recordings>>attic & cellar
Credit
Birthplace (Prologue)
Jacob Eli Goldman – rhodes, keyboards, drums, modular synthesizer patches
Rob Hallberg – clarinet
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, electric guitar, piano wash, synth bass
The Things My Father’d Done
Tim Donahue – trumpet
Jacob Eli Goldman – double bass, bass guitar, marimba, crystal glasses
Noah Goldman – electric guitar, pedal steel
Rob Hallberg – clarinet
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar, marching bass drum, lead pipe
Wil Mulhern – drums
Sinai Tabak – flute
Head & Foot of the Stairs
Frédérique Gnaman – violin
Jacob Eli Goldman – bass guitar
Michael Ljungh – cello
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, acoustic guitar, piano, mellotron, rhodes, electic guitar, keyboards, shaker
Wil Mulhern – drums
Cage of Canaries
Frederick Chu – cello
Frédérique Gnaman – violin
Jacob Eli Goldman – laptop, piano, reverse
Rob Hallberg – clarinet
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, acoustic guitar, typewriter, floor tom, electric guitar
Wil Mulhern – floor tom
Sinai Tabak – flute
Le Loup-garou (No no no...)
Frederick Chu – cello
Jacob Eli Goldman – piano, bass guitar, drums, synthesizer, hand claps, noise
Noah Goldman – electric guitar, pedal steel
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mellotron,
___rhodes, hand claps, trash can, television, noise
Wil Mulhern – drums
Muzzled, Maddened
Jacob Eli Goldman – drums, bass guitar, rhodes, synthesizer, tambourine
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, electric guitar, rhodes, mellotron, keyboards, shaker
Julian Veronesi – voice
Blood Brothers
Jacob Eli Goldman – synthesizer, drums, voice, hand claps, modular synthesizer patches
Chad Jewett – programming
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, rhodes, piano, mellotron, organ, keyboards,
___electric guitar, bass guitar, marimba, bass drum, hand claps, drones
Soothsayer Said
Frederick Chu – cello
Frédérique Gnaman – violin
Jacob Eli Goldman – bass guitar, rhodes
Trevor Johnson – voice, radio
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, tambourine
Wil Mulhern – drums
Twin Con
Jacob Eli Goldman – piano, modular synthesizer patches, field recordings
Alex Mazzaferro – keyboards, effects
The Frontier
Tim Donahue – trumpet
Jacob Eli Goldman – piano, double bass
Noah Goldman – pedal steel, electric guitar
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, acoustic guitar, cymbal swells, harmochord
Wil Mulhern – marching bass drum
Julian Veronesi – voice
Paused on the Threshold
Jacob Eli Goldman – drums, piano, effects
Alex Mazzaferro – spoken word, piano, prepared piano, marimba, delay
When We Dead Awaken
Frederick Chu – cello
Jacob Eli Goldman – piano, bass drum, bass guitar
Alex Mazzaferro – voice, acoustic guitar, piano, electric guitar
recordings>>original sin
Recording Journal
Original Sin
This was a song we had demoed during the BSQ sessions back in the winter of 2006 and then discarded because we felt it too mellow and undeveloped. At that point it consisted only of acoustic guitar, mellotron, and voice. When Topshelf Records asked us to do a song for their 2008 compilation, we decided to resurrect it. We wanted to be sure that we were going places we hadn't gone before, and we wanted this song to get momentous by the end but not in the fashion to which we'd grown accustomed: i.e. big guitar swells and big drums. We captured my acoustic with a Neuuman U87 and recorded the mellotron. We decided we wanted the song to be more full from the start so Jake added Rhodes throughout and some sweet slap-back piano in the choruses, recorded with an AKG 414 and run through Ibanez AD202 delay processor. The day we were recording this song Chris Listorti was over learning some of our songs as a potential candidate for the live/touring lineup. Listening intently while we worked through the new arrangement, he wrote the beautiful electric guitar part you hear in the choruses (played on a 1982 Gibson ES347 through a Fender Super Reverb Silverface, mic'ed with an R92 ribbon mic). Wil being absent, Jake wrote and recorded the drum/percussion part which allowed the song to blossom as we'd hoped without getting gigantic. He added shaker and bass guitar, and Noah added his outro guitar part (same signal chain as Chris'). I sang into Jake's new Shure SM7 and then the three of us recorded gang hand claps and tambourines. After I left, Jake and Noah worked to fill the melody section following the first choruses and settled on Noah's pedal steel line. Jake recorded some more atmospheric drums for the bridge and created a delay subset of his drum part, and the song was complete.
Tow-Headed Boy
Tow-Headed Boy came together during a demoing session in March of 2008. On the album version, Jake played drums. They were mic'ed as follows: overhead with two AKG C414s, snare with a Shure sm57 and an AKG c451, bass drum with AKG D112, a Neuuman U87 in the room, a Shure ksm7 for the front of the kit, and a sm7 for the middle. My acoustic guitar and vocal tracks were both captured with a u87. Noah recorded the electric piano and doubled it with Rhodes, both played through his Fender Super Reverb Silverface. Jake added shaker and bass. I played tambourine and mellotron strings. For the bridge, Noah recorded piano--compressed like crazy and delayed--and Jake added synthesizer arpeggios. I recorded a busted television set and electric guitar: a Reverend Jet Stream HB through a T.C. Jauernig Luxury Twin-Rate Tremolo, which we mic'ed with Jake's R92.
A Nervous Whistle to Keep My Courage Up
This song evolved over a few months. It took several different forms before settling in to the final one you hear on the single. Wil played the drums, which were mic'ed as follows: an AKG D112 on the bass drum, a Shure sm57 and an AKG c451 on the snare, a KSM27 at the front of the kit and two C414s for overheads. Jake played his short-scale Mustang bass, and I played electric guitar. I then recorded the main mellotron line, and Noah tracked the corresponding electric guitar part, playing his Gibson ES347 through his Fender Super Reverb Silverface. I tracked rhodes and, in the last chorus, piano. My voice was captured with a Neuuman U87. Jake and I sampled some of his drums and made the loop that appears in the third verse out of it. Jake developed a modular synthesizer patch and played synth bass for the third verse as well. Noah and Jake created the noise in the second verse playing heavily-effected electric guitar and thingamagoop, respectively. I recorded an old adding machine and a marching bass drum for texture. We captured the song's outro--my acoustic guitar, voice, and whistling--with a U87 in the middle of the tracking room.
Credit
Original Sin
Jacob Eli Goldman - Rhodes, mellotron, piano, drums, bass guitar, shaker, tambourine, hand claps
Noah Goldman - electric guitar, pedal steel, tambourine, hand claps
Chris Listorti - electric guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, tambourine, hand claps
Tow-Headed Boy
Jacob Eli Goldman - drums, shaker, bass guitar, synthesizer
Noah Goldman - electric piano, Rhodes, pedal steel, piano
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, synth strings, tambourine, television
A Nervous Whistle To Keep My Courage Up
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, drum loop, modular synthesizer patch, synth bass, thingamagoop
Noah Goldman - electric guitar, effects
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, mellotron, Rhodes, piano, drum loop, adding machine,
___marching bass drum, acoustic guitar, whistle
Wil Mulhern - drums
recordings>>the holy ghost
Recording Journal
Locomotives
The basic goal was to start small and simple with just Alex’s acoustic guitar and voice, slowly adding more instrumentation and finally concluding with a big blown-out sound at the track’s end. We used several room mics on the drums in addition to a FOK mic which was ultra-distorted through a cheap little ART tube preamplifier. We used a deeper Smith custom snare drum on this song than on the others. The lap steel and electric guitars were recorded with an AEA R92 ribbon mic—as they were for most of the record. Tom Neeson played the cornet parts in the climax which we recorded in the tracking room with the R92.
Penelope
With this song we took a more simplistic approach, using more minimalist mic’ing techniques. Acoustic guitar was recorded with a single U87, and drums were done with a mono overhead in addition to close mic’s on each drum. The noise collage in the third verse was made up of various electric guitar treatments and a huge industrial fan. We played a Fender Starcaster and a Fender Telecaster each through a Vox AC30 and a Fender Precision bass direct into the API 312 pre-amplifier. We also used a Roland keyboard organ sound we’ve grown fond of to create tension in the verses.
The Holy Ghost
The drums for this track were recorded with a mono overhead, kick and snare spot mics, and a compressed set of mics placed near the floor on either side of the kit. Acoustic guitar was done with a U87 and a stereo pair of C414s. We recorded a wonderful Steinway grand piano in a family friend’s living room using an M/S stereo mic configuration. This song, like many on the record, builds to a big climax in which Noah created some incredible electric guitar swells using several delays and distortions, his Holy Grail reverb, and a volume pedal. The vocals here were recorded, as they were on all six songs, with a U87.
Scarlet Fever
The ultra-dry drum sound was the result of tracking these drums in a tiny little carpeted room. The electric guitar was split between two amps—a Vox AC30 and a Fender Deluxe—one slightly dirtier than the other. As was the case in “Penelope,” “Hounds at Heels,” and “Flag & Crucifix,” the signal chain for Alex’s vocal also contained a DBX 118 compressor. As his first act as a member of the band, Mr. Alex Syner tracked the Wurlitzer organ for this song. Noah’s lap steel was run through a Dr. Z amplifier and mic’ed with an R92.
Hounds at Heels
For this track and “Flag & Crucifix” Wil played a Ludwig 5.5x14 snare. For his fuzz lead guitar, Alex played a Fender Telecaster through a Big Muff, a Holy Grail, and into an AC30, mic’ed with an R92 ribbon mic. Jake played his new Fender Mustang bass direct. The Wurlitzer organ was recorded with a U87 and an R92, both on the rotating speaker—panned hard. The hand claps were one of the last things tracked on the final all-night marathon session. They were recorded with a U87 in the tracking room just before we left for Firehouse 12 to finish mixing and master the record.
Flag & Crucifix
The drums were recorded with spot mics on each and with a U87 behind the kit and a R92 in front of it. The guitars were recorded through the AC30 and a Dr. Z respectively both mic’ed with an R92, along with a C414 room mic. The gang vocals were recorded with a U87 and C414 in M/S configuration.
Credit
Locomotives
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, organ
Noah Goldman - lap steel, electric guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Wil Mulhern - drums
Tom Neeson - cornet
Penelope
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, piano, organ
Noah Goldman - electric guitar, effects
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, effects
Wil Mulhern - drums
The Holy Ghost
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, shaker
Noah Goldman - piano, electric guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, organ
Wil Mulhern - drums, glockenspiel, tambourine
Scarlet Fever
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar
Noah Goldman - lap steel
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, organ
Wil Mulhern - drums
Alex Syner - organ
Hounds at Heels
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, hand claps
Noah Goldman - acoustic guitar, hand claps
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, organ, hand claps
Wil Mulhern - drums
Flag & Crucifix
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, voice
Noah Goldman - electric guitar, voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar
Wil Mulhern - drums
Alex Syner - Rhodes
recordings>>to persevere
Credit
Bones in the Attic
Katie Cooke - violin
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, effects, maracas, shaker, hand claps, voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, piano, electric guitar, trash can, tapes, alarms, effects, tambourine, shaker,
___maracas, cymbals, cowbell, hand claps
Derek Mazzaferro - shaker, maracas, hand claps
Wil Mulhern - drums, trash can, tambourine, shaker, hand claps
Act of Contrition
Peter Federman - electric guitar, voice
Jacob Eli Goldman - radio, effects
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine
Drunken Advice for a Mid-Life Crisis
Peter Federman - electric guitar, organ
Jacob Eli Goldman - whistle, sequenced loop
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, sequenced loop
Wil Mulhern - drums
Green with Envy
Peter Federman - electric guitar, tambourine
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, piano, organ
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine
Sharp Teeth
Peter Federman - electric guitar, effects
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric organ, bass guitar, tapes
Wil Mulhern - drums, effects
Being Good; (or, Life with Serpents)
Katie Cooke - violin
Peter Federman - electric guitar, effects
Jacob Eli Goldman - tapes, maracas, effects, voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ, sleigh bells, trash can
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine
What It Is I'm Made Of...
Peter Federman - programming, harmonica, trash can
Trevor Johnson - voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, programming, acoustic guitar, organ, electric guitar, radio
Wil Mulhern - drums
Other Auxiliaries (l’Hymne de Faiblesse)
Peter Federman - organ, tambourine
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, laptop, effects
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine, chimes
Tied-Down Giants
Katie Cooke - violin
Jacob Eli Goldman - drums, bass guitar, effects, glockenspiel, music box
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, organ
Wil Mulhern - tambourine
Remedy
Peter Federman - marimba
Jacob Eli Goldman - effects, tapes, toy piano
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin
Wil Mulhern - drums, shaker
Monsters, Created Pts. I & II
Katie Cooke - violin
Peter Federman - electric guitar
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, radio, whispers, effects
Noah Goldman - effects, electric guitar
Trevor Johnson - voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, accordion, piano, organ, tambourine, laptop
Wil Mulhern - drums
Dig to the Orient
Peter Federman - electric guitar, electric organ, hand claps, voice
Jacob Eli Goldman - hand claps, reading
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, floor tom,
___hand claps, air organ, vibraphone
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine, fuzz organ, floor tom, hand claps
recordings>>b-sides
Credit
What It Is I'm Made of [Alternate Version]
Jacob Eli Goldman - organ, harmonica
Noah Goldman - slide electric guitar
Chad Jewett - bass guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Wil Mulhern - drums
Slap Bass Sucks [Cover]
Peter Federman - electric guitar, voice
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, floor tom, tambourine, voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, keyboards, effects
Wil Mulhern - drums, tambourine
Tied-Down Giants [Single version]
Katie Cooke - violin
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, organ
Wil Mulhern - drums, glockenspiel, tambourine
To Cry Wolf
Katie Cooke - violin
Jacob Eli Goldman - bass guitar, drums, voice
Noah Goldman - voice
Alex Mazzaferro - voice, electric guitar, organ, tapes, effects
Wil Mulhern - drums
|