STACK #141 Jul 2016

MUSIC NEWS

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INTERVIEW

CALEB NOTT BROODS N ot all siblings can boast the kind of gifted alliance shared by New Zealanders Georgia and Caleb Nott. Vocalist Georgia and her multi-instrumentalist brother Caleb have been performing together ever since they were tackers, and have turned that creative partnership into the internationally-praised musical duo Broods. The new album Conscious follows the NZ #1-charting debut Evergreen (2014), and its title is as deliberate as can be. “I guess with the first album, we just made an album because we needed to make an album; we needed to put some songs together,” the softly-spoken Caleb explains to STACK . “But this one’s been a longer process. A lot more thought has gone into it. Both Georgia and I have developed as songwriters, and my production side is a lot better. I should say, I’ve got one now,” he chuckles. “So I think it’s a little bit more true to us, maybe.” It’s true the production side of things has seen a metamorphosis, with Caleb looking to Conscious ’ producer Joel Little – who has worked with Lorde, Sam Smith, Jarryd James, BIFFY CLYRO

Daniel Johns and Elliphant among others – to expand his knowledge. “A big part of it was watching Joel, and listening to what he would do to certain things,” Caleb begins. “But also… someone asked Broods to do a remix, and my manager [asked me], and I’m like, ‘I have no idea what I’m doing but yeah, sure, I’ll do it.’” He doesn’t mention the artist who sought Broods out; while plenty of electronic musicians have stepped up to the plate to mix the Notts' tracks (most choosing break-out cut Bridges ), the song Caleb alludes to is CharlieXCX’s huge 2014 hit Break The Rules . Perhaps it was a mixture of the confidence gained from experimenting with such a popular track, along with the long friendship the Notts have held with Little, which provided the catalyst for Broods’ boost in exploration and research for Conscious . “He’s one of the closest buddies we’ve got, especially over here,” Caleb says of Little, and LA. “I’ve known him since I was 20, and he’s been working

with Georgia since she was about 16 or 17.” Caleb admits extra motivation also came from one of the many artists with whom Little has collaborated – Ellie Goulding – who recently provided a new arena in which Broods could test-run some of Conscious ’ material live. “We trialled a few on the last run in the States and stuff,” Caleb says of Broods’ support slot on Goulding’s 'Delirium' tour. “It’s cool when you get a great response, so that was awesome. It was good to watch [Goulding], watch her band and take notes, and put them back into your own performance.” “But I can’t wait to play the rest of the album to everyone,” he says warmly. “It’s so exciting.”

MUSIC

Conscious by Broods is out now via Universal.

WHAT'S THE STORY? We have a look back at the fascinating tales behind some of our favourite album covers. This month: Mechanical Animals, Marilyn Manson

T he album title (and its cover art, which looks just like the grammatical device) suggests a stretched stillness or a state of pause – but the songs on Ellipsis , Biffy Clyro's new record, are grandly propulsive. This is an album you can hear from one tippy-top end to the other and not find a single disappointing track. The guitars are harder than your average bear's, but absolutely controlled, and Simon Neil pushes his voice into inspired melodic patterns; it ends up that there are so many cracking ideas to this dynamic, artfully syncopated release, it's unmissable. 'Mon the Biff.

M arilyn Manson’s saturnalian revelry in general controversy was at a high in 1997 when the band began writing its third record. The group’s eponymous frontman began to develop the idea of a sensitive, sexually ambiguous alien character named Omêga. Photographer Joseph Cultice, designer Paul Brown and prosthetic effects company Screaming Mad George crafted the foam latex

Ellipsis by Biffy Clyro is out July 8 via Warner.

groin piece and breasts, and digitally altered hands (there are six fingers) Manson sports as Omêga in this cover image. The three largest music retailers in the US at the time – Target, K-Mart and Wal-Mart – refused to sell the album; the former two acquiesced when additional wrappings were devised to hide the art. Mechanical Animals still reached #1 in the States, also topping the charts in Canada and Australia.

JULY 2016

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