(Photo courtesy of sing365.com.)Success came unexpected for Australia’s Atlas Genius. Following the release of its first song, "Trojans," the band put the music dream aside to pursue more reliable careers. Unexpectedly, "Trojans" made its way around the digital music-sphere, and the band quickly gained a following and, more notably, the attention of major record labels.
“When this opportunity presented itself, we were just kind of reacting. We had so much attention from 'Trojans,' we knew this is what we needed to pursue," vocalist and guitarist Keith Jeffrey said. "Once you love music, it’s always your first passion."
Atlas Genius got back into the studio to record the remaining songs of their debut EP "Through the Glass." Its sound is considered to be indie rock, but its inventive recording techniques coupled with quality songwriting gives it a unique sound well worth a listen.
“It’s almost like following a trip," Jeffrey said of the songwriting process. "You find it with your eardrum. It could be a rhythm, it might be a chord progression, it might be a melody or a lyric. We try it and see where it takes us. Sometimes it’s a dead end, and sometimes it turns into a song.”
With all the bells and whistles that the modern recording studio offers to artists, it’s easy to lose the authentic sound that you get from a microphone or guitar amp. Atlas Genius is conscious of the decisions it makes during the recording process.
“I definitely think music can be overproduced," Jeffrey said. "Auto-Tune on vocals, for example, I really don’t like. As long as you’re pretty much in tune, sometimes those little moments when you might be a bit sharp or flat can evoke a feeling that you just don’t get when you use Auto-Tune."
It’s important to note that Auto-Tune isn’t always used to make vocals sound robotic or fake. Auto-Tune, when used properly, tweaks the audio ever so slightly to bring the melody mathematically in tune.
With so much music out there, it’s hard to stand out in today’s world, but the musicians in Atlas Genius rely on one another to know when a song sounds right.
“When the song feels good to us, that’s the best chance we’ve got," Jeffrey said. I think we’re a band that doesn’t try to bang out the same sound for every song. There’s always a progression, I’d like to think.”
Atlas Genius will be releasing its full-length album, "When It Was Now," on Feb. 19 and will be performing this Friday at Marquee Theatre with Imagine Dragons.
Reach the reporter at amkeiser@asu.edu
