SPIRIT SPINE

Progress (LP4)

2012-01-21T22:14:00.000-08:00

Working on the album...

Roughly ten songs chosen.

Songs being augmented.

Vocals need to be recorded.

Album art is completed.

Album title is selected.

It will be finished before April.

No specific release date yet.

I don't want to give away anything that might ruin your expectations of the album, but I will say that I don't think it sounds like any album I've made before. I considered releasing it under a different name.

Thank you for being patient.

Spirit Tape Ten (The Last One!)

2011-04-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Spirit Tape Ten by spiritspine

Click the arrow in the player to download.

Tracklisting:

1. The Strangest Secret Intro by Earl Nightingale

2. Do Your Best by John Maus

3. Isis by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4. Horses by Dirty Beaches

5. Back Seat '38 Dodge by Opus 1

6. Read Stuff That Is Not Baptized At by Jonny Greenwood

7. Haikuesque (When She Laughs) by Bibio

8. Xtal by Aphex Twin

9. All I Need by Clams Casino

10. Ebudae (Lo-Fi Remix) by Enya

11. Dub on Fire by The African Brothers

I think this might be the most cohesive mix I've ever made. Many of the tracks have had effects put on them so that they blend in well with each other. I re-mastered the Dirty Beaches song to give it a fuller, slightly more echo-y sound. I'm really happy with the way the Enya song turned out.

And if you haven't listened to Glossolalia yet, then you are behind the curve my friend: http://spiritspine.bandcamp.com/

Spread/Hide/Distribute GLOSSOLALIA

2011-04-12T21:20:00.001-07:00

Hello!

So I have roughly ~~150~~ 0 (all out! thank you to everyone who took some!) of these little card-sized ads for Glossolalia that I've been hiding in record stores, magazines, places I've traveled to, etc. They each have a different cut-up section of the album cover on them.

However, there are only so many cards I can hide myself (cuz I don't travel too far too often) which is why I'd be really thankful if YOU would like to take and hide a few somewhere.

Just email me your address (my email is in the banner at the top) and how many you want (minimum of 5 please) and I'll send some to you! Postage and all that jazz is on me, you just gotta make sure you put the cards some place where they'll (one day) be found. You can keep one or two if you'd like to also...

Some ideas of places to hide them include:

Record stores
Your favorite music magazine
Book stores
etc.

Thanks again for all of your support,

Joseph

Press for Glossolalia

2011-02-23T12:41:00.001-08:00

Here's some of the press my album "Glossolalia" has received.

It will be updated as needed.

Let me know if there's something that should be added.

My email's up in the header.

In near-chronological order:

Middle Class White Noise: http://middleclasswhitenoise.com/2011/01/26/spirit-spine-glossolalia/

Where Is Raimy?: http://raimyrosenduft.com/2011/01/29/what-i-learned-this-week/

Mp3Hugger: http://www.mp3hugger.com/2011/01/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand/

Music Fan's Mic: http://www.musicfansmic.net/post/3049007360/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand-mp3-2011

The Side B: http://www.thesideb.com/2011/02/08/mp3-roundup-tim-cohen-spirit-spine-generationals/

The Record Stack: http://therecordstack.tumblr.com/post/3198517958/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand-i-received-a

YVYNYL: http://yvynyl.tumblr.com/post/3198865643/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand-love-the-vastness-of

Verb Reverb: http://verbreverb.com/post/3198962824/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand-photograph-by-lukasz

Broken Heart Boy: http://brokenheartboy0.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/new-music-spirit-spine-glossolalia/

The Morning After Pills: http://themorningafterpills.com/2011/02/listen-spirit-spine/

Bears Eat Beats: http://www.bears-eat-beats.com/2011/02/listen-spirit-spine.html

[INTERVIEW] Ragged Words: http://raggedwords.com/in-their-words/my-life-in-records/my-life-records-spirit-spine

Gold Soundz: http://goldsoundzblog.com/?p=2364

Bloomington Area Music: http://www.bloomingtonareamusic.com/2011/02/spirit-spine-glossolalia

Not For Resale: http://nfrblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-spirit-spine-glossolalia.html

Yr So Square: http://yrsosquare.blogspot.com/2011/02/spirit-spine.html [INTERVIEW]: http://yrsosquare.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-spirit-spine.html

I Guess I'm Floating: http://www.iguessimfloating.net/2011/03/mp3-spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand.html

The Decibel Tolls: http://thedecibeltolls.com/speaking-in-tongues/

1000xpm: http://www.1000xpm.com/post/3746517549/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand-glossolalia-marks

Cactus-Mouth: http://cactus-mouth.tumblr.com/day/2011/03/10

Daily Beatz: http://dailybeatz.com/2011/03/12/spirit-spine-ocean-of-sand/

The Up-Turn: http://theup-turn.com/2011/03/21/enjoy-it-while-its-fresh-spirit-spine/

The Needle Drop: http://theneedledrop.com/?p=3354

[INTERVIEW] The Up-Turn: http://theup-turn.com/2011/03/28/the-up-turn-presents-a-conversation-with-spirit-spine/

The Universal YellowKeys: http://universalyellowkeys.blogspot.com/2011/03/glossolalia-by-joseph-denney.html

Unreasonable Faith: http://unreasonablefaith.com/2011/04/28/glossolalia-by-spirit-spine/

Deer Brains: http://deerbrains.blogspot.com/2011/04/currently-listening-to-spirit-spine.html

Altsounds: http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/129584-spirit-spine-glossolalia-album.html

Hearts and Thanks,

Joseph

Spirit Tape Nine

2011-02-21T10:03:00.000-08:00

Spirit Tape Nine by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?gcf3jkroqk7ce1g

1. Firebird by White Noise

2. Down To Middle Earth by The Hobbits

3. Lost Dream by Digits

4. Theme Number Four by Pye Corner Audio Transcription Services

5. Sommersonnenschein by Novisad

6. Song of Bliss by Khalsa String Band

7. Wine and Roses by John Fahey

8. State Trooper by Bruce Springsteen

9. Erik's Song by Slowdive

Tracks 5 through 9 were all songs that I listened to a lot during the making of Glossolalia. The guitar work on "Wine and Roses" influenced the guitars on my song "Thirst". "Lost Dream" was a pretty recent discovery for me, but the chorus of that song is really intense and dark. "State Trooper" is probably my favorite Bruce Springsteen song. I listened to his album Nebraska a lot while recording my album. I like the ambient break provided by tracks 4 and 5. They divide the mixtape up pretty well. I really like the cover art I made for this too.

"Glossolalia" out now!

2011-01-20T21:36:00.001-08:00

The new album (Glossolalia) can be

streamed/purchased over at my Bandcamp page.

Link: http://spiritspine.bandcamp.com/

Not only can you get yourself a digital download, but you can also

get a limited edition CD package that comes with a digital download.

Pictures and details about this package are on Bandcamp.

Too lazy to even click the link above to stream the album? Fine.

Here it is via Soundcloud:

For those who don't buy things off Bandcamp,

the album will be available on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, etc.

on February 1st, 2011 (As stated in this press release)

Thanks to everybody who ever reads this blog. Ya'll are great.

Spirit Tape Eight

2010-12-29T16:38:00.000-08:00

Spirit Tape Eight by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?ifft8z0614dku5y

1. Unfolding Fans by Andrew Bird

2. The Battle of Evermore by Led Zeppelin

3. Peppermint Delight by Firebreather

4. Baby Come Back by The Equals

5. Girlfriend by Ty Segall

6. What I Saw by Broadcast & The Focus Group

7. One Million Year Trip by Laetitia Sadier

8. Traveling Through A Sea by Grouper

9. I Only Know (What I Know Now) by James Blake

10. Farmer's Daughter by Fleetwood Mac

This mix took a really long time because I had trouble finding a good transition song and figuring out the right order of the songs. It all came together when Candy Claws and Firebreather put out their Christmas compilation that had Peppermint Delight on it. It's really catchy. I often listen to Baby Come Back and just jump up and down around my room. The Laetitia Sadier song is probably my favorite song of 2010. The Battle of Evermore is my favorite Led Zeppelin song. Enjoy!

Album Update

2010-12-22T16:40:00.000-08:00

I've been putting together the physical copies over the last few days and am listening to what will probably be the final version of the album master right now. Here are all the albums in a box! They still need cds and liner notes, but on the outside I think they look nice!

"GLOSSOLALIA" Press Release

2010-11-07T19:55:00.000-08:00

Large Hi-Res Album Cover Art: http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaAlbumCover

Glossolalia by Spirit Spine

Lovegiraffe Records LG04-1

After a year of writing and recording in his bedroom and his parents' basement, Spirit Spine (the recording name of Indiana-native Joseph Denney) returns with his third album, Glossolalia. Meaning "the religious practice of speaking in tongues," Glossolalia leaves behind the synths and samplers of previous albums in order to craft the soundtrack to an imaginary desert epic.

The album follows the story of a preacher traveling by airplane who crashes into the desert, leaving him the only survivor. As a result, the preacher must wander the desert in search of food, water, and civilization. Along the way he questions the religion that brought him there and the God who may, or may not, exist.

Dedicated to famed skeptic and magician James Randi, Glossolalia wraps the listener in a heat-warped haze of bending guitars, hypnotic drumming and chant-like vocals that draws on influences like Grouper, My Bloody Valentine, Boards of Canada, Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska", and the Smithsonian Anthology of American Folk Music. Because of the new sonic and thematic territory explored by Glossolalia, one may have to resort to made-up pseudogenres like Desert Dub, Sandgaze, or Heatwave in order to describe Denney's new album.

Glossolalia was expertly mastered by Timothy Stollenwerk of Stereophonic Sound (Grouper, Nite Jewel, The Antlers).

Tracklisting:

1. Gauze

2. Ocean of Sand

3. Mission Bells

4. Ritualistic

5. Thirst

6. Hunger

7. Fennec Fox

8. Ascension

9. Sorro

Recorded Aug. 2010 to November 2010

Released January 21st, 2011 digitally and

as a special edition CD limited to 100 copies on Bandcamp.

Released February 1st, 2011 on iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, etc.

Press Photos (taken by Michelle Price):

1. http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaOne

2. http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaTwo

3. http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaThree

4. http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaFour

5. http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaFive

Large Hi-Res Album Cover Art:

http://tinyurl.com/GlossolaliaAlbumCover

Spirit Tape Se7en

2010-10-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

Spirit Tape Se7en by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?ip2o38em1dd5sv2

For some reason I picked a lot of female artists. I think female voices sound better than male voices, but sometimes girls can get lazy and fall into that cutesy indie-girl vocal style. I wish I could switch between having a male singing voice and a female singing voice. There's one song on the album that would really benefit from that. I'd do choir-y vocals with it. Anyway, now here's the tracklist:

1. Visionaire #53 by Panda Bear

2. Dancing With Friends by Julianna Barwick

3. I'll Keep It With Mine by Nico

4. Things I Did When I Was Dead by No Age

5. The Warrior by Honey Ltd.

6. Some Things Cosmic by Angel Olsen

7. Microrangers by CVLTS

8. Her Sinking Sun by Coma Cinema

9. The New Sane Scramble by Jana Hunter

10. A Cover Over by Grouper

The Julianna Barwick song is probably one of my favorite songs. I remember listening to that over and over when I drove to my internship 45 minutes away during the summer and singing words I made up to it. I tried recreating a similar song to put on the album, but I just don't have the magic that Julianna does. I saw Jana Hunter's band Lower Dens a few nights ago and they were really awesome. See them if you get the chance. There's another song she does called "Laughing and Crying" that's also great. Anything by Grouper is a winner. I think Angel Olsen is one of my favorite artists I've found this year and I hope she puts out an album sometime soon. She's really talented.

Recording the album is going by pretty good. I've got three more songs to finish that are already in various stages of completion. It's taken a little longer because I scrapped one of the songs and started writing a completely new and different track. I'll post the album art and a tracklist soon. Like within the next week.

Spirit Tape 666! (no, just 6...)

2010-09-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Spirit Tape 666 by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?uaplm0mcoc265gp

1. Surf Surround by The White Shark

2. Transmitting Live From Mars by De La Soul

3. Busy Signal by Dolly Parton

4. Blessa (Daytrotter Mix) by Toro Y Moi

5. All Apologies (MTV Unplugged) by Nirvana

6. Lay Lay Off, Faselam by Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan

7. Echo's Answer by Broadcast

8. Dawn Chorus by Boards of Canada

9. Silent Night by Metallic Falcons

10. Israeli Blue by The Index

11. Tremors by Kruxe

Finally! A new mixtape. I'm not really sure why this one took so long, but it's here so that's nice. I think this is the most cohesive mix I've made so far, but it may just be because I just finished it and like it more than the rest of them.

I really wish Dolly Parton had done more girl group style stuff like she does in Busy Signal. I added a little bit of reverb and echo to the Toro Y Moi song to make it blend a little bit better with the rest of the songs. Lay Lay Off, Faselam is a super sweet song that I'd like to try and cover sometime during a show. It's really cool how it's so sparse but carries the way it does. Broadcast is a group that I've been listening to for the past 3 months or so. I just bought their collaboration with the Focus Group and it sounds like the psychedlic 60's version of J Dilla's Donuts or Madvillainy the way there's a bunch of short songs that pretty much make up one big flowing album.

The third album is coming along slowly but surely. All of the instruments are recorded for all of the songs and the vocals are recorded for some. I'm mostly just mixing the album right now; getting levels right, adding and adjusting echo and reverb. There's one set of samples I want to add to one of the songs, but I need some of my vinyl records which are at my house so I'll have to get those sometime (in October?). I can tell you now that there will be 9 tracks and most of the songs will be kinda long (not like 10 minutes long, but more than 4 minutes). It should be all done by the time the 10th mixtape comes out.

If any labels want to inquire about releasing it, go ahead and send me an email (spiritspine@gmail.com). A limited vinyl release would be sweet (but probably costly).

Spirit Tape Five

2010-06-05T09:27:00.001-07:00

Spirit Tape Five by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?nwzmodlxjoo

1. Frip Job by Kurt Vile

2. Greenback Dollar by Kingston Trio
3. Vick's Medicated Cough Drops by Raymond Scott
4. Pimeankarkelo by Paavoharju
5. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
6. Leaf House by Animal Collective
7. Summer Majestic by His Clancyness
8. Blackberry Song by Kurt Vile
9. Red Ford Radio by U.S. Girls
10. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
11. Worrywort by Radiohead (This might be my favorite Radiohead song)
12. Horn (Spirit Spine's Tape Remix) by Nick Drake

The Nick Drake track is supposed to sound like a Brian Eno tape experiment. The beginning of it comes from some "wolf sounds" album I have. This is one of my favorite mixes that I've made, another being the first mix.

Spirit Tape Four

2010-04-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Spirit Tape Four by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?wz0xm2o0umi

TRACKLIST:

1. Wheel of Fortune by Kay Starr

2. Save Me by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

3. Pretty Pretty Priya by Anand Prayag & Chorus

***Malcom McLaren Is Asked What He Does For A Living***

4. Spring Strains by Osteoferocious

5. America's Most Blunted by Madvillain

6. Hello Operator, These Are Some Youtube Videos I Like (Slight Remix) by The White Stripes

7. Buckeye Jim by Burl Ives

8. Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run (Slight Dub Remix) by Sufjan Stevens

9. Hummingbirds by Kieran White

10. Valley of the Saroos by Joe Meek

11. Bonus Track by Bonus Track (No, this is not me)

-With track 6, I added some dialogue from these videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBOV8WzH-oY

and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTCm8tdHkfI

-With track 8, I added some automatic reverb that adjusts itself

throughout carefully chosen points in the song.

Spirit Tape Three

2010-03-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

LISTEN:

Spirit Tape 03 by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?ogm15izji55

TRACKLIST:

1. Kaneda by Geino Yamashirogumi

2. In The Colosseum by Tom Waits

3. Tomorrow Is Already Here by Stereolab

4. Titanic Vandalism by The Go! Team

5. Waters of Nazareth by Justice

6. Baby Day (Live) by Animal Collective

7. Let Her Dance by The Bobby Fuller Four

8. Sebastiana by Gal Costa

9. Tandem Jump by Jonathan Richman

That Buck Remix

2010-02-22T14:16:00.000-08:00

This is an old remix I did for an awesome group called Surf Team of a song they have called "That Buck." You can listen to the original on their Myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/surfteam They did a sweet remix for the Surfhunter Remix Contest and this is one I did at around the same time. I was bored and they had the stems available so I figured "why not?"

Also, this is a remix where I pretend to be Girl Talk. It is great fun.

Download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?j2nd2zmxzjh

The samples I use in it are (in order):

1. Train in Vain by The Clash (it's those drums)
2. When The Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin (More drums)
3. 20th Century Boy by T. Rex
4. You Know My Name by The Beatles (Amazing, underused piano riff)

Okay, with these two samples I meant for them to complement each other, basically as a phrase saying "It's tricky, but it's alright." I just feel like making sure you know that.
5. It's Tricky by Run-DMC
6. But It's Alright by J.J. Jackson

Also, everyone should go and get this song or buy an album from him.

J.J. Jackson is a national treasure. Just look at him: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/de/JJ-Jackson.jpg

7. Blitzkrieg Bop by The Ramones
8. Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Drums again, plus a guitar!)
9. Devil's Haircut by Beck

Spirit Tape 02

2010-02-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

Spirit Tape 02 by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?weaknynnwzz

Tracklist:

1. Fight Fire by The Golliwogs

2. Desert Sand by Beach Fossils

3. Cple Outside Park With Me by Arch M

4. Make It Rain by Tom Waits

5. The Little Ships by Jean Jacques Perrey

6. Stereophonic by Kris Menace

7. Jetstream by Lusine

8. Bottle Rockets and Flashing Light by Sascha Gray

9. Heaven's On Fire by The Radio Dept.

Unused Interview...

2010-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here's an interview I did that, for some reason, never got published. I don't remember who it was for, but it may have been for a website called Altsounds. I'm probably wrong. EDIT: NEVER MIND. THEY TOTALLY DID END UP PUBLISHING IT...BECAUSE THEY ARE AWESOME. http://hangout.altsounds.com/features/115146-the-new-at-10-spirit-spine.html#post137685 :

I haven’t gotten hold of the new album, ‘Jungle Bridges’ yet, but I have high hopes after such an exciting debut. Are you pleased with it and how do you feel it differs from your debut?

I'm extremely pleased with the final product. Much more so than I was with my debut album. I think it differs from the first album in the setting that the music conveys. With the first record it was more of a rainy feel without a lot of upbeat moments. I feel like it had a lot of watery qualities to it, but not water in the beach or surfing sense, but more like a really heavy storm or something. With "Jungle Bridges" I tried to go for a brighter...not just tribal, but forest or, yes "jungle", atmosphere.

How come ‘Crashers (Highs and Lows)’ from your self-titled debut album is now being released as a debut single, despite you now set to release a follow-up album in ‘Jungle Bridges’? Is ‘Crashers (Highs and Lows)’ just a UK release?

No, it's just that people became more aware of Crashers much later than it was released and I wanted to keep to a personal timeline of releasing my second album as soon as I could. However, the Crashers single itself is indeed a UK only release. It also has a version of one of the songs on the first album that I recorded specifically for the single.

Was ‘How Soon’ close to making it on ‘Jungle Bridges’? I must admit to being disappointed such an amazing track doesn’t feature.

Actually it wasn't even close to being considered for Jungle Bridges. The main reason being that it was the very first song I made, even before the first album, and it wouldn't have fit with the mood of the other songs on either album. Plus I contributed that song to the Live From Bloomington charity compilation that gets put out every year here in Bloomington and they prefer that the submitted songs not appear on any other releases. Thanks for the compliment though!

You have started off life as Spirit Spine quite prolifically with two albums and an EP in the space of 12 months. How long did you have the songs for your debut written for? Were many of them songs you had been sat on for a while?

The songs for the debut album were written specifically for it, except for the first track (Are You Ready?) and the song "New Age." Those songs were written at the same time as my first song "How Soon." All of the songs though were written over the course of four months, same as the new album.

So has this become the day job since leaving school?

Hahahahaha, no, not at all. I haven't left school and I'm not sure who told you that. I'm very much in school majoring in Telecommunications. But if it ever were a day job, that'd be pretty sweet. Actually, no. I'd rather it not ever feel like a job. I'm much happier making music because it's fun. If it ever started to feel like a day job, I'd probably stop making music in the best interests of both myself and anybody who listens because it would start to feel like a chore and not something I wanted to.

Has the extra time you have had to spend on the new album been a help or a hindrance to you? I would assume it has been a help but sometimes time can be the downfall of a musician if they end up overegging the pudding.

I haven't had much extra time to spend on the new album, at least not more time than I did for the first album. The songs were written during the same months, but I had a different mindset while doing it. I suppose it felt as if I had a little less time because I was trying to develop a different sound than the first album, whereas before I just went with whatever I was feeling. I definitely get what you're saying about having too much time to work on a record and that was something that I wanted to try and be careful of that with Jungle Bridges. Not only in the songwriting and music making process, but also with things like the track times. I tried my best to keep the song lengths as short as possible while still conveying everything I wanted to.

Whilst you should be proud that your debut album is my only ever full length purchase from itunes, it pained me to have to do it. Any plans for a physical release outside the US?

I apologize for forcing you to resort to using iTunes, but I think there actually are physical copies available internationally through Neon Aztec, but you might want to check on that. If somebody wanted to do a physical release I would totally be up for it. I just find that with the popularity of digital music, physical versions are better if they're unique or special like having it on a special edition vinyl or even cassette tapes (although I personally started listening to music towards the end of the cassette tape era). Lately I've been thinking that if physical versions were ever officially released it could be a double album since I think of the first and second albums as siblings.

Did you do the artwork for the albums yourself?

Yes. When I realized I couldn't figure out how to use Photoshop I found a much simpler replacement program that still lets me make what I want. And it was free.

I read an interview where you confessed to getting the moniker Spirit Spine it from a random band name generator, which I like because it reminds me of how my favourite band, Pixies, got their name by randomly opening a dictionary and choosing the first word they saw. I have since read that it is from a 1970s documentary about people with severed spinal cords who still feel they can walk. Are you bored of the truth already?

The truth? Honestly none of those things is the actual story behind the name "Spirit Spine." Back when I was originally starting out playing with Garageband and samples and things like that (in the same vein as Girl Talk or The Avalanches), I was looping little sections of songs trying to figure out what would sound cool. When I was experimenting with cutting things up I looped a part of an older song called "The Warrior" by Honey Ltd. where the words just mashed up together and it sounded a little bit like "spirit spine" or at least I thought so at the time.

So what are your plans for the year ahead? Are you likely to head over to the UK at any point (make sure you come to Manchester if you do)?

My plans for the year ahead are to play some shows hopefully and then begin work on my third album. I'm going to be spending a little more time on it since I've been thinking about it since November of last year and hopefully it's going to sound nearly opposite of my current two albums. I already have the album art made for it as well as the album title. I know what it's going to sound like, I just need to sit down and write down all of the songs. But if somebody wants me to play a show somewhere, I'd be more than happy to do so. And if I'm ever in England, you can be sure that I'll make an effort to come to Manchester. I'll also be contributing to the World Cup compilation being put together by Indiecater Records. It's got 32 songs on it and they're having bands each pick a country and write a song for them. I'll be writing a song for Cameroon.

Tell us a bit about where you’re from then. What should we know about Bloomington, Indiana? Is there much of a music scene there?

I'm originally from Greenwood, IN which is about an hour north of Bloomington, but I'm here for school. People should know that Bloomington is one of the coolest little towns that anybody could visit. There's a huge music scene here, but it's not definable in any way. There are always bands coming through or local bands playing in basements. If you can't find a show to go to on the weekends then you're just not looking hard enough. There's a really strong support here for local musicians and they usually get asked to open for some of the bigger touring bands that come through here. We have like 2 music festivals here every year too. One is called Cultureshock which is completely free and it's put on by the student-run radio station WIUX in mid-April. They've brought bands like Xiu Xiu and Beach House and Four Tet. Another one which is going on in March is the Pit Stop Music Marathon where it's a bunch bands on their way to SXSW who stop by to play shows.

Band of the decade?

Either Radiohead or Animal Collective. While Animal Collective released more albums than Radiohead, Radiohead's Kid A is one of my top ten albums of all time. None of AC's albums are in my top ten.

Album of the decade?

"Since I Left You" by The Avalanches. Honestly, if you haven't listened to it, make an effort to. And if for some reason you can't, just watch the music video for "Frontier Psychiatrist." That album is one of my top ten of all time.

Film of the decade?

I was going to say "O Brother Where Art Thou?" but I checked and it turns out it came out in 2000 and just barely missed the cutoff date so I'll say "Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2."

Book of the decade?

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I know, I know, he fabricated a lot of the parts of the book, but I can look past that and just see it as a really good and interesting story. But think about how much attention it got for that very fact that he made up some of the stuff. Plus it got Oprah really mad which means it has to hold some kind of importance if she's willing to care about it. I thought she handled the whole situation really poorly though. She was way too harsh on Frey.

TV show of the decade?

Malcolm In The Middle. I used to watch that everyday when I came home from school. I still do whenever it's on.

Website of the decade?

Easily Wikipedia. I don't think there's any other site that provides as much information and at the same time opportunities for vandalism as Wikipedia. I think it's changed the way people think about knowledge because of the way it has collected all the information of entire cultures. If somebody wants to know anything, chances are they're going to go to Wikipedia to find out. I think it's really mind blowing just easy it is to know anything. Plus any errors in Wikipedia tend to get sorted out within a day or two.

Hero of the decade?

Steve Jobs: iTunes. iPod. Macbook.

Villain of the decade?

It's a tie between Pat Robertson and Glenn Beck. They're both terribly irresponsible with the amount of influence they have over their audiences. It might be more Glenn Beck though because sometimes I think he consciously knows how stupid the things he says are. However, I'm pretty sure Pat Robertson earnestly believes everything he says, which is sad.

Sport of the decade?

Soccer/Football. Not sure if there's any other sport that gets people so emotional and involved.

Country of the decade?

New Zealand not for any particular reason other than I want to go there.

City of the decade?

NYC. I don't know why, I just know it's true.

Lettuce of the decade?

It'd have to be between romaine and buttercrunch. Out of fairness I'd have to go with romaine since I've never had buttercrunch, but the name implies that it would super delicious. Plus romaine is used in caesar salads which I'm fond of.

So now for your 'Tips for 2010'. You got any other bands/musical artists you think everyone should listen out for next year?

Junk Culture is really awesome and I think he's going to make some pretty cool things. I think The Avalanches are due for another album to come out. There are always rumors about that happening, but I think 2010 is their year. I want Julianna Barwick to come out with a full length album that's longer than 25 minutes because I need more of her music. There's a local band in Bloomington called Tammar that I think are just about the coolest people ever. They opened for Beach House when they came here and it was great. I highly recommend people checking them out along with another local band called Pantree Owl. Some awesome random finds on Myspace have been Sascha Gray, Playground and Ectoplasm.

And finally - complete the following sentence: Spirit Spine is better than...

Spirit Spine is better than having no spine at all.

Spirit Tape 01

2010-02-01T14:55:00.000-08:00

Spirit Tape 01 by Spirit Spine on Mixcloud

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?uwwzdzizgxz

Tracklist:

1. Unreleased Backgrounds by The Beach Boys

2. Albatross by Fleetwood Mac

3. Space Beetle by The Beta Band

4. Ginger by Twin Sister

5. Blackhole by Beck

6. Secondo Intermezzino Pop by Ennio Morricone

7. "Royale With Cheese" Dialogue from Pulp Fiction

8. Olv 26 by Stereolab

9. C.R.E.A.M. by Wu Tang Vs Beatles

10. Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life by The Avalanches

11. Freight Train by Elizabeth Cotten

Frustration

2009-10-18T10:23:00.001-07:00

Made this in an hour or so...if it says it's by "The Vallees" on itunes it's because I played it on my radio show later that day, but wanted to give it a different band name. I decided on "The Vallees" because of a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch I had nearby and to give it a sixties-ish garagerock band type name (The Monks, The Leaves, The Dovers, The Bees, etc.).

Words:

Sharpen your axe, for my attack

Hey watch where you are walking

Hey watch where you are walking now

Frustration by The Vallees

DOWNLOAD & LISTEN: http://www.mediafire.com/?1jjcy3jdnmz

I might keep posting new songs that won't necessarily be on the next album.

SURFHUNTER REMIX CONTEST WINNERS

2009-06-24T22:35:00.000-07:00

After much listening and deliberation I have decided upon the five winners of a physical copy of the Surfhunter EP. They are, in no particular order:

1) Surfhunter Mash by Ectoplasm

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?mnm2mt2whmy

A mechanical drone remix that used vocal howls to their fullest. I can hear snippets of the other songs in there, but because it's hard to distinguish whats there made it all the more awesome.

MORE AT: http://www.myspace.com/ectoplasm09

2) Orange Glow Remix by Blossom and Surrender

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?0mnnxrzntzm

Blossom and Surrender took a 2-second sample of Orange Glow and layered and pitched it to create dense, noisy chords which I find to be incredibly clever. The fact that the opening of it reminded me of "Keen on Boys" by The Radio Dept. made it a shoe-in for the contest.

MORE AT: http://www.myspace.com/blossomandsurrender

3) Crystal Cathedral Remix by Surf Team

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?zihdnegtrtn

Surf Team is one of the coolest groups I have ever encountered and their remix is even cooler. Emulating the drone inherent in the original, the spaced-out verses layed over the re-cut song made this one I played over and over again. I especially loved the line about Joe Meek and "good vibrations forever."

MORE AT: http://www.myspace.com/surfteam

4) Orange Glow Remix by G.3.R.D.

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?tijyy2ddzt4

Incorporating a sample from the Beach Boys' "I'm Waiting For The Day", G.3.R.D. strips out the dense drones of the original for light catchy guitar lines that allow the song as a whole to breathe really well. I think his remix is as good if not better than the original version.

5) Spirit Journey Remix by F-16

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/?gwytzmymkz3

"Journey" couldn't describe the remix any more perfectly. A driving, organic drum beat complete with yelps complements the cut-up and repeated vocals well. To me it functions like a DJ mix as F-16 slowly and gradually fades in and out of songs on the EP. Even though the vocals can sometimes come in off-rhythm, I find that the new beat established keeps the song from becoming overly repetitive.

MORE AT: http://f16.tumblr.com/

All of the above winners will receive a physical copy of the Surfhunter EP, of which no more than 10 exist in the world. Thanks to all who entered!

I really enjoyed listening to every single one.

SURFHUNTER EP AND REMIX CONTEST

2009-06-07T22:23:00.001-07:00

With the release of the new "Surfhunter EP" (WHICH CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR FREE HERE) also comes a neat remix contest. First download the remix tools (instrumentals, acapellas) here: http://www.mediafire.com/?1wuez1oov2g

1. CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL: BPM: 100
2. ENCHANTED ISLAND: BPM: 125
3. ORANGE GLOW: BPM: 103
All of the songs are in the key of Db Major.

WHAT: Spirit Spine's "SURFHUNTER EP" Remix Contest
WHY: Remixes are fun, duhhhhhhhh...
WHEN: Starting now (June 8th,2009) and it will end at 11:59PM June 22nd, 2009. (But if it's really good, rules may be bent, contorted, flexed, etc.)
HOW: Download the "SURFHUNTER REMIX TOOLS" .zip folder. It contains both instrumentals and acapellas of all of the songs on the EP. http://www.mediafire.com/?1wuez1oov2g
WHERE: Submit all remixes to: spiritspine@gmail.com

EXT. INFO: Do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING you want to these songs. Mix and match vocals with music (They're all in the same key.) Record your own vocals over it. Make up a new guitar or synth line. Use clips from movies/television/video games. Mash it up with The Pixies or throw a Tone-Loc beat over it. Make it techno. Fuzz it out. Go "Girl Talk" on it and mix all three songs with 200 other songs. Make some hard electro banger or create some ambient sleep music. I don't know. The more different it sounds from the original, the better it will probably be. Slice it. Cut it. Remix it.

PRIZES: Five (5) remixes will be selected. These winners will receive an actual physical copy of the EP that will include original, handmade artwork along with other little treats in the package. There will be no more than TEN (10) official, physical copies of the Surfhunter EP in existence. Own a piece of Spirit Spine history today!

SOME PSEUDO LEGAL STUFF: I will own no rights to anything you send me. Everything you send me will be yours and yours alone. I won't sell any of your remixes or try to pass any of your remixes off as my own. It is yours. HOWEVER, selected remixes (the winners, really peculiar ones, etc.) will be posted on the Spirit Spine Blog and be made available for download by all. If you would prefer your remix NOT be able to be downloaded, just mention it in your email/entry. Let's all just be cool about this. Cool? Cool.

ONCE AGAIN, SURFHUNTER REMIX TOOLS: http://www.mediafire.com/?1wuez1oov2g

thanks,
love,
joseph.

Ep progresssss

2009-05-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

Currently, 1 out of 3 tracks is completely done.

These 3 tracks will be for an EP coming out in

Early June and will be completely free of charge.

The SURFHUNTER EP will also have a remix contest

in conjunction with it's release. The prizes will include

actual, physical, handmade copies of the EP

of which less than 10 (i think so) will exist

More information on all that jazz later.

In the meantime, pop in your favorite record, pop some popcorn and just wait a little bit. Cool? Cool.

what is a blogspot

2009-04-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

is this blogspot? if so, good.

i have never used this before.

this is the first post.

i will post....

an EP? for free?

you will download that whenever i get to

posting that. so...

heads up?