So full disclosure I run a record label and I’ve come to an agreement with Blood Makes Noise to let me promote releases every week. The idea is every week I will present a playlist with some new Mint 400 Records music and what I think inspired our songwriters. This week it’s shorter playlist because it’s mostly singles. They all happen to fall into the indie vein though.
First up from New Jersey Blue Vervain offers up their newest single, which is going to be on their forthcoming album of the same name “North Carolina”. Now recently Blue Vervain covered Fleetwood Mac’s song “Dreams” long before the skateboard guy drinking juice. Next thing you know about a billion bands covered it. However aside from the fact they did an amazing job I think when bands cover songs it definitely inspires them to move in that direction for at least a song or two. As they are students of songwriting I can definitely hear how them covering that song led to this song being created as the vibe and some of the melody is similar. I definitely don’t see this as a bad thing and in fact have done the same thing myself. I think Blue Vervain are growing into their own unique thing even though this new track might lean a little on a classic.
Next up all the way from Minneapolis is LC Flowers who does a unique mix of lo-fi indie pop that to me sometimes sounds like older Pavement. Blood Makes Noise just recently interviewed LC Flowers and he gave his exact inspirations behind these songs, and again Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams comes up, very interesting how quintessential that song has become to the modern indie artist. Here is what LC Flowers had to say:
A few months ago a video of a guy on a skateboard drinking Ocean Spray juice while listening to "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac went viral. I'd heard the song before, but never bothered to look up the tempo, which I found to have a soothing cadence (120 BPM btw). I recorded a beat loop, layered an organ loop on top and "Polka Dot Woman" was born. Lyrically the main vocal line popped in my head as I was stepping out of the shower one day - words and all. Most songs start off with a loop or riff and I just build from there. This was no different. Recording the vocals was particularly fun.
For "Balloons" I started with the keys, but that beginning guitar part is what makes the song for me. The chorus guitar has this tube screamer effect I was able to tweak a bit this year. For recording, I try to have a fully structured music bed of the main instrument, in this case keys, then come the drums (I have a three mic setup), then guitar and bass, and vocals are usually last.
Last up is Fairmont and since this new release is just me doing some one of our new tracks solo, I’ll keep it short. My writing for this was definitely inspired by “The Green Leaves Of Summer” among other songs of that era. I kind of think the actual lyrical content is along the lines of Pulp’s “Common People” but in a more condescending way towards the upper class. While the vocal style I tried to channel a little bit of Ian Curtis but I’m not sure that came through at all.
- Neil Sabatino, BMN Contributor