THE AGE OF ROCKETS With the release of Hannah, their second album, New York band The Age of Rockets continues to build its rhythmic foundation around glitch-inspired beats, but now the sound surrounding it is more conventionally musical. They are one of the few rock bands who have successfully straddled the line between pop and classical sensibilities. “The album took a while to record, because the it’s a palindrome,” says Andrew Futral, frontman of The Age of Rockets. “There are 11 songs, 5 on each side with a pivot/middle song. The middle song mirrors itself as well.” Taking certain aspects of each song such as melodies and string arrangements, Futral created a reflection of each song. Futral started The Age of Rockets in 2003 as a solo project while studying at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music. After winning the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Futral churned out his first record The Drive Home in 2004. Fellow classmates and musicians Bess Rogers and Saul Simon-MacWilliams joined Futral creating 2008’s full length Hannah. Hannah was an organic process that, in turn, subverted the dominant musical paradigm. Free from the constraints of preconceived recording processes, Futral experimented with unconventional arrangements. “We don’t have assigned instruments,” says Futral of the multi-instrumentalist members. “We all just play what needs playing.” Early on in Hannah, “Avada Kedavra” presents tiny murmurs of what is
Hannah
Label: Queue Records
Release Date: 9.23.08
to come. Bubbles of electronic blips and enticing vocal harmonies lead
to the pinnacle, where Futral repeats “the sky explodes;” the result is a
complex and stunning wall of sound.
“Elephant & Castle,” the orchestra-driven track Futral deems a microcosm of the whole album, opens with an engaging vocal hook that repeats throughout the song. The listener will almost not realize the heaviness of Futral’s words “you’re the worst at what you love the best” when placed in counterpoint with the orchestral implosion.
The Age of Rockets is one aspect of the trio’s talents. “Our lives revolve around music. When I’m not working with The Age of Rockets, I’m producing bands,” says Futural, who just finished producing the bulk of the forthcoming MC Chris album and is on tour with him this summer.
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