Ice Cream-Shaped Bubble Blower

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On Saturday Little Pictures are playing at the Einstein Music Journal launch party, on Thursday last week I called Johanna for a chat about the show and the release of the debut album, out now through Lil’ Chief Records. After answering the phone and politely correcting my pronunciation of her name (it’s yo-hanna), we started talking about their recent record deal. Signed to Lil’ Chief Records in early 2008 after talking with label staff Jonathan Bree and Gareth Shute at Camp A Low Hum, the duo have just released their debut album titled Owl + Owl.

But after chatting with Bree and Shute and agreeing to send them something after camp, they got home and realised they didn’t have anything ready. “We got home and we didn’t really have an album at all, so we recorded it in two weeks.” Much like the band’s earlier EP, You + Me + My Amplifier, the new album is made from home recordings. Johanna explains, “We recorded it all in Mark’s bedroom, did sound and mixed it ourselves and everything.” Listening to the record, you would have no idea it was done on such a cheap budget. The songs have leaped bounds ahead of their earlier work and contain a more densely layered, pristine sound.

There’s a new found confidence about Little Pictures showing time has paid dividends and that lessons learned from becoming a two piece band have definitely made things easier. Since their first EP the pair have not had a drummer, preferring to do things together. “We just wanted to see what it would be like to do something with just the two of us so we could travel everywhere. As soon as you start having more people and a drum kit and stuff it makes things more complicated.” An interesting view, but with the rising costs of fuel not just in this country but worldwide, it’s a factor that must be taken seriously. Many small indie bands are really starting to be affected – it’s now almost as expensive to drive from Wellington to Auckland as it to fly. It’s something that makes Johanna ponder, “Now there’s just two of us, we can fly places.”

But on Saturday, Mark and Johanna will be car-pooling with Tommy Ill and Buck Beauchamp, making the nine hour car ride to play the Einstein Music Journal launch party. If you haven’t seen Little Pictures live before, it is as much about the bubbles as it is the music. Blowing bubbles has become a staple of the band’s live show, with Johanna blowing bubbles into the crowd. It helps add a slight theatrical touch to their already well-tuned live show, but Johanna is waiting for people to get a bit bored of it. “I’m kind of waiting for people to get tired of that and we’ll have to come up with a new gimmick.” However that won’t stop her from trying out her brand new bubble blower on the Auckland crowd: “I bought an ice cream-shaped bubble blower, it’s my upgrade, it’s quite exciting.”

Originally billed to encompass the band’s album release party, Lil’ Chief records has since told the band they must have their own release party, and that the Einstein Music Journal launch party is not an appropriate time to hold such an event. But the reason for it being their album release in the first place was because the band had been unable to book a venue in Auckland; something that Johanna clearly seemed upset about. “We’ve been trying really hard for about two months, three months even. I don’t know why, but no one will have us play. It’s been impossible! They must have our names on a ‘do not book’ list or something; I don’t know what we’ve done wrong”. Perhaps Lil’ Chief records need to back their band, it’s hard to believe there are no venues available in Auckland in the near future. Perhaps the one thing it does prove is that playing live is still a high priority for Little Pictures, and good on them.

Little Pictures- I am a Camera: MP3

Little Pictures- Tiny Gaps: MP3

Little Pictures- Myspace

 

Posted by Nick Fulton under New Zealand
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