These Go to 11: interviewing The Royal Landscaping Society

We know, it has been a while since our last interview. But we begin October in very good company. This week, we invite you to read one of the most funniest and honest interviews so far, thanks to the natural charm of Cris R.S. from The Royal Landscaping Society and Bubbletone Records. Granted some of you will return to your childhood and teenage memories, while enjoying his current music preferences. These Go to 11!

Cris R.S. Bubbletone, The Royal Landscaping Society

The pop landscapers

Our interviewed is a genuine multitask man, some sort of a Renaissance man dealing with pop. He is the leader and singer of The Royal Landscaping Society, a Seville-based and highly recommendable indiepop/shoegazing band that began its career in 2012. Like The Field Mice drowning in an ocean of guitars and caressed by an electronic breeze. The quartet has appeared on the Little Treasure compilation “Springtime!” and released a homonym first mini-album on Beko Disques in July. But fronting a band is not enough for Cris. He is also an intrinsic part of another group, Sundae. He is a reputed producer and also runs the Bubbletone label. Impressive, right? Here we go!

"Son, 80 días son. 80 nada más, para dar
la vuelta al mundo". Impossible to forget 

1. First record that you bought (be honest)
You're going to love this one: the OST to the 'Around the World in 80 Days' animation series by Mocedades!

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

I'm not 100% sure if the first was my brother's post-punk-ish band (mid 80s) or Hombres G. As for the last, I'm afraid there's less and less gigs I enjoy around here, so it must be Indietracks!

The petrol station's Human League?

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

I always think a lot of Camela's hits would be classics if recorded by Pet Shop Boys or The Human League. Otherwise, I'm a big fan of mainstream pop so I don't tend to get embarrassed by anything!

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

Trembling Blue Stars' 'The Seven Autumn Flowers double 10" signed by Beth and Bobby - very precious from a personal point of view too actually!

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

The Cure's 'Plainsong', particularly the ending gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it: 'Sometimes you make me feel like I'm living at the edge of the world / 'It's just the way I smile', you said.'

Captain "Good Vibrations"

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)
Robert Smith or Brian Wilson, but both options are a bit scary...

7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)

Tricky one... Maybe The Field Mice's 'Missing the Moon' with the big yellow 57 on it. Or the original vinyl version of New Order's 'Lowlife' with the band name printed on tracing paper covering the picture.

Consolidated Life

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both) 
I actually struggle to find time for both, so I end up watching series. So I'll just recommend Jorge Luis Borges' 'El Aleph' for reading, Billy Wilder's 'The Apartment' for movies and 'Community' for series.

9. Release (of yours) you are most proud of
I honestly don't know, I change my mind often. I'm extremely proud of how Sundae's 'Sólido-Líquido' instruments and layers unfold right up to the abrupt ending, but probably The RLS's 'Goodbye' is the one I said 'This is exactly what I've been wanting to do for years' after it was complete.

10. What’s does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”)
For me, it's politics eventually. It's commitment, honesty, and a willingness to put art before capitalism. It sounds a bit general but that's how I see it.

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still making music for sure. Wouldn't mind to make a living as a sound engineer either

Zillion thanks Cris!

These go to 11: interviewing The Hi-Life Companion

This wouldn't be Bloodbuzzed without my dear friends The Hi-Life Companion. Therefore, the time has arrived for one of their core members, Jonathan Troy, to take part in our interview series. Expect many indiepop wonders and even more "family issues". These Go to 11!

Jonathan Troy, The Hi-Life Companion

The Bros Companion

Our beloved indiepop band hails from Bristol and is based around brothers Matt and Jon Troy (the complete group is a septet). They debuted in 2008 with a single via Cloudberry Records, since then including their tunes on a number of compilations on Weepop!, Series Two and blog favourites EardrumsPop. The next step, better said a huge leap forward, arrived in 2011 with "Say Yes", mind-blowing first album, out on Plastilina Records. After a long wait, sophomore release "Our Years In The Wilderness" is about to see the light of day through the band’s own label "No Pudding Annie Records" this June. Expect a collection of indiepop gems, diverse, rich and heartful, like putting on a cocktail shaker all the pop bands we already love, agitate with some Bristol melancholia and a lot of music talent... Here we go!

1. First record that you bought (be honest)

Pet Shop Boys "Disco". 

2. First and last concert you have attended (be honest too!)
First, Pink Floyd at Wembley Stadium in 1988. Last, Euros Child at The Folk House in Bristol, 2014.

The Hair Life Companion!

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

Myself and my brother grew up largely listening to bad rock music/metal. I spent a lot of time around Heart, Cinderella, Extreme and Poison. There, I've admitted it. We both still have a soft spot for Van Halen and AC/DC. In fact, I think my brother would secretly much prefer to be in an AC/DC tribute band.

Hard rock hero in shorts

4. Most precious music item you own (collector mode on)
Most of our gear is a bit cheap and crap. A Neuman TLM 113 microphone is probably the most precious I guess. Matt has proper "grown up" Martin acoustic guitar that only he's allowed to touch...

5. Favorite lyrics (not yours)

"Do you long for her, or for the way you were?" from Jonathan Richman's "That Summer Feeling".

6. Musician/s you would like to meet (should be alive, for obvious reasons, but you can choose a dead one too)

Matt would say Angus Young, I'm sure. I think I'd quite like to have gone for a drink with Townes Van Zandt.

 7. Favorite artwork album (not yours)

 Probably Smiths "Meat is Murder".

8. Books or movies? Depending on your answer recommend us one (trick: you can choose both)
Books for me - I know there's a film coming out of it but Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" is a great book. Also Matthew Kneale's "English Passengers".

What Mozz Said...

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

"Cast You Down" of the new album, because it ended up sounding exactly like I imagined it, which is extremely rare. Usually I can't get very near how it sounds in my head - the reality is always compromised by our own lack of musical ability, time, over-playing it, the right equipment etc.

10. What’s does it mean indie for you? (yes, the “serious question”

The spirit of individuality. Having grown up in the 80's it still means guitars, obscurity (and discovery) and non-mainstream. 

11. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Hopefully on our third album! We do have rather a slow work-rate. I'd like to feel that each time we make some music it ends up sounding better than the last effort and that we steadily improve the quality of what we make. Better songs, better lyrics, better played - and that the gap between how it sounds in my head and how it eventually tunrs out gets progressively smaller. I'm hopping one day I'll be totally proud of a piece of music we make in it's entirely and not embarrassed by little bits of it here and there. 

Zillion thanks Jonathan & all The Hi-Life Companion!