Best way to work up a sweat on even the coldest of Canadian winter days? Dance! Montreal foursome Think About Life released their sophomore album of feel-good dance tracks in the US in October, and their song “Havin’ My Baby” was named Pitchfork Magazine’s “Best New Track” the very next month. The group’s dynamic frontman, Martin Cesar, took some time while on the road to talk to LA Music Blog about the new album, the group’s DIY asthetic, and why the music video for a song about being preggers is set in a church.
You titled this album Family. How did that name come about?
It came about through coming from a very music-oriented Montreal community. You meet a lot of people from everywhere—everywhere in Canada and everywhere around the world. That community itself became like a family. It’s just that inspiration. Behind that you have people you don’t know at all, but you eventually create this bond that’s very family-oriented.
Were there any other album names that were thought of prior to Family?
I thought about Surf’s Up. Very, like, California. [LAUGHS] I think around that time, we had just come from a tour from California, and we were inspired by your town and the surrounding cities while thinking about this album name, like Surf’s Up or Hang Ten. [LAUGHS]
How do you think this album differs from your previous release in 2006?
Personally, I think it’s this progression. We’re still an experimental band. The first album was a much more minimal album, where we just used basically a keyboard and drums. With this album, we sort of opened up a bit more and brought in more instrumentation. We wanted to work around more rhythms, just in terms of a different rhythmic approach. Again, we’re an experimental band, so we sort of discover our own approach as we go.
Has this progression occurred because the songwriting process has changed?
That’s one thing. The process has progressed. I think that we started the band pretty young as well, and the maturity has progressed. I’m putting that into question still, but I’ve observed that the maturity of the songwriting has progressed.
Was this album self-produced as well?
It’s self-produced. We’re a DIY band.
Do you feel that it’s important to keep control on that level?
I think it is. For me, it’s very important. If it’s coming from you, then you could blame yourself for fucking up the production, or if it’s something from you, you can pat yourself on the shoulder for doing a great job. You can’t really blame anyone else. [LAUGHS]
We’ve actually met with some executives from different labels, and they’re just telling us, “Do what you guys do. Don’t go and try to work with different producers, just do what you do. ‘Cause if you stick with your DIY approach, you’ll just be yourself.” That, for me, was great advice coming from the more commercialized music world.
The band has very high-energy songs. Do you have a favorite song to play live?
Favorite song to play live, I would say, has to be “Wizzzard,” just because I feel like I’m in my skin in that song. I feel like I’m really inside myself in that song. “Sweet Sixteen,” as well, ’cause it’s sort of semi-autobiographical. I find that I’m a very fragmented person. I have many sides to myself. I feel like there are certain songs where I can express that. I feel really comfortable on stage with those songs.
You released a video for “Sweet Sixteen.” Could you tell us a little bit more about the video?
It was produced by some friends of ours that run this merchandising company called the Cardboardbox Project. It was directed by a good friend of mine named Sinbad Richardson. He had a green screen—which actually was inspired from our album cover where we use a bunch of green screens to make the album cover—and he used a green screen projection in the background. It sort of created a back story, like what was going on in front of the screen with all these different characters and a three-headed sweater shirt that we had on. For him, it was a reaction to the song. It was a reaction-type of inspiration he took from the song to create this crazy video filled up with these weird characters. [LAUGHS]
Your next video is for the song “Havin’ My Baby.” How did you come up with the idea for the whole church scenario with that video?
The video itself was directed and produced by this guy Matt, who actually lives in LA. He approached us and said he wanted to make a fan video for us, and he said if we liked it, we could make it the official video. He came back to us three months later, and we were crazy about it. We were just blown away by his approach. He had also done an amazing video for friends of ours, but when he came back with the video for “Havin’ My Baby,” we were just blown away by the spirit and the originality of it. Seeing the work that he put into it, I was just blown away. I don’t know what he did in terms of the process. I don’t know how he got the people from the church, but he just did an amazing job.
When is the band gonna make it to LA?
March 24th at Spaceland, I think.
After you finish up with SXSW and wrap up this tour, what else do you have planned for 2010?
We’re touring more. We’re doing the small upper United States tour a week after we get back from this West Coast/SXSW tour. Then we’re going to Europe for about three-and-a-half weeks in April. So that’s what’s going on with Think About Life.
Think About Life Tour Dates:
03/23 ::: Tucson AZ @ Club Congress w/ Surfer Blood, Turbo Fruits
03/24 ::: Los Angeles CA @ Spaceland w/ Garotas Suecas
03/26 ::: San Francisco CA @ Bottom of the Hill
03/28 ::: Portland OR @ Dante’s
03/29 ::: Seattle WA @ Crocodile Café
03/30 ::: Victoria BC @ Lucky Bar w/ Slam Dunk
03/31 ::: Vancouver BC @ Media Club
04/02 ::: Edmonton AB @ The Brixx
04/03 ::: Calgary AB @ Palomino Smoke House
04/21 ::: Cleveland OH @ Case Western University
04/22 ::: Pittsburgh PA @ Garfield Artworks
04/23 ::: Washington DC @ DC-9 (liberation dj night)
04/25 ::: New York NY @ Barnard College Columbia University (WBar-B-Q daytime show)
04/25 ::: Philadephia PA @ Johnny Brenda’s (night show)
04/27 ::: New York NY @ Mercury Lounge
04/29 ::: Boston MA @ TT the Bear’s
04/30 ::: Burlington VT @ The Monkey House
05/06 ::: London UK @ The Garage
05/07 ::: Sheffield UK @ Bungalow & Bears
05/08 ::: Dublin IR @ Whelan’s (upstairs)
05/10 ::: Newcastle UK @ Head of Steam
05/11 ::: Edinburgh UK @ Sneaky Pete’s
05/12 ::: Nottingham UK @ Bodega
05/13 ::: London UK @ Hoxton Bar & Kitchen (Oh Inverted Club)
05/14 ::: Brighton UK @ Komedia (The Great Escape Festival – afternoon show)
05/14 ::: Brighton UK @ Digital (The Great Escape Festival)
05/15 ::: Utrecht NL @ Klub Radar w/ Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip, Olafur Arnalds
05/16 ::: Middelburg NL @ De Spot
05/17 ::: Amsterdam NL @ Paradiso
05/18 ::: Berlin DE @ Magnet Club
05/19 ::: Hamburg DE @ Fundbureau w/ Bachelorette
05/20 – 05/23 ::: Scandinavian dates TBA
For more info on Think About Life, check out:
