by Josh Seech
If you have been reading this column since the beginning, you know that I usually am against doing album reviews. In case you are just tuning in, I am totally not a hypocrite for writing the following review.
I recently had something spectacular happen to me, I was given the chance to interview a Finnish band who is playing at the Hawthorne Theatre on 11/09/2011. Their name is Rubik and they are absolutely fantastic. They have anywhere from four through ten members in the band at a time, they are all multi-instrumentalists, ranging from guitar to the clarinet to the trombone. They have been together for almost a decade and have a few albums already under their belt.
Their newest album, Solar, opens with a horn based piece and leads right into the next track – the up tempo, synth filled song “World around you”. This is a perfect song to have as the opener on this album for it shows you instantly the type of diversity this band possesses. Artturi’s vocals on this album are a 10/10 for me. He reminded me of Freddy Mercury at certain times with his smooth and silky falsetto. The multiple layers of instruments on this album make it to where you are discovering new pieces of a song every time you listen to it. The horn section on “The Dark continent” is phenomenal in case you need an example of where to look.
The album also shows of the band’s talent in other ways as well. With the album changing from synth-pop (think Muse and MGMT) to more of a down tempo indie-rock vibe (think Death Cab or Postal Service) they certainly show why have 10 talented people on a project can lead to such a vast and diverse sound that never lets up.
The album flows all the way through and never feels out of place. For being self-produced, it is evident that these guys took their time and made sure that this was the best album they could make before releasing it. To say that I highly recommend this album would be an understatement. I am grateful that I was able to hear their new record, and that they are coming to town so I can also catch them live all in a week’s time. We caught up with lead singer/guitarist/keys Artturi Taira and checked in to see how Rubik’s tour across the world has been going.
Be sure to catch Rubik tomorrow, Nov. 9th at the Hawthorne Theatre when they share the stage with Lights and grab their album “Solar” available now at their Facebook (www.facebook.com/rubikband )
First off, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today! How has your tour been so far?
It’s been great; we’ve been on the road for 8 weeks now. We started in Europe in mid-September, spent month over there and then to Mexico for a couple of days and now we are heading across America!
Wow, you guys have been pretty busy! What are some of the major differences in the crowds/venues US/Mexico/Europe?
Mainly we’re not used to use to be people being so reserved. Finnish people are more reserved when we play, but Americans go nuts and are more open minded. In Europe, people are out of control and they really get into it. Mexico [sic] people are crazy and jumping around and singing!
Your album Solar is incredible! How have your fans been reacting to it?
It’s been really great; people have been really open minded. We are really interested on what the fans were going to think about it, I think it is the best one out. It is always great to see what people think and how they react… like “what are they gonna think about it this time.” It’s been a really great experience, it’s amazing.
You guys have 10 members listed as being in the band is that going to continue growing or are you going to keep this formation for a while?
It’s complicated. In its core, Rubik has like 4 people. We began in 2002, and it just became a collective. People would come and go, just show up. When we were in Europe, we had 6 of us on stage and there were 6 in Mexico but it was a different 6. In the US we are touring as 4 piece … we’re like a team: You have to go to the bench sometimes. It’s kind of funny; it keeps the story alive and makes the band a living thing and it is always changing.
What is your guys’ writing process like?
We write the music in the studio and we have whoever is present at the time will add to the track. We are our own producers. People will be spend a month in our studio, contribute their part and then they will have to go back to work. It takes a lot of time but it is really worth it. It creates magic and mystery, it’s like having your friends and family in a studio. When you have so many people, you don’t have to just be the bass player, you can play the horns as well and you have people who can do so much. I actually don’t remember who it is playing what on the album at certain times and it really doesn’t matter. We have a running joke; we spend more time talking about making music instead of actually making it. When you’re playing live it is different than being in studio… you miss the other while on the road
How would you describe your live show?
We usually have more people on stage, but it’s going to be full of energy and rich sound – Lots of things happening on stage, lots of people playing lots of instruments. I like that type of connection.
What advice would you give yourself 7 years ago?
Be open minded really… I mean it’s kind of cliché to say not take other people’s shit. its easy to get confused. There a lot of people who are in the music business for the right reasons, but be careful. I am not trying to scare anyone though; have fun, be open minded and be careful.
Reporting from Salem, this was my Freedom of Seech.
xoxo Joshua Seech