Consider this Christmas in July! Here is a little 3 song EP of covers by I and I, Eric Sarmiento and Kalpana and Illus Ocean. I and I gives an interpretation of Swedish troubadour The Tallest Man On Earth’s excellent song “I Won’t Be Found”. Eric and Kalpana’s version of Radiohead’s “House of Cards” is a cool summertime jam to soothe the sun baked soul and Illus Ocean does a 10cc inspired take on Alchemists’ own The Pistol Arrows “Tangled and Strangled”.

1. I Won’t Be Found (I and I version)

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2. House of Cards (Eric and Kalpana version)

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3. Tangled and Strangled (Illus Ocean version)

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or download the whole thing with artwork here.

In a way, this new single evokes a similar feeling and kinship with one of my favorite records (and one that was influential in getting me back into music after a hiatus) The Pistol Arrows ‘Look’.  That being said these new songs are definitely fresh and new and unlike anything that Eric has previously recorded.  I guess it would be appropriate to call this single a true double A sided single.  Neither song is a B side or lesser accomplishment.  ‘Strange Power’ the lead off, starts off with ominous piano and drums not unlike the children’s  song ‘Halloween’s Coming’ and from there it maintains this thumping pensive groove under lyrics of the Strange Power of attraction.  There is a full sparseness here that feels like nothing extraneous is present and all the parts are working synergistically together.  The song does away with the traditional A, B type structure as it enters an upbeat outro section that nicely segues into the feeling of the second song.  The outro lyrics evoke the poignant feeling I mentioned earlier and there is a sense of resolve about the fact that many things in life are never resolved.  ‘So She Says’ starts off with a mysterious upbeat modern New Wave type vibe and progresses along that line interweaving synths, drums, guitars and vocals in ways not often heard this side of something great like Modern English’s ‘Melt With You’.  “It’s too dark in this house” nicely encapsulates the sentiment of a lot of the lyrics which explore parting and relationships and the “houses” where such things take place.

In short, this has been an attempt to describe how much I love these songs and to preview what you will soon be hearing when they are released early next month.  We have a lot of other good releases on the way which we’ll be mentioning in future postings.  I will soon be heading over to Norway to play some I and I shows.  You can read more details on that on my iandimusic.com site and I hope to post some stuff here and there on the trip.  For now I’ll leave you with the cover of Eric’s new single below.  Appropriately it’s a photo of Eric’s friend trying to catch the setting sun.

Adam

It has been said that ‘Hands’ “tells us in a sophisticated way that optimism is cool again.” We agree, and add that such a reminder seems rather important at present, so check out the record and let Sebastian know what you think. To give you a sample of ‘Hands’ we are offering a track from the album, ‘Accents yet Unspoken’ for free.

In addition to ‘Hands’ we are also digitally releasing Sebastian’s firt OIAG album ‘The Proclaimer’. We plan to post an interview with him here on the Alchemist site as part of the new blog section of the website, which is currently under construction, so please check back for that soon. Meanwhile, visit One in a Googolplex’s myspace page to contact and learn more about OIAG.

Like most great records, WN/BM manages to sound lush without being overly crowded with instruments and sounds. Where I and I’s 2005 full-length ‘We Are’ was pleasantly hectic and busy at times, Sarmiento has here pared down substantially, giving us laid-back dance grooves, a few essential tone colors per song, and minimalist seasonings that underscore the fact that each part in a composition is both harmonic and rhythmic. This is indeed a ‘dance’ record in some sense, but bears a closer resemblance to those rare great records (Talking Head’s ‘Remain in Light’ and New Order’s ‘Power, Corruption, and Lies’ are two that come to mind) that make you move, think, feel, and continue humming long after leaving the club. No small feat.

One track from the album is available for free download here, and the rest can be purchased in mp3 format from your preferred online music retailer. For those who still like to have a physical object in their hands, and cd quality tracks for their ears, click the paypal link here to buy the disc directly from the Alchemist collective. Visit www.iandimusic.com for more about the album and Adam’s new blog Weekly Noise.
-Eric Sarmiento

Both of the new songs were influenced by the energetic grit, beauty, and earthy grandeur of Valencia, Spain where they were written. “I loved walking around the labyrinth of tiny streets winding through stone buildings, listening to headphones or the crowds of people hanging out late at night,” Eric tells us. “One night I went to a party that, while not unusually cool or exciting -just full of nice and interesting people talking and listening to good music- somehow became the site of some heavy revelations for me. I went home and wrote ‘Alejandra’ that night.”

The ‘b-side’ of the single, ‘Hypnosis’ is a quieter affair, delving into spaces of memory, by way of a hazy wash of reverb-laden voices, guitars, harmonium and synths. When pressed for comment on this one, Eric told the following anecdote: “I had breakfast with some friends a while back, and one couple there had just come from somewhere in Arizona, where they entered some kind of nexus of energy, I think they called it a “vortex” which happened to be occupied by a sauna. The interesting thing is that they couldn’t just go straight to the vortex by going to the sauna, but instead had to walk through a series of spaces in the desert and nearby towns and then go to the sauna before arriving at the vortex.”

…. Whatever that may mean, we’re glad to say that the creative flows set in motion during the finishing stages of ‘the declaration….’ are reportedly still going strong, and Eric plans to release several more e-singles over the coming months. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, the new release can be checked out here, where you’ll also find links to itunes, emusic, and other online retail sites where you can buy the tracks. To see Jeffrey Palmer’s brilliant video for ‘Alejandra Told Me’

Finally, speaking of ‘the declaration…’, you can now purchase downloads of the whole album at a plethora of online retail sites as well. To do so, click here where the record can be listened to for free, and cd copies can be ordered directely from us.