Als 2007 bekannt wurde, dass sich die schottische Band Aereogramme auflösen würde, war die Trauer groß. Mittlerweile gibt es allerdings in Form der Band The Unwinding Hours eine Art Nachfolgeprojekt, bilden doch mit Craig B und Iain Cook zwei ehemalige Aereogramme-Mitglieder das Duo. Musikalisch hat man sich zwar etwas anders orientiert, blieb aber mit dem Debütalbum (hier geht es zu unserer Kritik) auf gewohnt hohem Niveau! Umso schöner, dass sich die Band die Zeit nahm uns einige Fragen zu beantworten – daher hier im Interview: The Unwinding Hours!

1.) Band facts

– Name:The Unwinding Hours
– Band members: Craig B / Iain Cook
– Founding year:2009
– Residence: Glasgow
– Current album:”The Unwinding Hours”

2.) Questionnaire:

– How did you come up with your band name/what meaning has it to you?
We wanted some sort of reference from a Stanley Kubrick film because iain and i have always had a lot of respect for his films. We decided on “The Shining” and if you watch the film very closely you will see where we got it from. We also liked how “Unwinding” can mean both relaxing and falling apart.

– How would you describe your musical style and how would you say does it differ from the current rock music – in which way?
I really don’t think it’s my job to describe our music. We don’t approach making music with an idea of what style it’s going to be. We just make the music that we want to make, whatever that might be. I’m not sure people will check out a band just by a musical description anyway. I will say this though, we are not “post rock”. That is a completely redundant term. Especially for a band with vocals.

– Which musical influences do you have?
Slayer / Nina Simone / Tom Waits / My Bloody Valentine / Aereogramme

– What would you say is the most important difference between Aereogramme and The Unwinding Hours?
I just feel TUH represents where we are in our lives now just as aereogramme did at that specific time. Certainly less angry, but hopefully also a bit more relaxed and confident.

– What did you do in the time between Aereogramme and The Unwinding Hours?
Not very much actually. It took me a full year to pick up the guitar again. I was just enjoying life at home for a change instead of being on tour constantly.

– How come that you got a bit quieter and lost the Noise-parts that you had when you were still playing as Aereogramme? Was it because of the new project (as a new start), a part of growing up or also because of the difficulties you (Craig) had with your voice before? Or do you see it differently?
No i certainly see it as maturing slightly. When i was younger i was angry at everything and everyone, including myself. The last aereogramme album (“my heart has a wish…”)was a step away from all that though and TUH have continued on that same path. It’s just a different approach. The song “Child” on the new TUH album is easily one of the most angry songs we have ever written. It just doesnt have any screaming or distortion.

– How did you produce the record (where, how long, what were the difficulties)? Iain and i produced and wrote it.
It was recorded, mixed and mastered at Iain’s studio except for the drums that were recorded at chem 19. There were no real difficulties actually since we took our time recording demos and slowly working on all the tracks until we were ready to go in and do it all properly over a two week period. It was a fantastic, relaxed way of working and the next one will follow the same pattern.

– You were recording the record as a duo, live you have a band – will the project stay just you two or may it also grow to a band?
At the moment, i’m happy to keep it as the two of us writing the songs. We used some of the session guys that we use live to play on the record but i liked the ease of writing with just Iain and i don’t see that changing.

– Did you work with a producer or did you everything by yourself?
Ourselves.

– “Child” is our favorite song on the album – can you tell us something about how it came to existence, what’s the story behind it and what it is about?
I don’t want to explain what it’s about because that’s up to your own interpretation but i will say that the original version of the song was terrible. We worked on it and it just sounded wrong so it was stripped back to the basics and built from scratch and what is on the album is a million miles away from where we first were with it. We are lucky to have had the time and space to work on that because it’s one of my favourite songs on the album as well.

– There are also already rumors about a second album, what can you say about this? How far are your plans for this? What changes will there be?
I am in the process of setting up my computer so i can collaborate better with iain on demos. I have a load of new software to play with and i think i need to write a few more upbeat songs so i can’t wait to get started. I can feel the need to write new songs in my bones though which, for me anyway, is a good sign.

– 3 top albums 2009? Why?
Ane Brun – Changing of the seasons. She has a remarkable voice and is a fantastic songwriter.
Mount Eerie – Wind’s Poem because its utterly unique, strange and pretty scary in parts.
Converge – Axe to Fall because i think it’s the best thing they have done since “Jane Doe” and is the kind of eclectic brave record that they are capable of making while still being heavy enough to destroy any other contenders.

– What did you learn in 2009?
That patience really is a virtue.

– Your best personal experience in 2009?
I went to Finland and travelled to Sweden in a ferry which passes by some of the most incredible landscape i’ve ever seen. Truly beautiful, especially with a clear blue sky and a bottle of wine.

– Your plans for 2010?
Half way through and it’s going fine so far!

– What is on your rider?
A crate of beer, a bottle of red wine and a decent bottle of Malt Whisky. Great for hangovers.

– What do you associate with the name “Bedroomdisco”?
Dancing on your own to a song you wouldn’t dream of telling anyone you secretly like.

– Who did fill out this questionnaire?
Me.