We had an entirely different post written to post up here but things change so fast these days that we’re going to have to hold off on that for a while.   These days are full of things that aren’t going to see the light of day for a while.  A lot of lab work.  In the era of Twitter and Facebook, etc etc, you do have to pay a little attention to the outside world so you aren’t forgotten in this awesome age of super-fast information and all that.  Besides, we’re too excited about these things going on to not talk about them a little bit.  Hopefully, you’ll find some of it interesting, too.

We’re working very hard on finishing the album but it looks like we won’t be releasing part two of FFFG until January since it’s just too hard to get through all the noise of the holiday season that will be here in just over eight weeks (!) ugh.  Our original intent was to squeeze it in and make it happen, but that reality – along with some other exciting developments – has convinced us that we should probably wait.  We are still planning on releasing a single from it this year, though.  With ‘b-sides’, or bonus tracks or whatever they’re called these days.

All five of the songs for part two of the album are basically done, except for vocals.  This is pretty much how we’ve always done things, but things are a little different this time since poor Rebecca is working on two albums at the same time (and doing a great job at both).  There’s a lot of singing happening.  So, it’s all coming along nicely and we’re very excited about finishing it up and getting it out as soon as possible.

It’s nice to be taking a little bit of time off from playing live, too, to rethink our approach a little bit.  On the technical side, we’re trying to put together more of a ’show’, which we haven’t been able to really focus on yet since we have been worrying up until now about just establishing the band.  So now, we have an idea what all that is going to sound and look like and it’s just going to take a while to put it all together .  It will probably be some time around January before that side of things is ready.

We have been talking a little bit about doing one or two shows in-between now and then, though, of non-Stripmall material.  There are a ton of logistics involved in those, though, so we’re still weighing whether they’ll be able to happen or not.  We’re totally in love with the ideas, but without the proper time and preparation, they won’t live up to our standards.  Plus, it’s just really hard to tell how many people will come out to shows these days.  It’s an unpredictable time, which has forced a lot of us bands and musicians to rethink a lot of things.

We’ve been asked A LOT to do another performance of the Music of This Mortal Coil show we did back in January.  I’m not sure I can adequately express how much work that took.  To do it again is an appealing idea, but it would really have to be the right scenario.  Since the last show, we have corresponded at length with both ‘members’ of This Mortal Coil (including John, who Rebecca is collaborating with on DarkDriveClinic) who have been incredibly supportive of the project and have even offered many ideas and suggestions should we do another.  I wish we had the resources to devote ourselves more fully to these kinds of things.  So challenging and so much fun.

The other show idea, slightly less work involved, would be to do a set of early Halou music.  Again, it’s hard to gauge interest in a show like this, but it seems like there might be enough to make it happen.  We’re looking into it.  Feel free to let us know your thoughts.  I’m sorry to say that our ambitions are seriously out of scale with our resources these days, and it’s important for us to be aware of that when taking on these sorts of plans.

Finally, we’re preparing to launch our Stripmall Architecture Broadcast page, which will host intermittent video updates and performances from us – hopefully on a regular basis.  You can bookmark that page now and sign up for a UStream account so that you’ll be set to go when we launch (maybe we’ll launch once we pass 1,000 likes on Facebook…).

Those are the big things we’re up to at the moment, with much more in the background:  We’ve been talking with some potential collaborators for projects next year, licensing and composing tracks for films and commercials, and even considering a new, very crazy Kickstarter campaign.

(Wrote this very quickly on the run, please forgive errors.  Thx!)

Talk to you soon…

R/R

1.  Bandcamp – All proceeds from Bandcamp sales go straight to us and email addresses get added to our database (which we never share with anyone).  This is a huge improvement from even just a few years ago when bands never knew who was buying their music.  Stripmall Architecture on Bandcamp.

2.  Gogoyoko – A relatively new site, Gogoyoko takes a lot of pride in their social awareness and we like that.  All our proceeds from sales on the site are split 50/50 between us and UNICEF.  Having this kind of option, we think, is a small step in the right direction and we are glad that Gogoyoko makes it easy to do.  Stripmall Architecture on Gogoyoko.

3.  ITunes (Amazon, eMusic, etc) – Proceeds split between Apple Inc, our digital distributor, and us.  Stripmall Architecture on iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic.

4.  File-sharing – Yes, we know it’s out there and we don’t care if you take it without paying.  Of course, it would be strange to go that route when so many other worthwhile options exist.  You’re on your own here.

We wish we didn’t have to deal with the business part of our music, but it’s taught us a lot and brought us a lot closer to everyone that listens.  We love that part.

- Ryan

I’m not bold enough to carry a Sinatra comparison very far when talking about my music, but I do share the opinion that a good song can, and should, be subjected to multiple recordings. New recordings can often pull out different characteristics of the original and keep a song relevant, as opposed to it just sitting dormant in some dusty back catalogue. Remixes are similar, in a way, but generally get too carried away with production and rarely have the song, itself, as their focus. For me, the more I like a song – apart from the production – the more ripe a candidate it is for a fresh approach. It can be as simple as a new rhythm (ie: “Everything Is OK (Different)“) or new atmospherics (ie: “Political“). Not every one is a success, either. I’m not in love with the version of “Arrhythmia” we put on “Beneath Trembling Lanterns.” In some ways, that version to me feels like a step backward – especially being on that album, as eclectic as it is. Our best re-recording to date is probably the version of “Hollywood Ending” on the final Halou album. It doesn’t make the original obsolete, it just provides an alternative.

Generally speaking, I’m not a huge fan of remixes as they usually appear. I’m almost always interested, though, in hearing people redo their own material with a new approach (I don’t count the cynical money-grabbing motive of re-recording your one hit and putting it on your new album to sell it). It’s pretty uncommon these days, as far as I can tell, apart from radio sessions and live versions, so I can’t point to a lot of examples in other people’s work. I do think the re-recordings that Mew did of some of their early tracks were really good – and, in some cases, quite different – versions of those songs.

In the past, we’ve noted these recordings as “different” versions to make it clear that they are not the same and, yet, not so changed as to call them remixes, or whatever. Now, we’re just about to release a disc containing four “halcyon” versions of some of our recent tracks (“halcyon” being a more descriptive word for “calm,” in this case). The “halcyon” versions are stripped down – some more than others – and rearranged to bring out different elements of the songs. It’s something I’ve wanted to do with a couple of these tracks for a while – “The Droplet Sounds” and “Bleached White,” in particular. Our recent track, “Radium Girls,” is the most changed , and is really more of a remix in the traditional sense (we changed the title of the song, too, to further note the difference – here’s a clip of the new version). The lines are blurry.

I’m definitely curious to hear different perspectives on this if you have any thoughts.

- Ryan

One of the benefits of having now released several albums is that we can look back and see what – if any – the lasting impact of each of them has been. In the case of the albums where there was an explicitly chosen focus track (HD version here), or single, we still notice that that track has much more visibility online and in the minds of our listeners (we can’t read minds, but they do tell us). Mainly this is because it’s those tracks that the most energy is put into getting out into the world. Albums need that one track to be the ambassador. Thought the context has changed, I do still think there is a purpose to having a ’single.’ Even if it’s just a track that is sent out free to bloggers and media, which seems to be the most popular tactic right now.

While we definitely send our music to bloggers and other influencers out there (with the help/advice of some great friends), hoping to get some traction in the minds of social media users, we have been experimenting with real world social networking. This means pressing actual CD singles (prices for CD pressing are absolutely low enough these days to make it a worthwhile investment) and giving them away at clubs, shows, and wherever else people might be lurking, willing to take a listen to a nicely-packaged object. It’s a leap of faith, but we’ve done stranger things with less results. What has been interesting is watching the reactions of people when you try to hand them a free CD. It’s a social interaction that they haven’t been conditioned to understand and it’s often awkward. That awkwardness often has to be broken by having a short conversation which can lead to the beginnings of an awareness. If the packaging has a link to a video and/or other worthwhile content, maybe the awareness turns into something more lasting. We’re counting on that.

Funding the new Stripmall Architecture release. from Stripmall Architecture on Vimeo.

The Project: Fund The New Stripmall Architecture Release

We’re actually in sight of our goal and it’s only been one day since we launched! First off, thanks to everyone who has pledged so far – and to those of you that are planning to do so. Also, to everyone who has endured all our posting about this stuff, we appreciate your patience, as well…

We’re thinking now that we may produce the CD’s in a 2-disc holder with space for another EP to be released in the near future. This would result in a very nice 2 CD package that would look really nice next to the We Were Flying Kites/Object03 set. If we did this, we would also be giving every backer of this project the second disc for free upon its release later in 2010.

Let us know what you think:
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Thanks again, this has already been SO MUCH fun.

Your friends,
R/R