Although it was released in July of 2012, I didn’t discover Lemolo’s The Kaleidoscope until the following New Year’s Eve, in the year’s last remaining hours. It felt like fate. The minimalistic dream pop of Lemolo is perfect for late nights and personal contemplation; for me, a savior of sound at the end of a confusing and turbulent year. I fell in love with the album, both for its aesthetic and my timing, and Lemolo has held a particular place in my musical interests since.
 
At the heart of this creation is Seattle musician Meagan Grandall, who has been receiving heavy acclaim for the past few years in Seattle and recently the rest of the country has been taking note. In 2015 Lemolo released its second full length, Red Right Return, and went on a house show tour across the US to promote it. I had the chance to meet Grandall last spring in Saint Paul, Minnesota, when she toured as an opener with The Soil and The Sun and From Indian Lakes. After regrettably missing her house show in Minneapolis this fall, I wanted to continue our previous conversation, and have a chance to discuss the latest release and the process of achieving it.

But first – let me introduce you to Red Right Return. 

It’s a minimalist endeavor: a construction of vocals, guitar, synths, piano, and drums. Percussion and beat hold a heavy presence, the album as a whole focused on complicated rhythms while keeping the melodies straightforward. Red Right Return is beautifully abstract, like its cover art, with strong ethereal elements that remain round and full; harmonies pulling at one’s emotions, aiming straight for the heart. Grandall’s vocals are clear and direct, and as well trained live as they are recorded. Enhanced solely by resonance and echo, each instrument speaks for itself, coming together more like a choir than a band.
 
While this sophomore endeavor does not stray far from its predecessor, it takes everything up a notch, asking more of the compositions and of the listener. The pace, however, has increased only modestly, the fastest track being the aptly named “Runner.” Yet tempo does not impede meaning, and where Red Right Return may lack allergro’s, it succeeds in its forte’s. Lemolo rocks out loudly in “Fuel,” “Low Halo,” and “Watch the Moon,” loud beats and guitar driving these intense moments. Single “Low Halo” is a slow burn, with a loud emotional center. And in “Casting Call,” a late gorgeous piano line fills in for what, in a typical indie tune, would be a noisy and boisterous climax. In Red Right Return, Lemolo proves that compositional and emotional depth can be just as, or more powerful than a distortion pedal.
 
Lyrics play a key role in this album - purposefully chosen, yet some very personal and some more vague and concept based. The influence of songwriter Emily Haines (known more for her lead role in Metric) announces itself evidently to me, after learning of this from Grandall. Where Haines' music can emphasize the depressive, however, Grandall leans toward inspiring confidence and optimism. Opening with “One to Love,” she delivers a pep talk to oneself: “you are the one you need to love.” Later in “Fuel,” Grandall ponders, “seeing where I wanna be, I don’t know what’s stopping me.” She plays with words and syntax in “Movers and Shakers,” calling out “keep your promise, promise-breaker / say you’re sorry, sorry-faker / be a mover, not such a shaker.” But Grandall says it best in "Aglow," proclaiming: "little soldier you're a warrior, you just don't believe it yet."

In The Kaleidoscope, it felt like the story was about surviving one’s current situation, to achieve a sense of stability and work on somehow maintaining that. It seems this time around, Red Right Return wants more out of life; dissatisfied with the status quo, the storyteller looks to achieving future goals and gains. In the same way, Grandall’s music and musical career appears to only be moving one direction: forward. 

So take a listen for yourself to Lemolo's latest album, and see what we got to talking about below. 

KS: Your first album in 2012, The Kaleidoscope, has been received very well both in your home city of Seattle and across the nation since its release. And rightly so - it's a gorgeous LP that doesn't copy or imitate directly what anyone else is doing right now in the indie scene. Did you worry about being able to continue that production of novelty and encountering the stereotypical sophomore slump with Red Right Return? Because what you created is the exact opposite - more like ‘sophomore jump.’
 
MG: Thank you for your kind words! I feel like Red Right Return is definitely a jump as well, because I feel like I grew a lot between the release of The Kaleidoscope and this new record. I really tried to honor that growth and challenge myself when making this new record. It felt risky and I was definitely scared of the "sophomore slump" when I was making it. I struggle with self doubt sometimes so I always worry that people won't like what I make. Releasing music to the world can create a very vulnerable feeling! But now that it's finished I feel very proud of it and that it is my best work yet. 
 
KS: If I remember correctly, you were initially creating music as Lemolo from about 2009 with another band member, and the line-up has since varied. This year I saw you live with a talented drummer who you were touring with during the spring or summer. Can you expand a bit on what we talked about at that show - on how being the sole consistent member / main creative mind in a band, with changing collaborators in studio on tour, affects the creative process and your end goals? In comparison with the typical rock band of many long-term members, I think you made the point that your music is not about sufficing with fewer people in the process, but honing the aspects of minimalism in personnel and in sound to make a kind of music that is truly yours. 
 
MG: I feel really grateful for the people who have played with me over the last few years. I think each person has brought a unique element to the table. It is definitely my end goal to have a consistent band mate who can tour with me and record on my records. It is just tricky to find talented people who are available to be away from home for months at a time on tour. It's definitely not a glamorous lifestyle as some might think! Luckily for me I've started working with a drummer this past year, Adrian Centoni, who loves touring as much as I do. So hopefully we have a nice long road of making music together, both in the studio and on stage.
 
KS: On kind of the opposite note, is there anyone you've worked with this time around for Red Right Return who has been a big influence on its creation or production? It looks like you're still unsigned, and I know that freedom in recording and producing can lead to either strong, purposeful choice or some unexpected turns. 
 
MG: I worked with Seattle producer and engineer, Shawn Simmons, on this record as well as on The Kaleidoscope. He is very talented in the studio and has a breadth of technical knowledge that I do not. So he has brought a lot to the table with both records. It was great for me to work closely with someone I already knew and was comfortable with. Sometimes in the studio I feel intimidated or shy, so being comfortable with my engineer was really important to me! And then I worked with a new mixing engineer, Jeff Stuart Saltzman. He produced records by Menomena, one of my favorite bands and biggest influences when recording Red Right Return. So to have his creative input on the mixes was a treat for me. And I was also lucky enough to have my friend, Emily Westman, record drums on the record. She plays drums for the Seattle Rock Orchestra and her band, Sisters. She is a true talent and has some of the most impressive drum technique I have ever seen. So she contributed her brilliance to the record in a huge way that I am so grateful for. 

KS: Who are some of your musical influences, both present and past? The inclusion of piano hints at some classical, other elements roam in to post-rock, and percussion is always at the foundation. I'm curious what musicians or music informs your process, or just tickle your ears.
 
MG: I grew up taking piano lessons since I was three years old. And my biggest influence on the piano was Yanni! He was my first concert and I remember thinking of him as a god when I was a kid. Plus, he has great hair. Once I started writing songs of my own, some of my biggest influences were Elliott Smith and Emily Haines. I've always been blown away by their songwriting. Other bands that have truly inspired me include Radiohead, Cat Power, Feist, Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent, Wye Oak, Warpaint...the list goes on! 
 
KS: Having been a part of a pretty major one now yourself, what are your thoughts on house show tours? What has gone well, what have you liked about the experience? I imagine the intimate experience fits with Lemolo's music very well. 
 
MG: The house show tour was such a blast. It was like playing at my favorite house party every night. You are spot on when using the word intimate, which was why each show was so cool. We really got to know the people we were playing for each night...hanging out in the kitchen and eating breakfast together the next morning. We made a lot of new friends and were able to truly connect with people through the music. So I would definitely do a house show tour again. 
 
KS: This fall you've been pretty busy with the release of Red Right Return, and touring to support it. Any hints as to exciting developments for the upcoming year? 
 
MG: In 2016 I plan on playing more shows and continuing to support the new album. I'll be releasing vinyl this year as well which is an exciting step for me. And in between all of that, I'm already writing songs for the third album which is my favorite part of it all. ​

Special thanks to Meagan Grandall for sharing her love of music.

This past December, Alec Grefe released another solo album, Bugsy, under his moniker of Astronaut Husband. Many years in the making, this solo project of Grefe’s has grown steadily as an independent and personal focus, while also being involved in the alt-shoegaze band Haunter. He hails from Merrill, Wisconsin, somewhere about halfway between Eau Claire and Green Bay. Yet in this seemly isolated territory, Grefe has created a series of songs that could reach almost any soul.
 
Soft and subtle, yet cinematic, Bugsy encapsulates many moods. In the most intimate of moments, the delicate elements of rhythmic clicks come through, tickling the ear. Other, louder moments, swell up like a wave and pull your feelings right along. There is nothing harsh about what Astronaut Husband has created here, but it does not lay limp in its comforting nature. Bugsy is the late night music you stay awake just to keep listening to, songs that make you breathe deeper without noticing, the sound of forgetting what time it is.
 
The title track, “Bugsy,” feels like it was not so much created as found. The haunting elements of its nature and in others such as “I Think” evoke the feeling of sadness, but in a way that is intrinsic to living. In the opener “October,” Grefe states off the bat: “We broke our hearts again, we always do.”  This acceptance of beauty as an entity of melancholy pervades the album, and allows it to be such a source of relief for both mind and heart.
 
The intricacies of instrumentation in each tune imply a more planned approach, yet while Grefe spent quite a length of time on Bugsy’s creation, some moments were birthed out of improvisation. Like an allegory for the beauty of life, the trick is that you’ll never be able to tell which was which. The album feels like a rough draft but sounds like a final one, capturing the essence of raw emotion in tandem with serene, thoughtfully produced sounds.
 
He’ll admit that Bugsy is just another sending of homemade bedroom recordings into the massive ether, but Grefe’s humility won’t allow him to say more. Yet Astronaut Husband’s latest is exactly what all those with nostalgic souls have been waiting for since record players came back into fashion. Luckily, he did answer some questions for me about Astronaut Husband, Bugsy, and what comes next. Check out what he had to say, and take a listen to the album below. 

KS: I'm going to start off with the obvious fact that I don't know much about Astronaut Husband. Can you tell me a little bit about how this solo project of yours came about, and what led to the recording of Bugsy? 
 
AG: I started up Astronaut Husband my freshman year of college. My good friends (and bandmates) had both released solo albums earlier that year and it gave me the bug to release something of my own. They were nice enough to lend me their recording gear while they were away, and I was able to hammer out a few songs that would become my first EP as Astronaut Husband. Later that year I finally got my own recording stuff so I could record songs more often and more comfortably. It was really cool to see people sharing and writing stuff about the music I was making. Then I start to get a few strangers liking my little facebook page. It's just such a great feeling, as I'm sure anyone who makes music knows. Even if there is only maybe 2 or 3 people that really care about my music, that's enough for me to feel obligated to keep making music. So I have been recording pretty consistently now for close to 4 years as Astro Hub. 

Bugsy was a long time in the making. I had the opportunity to release something with a great little record label from Ireland, Little L Records, and it was gonna be awhile for me to fit into their release schedule, so I spent a lot of time on Bugsy polishing the songs, writing new ones, removing ones I didn't like anymore. I usually get impatient when I have recorded songs sitting around, but with the time line I was giving with this album, I was able to invest myself more and make something more cohesive than my previous albums. I consider Bugsy to be my first real full album.
 
I love playing music with my friends. For as long as Astronaut Husband has been around, so has Haunter, my group band. It's great because we can play different stuff and goof around and play shows. Playing in Haunter is just fun in a way that I don't get from doing the solo stuff. I would never choose one or the other, though. I love having something that is completely my own. Recording solo stuff is also a lot easier than recording the entire band, at least the way I do it.
 
KS: You list that some musical influences include Beach House, Wild Nothing, Bon Iver, Real Estate and the like - all modern groups. Yet I hear a much older concept in your sound, such as from Elliott Smith and Nick Drake. Are there any artists or experiences I'm missing here who had a strong influence on this album in particular? 
 
AG: I was definitely influenced by those bands and I still am. I suppose I don't sound too much like them, though. I have never listened much to Elliot Smith, but I think Nick Drake hangs pretty heavily over Bugsy. I probably listened to "River Man" a million or so times last year. Not just his music, but his entire story I think has shaped Astro Hubs sound a little. Bob Dylan, Daniel Johnston, and Duster, too, actually. I'm not as hard on myself anymore when my recordings sound unprofessional.  Now, sometimes I wish my recordings were even more lo-fi.

KS: Do you record all the instruments yourself? 
 
AG: I record all the songs myself in my bedroom. Almost all my songs come together during the recording process. I usually just have this very empty, acoustic guitar skeleton that I record first. From there, I just play that bit over and over, adding a little bit here, a little slide guitar there, until the song sounds cool. Lyrics usually come last.
 
KS: Do you have a favorite song on the album? 
 
AG: I wouldn't say I have a favorite song on Bugsy, but there are a couple that are unique. The title track, "Bugsy," was recorded in this warm, murky dream-state. I had falling asleep playing a video game, and I woke up around like 2am, and remembered a riff I had played earlier that day that I had forgotten to record. For some reason I thought now would be the perfect time to record that riff. I don't remember much, but in the morning I listened to the song and it sounded so perfect and spooky, kinda. It was exactly what I had been imagining. That almost never happens for me.
 
KS: What are your hopes for the coming year musically? 
 
AG: I've got high hopes in 2016. I think Haunter is gonna have a great year. We have been practicing a lot and we have a ton of material we're working with. I think once we get a few shows under our belt, big things will be happening. As for Astronaut Husband, I like where I'm at. I feel good about the songs I'm making and people have been so kind to me. It's a constant source of joy and I hope it will always be there.

And true to his word, Astronaut Husband has already released a new track, "Someone." My advice: stay tuned. 

A short audio excerpt from Rift Magazine's 2015 article: 
“We feel proud to put our name on it”: Discussing the evolution of Humans Win! Studio, their annual demo contest, and modern music production. 
Originally published at http://riftmagazine.com/2015/12/07/we-feel-proud-to-put-our-name-on-it-discussing-the-evolution-of-humans-win-studio-their-annual-demo-contest-and-modern-music-production/