album live throughout the summer. “Right now we’re just gearing up to play out the songs that we’ve spent the entire winter recording and obsession over.” (Michael Bond) The twosome has also recently wrapped up shooting for a new music video with Milk Products Media.
Following 2007’s Songs About Music, the new album by Coltrane Motion is a move into something a little more poppy in comparison to the droning electronics of the band’s past. Though tracks such as “One Year From Now” and “High Tide” carry the familiar fuzziness of the band’s past, as a whole Hello Ambition perks up percussively with extra doses of tambourine and cymbals. “I Forgot There Was A War On” is a strong example of the indie-rock-hits-the-club feel that Hello Control brings to the table, full of echoey synth, blipping guitar, and a danceable beat that cannot be
ignored. Following that same path, the tremulous organ and buzzing make tracks “My Heart Might Go On” and “Only Again” hybrids of 60’s beach rock and a sedated, American version of The Futureheads.
Hello Ambition couldn’t have been released at a better time, because in its entirety it has “Summer Soundtrack” written all over it. Hooky, melodious, and breezy, Hello Ambition isn’t ground breaking new material for the music world, but it is a pleasant listen for those who like a little fuzziness in their indie pop and need something to soak up the sun with.
Coltrane Motion’s Michael Bond took some time out from the road to answer a few questions for us via email this past week. Check out what he had to say about musical influences, his favorite locals, and who would play his “dream tour”.
Reviewsic: What’s the back-story on how the band came to be what it is today?
Michael Bond: I started to record lo-fi pop in my dorm room while going to college in Cincinnati, and Matt I would occasionally help each other out with different projects. Datawaslost was more of an art collective than a record label then, with a lot of people playing together, and often some combination would be Coltrane Motion’s live incarnation. Matt moved to Chicago for school, and I followed a year later, which is when we started playing as a duo, which seemed to work. Our instrumentation was decided (and still is) by what would fit in the trunk of my car, for cheap and plentiful touring.
Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Michael Bond: James Brown ~1964, Talking Heads ~1984, Missy Elliott ~2004. Actually, it would be terrible to play with any of those.. there’s no fun in getting blown off stage – just look at Rolling Stones’ faces on the TAMI Show when they had to follow James Brown – there’s no topping that.
Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?
Michael Bond: Beck’s ‘Beercan’, Brainiac’s ‘Hot Metal Dobermans’, Quasi’s ‘Happiness Is Guaranteed’. That youtube video of Neil Young playing ‘Hey Hey My My’ with Devo. We both listen to a lot of disparate stuff, but those are the sort of sounds that made me want to make music in the first place.
Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?
Michael Bond: I’m learning to play the accordion right now, so that’s probably top of the list.
Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?
Michael Bond: According to iTunes, it was Leonard Cohen – New Skin For The Old Ceremony, and new ones from The Radio Dept. and Woods.
Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?
Michael Bond: Everything Daptone Records has touched for the last few years has been incredible, so I’d have to say them. I’d love to make a soul album with a backing band like theirs.
Reviewsic: Who was the first band/musician you saw live?
Michael Bond: The Violent Femmes
Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?
Michael Bond: Mazes & Cave are two of my absolute favorite bands right now, local or not. I should probably be thankful every day for R Kelly’s existence, let alone being able to live in the same city as him.
Reviewsic: Tell us about Hello Ambition! – is there a particular concept behind it? What was the process of making the album like?
Michael Bond: It’s not a ‘concept album’ per se, but there’s a thread of restlessness running through it – like ‘Born to Run’ plus 10 years, when you really just need to get away from yourself ad the choices you’ve made, not the small town or parents’ house Springsteen sang about. The process was pretty solitary, mostly spread out over this last winter. Everything was home-recorded, so there was a lot of sitting alone with headphones tweaking organ sounds for hours.
Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at this point as opposed to when you first began playing together?
Michael Bond: We are much better at doing the few simple things we do well. It’s nice to have a feel for the other person, and we’ve certainly got that now but it’s even nicer to know your limitations, and to just do as much as possible within them.
Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities and/or to play?
Michael Bond: The Midwest is great – Chicago, Cincinnati.. Getting back to Montreal last fall was great, we love that city.
Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?
Michael Bond: Ha! If music were my career, I’d be making more marketable stuff than this.
Reviewsic: What are a few items essential to you “tour survival kit”?
Michael Bond: Liquids. B12. It’s all physical, keeping your body from falling apart after a week of throwing it around the stage every night. Last tour I worked myself through a not-small bag of those sugary double-colored lollipops they used to sell at high-school basketball games. Sugar is probably the best drug you could develop a crippling addiction to, I suppose. This last tour also featured a lot of baseball on the radio, which helped keep 12hr car trips sane.
Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?
Michael Bond: Lots of singles, more touring in the fall. The same thing, only louder and faster.
Tags: Album Review, Interview, Local Music, Tour, Upcoming Show, Video
One Response to “Chicago’s Own: Coltrane Motion, “Hello Ambition”- Talking Shop with Michael Bond”