Welcome to Mixtape Quesionnaire, a feature where we ask various people in the musical world to answer a series of questions with songs, which we compile into a playlist for your pleasure. Today we have Technicolor Hearts, a local psych pop duo that’s making their Austin homecoming after a stint on the West Coast. They’ll be playing a free show this Sunday, August 31st, at the W Hotel.
Jake Muncy for Ovrld: So you recently did a big West Coast tour. What song epitomizes that experience for you?
Technicolor Hearts: “Time of the Season” by The Zombies
About two nights before our stay on the West Coast ended we got to attend a live performance by The Zombies at the Santa Monica Pier with some of the awesome friends we got to know better while we were out there. This was a really magical evening that we had looked forward to all summer long and was spent out under the stars beneath the scent of the sea.
For us this song really epitomizes the haze of summer and the 1960’s nostalgia which permeated our trip. We spent many music filled late nights with long lost family members Naomi recently reconnected with for the first time as adult. They were entrenched in Motown and Stax records sing-alongs and history lessons and stories recanted by Naomi’s grandfather about the rich musical history in their family. He talked about his time as the guitarist for Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs, growing up among the Sun Records greats in Memphis, his uncle who played with Bill Monroe, his Booker T produced album, showing up on Haight-Ashbury in 1967 and experiencing the summer of love firsthand, earning a gold record and the like. It was like stepping into a time warp and The Zombies concert felt like an appropriate way to end the summer.
Ovrld: With that in mind, y’all are returning to Austin after a long absence. How does it feel to be back?
Technicolor Hearts: “White Nights” by Oh Land
The music video for this song is one of our all time favorites and has been inspiring us for a while now. As we get back to our home base we are excited to begin working on our own music videos which are definitely part inspired by the magical surrealism of “White Nights.” We shot scenes for our upcoming videos at several places along the way: choreographed movement in the woods of Austin with the Woven Feet troupe, improvisational art-dance pieces on the shores of an enchanting Malibu oceanscape, amongst the moss laden giants in the wet earth-scented Redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest and flying a rainbow colored kite high above the Grand Canyon.
For us, the lyrics of the song fit perfectly with the inspiration filled tone of our return, the excitement for plans to record fresh material and new ideas for pursuing “these dreams under my pillow.”
Ovrld: What sort of vibe do you hope to bring back home from your experiences away?
Technicolor Hearts: “Coming up Roses” by Eliza Rickman
While we were out west we had the pleasure of doing a short tour with our friend Eliza Rickman. Watching her captivating performances night after night was one of the more memorable parts of our trip. Her minimal piano/autoharp based compositions laced with ethereal pitch perfect vocals make for beautiful and timeless works of art.
As fans of the less-is-more approach it was truly inspiring to witness her level of commitment to her craft and and her resourcefulness as a solo act. Listening to Eliza you really get a sense of a high standard of professionalism and that is something we are always striving for.
Working with musicians we admire really motivates us to push ourselves further in that direction so as we return home we feel like these experiences will continue to make an impact on us. There were many bands we played with this summer who really struck us but some of our favorites were: Inner Ecstasy, Unicorn Domination, Foxtails Brigade, Rider Rosie, Dana Falconberry and Omo.
Ovrld: What sort of stuff do you blast on tour to get pumped for shows?
Technicolor Hearts: “Cheerleader” by St. Vincent, “Bizness” by Tune-Yards, “Genesis” by Grimes, “Wildcat” by Ratatat
These are just a few…
Ovrld: What does the future look like for Technicolor Hearts?
Technicolor Hearts: “Chaine Infinie” by Free Moral Agents
We are looking forward to releasing some new material we recorded with Long Beach based producer Ikey Owens (keyboardist for Jack White’s band and The Mars Volta) who was really cool to work with. We don’t have it all finished so we can’t share it yet, but we would like to share some music by Ikey’s side project Free Moral Agents who have always made an impression on us with their live shows and recorded tracks. Look out for our new release in early 2015.
Ovrld: What song not by Technicolor Hearts do you think best epitomizes your style?
Technicolor Hearts: “Daniel” by Bat for Lashes
To us, the music of Bat for Lashes has the perfect balance of pop, folk and electronic instrumentation with orchestral and unconventional percussive elements. This blend of sounds is similar to the aesthetic and approach we take when crafting our music and was influential to us when we began writing some of our first songs.
Ovrld: What song do you think best introduces your musical style to newcomers?
Technicolor Hearts: “Pretty” by Technicolor Hearts
“Pretty” tends to be a crowd favorite and gives the listener a good idea of what we’re about right away. It is the first track on our EP Under The Big Blue Umbrella Sky and we recently released a music video for it which can be found on YouTube.
Ovrld: What’s your favorite song to play live?
Technicolor Hearts: “Corpus Christi” by Technicolor Hearts
There are so many but this song is one of our favorites to play because we get to experiment with some fun sounds. The song features a mid-tempo bass heavy drumbeat, looped samples, analog synth, vocals sung through a 1950’s telephone, percussion created by the sound of a rotary dial and a handful of jingling skeleton keys, and the instrument we get the most questions about: a glockenspiel played with two violin bows.
Ovrld: What is the best song you’ve ever heard performed live?
Technicolor Hearts: “The Bed Song” by Amanda Palmer
When we saw Amanda Palmer at Stubb’s a few summers back she told the audience “And now I’m about to play you the saddest song you’ve ever heard.” “The Bed Song,” which chronicled a heart wrenching story of words unspoken between two lovers growing old, was delivered with such power and passion that at least a few of the people in our group were in tears by the time it was over.
Ovrld: If you had to be stuck listening to one song on repeat for your entire life, what would it be?
Technicolor Hearts:
Naomi says: “Betty Wang” by Hospitality
Joseph says: “A Saucerful of Secrets” from the Live in Pompeii film by Pink Floyd