MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
The Redwalls are hitting their stride, and all it took was being dropped from a major label.
The Redwalls’ last album, De Nova, earned them comparisons to mop-headed British rockers of the late ’60s, and it’s hard to deny the four Midwesterners’ musical (not to mention physical) resemblance to their predecessors in the Beatles or Faces. But the band is showing a rawer side on its latest, self-titled release, The Redwalls, whose jittery, electrified tracks like “Hangman” and “Don’t You Wanna Come Out” owe more to Iggy Pop than Rod Stewart. The change, according to singer and guitarist Andrew Langer, may have something to do with leaving Capitol Records.
“We recorded [De Nova] in Los Angeles over about three months,” says Langer. “If we didn’t have to go through all the major-label bullshit, we could have done it in three weeks. But we were close to our label; we had our A&R guy coming in, checking up on us. If he didn’t like something, he’d tell us to change it. We were a little naïve and didn’t really get to seek out our full vision on that one. We still enjoy the songs, but the production…it was kind of slicked-over and a little too glossy.” He pauses a moment. “It was kind of a learning experience, and we’ll never do it again.”
Unlike De Nova, The Redwalls was recorded out of Capitol’s reach—in Malmö, Sweden, where Langer and bandmates Logan Baren, Justin Baren, and Ben Greeno had a chance to work with Tore Johansson, producer of Franz Ferdinand and the Cardigans. “It was a very natural process,” remembers Langer. “We were all sitting in a room together. There were no Quicktracks or anything; the basic tracks are all live, from one take. The overall vibe was that of a live take, which I think captures us a lot better than doing drums first, then putting on bass, then guitar.”
The Redwalls had a permanent break with Capitol last February, when the band was dropped (along with notables the Dandy Warhols, the Vines, and Shout Out Louds) during a merger with Virgin Records. But, taking time out of a 25-city tour with Rooney last week to talk, Langer didn’t sound the least bit upset. “We just enjoy playing music and want to reach as many people as possible,” he said, kicking back in a friend’s house in Houston. “We pride ourselves in our live shows…We play it loud and fast and try to get some emotion out of the audience.” With The Redwalls, the band has channeled some of that emotion into an album; it’s a welcome jolt of Raw Power to the Ooh La La.
ALEX LITTLEFIELD
theredwalls.com
“We recorded [De Nova] in Los Angeles over about three months,” says Langer. “If we didn’t have to go through all the major-label bullshit, we could have done it in three weeks. But we were close to our label; we had our A&R guy coming in, checking up on us. If he didn’t like something, he’d tell us to change it. We were a little naïve and didn’t really get to seek out our full vision on that one. We still enjoy the songs, but the production…it was kind of slicked-over and a little too glossy.” He pauses a moment. “It was kind of a learning experience, and we’ll never do it again.”
Unlike De Nova, The Redwalls was recorded out of Capitol’s reach—in Malmö, Sweden, where Langer and bandmates Logan Baren, Justin Baren, and Ben Greeno had a chance to work with Tore Johansson, producer of Franz Ferdinand and the Cardigans. “It was a very natural process,” remembers Langer. “We were all sitting in a room together. There were no Quicktracks or anything; the basic tracks are all live, from one take. The overall vibe was that of a live take, which I think captures us a lot better than doing drums first, then putting on bass, then guitar.”
The Redwalls had a permanent break with Capitol last February, when the band was dropped (along with notables the Dandy Warhols, the Vines, and Shout Out Louds) during a merger with Virgin Records. But, taking time out of a 25-city tour with Rooney last week to talk, Langer didn’t sound the least bit upset. “We just enjoy playing music and want to reach as many people as possible,” he said, kicking back in a friend’s house in Houston. “We pride ourselves in our live shows…We play it loud and fast and try to get some emotion out of the audience.” With The Redwalls, the band has channeled some of that emotion into an album; it’s a welcome jolt of Raw Power to the Ooh La La.
ALEX LITTLEFIELD
theredwalls.com
This story was published on November 13, 2007.
CONTENT RATING:
( 2 )
( 2 )
Norah
11/13/2007
oh the redwalls...
how i love them so.
britt
11/29/2007
love these dudes <3
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