Anglo-Swede
duo, Superhand have already released one of the year’s best albums with
American Teeth. Described as ‘a perfect
blend of light and shade with ethereal vocals and twisted electronica making it
an absorbing, uplifting, unsettling, and transcendent experience that lingers
long in the mind’.
We gave the album a mighty 9/10 after being completely blown
away. Naturally when the chance came to
throw vocalist Inga Carlstrom a few questions we took it with both hands.
Things must be a bit of
whirlwind at the moment with everyone currently rightly raving about the album?
Yes. We’ve had an awesome response and it’s all go
from live sound development, more videos, another single coming in Autumn, and
then a small tour in Europe! We have been invited to RadioKC in Paris, but we
still need to get the music to more people, and try to find some more support
from a bigger indie.
You seem to have made a video for every
track on the album, is this part of the Superhand creativity?
Ha! Not every
track yet, but more coming! Yes, very much so. Mike Mason (4AD/Swallow) that’s just one of
the many things he used to do. He made
videos for many people - Spiritualized, Slowdive, Spaceman 3, Boo Radleys - loads
The visual side
of things is very important to us. We
are artists, and we need the visual to be strong, as it makes a big impression
for listeners. We watch a lot of
experimental film and we love making videos.
Did you see Bjorks new one? Amazing! We also can get characters across more in
visuals. We like artists like Cindy
Sherman.
And, there seems to be an element of shock
tactic or provocation in some of them?
Yes, we want
people to watch, listen and enjoy. Art
should provoke something either good or bad, it does not matter, just anything
but ineffectual. I would rather someone
hated a video than felt nothing at all.
How did you manage to get the likes of
Jason Cooper from The Cure and Cameron Craig to work with a virtually unknown
act?
Well it’s all
about the connects. Mike Mason has
worked with Cameron Craig for many years.
So we needed a drummer and Cameron asked Jason.
American Teeth – what’s
in a name?
Well….. Can you
guess? It has 2 meanings - one vain and one political.
When I reviewed American Teeth recently, I
mentioned that you could have made three or four tracks out of Bass And Guns
such was the diversity of the track. Did
it ever cross your mind that you could have done this, or was the idea to make
the gargantuan piece that it is?
Ah…. we were
enjoying it so much we thought fuck it let’s just leave it. We are Indie so we don’t want to fit into
commercial boxes etc but the downside is mixing and the video et al all take 10
minutes too! In the end we did a single version to be more radio friendly and
video editing friendly. Ha!
Who would you say are the biggest
influences behind Superhand?
We like the
German new wave - Can, Faust, Neu, etc.. Captain Beefheart, Negativland,
Cultureside, Also artists like Bjork, Radiohead, Led Zeppelin, The Dead
Weather, QOTSA, and Nina Simone. We play a lot of old Blues, Lead Belly,
Howling Wolf, Hooker.
And who do you see as your musical
influences elsewhere?
I am also very
much influenced by classical music. I’m interested in movement and structures
of music and exploring that. We love to watch Bergman, great writers of words
inspire me. The human condition. This crazy world. Political Climate. The
stupidity. The laws of nature that bind and blind. The evolution of man. This
place earth and our finite, unnatural/natural existence.
Yes! Thom Yorke’s
new album! Love that! Bonnie Banane - she rocks. Death Grips and Azealia Banks. Also Sunns from Canada.
I’m coming for tea, what are you cooking?
Leck
is an amazing Chef - what would you like?
We have a studio
garden with chickens but we are only eating their eggs. We try and eat from the garden so lots of
leaves at the moment, we keep looking at the snails and are wondering how to farm
and eat them like in France. We are also thinking of Aquaponics - fish in tanks
with plants growing on top. We have our own water here from the mountain so we
can be self-sufficient. Superhand's
Monastery of Sound restaurant coming soon!
How does your music translate into a live show?
Well, that’s a
great question and something we have been working on for a while - at the
moment we only have 3 people for live, but we are looking for more. We have
lots of machines! So live, we are completely electronic, it’s just like that
for now but when the world loves us more we would like more people to play more
things like live drums and bass. We try
very hard to still get depth of sound and have reworked the tracks with
electronic programmed drums, we use effects and looping etc. We also like to experiment live and you never
know a new jam could be heard at any time!
You mention on your website that the only
reason for us to be on this planet is to reproduce. Discuss.
Ah….
yes, it’s a question…. it’s what do you think….? Is that the reason? I’m
not sure if there’s a reason, but I like to provoke thoughts and love a good
conversation.
Analog or digital? Vinyl or mp3?
Always analog,
vinyl, we have rooms of it, mp3’s just suck, they are not even yours. They are just licences, artists don't get
much money from mp3s these days, and it has all become very disposable,
worthless and corporate.
Does movie also influence your work either
musically, or through video?
Yes - I’d say definitely.
We always look to the work of those we
love and respect inspiration wise. I’m also in my head thinking about how to
illustrate my thoughts and emotions visually, it’s hard and I love to see it
done well. I just watched Bjork’s new
video Black Lake and she did this very well - illustrated her devastation, and heartbreak
directly.
What would Eurovision think of Superhand?
Eurovision?? But
it might be - WTF! I don't get Eurovision- do you?
When producer Mike Mason came across you
in a Swedish bar, he insisted your live performance was the best he had seen in
years. Do you consider yourself as much
a live proposition as a recorded one?
Yes we love live.
But it’s not perfect yet, we are work in progress. We are very ambitious as you can hear by the
record. We would love to have a big big
live show but now we work on the 3 people getting biggest and best live
sound/performance we can, electronics is not an easy as you may think. I used
to do a lot of traditional work with guitar and piano and bands etc. that’s a different art, than electronic music.
Our ideas are to mix these traditional musics with the new electronics and
technology.
The hills. Mid
Wales is awesome, love love love it. The
peacefulness and we can make a lot of loud noise! (laughs) You should come and see the studio, we have
big plans here too. We thought Wales is
a great base for Europe - more relaxed than Oxford or London, more space. In the South it’s harder, lots of people
struggling, and losing their ways with our societies.
Ah - thanks!! We
have to make another one! Even better, probably darker. We also want to do
little tour in October time and hope to go around Europe a bit, reach more
people and get some recognition for all the amazing people behind this work. We
would like people to get in touch, and connect with listeners and find a record
label to work with.
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