These Go to 11: interviewing Postal Blue

Keeping with our interview series, this time we the pleasure of having Adriano do Couto Ribeiro, the man behind Postal Blue responsible of, in our opinion, one of the best records of 2015, answering our questionnaire. Big pleasure, hope you like it and These Go to 11!

Adriano do Couto Ribeiro, Postal Blue

Pop postals in the sunlight

This Brazilian musician has been making pop waves since 1998, first leading a quartet which released two EPs on Drive-In Records and our dear Shelflife Records and. But then came changes, first with the bossanova tinged folk-pop debut LP 'International Breeze' in 2004, the EP 'Road to happiness' sung in Portuguese in 2006 and, finally, the band dismembering, Luckily, Adriano still got plenty to say, so kept the band's name, and after a couple of singles, 3" on Cloudberry Records and a 7" part of the Dufflecoat / Jigsaw Singles Club co-release, at the end of last year, he came out with sophomore album 'Of Love & Other Affections', also on Jigsaw. It might seem a slow ride, but when a career is flourished with so many memorable tunes of pure, elegant indiepop gems echoing legendary bands like The Byrds, The Smiths or our beloved Go-Betweens, you know it has been worth the wait. Adriano pens pop classics, folks! Here we go!

Devotional and controversial

1.First record that you bought (be honest)
I have no idea. My initial record collection was inherited from my parents, my mom mostly, as my dad has always had awful taste in music and doesn't care much for it. I remember there were some Elvis records, some horrible soap opera soundtracks, a Bill Haley live album, some Roberto Carlos and a 7" with George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord' that I played into oblivion.

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)

The first was some unknown punk band in high school. It was horrible. Does that count? Last was many years ago, it was a sort of local festival with many bands whose names I can't even recall. I'm not much of a concert goer and I have terrible memory, unfortunately.

Blogger's note: Neil Finn rules. A kiwi-pop legend

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)

I really don't feel any guilt about liking or listening to anything as I have a pretty open mind about music. I had my metal phase when I was a teen, and I can still appreciate some of it from time to time, although I never listen to it on purpose. I like Neil Finn, who I think is an amazing songwriter. Is that uncool? I don't really know. I like some disco music, but again I don't usually listen to it.

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)

I'm not a big collector, but I have an old copy of Adrian Borland's 'Alexandria' that I've seen go on Ebay for a couple hundred bucks.

Brisbane's staples!

5.Favorite lyrics (not yours)
I recall a schoolboy coming home / Through fields of can / To a house of tin and timber /And in the sky a rain of falling cinders. /From time to time /The waste memory-wastes /I recall a boy in bigger pants /Like everyone /Just waiting for a chance /His father's watch /He left it in the showers / From time to time /The waste memory-wastes /I recall a bigger brighter world / A world of books /And silent times in thought /And then the railroad /The railroad takes him home /Through fields of cattle /Through fields of cane /From time to time /The waste memory-wastes /The waste memory-wastes / Further, longer, higher, older. 'Cattle and Cane', The Go-Betweens

O maestro du 'Saudade'

6.Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
I'd like to hang around with Johnny Marr sometime. On the dead front, probably Tom Jobim.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
I love Peter Saville, and a bunch of his pieces are not only beautiful but very iconic, like Joy Division's 'Closer' and 'Unknown Pleasures', OMD's first album, New Order's 'Brotherhood'. But you only wanted one, right? Sorry.

'Incognito': exploring the
limits of consciousness

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 

Both, definitely. I majored in English, so I had to read a lot, which I've always loved. Besides literary fiction, I'm a huge sci fi and fantasy fan. If you're looking for a recommendation, I could make you a list, but let's start with the last one I read which is Margaret Atwood's 'Oryx and Crake'. I have a thing for science books too, and one of the best I've ever read is David Eagleman's 'Incognito - The Secret Lives of the Brain'.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
Hm, that's really hard. On the last album, I suppose my favourite is 'I Always Knew'. Although 'Isn't It Funny' comes very close behind.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
To me it means DIY. It also means freedom to do whatever I please regardless of whether other people like it or not.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 
Pretty much the same, only better.

                                                                                                                             Zillion thanks Adriano!

These Go to 11: interviewing Blooper

Coming from Seattle, this week we have the three members of Blooper, responsible of one of the EPs of the year, answering our weekly questionnaire.These Go to 11!

Blooper 

Wish all bloops would be like this one...

In 2011, Adriano Santi began Blooper as a solo project, releasing 'Ballard Avenue' EP. Quickly realising he wanted to assemble a full band, Darrin Ruder and Chris Quirk joined him and, as trio, they came out with 'Go Away' EP, published in May 2012. A year later, thanks to the extincted Manic Pop Records, they put out a 7'' called 'Long Distance'. Finally, this year, and with Chris Mac replacing Ruder, they've joined Jigsaw Records, publishing the EP 'So Very Small'. As we have said previously, this EP is a real pop feast, an extraordinary mixture of power-pop, surf, garage and 60's vibes, driven by guitars and full of captivating melodies. Read it carefully & enjoy it. Here we go!

The "legendary" teen movie

1. First record that you bought (be honest)

Adriano: Nirvana - 'Bleach'
Chris Mac: Jon Cougar - 'American Fool' (tape)
Chris Q: 'The Goonies Soundtrack' (tape)

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)

Adriano: First - Guns n’ Roses when I was 11. Last - Allo Darlin’ and Zebra Hunt (we played with them)
Chris Mac: Honestly don’t remember my first (my parents frequently went to concerts), last one was a house show with friends (Iji, OK Vancouver OK, etc).
Chris Q: First was The Lemonheads; the most recent was Bob Mould, with Cymbals Eat Guitars

Guilty pleasure? Yes, indeed

3. Guilty pleasure (song/band you shouldn’t like but you do, yes, it’s the embarrassing question)
Adriano: I don’t know if this is bad but I listen to a lot of King Crimson and Yes sometimes.
Chris Mac: I guess the only band from my early teen years that I can still tolerate in small doses is Rush. Oh, and the first Tears For Fears album is still amazing.

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)
Adriano: A first US pressing of 'She Loves You b/w I’ll Get You' on Swan Records - the Beatles’ first release in the US.
Chris Mac: Hard to say, with a collection of 15,000+ records/cds/tapes, but I might choose the 'Tomorrow Ends Today' bootleg lp from Primal Scream’s early (ie. good) period. Never seen it before, never seen it since.
Chris Q: Not a collector, sorry. I like my snare drum.

Introducing... Cheap Girls

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

Adriano: Can I just say Elliott Smith’s entire body of work? No? Ok, the lyrics to 'Waltz #2' by Elliott Smith then.
Chris Mac: I’m gonna cheat and say the entire discography of Cheap Girls, a band that I simply cannot stop listening to, and identifying with their lyrics.
Chris Q: I’m a stereotypical drummer with no memory for lyrics, so it’s hard to say. I do like that final section of Built To Spill’s 'Kicked It In The Sun', though.

The Sonic man

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
Adriano: George Harrison, Link Wray, Brian Wilson, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, Elliott Smith.
Chris Mac: No one in particular. Anybody I’d want to talk to is approachable, but if I had to pick one who wasn't, it might be Thurston Moore.
Chris Q: Philip Glass.

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)
Adriano: Anything Reid Miles did for the Blue Note label in the 60s.
Chris Mac: Nothing really springs to mind…
Chris Q: I grew up on tapes and CDs, and the artwork didn’t stand out there unfortunately.

Murakami's cat

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
Adriano: Both. My favourite movie is 'The 400 Blows' and my favourite book is 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami
Chris Mac: You can’t go wrong with 'Die Hard'.
Chris Q: Brazil + John Kennedy Toole’s 'Confederacy of Dunces'.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of

Adriano: I still really like 'Pike Street'.
Chris Mac: Probably 'Day Things Fell Apart' by Suretoss (my old band)
Chris Q: 'Shaky' is fun to play.

10. What does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
Adriano: Like any label that’s been around for more than a couple years, “Indie” has pretty much lost all of its meaning. There are “Indie” labels that pretty much operate like majors, “Indie” bands who make craploads of money… but I think as long as the sort of do it yourself vibe is still there, that’s indie.
Chris Mac: I’d have to say that anyone who does things for themselves - for their own personal pleasure - has the indie spirit. Anyone who forms a band/starts a label without the pretense of “making it big”.
Chris Q: What they said.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Adriano: I don’t even know where I’m going to be in 10 minutes…
Chris Mac: Same house, same life. I’m very resistant to change.
Chris Q: Still playing music, probably still in basements and garages..

Zillion thanks Blooper!