ZapTown

Bell Horses is a merger between Xian Hawkins (who also records as Sybarite, has made contributions to the 4AD, Ghostly International, and Temporary Residence label, and has founded his very own TrySquare label) and Jenny Owen Young (singer and songwriter who has released several albums on the Nettwerk label). Together, they have gone beyond what each individual has done and created in the past and conjured up a haunting atmosphere of peculiarly lush and elegant pop that builds strings and electronics in a web of layers that will entangle your senses with intrigue.

With their debut album This Loves Last Time (TrySquare), their 21st Century pop not only became a highlight for 2009, it also pushed the boundaries without forcefully doing so. For Hawkins and Young, it’s an accomplishment that will drive them forward as musicians.

Hawkins talks about what went into the making of the album and what it means to him as a musician, as well as what is up his sleeve for 2010.

Link: http://www.bellhorses.com/

Tell me about the Bell Horses project in comparison to what you have done in the past? What is different? What have you expanded on? What did you do with Bell Horses that you may not have in the past?

The main difference was that it had been a long time since I’d written with acoustic instruments as the start point – there are of course a bunch of electronics on the record but I wanted the music to take a more organic approach than what I’d gotten used to as my process making Sybarite records, which tend to be more sample based. We were emailing song parts back & forth and I wanted to give the vocalists (Jenny & Alex) something that wasn’t just static and repeating. The music was the jumping off point for the vocals so I wanted them to have something that would inspire them to elaborate on whatever they felt the music evoked.

What are your favorite elements to “This Loves Last Time?”

I brought my friend Eve in to play violin and viola in after most of the songs were tracked. I worked on the mix for a long time and getting the strings to sit with the songs in such a way that they create a fabric with the other instruments – often you can’t tell that’s what you’re hearing – a violin or a synth or a guitar. One thing I was really happy with was the result of this blend where it serves to give the songs a quality that’s hard to pin point. And, of course, the vocals.

Why did you choose a converted Victorian Church to record this album? How do you feel location and space affected the album?

Well, it was cheap and an obvious choice as it’s where I live! I have a small studio set-up and I used the main space to record some of the acoustic stuff. I’m not sure how much the sound of the church ends up filtering thru (probably not much) but I think the main affect of working on it here was I was able to listen to things in this big space and it helped with getting inside the mixes & bringing out the details.

Tell me about your relationship with Jenny Owens Young? How did you two meet and what led to this collaboration? What were you looking for when starting up this project and watching it mature? Is this something you have been thinking about for a while or is what we hear a spontaneous after effect?

I got in touch with Jenny after hearing her song ‘Voice On Tape’ streaming on some internet radio. I fell in love with her voice and had been looking for a singer to work with – it seemed like a perfect fit. We exchanged some music and met up over drinks in NYC and decided to try collaborating. I think neither one of us knew what to expect and particularly because of the distance involved in the creative process it took some time to understand how best to proceed with the songwriting. We’ve still never been in the same room together while working so hopefully that’s something that will change as we continue to collaborate.

Tell me about the content that resides in “This Loves Last Time” and how it serves into the whole construct of the music?

To me the content is all of it – the instruments, together with the vocals and the lyrics – they are really entwined and there’s no real hierarchy. I think particularly with this recording within each song are opportunities to get more than what’s on the surface. If you listen just once you hear the veneer of the songs, which may turn some people off – but I think one of the success of the record is the capacity for the music to open more with each listen.

You brought in some talented musicians to help contribute on the album? How did that come about and why did you choose who you did?

Besides Jenny the other vocalist is Alexander Ericson who had I was turned onto by producer Mark Van Hoen (Mojave 3, Seefeel) who had worked with him. Alex has a really dynamic voice with a impressive falsetto and I wanted a good balance / complement to Jenny’s vocals – which I think it brings. Eve Boltax is a classically trained string player who really doesn’t do any music like this but has a great ability to improvise. Michael Lerner plays with The Antlers and is one of my best friends and a great drummer whom I’ve been playing music with for years now.

This album is the first for your Trysquare label? Can you tell me what you plan for the label’s future and its purpose? Also, why start up a label beyond releasing your own material or it is specifically for your own material and collaborations?

At this point the label is primarily for my own pursuits. This record took a couple years to finish & I had paid for all the recording costs myself so, I felt like why give away half of the rights to another label when we could do it ourselves & retain control. I think it was a good decision – having an outlet like this allows for a lot of creative flexibility down the line.

What inspires you to create the style of music you create? What affects you from making that music?

I always have a starting point in mind but if I set out to make a straight-up minimal techno record, or a folk record – it would always end up sounding like something else. I think that tendency and my lack of interest in creating music that’s easily defined is what pushes me forward with what I do. The style is often more a result of who and what I choose to work with rather than a notion of emulating something specific.

Bell Horses is a collaborative effort. Do you see that continuing? What do you help will come out of this and what ambitions do you have for this project?

It is continuing, we’re working on writing some new material now. At some point, hopefully with the next record, we’d like to tour a bit & bring these songs into a live setting.

What plans do you have for 2010?

There is a remix record in the works for This Loves Last Time – contributing are myself with as Sybarite, The Antlers, Inch-Time, Nudge, Opiate & a couple others. This should see the light of day sometime in the Spring of 2010. Outside of Bell Horses I’m working on another Sybarite record & some solo guitar based stuff that I’ll hopefully be playing live later in the year.