Swart Artist Feature
Speck Mountain

First off, Marie-Claire and Karl are great people even if not smitten with Swart amplifiers.  And while I have a bit of disdain for the cliched band comparison, I have to say, Chicago's Speck Mountain reminds one of a compelling mix of Mazzy Star mated with shades of Cowboy Junkies and early Spacemen 3. 

But Speck Mountain, on the Carrot Top Records label, would be shortchanged if left to comparisons.   They exhibit a maturity in style and delivery that is quite impressive and all too rare for relatively new bands; ultimately, comparisons don't do them justice.  Karl even came up with his own genre, termed Ambient Soul, and we think it fitting. 

Their material does not lose intrigue after prolonged exposure, as Some Sweet Relief does the repeat thing via my Rega Planet. They are Audrey's new favorite band.  If near NYC area in early October, make sure to see them with their Swart SST and AST Pros.  They are heading off for their first EU tour in November.  Wish we were going along!  *LISTEN LIVE SET 10/20

- kh

BAND BIO
Speck Mountain are an ambient-soul band possessed as much by the grit of southern soul as the spell of infinite drones. Co-leaders Karl Briedrick and Marie-Claire Balabanian provoke each other with intuitive, womb-curled melody, exploded texture, and spiky, strutting rhythm—and so far I’m just talking about the guitars. Marie-Claire also keeps a full-sized Aretha loaded in her throat like some kind of ungodly spring reverb, but has the sense to only let her uncoil just enough, never overdoing it. Karl and Marie-Claire fill out the songs with lyrics in thrall to the mysteries of compulsion, and the ache and rapture of giving in.

Sonically Speck Mountain are in thrall to vintage effects and recording techniques, although they’re always looking for the future rather than the past. Their studio mixes are subtle and painstaking, booby-trapped all over with headphone-happy detail. Their live sets project a loose, narcotic swagger, taking off from atmospheric majesty into full-on hypnotic assault.

Signed to Carrot Top Records, Karl and Marie-Claire continue to run the Burnt Brown Sounds label out of Chicago.



Listen to Speck Mountain MP3s below, featuring the SST and AST Pros:

       Some Sweet Relief.mp3

       Midnight Sun.mp3

See Speck Mountain at Carrot Top Records

 

*UPDATE 10-21-09
Listen to Marie-Claire, Karl, and the band
Interview & LIVE SET via
Breakthru Radio

    00:00 Speck Mountain
    01:01 Interview
    05:25 Fidelity Shake
    09:38 Twin Lines
    13:10 Shame on The Soul
    19:05 Backstabbing
    25:07 Interview
    28:58 Midnight Sun
    35:08 Hey Moon
    38:11 Some Sweet Relief


Hear Speck Mountain on Breakthru Radio


click above for full size                                   




Speck Mountain is:
Marie-Claire Balabanian
Vocals, Guitar, Bass

Karl Briedrick
Guitar, Bass

Claire Haley
Electric Piano, Organ

Christopher Dye
Percussion

 

Speck Mountain Upcoming Shows ~ 2009

Oct 6       9:00P......................Mohawk Place                               Buffalo, New York
Oct 7        8:00P......................Monkey Town                               Brooklyn, New York
Oct 8       8:00P......................Cake Shop                                   New York, New York
Nov 10      8:00P......................Dulcimer                                      Manchester, United Kingdom
Nov 11      8:00P......................Captain’s Rest                              Glasgow, United Kingdom
Nov 12      8:00P......................TBC                                             TBC, United Kingdom
Nov 13      8:00P......................TBC                                             TBC, United Kingdom
Nov 14      8:00P......................Cluny 2                                        Newcastle, United Kingdom
Nov 15      8:00P......................TBC                                              TBC
Nov 16      8:00P......................TBC                                              TBC, United Kingdom
Nov 17      8:00P......................Video                                            Gent, Belgium
Nov 18      8:00P......................Point Ephemere                              Paris, France
Nov 19      8:00P......................TBC                                              Koln, Germany
Nov 20      8:00P......................Hafen                                            Offenbach, Germany
Nov 21      8:00P......................Crossing Borders Festival                 Den Haag, Netherlands
Nov 22      8:00P......................Crossing Borders Festival                 Antwerp, Belgium

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We get asked all the time how we achieve our sound and I always tell them as far as the guitar goes, 75% of it is the tube reverb & tremolo in our Swart SST and AST Pros.
- Speck Mountain