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The Boats second album, aptly titled ‘Segundo’, arrives 8 long years after the debut release of ‘Los Musicos Perdidos’. It’s a long time between drinks, but the difficult second album has survived many set backs.
Segundo was produced by J. Byron and recorded by Stuart Seers at JMC Studios in Melbourne, over the summer of 2006/2007 - and two of the hottest days on record. The approach was simple…go into a recording studio and improvise, everything. For the most part, this was true, a majority of the album is purely improvised. Several tracks were born from riffs brought to the table, others were spawned from inspiration. What followed was forged through the driving emotion of Melbourne’s extreme heat, and the kind of raw intensity that can only be produced from the marriage of glowing Fender valves and vintage Ludwig drums.
With tracks like ‘Seize the Stars and Turn them into Cinders’, ‘There’s Not a Fire that can Warm Us’ and ‘The Last Man on Earth’, the band discovered a balance between their familiar improvisational approach, while maintaining a sense of structure. Other pieces, such as the epic ‘Trash Can Willy’ parts 1 and 2 are an exception; originally formed as an entire improvised jam, over 28 minutes long and later broken into two parts. Another complete, unedited improvised track was ‘The Merchant’, coming in at approx. 17 minutes in length, and included as one of the bonus tracks in the special bonus edition.
Segundo is an epic, sprawling, largely improvised and yet focused instrumental post-rock album, fully formed and complex. A much darker record than its predecessor; it explores themes of urban aggression, the inherent destructive nature of modern society and the beautiful, yet tragic imagery associated with human isolation. There are larger concepts at work on Segundo, and the wait could almost be perfect timing.
Play it loud.
credits
released January 12, 2015
Recorded by Stuart Seear at JMC Studios in December / January 2006/2007.
Mixed, produced and edited by J. Byron in Berlin 2012 and Melbourne 2014.
Mastered by Adam Dempsey at Deluxe Mastering, Melbourne 2014.
Artwork by Karine Pollens. Design by J. Byron.
Instrumentation:
Jona Byron - Guitars, bass, keyboard, electronica
Nick Conolly - Guitars
Paul Guseli - Drums and percussion
Gordon Blake - Trombone and Sitar on 'There's Not a Fire that can Warm Us' and 'Trash Can Willy' parts 1 and 2.
Alex Taylor - Violins on 'The Last Man on Earth' and 'I Remember...an eon ago'.
Ivan Tag - Bowed bass on 'Cold Ark Revisited'.
The Boats are, Jona Byron, Nick Conolly, Paul Guseli.
The Boats are an atmospheric, dynamic and stunning instrumental experience. The trio formed in early 2003 and quickly developed their own unique sound; combining vintage guitars, drums, piano and bass to create sonic sketches and soundscapes.
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