Minneapolis Lo-Fi indie songwriter Luis Flores, who goes by the moniker LC Flowers, is the future of music. More and more as the digital age evolves, the artists who are able to remain prolific in times like these while producing their own music and artwork will be light-years ahead of the traditional artists who are depending on other people for projects to see completion. It doesn’t get any better than an artist who can oversee and complete to fruition every aspect of their musical endeavors. Working from a basement in the mid-west LC Flowers makes great indie tracks that are starting to catch people’s ears. Here’s what he had to say about his most recent two song single:
What inspired your new two song 3single musically and lyrically? What was the process for recording them? What is the instrumentation for both?
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.
The process for vocals starts off with about four iterations of gibberish (no words) melodies to the recorded instrumental. Once I pick one, then I add words that fit it syllabically - fairly stream of consciousness without a theme in mind. There have been occasions where songs I've written reveal some introspective shit years after they've been recorded, so to me, the subconscious is very real.
It was a pleasant accident that these two songs ended up being paired together since "Polka Dot..." deals with a budding relationship whereas in "Balloons" the protagonist is breaking one off.
Explain the imagery, the lego comparison to drugs? Where did you find the footage? Does the video have a deeper meaning or is it a symptom of the available footage?
I'd like to be able to say that there was some elaborate storyboard concocted to put the video together, but truth be told I've always enjoyed vintage anti-drug commercials and for this one I mined "Drugs Are Like That " from 1969. There's no real connection between the song and the video thematically, but I thought the rich visuals would enhance the song when synched. Do yourself a favor and look up the source video on Youtube. It's only 16 minutes long.
Do you also do the album art?
Indeed. Being influenced by psychedelic rock, color is always welcome. For this one I zoomed in on some prints of polka dot fabric and added the little balloon outline to tie it all together.
What do you feel are the benefits and downfalls of doing a project where you do 100% of everything?
Benefits are akin to those of an entrepreneur in that you answer to no one - I see the content through and am responsible for it beginning to end. The downfalls relate to my affinity for collaboration. For as long as I can remember I've sought out people to work with. There's a value to bouncing ideas off of another brain; hopefully one with a wide array of musical influences. So going it alone eschews that aspect.
Talk about your last album “Works 1619”:
"Works1619" was a compilation of songs taken from albums from years past released under Mint 400 Records to familiarize a new audience with the overall aesthetic, which is why it is kind of a mixed bag from a production standpoint. Someday I'd like to release a prequel called "Works0916" that encompasses all the stuff prior in one collection. In '19 I self released a self titled effort that was the culmination of finally putting together a home studio.
What is up next, how far along are you and what is the process like for that? What is it like creating music during the pandemic? Is it the same or has it changed?
I'm close to having enough tunes recorded for a full length of new stuff to be put out in a few months. There were less social engagements and personal travel (for obvious reasons) this past year so I was able to spend more time on the production/songwriting side of things. Back in March, one of the first things I did was find an 88 key piano on Craig's List so that I could properly follow along to a Youtube course I had found. The problem was, I kept getting distracted by riffs and loops I was coming up with in the middle of it, most of which ended up turning into songs. I'm still very much a novice at keys but I now have a better understanding of progressions and theory overall. Coincidentally one of the possible album names I keep floating in my head is "At Home" - also the name of one of the songs I've put together. Overall, this past year forced me to slow down and mull over recordings before finalizing them. I'm also lucky to have a small circle of friends I feel comfortable with sending draft recordings to for feedback so that also helps.
- Sam Lowry, BMN Contributor