Violet and the Undercurrents and the 5 Albums heard while recording “The Captain” LP
Violet and the Undercurrents – “The Captain” is available @ iTunes.
by Violet and the Undercurrents
“Shape Shifting Indie Rock” That’s the term we started using to describe our sound about a year ago. Our sound changes and shape shifts, depending on who we are listening to and inspired by at the time. The top 5 albums we were listening to while recording our newest album, ‘The Captain’, are as diverse as our sound.
“Rumors” – Fleetwood Mac
We don’t do a lot of cover songs, but the few we do, are usually by Fleetwood Mac. ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Dreams’ are two of our favorite cover songs to play live. There is a magic woven throughout the whole album. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar tones and parts, the album production, the song quality, and Stevie Nick’s voiceβ¦It’s all just a perfectly magical blend. Still to this day, ‘Rumors’ resonates with so many people, which is something we really studied because of that.
“Life After Youth” –Β Land of Talk
We came across the magic of Liz Powell’s songwriting when we first began as a band in 2012. For years on the road, we listened to their early recordings from the 2000s, with their penultimate released in 2010. We were overjoyed when ‘Land of Talk released a new album in 2017 and listened to it pretty religiously for months while recording ‘The Captain’. We are drawn to her dissonant chords, alternate tunings, rhythmic changes and melodies that soar over the top of these beautiful soundscapes.
“Sunlit Youth” – Local Natives
The Local Natives have been a staple for the road. I don’t think we’ve taken a tour where we haven’t had them playing in our tour van, ‘Marge the Barge’, at last once. I think what makes their sound so strong, are they not only have one strong songwriter but three, which brings a variety to their songs. Their tight harmonies, complex beats, song structures, and songwriting just blend together perfectly. Their music has been a soundtrack for our 8 years as a band and is most definitely responsible for inspiring some of the soundscapes on our album, ‘The Captain’.
“Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit” – Courtney Barnett
Courtney Barnett’s lyricism is clever, well crafted and tells a meaningful story. Not only is she a great lyricist, but she has an aggressive punk rock attitude that just makes you feel like you can do what you want. Barnett’s music is authentic, which is something we are forever striving for as a band. The guitar tones and riffs on this album are heavy in just the right way.
“Binary” – Ani DiFranco
I first started listening to Ani DiFranco when I was about 13 years old. Growing up with parents who were listening to a lot of folk music around the house, she opened my eyes to a whole new world. She was singing folk music with a punk rock attitude. Her ability to craft lyrics and speak truth to power is beyond inspiring. DiFranco’s up and front acoustic guitar sound and rhythmic style have always been an inspiration. Having grown up, listening to all of DiFranco’s work up until now, I believe ‘Binary’ is one of her best works yet.
Violet and the Undercurrents
Violet Vonder Haar – Phylshawn Johnson – Linda Bott – Lizzy Weiland
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