introducing ramona falls' 'prophet' : now featuring 30 fewer musicians!

Synthesized from innumerable hours of Deeler sessions between four principal members, don't assume that the process for creating the second effort from ex-Menomena member Brent Knopf was any simpler because the physical number of people involved decreased.

"For the first Ramona Falls record [Intuit], I asked about 35 friends and family to spend about three hours each with me recording some ideas," Knopf says. "This time around, Ramona Falls actually is a four-piece and so I wanted to incorporate the band members as much as possible in the process."

Sonically, Brent Knopf's latest creation is as complicated as ever. Influenced by the dark, orchestral sounds of '80s, Prophet is informed by the music of Talk Talk and the songwriting of Depeche Mode's Martin Gore, plus a dash of Tears For Fears as well as the contemporary UK band Micachu and the Shapes.

In early 2011, Knopf walked away from his lauded and successful band of more than a decade to focus on this project. While he has definitely felt some insecurity since, Ramona Falls has allowed Knopf to feel "a little more okay exploring some more absurd sides of myself" as well as revive some songs "that didn't survive the Menomena process last time around."

That said, while Knopf's individual process may have a strong emphasis on collaboration, his approach to recording is undeniably involved.

Listen to Prophet's first single "Spore" (plus stream the whole album here):

Once again at the computer utilizing Deeler, a program of his own design, which was also used to compile Menomena records like Mines and Friend and Foe, Knopf and band mates Paul Alcott (drums), Matt Sheehy (guitar) and Dave Lowensohn (bass) recorded much of the album remotely, employing Dropbox to share music, constantly "adding ideas to the pile" from their respective locations.

Knopf describes Deeler as "a party in my mind, only it stores ideas on a computer," but more technically, it's a looping, compositional software that allows Knopf capture, organize, determine the best segments, and then piece together the pile of samples into a coherent, cohesive song.

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Read the rest and watch a video interview with Brent Knopf on OMN.

marrying nature + technology on lost lander’s debut ‘drrt’

“I’m currently sitting in the woods on a very steep cliff… just noticing some hunters that are walking around about 1,000 feet from me,” said Matt Sheehy over the phone on a gray Tuesday afternoon. ”I spend a lot of time in the woods because I’m a forester, and it’s hard for me to put a finger on how exactly me spending this amount of time in nature affects the recording. But what it comes down to is the sense of wonder that I get from looking up at the stars or hanging out at a planetarium or studying trees or looking at the eccentricities of plants–that’s one of my favorite types of feelings. I try as hard as I can to recreate that [feeling] in the work I do in music and art.”

Sheehy’s latest musical endeavor, Lost Lander, reflects his amazement. Crafting an auditory world of wonder, Lost Lander’s delicately elaborate tunes teeter on organic surrealism like the natural marvels that awe and inspire whether it’s the brilliance of aurora borealis, the intricate beauty of ice crystals, the perfect rings of Saturn, or even the glow of a lightning bug.

“It’s that feeling that you get when you discover that there’s a whole other universe that you didn’t even know about and how it makes you feel kinda small,” continues Sheehy. ”Sean Flinn calls it ‘the big small,’ where you realize how big you are and how small you are at the exact same moment. It’s trying to capture that. I try to spend as much time as I can in that headspace.”

And thankfully, now you can too with the release of Lost Lander’s debut album DRRT. The wondrousness that surrounds us all and influences Sheehy now has a somewhat tangible form and a release date: January 24th, 2012.

The album’s title digs even deeper into depths of Sheehy’s artistic process. Stylized as leetspeak-esque spelling of “dirt,” the name is both organic and technological at the same time, a theme relevant to record’s creation. Teamed up with producer Brent Knopf (Ramona Falls, ex-Menomena), the duo recorded separately and together at the Oregon Coast and in the rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula, amongst other locales, before inviting a bevy of Portland musicians to provide support.

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Read the rest on OMN.

pdx pop now! 2011 : saturday, 2:45pm — lost lander : watch an interview with matt sheehy

Just a handful of shows into their live career and playing the seven songs they know best, Lost Lander, clad in white attire, showcased the moving songwriting of Matt Sheehy backed by a talented cast (Dave Lowensohn on bass, Patrick Hughes on drums, and Sarah Fennell on keys/vox) plus Brent Knopf (ex-Menomena, Ramona Falls) on guitar today.

Tinged with tambourine, key, guitar, whistling, and drum accents, Lost Lander put together a billowing set of intricate pop from some seasoned players, including the only two tracks you can hear thus far from the band: ”Afraid of Summer” (because Sheehy was so hot up there in his three-piece suit) and “Cold Feet” (as featured on the 2011 PDX Pop Now! Compilation). Find both streaming here.

Lost Lander’s debut album, DRRT, is already recorded and while Sheehy still hopes for a fall release on the album, watch a brief video interview below:

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Read this on OMN.