Musicophilia. When I asked Mesa locals Small Leaks Sink Ships for their band’s one word description to entice would be listeners, this was their creative response. In the vein of their original music, it would only make sense that the band would summarize themselves as having a friendly feeling or liking towards music. Excited for the release of their new album, “Oak Street Basement," the boys were nice enough to sit down for a brief e-chat about the impending release.
For those of you who have never heard of Small Leaks Sink Ships (or SLSS for short), they are a solid example of the musical talent brewing in our home state. Since their formation in 2006, the band has developed a unique progressive indie rock sound that has given them a definite creative edge over the many bands struggling to be acknowledged. Their 2007 debut album, "Until The World Is Happy; Wake Up You Sleepyhead Sun," created a strong fan base which is now eagerly awaiting their fresh release later this week. So what is this new inspiration for the forthcoming album?
“Our primary inspiration was our love for playing music for people," explains the group. "We love imagination and we remember what caused our imaginations to grow when we were kids. 'Oak Street Basement' was much more methodical and we would meditate hard about the emotions in a specific song and then try to create that feeling musically. We were very intentional about each tiny sound of each song and many songs started with us just jamming like most bands do and then we would take the structure and be very particular in how it turned out. We decided to release the songs that really defined our first moments together as friends."
The band says that their sound evolved both vocally and instrumentally for the new release with a gravitation toward piano based harmonies versus the guitar rock infused “Sleepyhead Sun." When asked about their take on the local music scene, their answer shed a positive perspective on the future of local musicians.
“Phoenix is a super young scene, and you can tell that everyone really loves music, so we don't see how anything could go wrong," the band said. "The venues are changing up, so it’s probably just a transition until kids figure out which venues are spreading positive ideas. There is usually an oasis in every desert.”
With such a positive outlook, you are able to hear how fluidly this attitude transcribes into their music. As for the future, the band hopes to improve as both people and artists, which I’m sure would only add depth to their already solid exhibition of sound. With the new release this week and the positive presence that the band holds, there are plenty of new opportunities for them to accomplish all of their goals, and in the process to snag some new admirers to their fresh take on music. The song below, "Glass Hypnotist" is definitely one of their stand-out tunes (and can be found on the new EP). It excellently showcases the musical diversity SLSS adapts into their sound.
Glass Hypnotist by Small Leaks Sink Ships by elemenager
The CD release show will be at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, AZ on January 27th.
