Sunday, April 12, 2009

Interview excerpt: Steve

Steve: ...I mean I always consider MGMT like party music, it's kinda like dance-pop, you know...
John: ...right, right, right...
Steve: ...pretty accessible to the masses
John: ...right, right.  What do you, a, how do you, how do you feel about, a, the fact that MGMT has blown up, you know, recently, and maybe it's appealing more to the in crowd than it was when it originated?
S: Um, I mean it happens, you know?  It's, I feel like, there are certain bands that are, have a tendency to blow up just because their music, like I said, is more accessible, and they have that pop sound to them.
J: All right, all right, um, do you think the fact that MGMT signed to Columbia, a major record label, and Yeasayer signed to a very small record label called WeAreFree, they're one of three bands on this label, do you think the fact that MGMT is on Columbia makes it easier for them to get bigger?
S: I mean it definitely makes it easier for them to get bigger, but more so, I feel like the larger influence is Columbia, um, pressuring them to kind of change their sound so that it is more appealing.  Whereas I feel like when you're on a smaller label you don't really have those pressures, so you're, kind of like able to do more with your music, I feel like whereas MGMT, I feel like their music and their sound is kind of like set now.
J: Right, right.  So I mean...
S: On their most recent album, I guess it's their only album.
J: Right, right...
S: It's the only album I've ever heard from them.
J: It's a, that's what I was thinking, it would be interesting to see what their next a, next album sounds like...
S: Yeah.
J: ...if a, I feel like major labels might put producers in there, is that what you're saying?
S: Yeah, definitely producers, who a, I mean whose soul job is to produce music to make money, you know?
J: Right, right, right, sell to the masses.
S: Yeah, so, I don't know, I feel like Yeasayer, Yeasayer definitely, for me, is like the cliche indie band, so there's like, there's tracks on there that maybe a large amount of people would be able to listen to and enjoy, but for the most part it's kind of like a whole piece, you have to listen to the whole album cause the ups and the downs, whereas MGMT I feel like every track on there could be a single almost.


S: Well it's tough, it's tough to sell an album when you don't have like, a single off of it, you know?
J: Right.  Or a single that gets airplay?
S: A single that gets airplay, yeah.  So, I can't really listen to the Yeasayer album and pick one song that's just like, oh this one, I could play this on the radio, because you need to listen to the whole album, and get a feel for it, you know?
J: Right, right.
S: Cause one song evolves into the next, whereas with the MGMT it's just like, oh, this song's, this song could definitely be on the, oh yep, this one's, this one's real good too, oh, this one's really dancy.  And there's like three or four that just, now we're hearing them all the time.


J: ...a company run by two people, like yeah they can get it out on the internet, but as far as airplay and stuff, and like getting the name out there more, it's like, if you have like a big, you know, representative, you know, I mean...
S: No, I definitely felt that way, like there's a lot of, indie bands, I say indie with quotes, that a, you hear songs from, and you're like, oh, wow, this could totally be on the radio, like how could people not love this song, you know like this would appeal to a ton of people...
J: Like stuff from Liars, and like...
S: Yeah, even some Animal Collective, you're like, like their most recent album, it's like, everyone should like this song [laughs], it's a really good beat, it's like, but a, because it, maybe because they're on an indie label they don't have the promotions, so they don't, um, yeah, they don't make it on the airtime, you know?  It's hard to say though, because we're not in the world of music...


(Audio of the whole interview to come, as soon as I work out the kinks with audacity on my computer)

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