LA locals, The Reminding Ideas, are gearing up for the release of their debut, House of Weather.
The Reminding Ideas started as a solution to a problem. The plaguing idea of writing songs to please others, whether it be labels, bookers, critics, or whoever else, became a barrier of creativity for Soule and Mangum. Pushing those pressures aside, the two started The Reminding Ideas to make music that both satisfied themselves and pushed their own boundaries creatively, musically, and production-wise. They incorporate electronic and classical elements, adding reverb, playing through pedals, mixing programmed and live drums, and orchestrating.
The band’s debut album House of Weather was recorded in Soule’s home studio PeopleMover Sound. Most of the songs were written spur of the moment. They then morphed, changed, shrank, layered.
“We built them up, destroyed them, then built them again. We were learning as we went and flying by the seat of our pants. It was very liberating to have our imagination be our limit. Why not write longer songs? Why not have no chorus? Why not have one line of verse? This is how we worked,” explains Soule.
House of Weather means different things to creators Soule and Magnum. They intended it to mean something personal and different to each listener.
Soule describes, “Ultimately it’s about the Universe, and emotions in the universe. What those emotions are is up to you. It’s up to what you hear and how you interpret that. There are parts of the album where it may seem that we think that nothing is going to go well. Rest assured, everything is going to be all right.” [source: planetary group]
I was lucky enough to get an early listen to House of Weather and I was pleasantly surprised. They have quite a unique sound, which makes if a bit difficult to pin down. One way I can describe it is if Thom Yorke sang lead vocals for The National, along with some of the minimalist elements found in Sigur Rós songs, thrown in for good measure.
House of Weather is due out Oct. 18th, via Orangehand.
♫ The Reminding Ideas – Vegetables ♫
