2014 Killing Horse Records
By M. Mucus
Asbury Park psych rock outfit Wreaths have released their
debut full length effort via Killing Horse Records recently and it’s both
far-out and introspective. The
self-titled record from Wreaths is a collection of songs that the band has been
playing live for some time, but now have been captured and presented on CD for public
consumption. As a band, Wreaths have
been around for a while, they have some prior releases including a 10” on
Little Dickman Records, but this representation of the band is an ideal starting
point, and their first proper album. The record is a hazy wash of reverb,
delay, keyboards and haunting vocals, and is a great and original fit in the
growing psych/shoegaze revival that has been catching wind recently without
feeling at all like a Johnny-come-lately. Their single “Coke Straw” (found below)
is a lush and quaint jaunt. Other
highlights include the 13 minute dance jam “Goin’ Back to Haiti”, The lonely and
ghostly “Pedimont Aire”, as well as the rising crescendos of “The Designing
Women of Asbury Park”. Overall the
record has a cohesive and other-worldly sound anchored by vivid imagery that has a
tendency to feel like a collection of clouded memories. NJ Skeletons sat down
with Ralph from Wreaths to get a little more insight into the band.
(New
Jersey Skeletons) You guys are from Asbury Park, NJ, but some of the band
members live in other places right? Does the beach, the ocean or the dynamic of
Asbury play into your songwriting in anyway? If so, how?
(RALPH) Shaun, Colin
and Jamison are in Asbury Park. Kevin is in Toms River and I live in New York, but grew up at the Shore. The beach and beach scene are seasonal. Four months
out of the year it’s a packed party in bars, backyards, parks and apartment balconies.
We definitely get loose and enjoy the summer. Play a lot of shows on the
boardwalk and the surrounding area. Fall and winter are totally different.
Beach towns in the off season are desolate and that casts a vibe. It gets dark,
gray and cold with only the locals left. A lot of places are closed up or
hibernating. I grew up in that and it most certainly affects me.
(NJS)
I've heard you compared to bands like Hawkwind, Spaceman 3, The War On Drugs.
What kind of music does the band listen to when you guys hang out together?
(R) We all listen to
everything. Some translates into what we do and some doesn’t. Personally, I
didn’t listen to any band and say “that’s what I want Wreaths to sound like.”
The space and vibe come out in regards to who we are as players. Shaun and I
started Wreaths with a drum set and organ in our apartment in Chicago. We
cataloged days and days of cassettes with long drones and noise. When Colin
joined, he brought a dance feel to it, simple and concise. He moves it without
killing the vibe.
(NJS)
What is your favorite venue to play in NJ?
(R) That’s tough. Every
place has its charm.
The Pony, Saint, Court
and the Lanes all sound great and are always a great time. Langosta, The
Berkeley, Anchors Bend and APYC are like club houses that give us the run of
the place and treat us really well, let us throw our own happenings. That’s
really important to us and the type of group we are. It gives us a chance to
spread out and experiment live. We’re looser for better or for worse.
(NJS)
Ralph, you play in Seaside Caves right? Do you guys have any other projects you
are working with?
(R) Colin sits in with
Stringbean Blues and Manatee, Kevin is getting something going with our friend
Bob DeMedici. Shaun and Jamison have also played in Seaside Caves at one point
or another. We all play in TNTS (tents). Seaside Caves is our brother band.
Todd plays shows and records with us when he can. He’s a great bud.
(NJS)
What’s the writing process like for you? Is there a main song writer? Is it a
democratic thing, or do you guys kind of base it around a jam?
(R) Shaun and I write
the framework of a song and bring it into practice. From there we all give it
the treatment. Kevin and Jamison have written some stuff as well. We all write
our individual parts. Songs have also come out of jams. We usually start
practices with a half an hour jam. We record it and comb through afterwards to
see if anything sticks. Everything is democratic.
(NJS) You are working
on new music currently, how much new music? Is there a time frame as to when
you plan on releasing it?
R) We are currently at Moonlight Mile in Jersey City with
Mike Moebius recording a follow up to our s/t release on Killing Horse Records.
Right now we have 9 songs at that are 90% complete. We have about 3 more songs at
different stages of completion. We would like to release something by
mid-summer, maybe sooner. We’ll mull over the material and make sense of what
fits where.
When all is said and
done we’ll clock in with about 2 hours worth of music which is double album territory
and we just aren't that full of shit to release a double second album.
Wreaths will be playing The Bowery Electric in NYC on
Thursday March 6th, 2014 with Overlake, Brother JT and The Black
Hollies and will have CD’s available. Check out our review of the Black Hollies
latest record HERE or get their debut full length release from
www.killinghorserecords.com
