Minipop

Posted by Steven Robertshaw on 10-Mar-08 @ 04:35 PM

HQ: San Francisco, CA
NOW PLAYING: A New Hope (TAKE ROOT; takerootrecords.com)
WHY YOU SHOULD KNOW 'EM: Brooding and uplifting at the same time, Minipop are the perfect dream-pop band for the shoegazing aficionado in your life.
YOU LIKE? YOU'LL LIKE: My Bloody Valentine / Metric / Mazzy Star

STORY: Sam Sutherland
PHOTO: ediphotoeye

"I decided to write the most depressing album of all time," explains Minipop guitarist/keyboardist Matthew Swanson of the band's debut album A New Hope. "I was going through a dark time, [but] then I decided I was going to change the whole focus and write the happiest album of all time. I literally just came home from a barbecue one day, was really inebriated, started tinkering around on the Casio and decided to go in a completely different direction."

This was just over three years ago, when the idea of two-minute "mini-pop songs" was just Swanson's goofy method of dealing with the turmoil in his life. The songs stuck around, though, and led to the rekindling of an old friendship with vocalist/keyboardist Tricia Kanne. "Tricia came along and started writing a lot of lyrics, and it went back to being a lot more moody; not necessarily dark or depressing, but not happy-happy sunshine," says Swanson. Thus with the addition of bassist Nick Forte and drummer Lauren Grubb, Minipop were born.

By combining a dynamic mixture of Swanson's Casio compositions and the lush pop of bands like Cocteau Twins and Spiritualized, Minipop have evolved into a musical project with far more depth than initially invisioned. Eight months in the making, their full-length debut, A New Hope, hops from adventurously brash mini-epics to subtle sonic explorations, neither foolishly optimistic nor unnecessarily dreary. Plus, the fact that the band spent four days a week for six months tracking the record can be considered an adventure unto itself. "We didn't have a studio, so we recorded in six or seven different places," Swanson explains. "We'd literally ask people, 'Hey, can we use your apartment for a couple of hours?'" Drums were tracked during a four-day stay at a cabin in Marin County, California, while some rather difficult over-dubbing took place in kitchens, apartments and the band's rehearsal space. Excited about the final product, Minipop didn't wait for the finished album before getting it out to fans; the band sold burned versions of A New Hope at gigs as soon as tracking was completed. While eager to see the album's release on a proper record label, Swanson recognizes the value of placing Minipop's music ahead of the commercial interests that often bog down their contemporaries.

"You can either be forced to listen to something, or you can discover something," Swanson muses. "I think when people discover music and find things that they can really call their own, they appreciate the music that much more." ALT