Week #35 | The J. Arthur Keenes Band - Lost Bay

Week #35 and we are visited by the incredible one man band, The J. Arthur Keenes Band, bringing more of his astounding song writing prowess to this week's track, as well as providing an accompanying bonus track hidden within the 2013 download! So, make sure to go grab the track here!

Weekly Treats: How did you first come into contact with the chip scene?

The J. Arthur Keenes Band: I first found out about people making music on actual videogame hardware in 2006 when I was 14; I believe I actually read about it on Wikipedia in an article about gameboy music, found the best sounding name in the list of artists (Bit Shifter) and proceeded to have my mind blown on first listen of "Particle Charge" from his then recently released, now legendary "Information Chase" EP.  After that I found a buttload of great music that was being put out at the time on 8bitpeoples and otherwise: Anamanaguchi, PeeR, The Depreciation Guild, Tobiah, Random, David Sugar, etc...The idea that people could make music on real consoles and it could sound THAT good was incredible to me.  I started by sampling NES game sounds and using them in FL Studio, soon moved on to an LSDJ demo in an emulator, then I manned up and bought a cart.  In my youthful naivety I of course decided that everything I did had to be heard by everyone, so In looking for places to do such a thing and places to find new music I found 8bitcollective, micromusic, and probably a few more places no one remembers.

WT: Who or what would you consider the main influences behind your work?

TJAKB: My influences at this point are for the most part great pop music; the kind of music that I love most is music that is both great pop and great art music.  I also love artists/albums that are very eclectic with styles and instrumentation from song to song and/or within songs -- on that same point I also love many different types of music and find myself wanting to do everything, that's a big drive for me, I have a desperate need to do many different kinds of music.

And of course if we want to go this route some of my musical gods are Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Zombies, Phil Spector, Joe Meek, Caetano Veloso, Prince Buster, George Gershwin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Billie Holiday, Buddy Holly, David Bowie, the BBC Radiophonic crew, Neutral Milk Hotel, Erik Satie, Stephin Merritt/The Magnetic Fields, The Velvet Underground, Os Mutantes, I'm probably missing some big ones...

WT: What is the story behind the name The J. Arthur Keenes Band?

TJAKB: The story behind the name is so terribly uninteresting that it must be locked away and never known!

WT: Can you tell us a bit about your writing process and what you use to create your music?

TJAKB: My writing process varies, but it generally just involves either coming up with something in my head or whilst playing an instrument.  In the past I always came up with songs out of the blue and elaborated on the initial idea, but more recently I have tried specifically to write songs, starting from titles or with a style or mood in mind.  Both can be successful, though I think that since I started trying to write songs I have gotten much better at it; it mostly seems to have to do with letting your ideas flow, getting them down, taking chances and knowing and integrating a happy accident when it occurs.  Spending too much time on something can also ruin something or make the process agonizing without much return; I have learned that the hard way several times and I probably will again.  Making something great has a lot to do with luck, but I think I can always make something to a certain standard if I put the effort and time in, one can't forget there's a craft to music and it's important to keep working towards being a better composer/songwriter/musician and never feel like you have to sit there and wait for some inspiration to hit you.

I have a large and ever growing collection of instruments, audio equipment and other music things so I have a large musical palette to work with. I still primarily use LSDJ for the chip elements of my stuff, but I've drifted more and more towards making more varied sounding music so it's nice to have a big pile of music stuff to find sounds.  I love recording music so I try very hard to get the sounds I'm looking and of course the sound of a song, it's instrumentation and it's arrangement are just as important as the song itself, I love and take pride in being responsible for every part of the process, though sometimes it can be a headache.

WT: You recently released Mighty Social Lion, could you tell us a bit about this album?

TJAKB: Mighty Social Lion was terribly difficult and stressful to make, took much longer than I thought it would and I'm very proud of it, though I probably won't be listening to it myself for some time!  I think that it achieves what I set out to do with it; I wanted to make a good, eclectic pop album with twists and turns and lots of twists and turns that flows well and I think it turned out well. I think it took what I had done with the first 3 EPs to a much higher level and capped off what I've been doing for the past few years;  I feel it's a very complete piece of work.  I think that finishing off this album opens me up to explore different things and look for new ways to make music.  Mostly I think it's a good pop album that hopefully is nice to put on and enjoy with your friends, but also makes you think and feel things when you listen to it alone...

WT: What went into writing Lost Bay?

TJAKB: This track I started writing on vacation and finished shortly afterward;  Lost Bay was a canoe destination with an intriguing name, though it did not turn out to be a very interesting bay at all. I wrote and recorded it very quickly as I've taken to doing recently.  I won't get into what the song is about as I like to leave these things up to interpretation and maybe I'm not quite sure what it's about myself.  

I recorded it on a 4-track cassette machine which I've grown very fond of lately; I've recorded on digital my whole life, but the lure of going analog in a bigger way is very tempting.  The quaintness and crunchiness of a cassette recording is also very appealing to me though and I think it suits this song well.

WT: What does the future hold for The J. Arthur Keenes Band?

TJAKB: I have decided to make music all the time, make it quickly, on a whim, do lots of projects, experiment a ton, do anything I feel like doing and release lots of music often.  Mighty Social Lion was a big strain to complete, so It's exciting to be excited about making music again, hopefully others will be excited as well.

News| 14.08.2013

So, due to a heavy two weeks of planning, again, here is some more news! I’ll make it up to you next week with a preview of a rather large upcoming compilation… |suspense|

But first. This week marks the release of the Chiptune=Win [that thing whose blog I’m lead editor for] and Pxl-Bot’s [that label I co-founded and co-run] joint compilation, Pxl-Win! Taking 15 tracks from the Chiptune=Win Volume 2 entries, curated by myself and Pxl-Bot’s Commander In Chief Alex Kelly, with an extra two tracks from two of our scene bessies, expect some insane quality; KoolSkull doing Converge-meets-grindcore, Corset Lore coercing tears from your eyes and Let’s Disinfect writing the chiptune horrorpunk anthem of the year (among other things).

Speaking of Let’s Disinfect, the coming days [read: very fucking soon] will see him release his new and self-titled album on TWG! As we’ve already announced this, we’ll make up for it by showing you the artwork>>>

Also, Guardia’s 'Imprints' is due out soon. Again, if you want a teaser head here, otherwise, mark the 26th in your calendar!

EDIT: Also, silly of me to not mention before, if you missed it because you were at BRK or just pure negligence  check out TWG006, Origami Repetika's 'Into The Ether'. Childhood innocence and emotive melodies over complex structures. Do not miss out!!!

Elsewhere in chiptune:

The J. Arthur Keenes Band recently released his debut full length, 'Mighty Social Lion',  but I’ve probably said enough about that already.

Canadian XyNo has released another belter of a release with ‘Hexagon Chainbreak’, including a remix track of our very own Turtlesaur and covering a shit ton of systems too. Check that out.

Time signature molester MicroD has released a new album, ‘Radical D’. Expect the same levels of mind fuckery and composition mastery as always.

The annoyingly under-rated WMD has put new music out, on EP ‘Songs About Ruby’, this fortnight too, featuring dark ambient tones and tomes of atmosphere. A hauntingly beautiful piece.

And finally, our very own Breakbeat Heartbeat has another fantastic release out this week, with the stunning ‘Hold On’.  As astonishingly good as always!

So, until this Friday’s WeeklyTreat, by a multi-aliased chip scene veteran, enjoy your week! And don’t forget to tune in to the Pxl-Win listening party where myself and Alex will be on air talking shite about shit. Also the new music and stuff.

Preview| The J. Arthur Keenes Band- Mighty Social Lion

The three EPs Canadian Dan McLay, aka, The J Arthur Keenes Band, released thus far have been collectively revered by the scene as pinnacles in chiptune composition. However, TJAKB seemed to be adrift in a sea of influences; each release encompassed a different approach to a similar sound, though none cohesively linked to the next part of his canon. That is until ‘Mighty Social Lion’. Acting as a collision catalyst for most of his previous reference points, ‘Mighty...’ also signals a further expansion; this time into the realms of 90s alternative and britpop nuance.

‘Mighty Social Lion’ also marks a significant dip in the reliance on chiptune. This isn't a bad thing, as whilst these elements are understated, this lends the release an undeniable maturity, where chips are an instrument rather than a gimmick, undeniably aesthetic rather than foolishly crowd-pleasing (not that Keenes has ever practiced this).  In ‘Cardboard Box’, chiptune only comes to the forefront after a drawn out tease, marking the track’s shift from confined tension to bombastic euphoria. Chiptune carries the early 90s Radiohead ambiance of ‘Dumb Jokes’, every staccato arp complimenting the scaling guitars and swooning voices.

Maturity is also prevalent in the composition, with songs feeling less like the work of a teenage Robbie Shakespeare and more like that of a mature Win Butler. ‘Trials’ focuses on slightly sinister undertones, with staccato guitar and piano accenting the Beta Band vibe flowing throughout. ‘Worth Keeping’ keeps restrained in the first half and then lyrically whimsical in its closing. Elsewhere, Wild West themed ‘Old Dusty’ manages to traverse around the edges of tortuous superfluity and instead plants itself somewhere between emotionally immediate and musically ingenious. Also, the line “You gave me dirty looks” seems destined to become as iconographic as “This ain’t your home”.

Arthur also harks back to the grapefruits of old; single ‘Congratulations’ has an instantaneous hook, baring its sugar coated fangs and sinking in early, and ‘Under Construction’, is a welcome return to hook-laden abrupt bubblegum sweetness, sounding like a cut from 'The World's Smallest Violin'. It’s hard to point out real negatives on this release, though, apart from the odd moment of lyrical cringe (see ‘Cardboard Box’ and ‘Mr. Radiator’ for the worst offences). In fact, ‘Mr. Radiator’ is the only track that really misses the mark, featuring both the album's worst lyrics and most uninspired music. It’s not a terrible song, it’s just a rock in an ocean of diamonds is incredibly hard to ignore.

Overall? Well, the final track, ‘The Doors’, aptly explains the release as a whole. This track is epilogical in almost every sense; it encompasses almost all previous sounds on the album, forming a six minute dash of irresistible baroque pop chip with more hooks than a fisherman’s cloakroom. It jumps from sweet and pop-heavy to drawn out and controlled affection, winding its way to a grandiose finale. If last year's EP turned you off J Arthur's new direction, 'Mighty Social Lion' won't amend your position. However, by featuring sublime maturity alongside emotional cognizance, J Arthur has never sounded better.

Favourite track: The Doors
Grab a the release right here!