Electric Leaves
Santa Cruz, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
By Adam Joseph
Luke David and Art Emanuel – of the Santa Cruz electro-pop duo Electric Leaves, playing Jose’s on Saturday – have a longstanding Saturday morning tradition they’ll honor before appearing: going to the Capitola flea market.
A couple of David’s most invaluable scores include a brown reverb box, used throughout their new EP, Human Figures, and a couple of Jaymar pianos (toy pianos from the ’60s), featured on the bridge of “Soundings in Fathoms.”
“We’ve gotten a lot of keyboards and old drum machines,” David says. “Some are working and others are half-working. On Saturday we typically spend the day either playing music or writing music, so it’s kind of a nice start to the day.”
Human Figures intertwines the duo’s affinity for obscure, secondhand musical instruments, and sometimes toys, with computer-generated loops and beats. The result: seven straightforward songs that are retro-electronica hybrids.
On Apple, Electric Leaves’ debut LP, the songs are not so straightforward: The concept album is based on an article about a man who woke up in New York City and didn’t know who he was.
“It’s something that would be terrifying but also could be nice,” David says.
David cites ambient master Brian Eno as a major inspiration at the time he was recording Apple. He even incorporated some of Eno’s recording practices into the process.
“Before Eno starts recording he’ll make a stack of index cards with stuff written on them like ‘delete the last track you made’ and ‘use piano in the next track,’” David explains. “When he gets stuck, he pulls a card and does whatever the card says.”
David used index cards with rules like “Don’t use more than 24 tracks” and “Don’t do multiple takes.”
On “Electric Leaves,” David sings with a deep bellow reminiscent of Beck’s melancholic voice on “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime.” Though the existential concept of the album is noteworthy, it’s really the tone of David’s voice and the electronic intricacies – stacked together like a futuristic sandwich – that garner attention.
To create a Tron-like atmosphere, David relies on his trusty Gateway 459SX4 laptop, named “Hank.”
“[The laptop] is really a third member of the band,” he says.
But David still looks to the flea market as his ultimate sound source and inspiration. His most recent treasure: a melodica. Expect a keyboard-harmonica combo to make its way into future Electric Leaves albums.
- Monterey County Weekly
Discography
Apple is a concept album about a young man who wakes in New York City and doesn’t know who or where he is. He has amnesia. This scares him tremendously. The duo tried to avoid electric guitars on this recording in favor of synthesizers, samples, and found sounds.
Human Figures, the second release, is a 7 song EP that is more song-oriented. It is dry drums, reverby keyboards and guitars, and a baritone voice. At points it sounds like Nick Drake covering Sparklehorse with some of the members from Arcade Fire helping out on some songs. A milky-sounding brown-colored reverb box was used on most of the songs. Luke found it at the flea market for 7 dollars.
Both albums are available on I-Tunes and CD Baby, and both albums have had airplay on two local Santa Cruz radio stations, as well as streaming on LastFM.com, Myspace.com and Facebook.com.
Photos
Bio
Electric Leaves makes music and lives in Santa Cruz, California. They are Art Emanuel (drums, glockenspiel and piano) and Luke David (keyboards and guitars and voice).
The two have made two albums of electronic-influenced Indie Rock and been honing their live sound. Letting an interest in the sound of vintage synthesizers and even hip-hop drum-sounds, and most recently experimenting with pop conventions, Electric Leaves has been recording and playing live sets for two years. Now, the two guys are branching out and playing shows nationwide.
Apple is a concept album about a young man who wakes in New York City and doesn’t know who or where he is. He has amnesia. This scares him tremendously. The duo tried to avoid electric guitars on this recording in favor of synthesizers, samples, and found sounds.
Human Figures, the second release, is a 7 song EP that is more song-oriented. It is dry drums, reverby keyboards and guitars, and a baritone voice. At points it sounds like Nick Drake covering Sparklehorse with some of the members from Arcade Fire helping out on some songs. A milky-sounding brown-colored reverb box was used on most of the songs. Luke found it at the flea market for 7 dollars.
The band’s live set has taken various forms and has included a variety of musicians from local bands. Now, though, they play as a two-piece with the help of a laptop computer named Hank that sequences beats and blips and some synthesizers too.
Here’s what some people have said about Electric Leaves
Adam Joseph |Monterey County Weekly
Human Figures intertwines the duo’s affinity for obscure, secondhand musical instruments, and sometimes toys, with computer-generated loops and beats. The result: seven straightforward songs that are retro-electronica hybrids.
On [the song] “Electric Leaves,” David sings with a deep bellow reminiscent of Beck’s melancholic voice on “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime.” Though the existential concept of the album is noteworthy, it’s really the tone of David’s voice and the electronic intricacies – stacked together like a futuristic sandwich – that garner attention.
Beau Dowling |Sanjose.com
Electric Leaves is the brainchild of a couple of normal-looking guys from Santa Cruz. You’d never expect them to create the strange indie rock that they do. Well, “rock” may not be the most accurate description. The songs have a haunting feel to them, like fascinating dreams that are hard to explain when you wake up. Electric Leaves works with both traditional instruments and a laptap, and lead singer Luke David sounds a little bit like Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol.
Travis Oberg | Saltwater Music
“Love the new songs. They are making my day more tolerable. Human Figures on repeat+coffee+ink and paper=goodness.”
Leslie Hampton | Drummagazine.com
“Electric Leaves is a dynamic two-piece. Art Emanuel plays deceptively simple beats that evolve throughout the songs, providing plenty of rhythmic surprises.”
Links
