We caught up with neonthief for a quick follow-up interview to the bands recent CD review.

Is “Stranded Strangers” neonthief’s first official release?
Yes, we released it in August with Loud and Clear Records.

How do you feel about the final product?  Are there any particular highlights or aspects you wish you could change?
Overall I think it is a very cool sounding EP. The highlights in my opinion are the background layers, recording techniques and the melodies. Those are the funnest things to come up with and listen to.... tweaking the tape delays, reversing tracks, but at the same time keeping it all melodic and structured. I found the texturing the

most intriguing part of the EP. Of course there are things I look back on and wish we did a little different... I wish we involved more of an analogue feel with more tracks going to tape, but our friend's tape machine broke so we were screwed.

How would you describe the album and what type of music fans do you think it appeals to? 
The songs are visions of being completely lost and struggling to find your way to something you long for.... or simply something new. There are quiet spots, loud spots, happy bits, sad bits.... A lot of different instruments are featured on “Stranded” like violins, banjos, percussion, glockenspiels, drum machines, etc. which add nice transitions to the EP. That was something we were going for.... to have a bit of an exotic ambient sound  but keeping it alive and awake with  familiar elements of pop music ... Now as far as what type of music fans this records appeals to? I really don't know that answer. We get a mixed group of people that enjoy our sound which is always nice, but I am really out of touch with the classifications of music these days... I don't really know who this record is for…

What was the recording process like?
It varied a bit. Sometimes it was just me in the studio recording all of the instruments, and then at other times all of us were working collectively. One point that stands out for me was when we were recording the drum tack for "The Beacon" in this big empty room. We miced the kit up very basic-like with three microphones set up a bit further away from the kit than a usual set up and that was it.... No compression or anything and it came out great. Lots of natural reverb and sustained overtones. It added such a cool effect to the song. Also we sent different tracks into old amps and then back into the mix. We did all of the recording, mixing and mastering at our studio ourselves. We would drive around and listen to the mixes and decide what needs to be brought up or down... That was a fun time.

How has the response been so far?
It's been going good. We have had radio play with the Local FM 94.9, sales in Lou's Records in Encinitas and at Merchlackey.com.

What’s next for the band?
We are touring the west coast very soon. We have only played like ten times live so far... so that will be fun to do. Also we are recording a full length album....I am hoping our that will be done by February of next year.

Anything else you’d like to add?
We are looking forward to play in more venues and with bands we love.  Thank you all for the support and I hope you enjoy our music.

More info on neonthief:
www.neonthief.com
www.myspace.com/neonthief
www.loudandclearrecords.com

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