Noahm

I Ain't Just Another Photograph

New York, October 17 - It was around 3:30 PM when I got out of the subway. The gleam of sunlight blinded my face. The corner of Prince Street and Broadway was busy. As it always is. I grabbed my iPhone and started walking toward Station A, SoHo’s famous Apple store, where I had arranged a meeting with Glint. On the line, I have their Manager, Adam, who also is the president of their record company: Rely Records.

Wait. Hold on a second, time out here. 

Glint isn’t the latest cool name Apple have come up with to name their newest gadget ? No Indeed. It isn’t. Glint is rather New York latest musical phenomena - which, you can admit it, is also rad - and they were set to play this evening at one of Apple’s well acclaimed live session: “Live From SoHo”. Just to get you a sense of what was going on here, Glint is in succession to names such as Cold War Kids, The Decemberists or Kings of Leon who all once played there. Kings of Leon has just booked the Madison Square Garden for January. You feelin’ me ? Although sending Glint to MSG in less than 2 years might sounds premature - they just released their second album - it doesn’t take away that the Band led by Guitarist-Vocalist Jase Blankfort and drummer Mateus Tebaldi carries along with their sounds a hell of a potential. Billboard made no mistake and Glint was crowned Best Independent Act in the Northeast for 2007.

In Silence. That is where they put sound.

Their music has been defined in terms such as “Space-Psychic Rock”, “jambient Rock”, “Cosmic Rock” and even “Space Pop”. Well, you can just say it gets you out there. And maybe that is simply because they get inspired and record their music out there. Whether it’s by spending nearly a year in an abandoned firehouse in Massachusetts or on a Private Moutain Top in Oregon. All alone in the world. In Silence. That is where they put sound. 

Me, the way I see it, Glint might very well be  a time capsule. A time capsule that puts together music from the ages. From Pink Floyd to Mogwai. From band favored Brian Eno to Porthishead with a slight touch of Placebo and a zest of Muse. Glint is the Missing Link; and here is their interview - recorded in cafe shop and filled with pictures of their show @ Apple please.

Noahm: How did all start, Glint ? Tell us a little bit about your story.

Jase: Years ago I I was just playing acoustic music in New York and this is where met Mat (Mateus) who was more of the percussion type of person. We decided to move to Boston and started playing in a lot of Frat’ houses, clubs throughout Boston and College campuses… To fast forward a little bit,  what came out of this period was one record - Mode To Joy - that we recorded in a little less than a year, in this abandoned firehouse with musicians we had met in Boston. To fast forward to the present now, our last record - Sound in Silence - which I really feel represents what Glint is about, was done on a wine vineyard in Oregon. After that,  Mat and I spent a lot of time trying to find Musicians that would help us opening up the possibilities for our music to expand into other territories. After a long strenuous journey we finally found Dave Johnsen and Alon Leventon and we’ve been playing for a while now. So that’s in a nutshell how Glint was born.

If I were to describe what kind of music we made, I would call it cerebral, it’s more internal compared to other types of music that are more outputting - Jase

Noahm: Interesting, thanks for the trip back in your “old” days. Let’s talk about your music. It’s certainly been defined in a lot of terms: “Cosmic Rock”, “Shoe Gaze”, “Post-Instrumental”. Obviously, these are still words and it’s always hard to put words on music. So what song would you guys play to someone that hasn’t heard a single note of what Glint is about ?

Mateus: I would just give him the whole album.

Jase: Yeah, I think somewhere along the way, slowly the idea of an album is getting less and less important. It’s just becoming a bunch of tracks on a record. Really one of our main goal was to make a cohesive album. So I guess I would just give him Sound in Silence. I can’t really pick a track. They all are a family. Together.

Noahm: I personally would define Glint as the Missing link between bands like Mogwai, Portishead and The Killers. Were any of these band of any influence on the way you consider your music ? 

Jase: Um. Mogwai: Yes. Portishead: Yes… and I’ll stop right there - Laugh.

Alon: Why what’s wrong with the Killers man ?

Jase: Laugh.Nothing. I think.. me personally, one of my main guy is Brian Eno, I love everything he touches, produces etc… also Bowie, Joy Division and that kind of underground scene.. but you know, I’m also a Beach Boy fan.

Noahm: What about your musical influences Mat ? 

Mat: Pretty much like Jase. Even though it hasn’t got a lot to do with what I play, it’s really that vision of music that inspires me. I would also add Nine Inch Nails from my background.

Noahm: So Alon, apparently you like the Killers ?

Alon: Nah, I just like making jokes - Huge Laugh.

Everything is kind of moving in space, it’s just a matter of grabbing it and putting the right pieces together - Jase Speaking About Glint’s Music

Noahm: Fair enough - Laugh. Let’s move on to your newest release which is Sound in Silence. It’s your second album after Mode to Joy and I would say you guys went into a complete different direction. Mode to Joy had more of a “Rock Feel” when Sound in Silence contains more electric layers and is darker overall. You said earlier it really represented what Glint was about. How do you feel you have evolved with that record ?

Jase:  I almost look at Mode to Joy more like a memory you know, a lot of the songs of the first album I wrote them when I was really young, in my early teens. Mode to Joy is like a photo album of the past but once we were given the resources to basically be able to do anything sonically, we just naturally and organically progressed to what we made of “Sound In Silence”

Noahm: You gave your music the space to naturally evolve. Was your it revolving around a specific theme ? What was the idea of Sound in Silence ? 

Jase: If I had to describe the type of music we’ve made on Sound in Silence, I would say it’s kind of an existential record you know. If I were to describe what kind of music we made, I would call it cerebral, it’s more internal compared to other types of music that are more outputting. When we came into making the record, I basically took two themes, the first one was just a single cell in an infinite universe… and really the idea of Sound In Silence is… when I say it, I just see the earth and its sound in the universe and its complete silence. That was our state of mind. Hopefully that will give you a better idea of where we were coming from on the album.

Everyone walks in their own little world, people just don’t realize that there’s a fucking moon above their head - Jase

Noahm: Your two albums were recorded in completely isolated places - one abandoned firehouse and one private Mountain top - Do you guys need isolation and a sort of relative silence to create your sounds and get inspiration ?

Jase: A lot of it comes when I go out of my door, I just look up at the sky, at night, and every-time it blows my mind. It’s just that everyone walks in their own little world, people just don’t realize that there’s a fucking moon above their head. That’s where it basically comes for me. Then I have a little studio where I live and I’ll basically sit and… Um… look at the wall - Laugh. I’ll write skeletons of songs and demos that I’d give to these guys - pointing at the rest of the band - to write their part. It’s a pretty straight forward process. 

Mat: Yeah, for me I use a lot of Jase demos to write on top of it or rearrange the parts. I’m getting my inspiration from what he writes. 

Jase: It’s really something that happens organically, we’re not looking for anything. We just let it flow. When I look at our music, everything is kind of moving in space, it’s just a matter of grabbing it and putting the right pieces together. 

Noahm: How do you guys feel about Live performances ? with people buying less and less records and going to more and more concerts, it seems that THE LIVE has gained a lot of importance over the studio over the last years.

Jase: To me, the live experience is a religion, playing every night with these guys… - Searching his words - I mean they environment that we’ve created on stage, it’s impossible to put word on that, the feeling you get, it’s just indescribable. It’s a total comfort zone. I think I feel more awkward here talking to you than I am there - Smile 

Noahm: Speaking of people buying less and less records, I’d like to move along and talk with you guys a little bit about how the media of music is evolving. You are a young band, what are you thoughts about online music ?

Jase: There are a lot of artists who are trying to fight the way things are moving but you know, nothing is going to change the fact that people want to be moved by something. Nothing is ever gonna change that. I think that you have to embrace the change and you know, if the future is internet, well, my main concern would be to deliver the best quality out there and that’s it.

Alon: I think beyond downloading it’s also about how you’re making music that is changing. Nowadays, everybody can record at home and therefore the big studios are concerned. It’s logic. Making music available to anyone to create is a good thing, the only issue here is how are the artists going to be paid ? But once that will be figured out, because I firmly believe everyone will figure out a way eventually, things will be just great.

We do what the Fuck we wanna do, when we wanna do it and how we wanna do it.

Noahm: You’re right, But here’s the thing, with the music being made available for almost everyone to create, there’s starting to be a hell lot of bands out there. And to fight that, records companies are obliged to put more and more pressure on their artists to sell well. Do you think that it might ever interfere with the way you compose music ? 

Jase: No, No, No, No… We do what the Fuck we wanna do, when we wanna do it and how we wanna do it. That’s the main reason why we’re involved with Rely Records. We have the integrity to do what it is what we want. I don’t even look at them as the label, I look at them as part of the Band. I think this whole Label/Band relationship is kind of… - Standing up to and walking away from the table - Crazy. I have to get more coffee - Laugh.

Dave: The whole Label thing is phasing out anyways. Nowadays you’re writing for iTunes. I mean look, we’re playing at the Apple Store tonight. Right ? - Laugh

Noahm: Wonderful point Dave ! - Speaking of that I won’t hold you any longer, I’m kind of looking forward to the show. One last question, what do you guys see for the future of Glint ?

Jase: Well, there’s been a pre-production for a tour in Europe this spring and I guess we’ll be playing in European festival over the summer. We haven’t really set anything yet, we’re talking about sort of a melange… but I really want to bring what we have now, I want to bring it overseas and share it before we step back in the studio. We still have a couple of more things to do with Sound In Silence.

Mat:  I agree.

Noahm: You agree ?

Mat: I agree - Laugh

Noahm: That will be it, thanks a lot for your time Glint. It’s been a real pleasure, I had a blast doing this interview. Really.  

Check Glint’s myspace here - http://www.myspace.com/glintonline

Glint’s Official Website - http://glintonline.com

Here’s an avant-gout - Something More featured on Sound In Silence.

Glint have two upcoming shows in the City, the first one is @ Mercury Lounge this saturday @ 10 PM - Unfortunately I won’t be able to make it but you’re than more welcome to get your butt out there. You’ll find me for their second show that I’ll be shooting on November 17Th @ Gramercy Theater - Come and witness greatness fellows.

Embrace The Default. 

I’ll see you around.

Noahm.