Asides

Leonid Maymind has just released his first collection of homespun indie folk under the name Spanish Prisoners. At eight tracks, Songs to Forget is the perfect length to serve as an introduction to this songwriter who undoubtedly will get some blog love over the next couple of months. There are many bits and borrowed pieces of early ’90s lo-fi rock spread throughout the tracks, bands like Pavement, The Silver Jews, and Will Oldham serving as reference points.

So, Mr.Maymind, how about answering some questions about “How the Fallen Fell”?

(Download the song and listen as you read)

Is track 3 representative of the whole CD?
Track 3 is called “How the Fallen Fell.” I was trying to expound upon my feelings of how society treats poor people and the lower classes, which in my humble opinion, is not very well. The song also touches on the materialistic tendencies of people. So I would say the track is representative of the whole CD in that the lyrics are about a part of human nature that I’m interested in. I wouldn’t say that it is very representative musically because my songs are pretty eclectic and they are all pretty different from each other. This is just because I like a lot of variety in sounds and textures when I’m both listening and making music. I guess you could say that track 3 is representative in that it does a lot of things I like songs to do: have background noises, not follow a strict structure, construct a feeling; those are things that I’ve tried to weave into all my songs, regardless of the musical feel.

What’s the story behind the song – from the lyrical content to the way it was written and recorded?
The lyrical content- see number 1. I recorded this song, like most of the others on the record “songs to forget” in my basement on a modest studio I have set up down there. The chord progression was something I came up with a really long time ago and was working on lyrics to fit with them for a few months before it felt right. I played everything on the track except for the drum fills, which my friend Steve Neola did in about half an hour. The creepy feedback noise at the beginning and end is an electric guitar run through a few feedback mechanisms that self-oscillate. Also, the noise in the quiet section of the song is me dropping silverware on the hardwood floor in my dining room and recording it! That was pretty fun.

Was there a particular reason you placed this song in the #3 spot on the tracklisting?
No particular reason I placed it at number 3. I actually don’t like it in that position anymore, so when I release the expanded version of “songs to forget” it’ll have a new tracklisting that I think works better (and thus makes this whole thing moot). I’m working on a few new songs on my own and am going up to Kent, Ohio to record a song with Todd Tobias (Robert Pollard, GBV) so look for that soon!

Ferraby Lionheart – “Small Planet” (MP3)
Grand Ole Party – “Look Out Young Son” (MP3)
Tiger City – “Dark Water” (MP3)
Clockclean Er – “Vomiting Mirror” (MP3)
State Radio – “Unfortunates” (ZIP)
The Go Station – “All Together Now” (MP3)
Holler, Wild Rose – “Marylawn Hair” (MP3), “Sun Vines” (MP3)|
Para One – “Dun Dun” (ZIP)
Gram Parsons – “Long Black Limousine” (MP3) (only available for download until Aug. 30)
Brandi Shearer – “Lullabies” (MP3) (only available for download until Aug. 30)

Chris Zerby and Julie Chadwick used to be in an incredible band called Helicopter Helicopter. After deciding they had done all they could do in Boston, they moved to L.A. to give H2 a new start but soon started recording music as a side project they called Hello Dragon. After going through the whole traditional CD release thing a few times with H2, they’ve decided to embrace technology and allow people the option to download the Hello Dragon stuff via their MySpace page. Fans who want to support the band can pick up a limited edition EP, each copy with a unique hand-painted design, for $5 (+$2 shipping).

Chris recently answered the following 3 questions about track number 3 from the EP, “Dirt and the Body”. Before getting to his answers, head over to the band’s MySpace page, queue up the song (or download it), and use it as reference when reading what Chris has to say about the track.

Track 3: “Dirt and the Body” 

Is track 3 representative of the whole CD?
Kind of, but not really. It’s the catchy one. (See answer #3.) So I didn’t really have a choice.

What’s the story behind the song – from the lyrical content to the way it was written and recorded?
The song was mostly recorded at my little studio End of the World, and was mixed by Bruce Macfarlane here in Echo Park. I don’t really know what it’s about; I guess it’s kind of a comment about how we spend so much of our lives dealing with our day to day needs, and manage to ignore the really important things. Like space travel and the size of the universe. And kitten rescues. And the behavior of subatomic particles. And the joys of a really good pre amp. And sea creatures. All that stuff.

Was there a particular reason you placed this song in the #3 spot on the tracklisting?
I put it third because you always start with the best song. Track two should throw a little curve ball at the listener. Track three should be the second best song and should always be catchy. It’s a tried and true formula, and really, you shouldn’t deviate from it; you can really fuck things up if you do.