On The Record: Stolen Youth
on March 30th, 2011Adelaide’s Stolen Youth released their new album ‘Dark Century‘ last Friday via Clarity Records / Shock. You can buy a copy on CD from JB Hi-Fi Online [Here] for $20.99 + Free Postage. Or you can purchase the CD [$20.00] or LP [$25.00] direct from the band [Here]. The guys are currently on tour promoting the new album, Thursday night you can catch them at Boys & Girls in Brisbane and Saturday at Shed 5 on the Gold Coast. Next week they visit Sydney before a big hometown launch on April 16th. Tom from the band took the time to answer our “On The Record” questions. Click below to expand this post and read all about it as well as re-capping the tour details.
Tell us about the title..
It took a little while to come up with an album title but as soon as ‘Dark Century’ was suggested we all felt it was the one. There weren’t many (if any) other working titles so there wasn’t any question about it! Basically the significance of the title is in relation to the failings of humans past and present and our consistent failure to correct our mistakes. At times human endeavour and the subsequent measure for progressiveness in society can seem so absurd. It seems that we stand with one foot in the grave and willingly hold a shovel in hand! Surely we need to rethink our priorities and better establish what really matters in our lives without being to the detriment of others or the environment. We are definitely living in the epoch of selfishness and greed.
Tell us about the artwork..
We always find that artwork is one of the hardest things to decide on and get right but sometimes it’s made easier when you have some great artists at hand! The illustrations for the artwork were done by none other than Glenn Smith (www.glennoart.com) and the layout was completed by Patrick Galvin (patrickgalvin.tumblr.com). Initially Glenn and I sent a few emails back and forth about the title, the idea behind it, the images and themes we had in mind and then balanced it all with how much we could afford to spend on artwork. Glenno is great at hearing ideas and translating them into art…and it is freaky how fast he can get the ball moving when you give him the go-ahead! We were really impressed with how the 7” inch artwork came out and equally as stoked with what he did with the album. Once the illustrations were finalised we got Patrick to do the layout. We’ve had Patrick do numerous posters and t-shirts as well as the 7” layout for us in the past and he always comes through with the goods and once again he didn’t disappoint!
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there…
We recorded at a few different studios, bedrooms and garden sheds with all the instruments being recorded at Broadcast studio and the mixing being completed at Capital Sounds, both of which are in Adelaide. Both studios are well renowned but ultimately it was subject to when everyone could afford time off work vs studio availability. We’re very happy with how it turned out but next time it would be great to keep it in one studio to streamline the process! Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them… We recorded with James Balderston (Jimmy to most) who has recorded a truckload of bands of varying styles and he is the house engineer at Capital Sounds studio. He’s not only a good friend of ours but he has a great ear for tone and often approaches the recording process in a much more raw style. This was exactly what we were looking for, something not as polished as our previous releases in an attempt to capture a more live, energetic feel. I think we did pretty well with it and would love to record with Jimmy again. The album was also mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side studios in NY.
How long did it take to record?
All up we recorded 14 tracks for the album and the 7” and finished the music in 5 days. We then went back to the studio and or respective houses to finish the vocals whenever we could. As you could imagine this approach stretched the process out quite a bit so I couldn’t say exactly how long it took – perhaps 8-10 full days for the recording and another 5 for the mixing.
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used.
I don’t think that we have any unique or different approach to recording, not on your side anyway! We basically write, write, write, practice, practice, practice and then when in the studio we try and stick to a rough schedule – it usually works out to about a day per instrument (1xdrums, 2xguitar, 1xbass) and then another day for overdubs or finishing anything that didn’t get finished. Usually long days and late nights but completely manageable if we aren’t all at the studio at the same time suffering from cabin fever and annoying each other!
Any guests involved?
On previous records we have had friends come in and help with gang vocals or sometimes guitar however, no one else was involved in this recording.
Anything particular stuff outside your usual live gear used in the process?
We recorded using different amps to what we have used on previous recordings. The last time we recorded we used a JCM2000 and a Mesa dual rectifier for guitars and while we were happy with this sound we wanted something a bit heavier and grittier so we opted to use a JCM800, JMP 100w Superlead and a Peavey 5150. This combination worked well and we were much happier with the sound as we didn’t lose any depth or tone so was a good replication of the tones we pull live. The bass tones that we used were also more distorted and chunky which filled out the bottom end nicely. As for drums – we borrowed a nice sounding kit from a friend as our drummers kit is in such disrepair that we’d forever tarnish the name of the studio if we opted to record with it haha.
Any memorable studio moments?
As we had only a limited amount of time in the studio and had quite a bit to get through we didn’t have any antics as such as it was all heads down at work. We blew a speaker in the quadbox that we were using in the last 10 minutes or so of recording the last guitar track – that was both eventful and incredibly annoying. The funniest thing that happen me during recording occurred when I was down at the central markets for lunch and I was approached by the police and was told I fit the profile of a criminal they were prosecuting and if I met them later that afternoon at the lock-up to participate in a line-up I would be paid for my efforts. Needless to say I rocked up but to make things hard the guy on trial had shaved his head and beard so they couldn’t do a line-up on the basis of identity change. They still paid me $60 for the effort, thank you SAPOL!
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
We recorded 14 tracks but only ended up with 12 on the album as 2 of the other songs didn’t really fit the flow so we released them late last year on a 7” with another track called Humans which will also feature on the album.
Now that it’s ready for release, what can fans expect of the album?
We are releasing this album in CD and LP formats with the LP being available on black and a limited edition of 100 copies on bone colour. It’s really exciting to finally release a 12” vinyl so if you are into multiple formats then hopefully you’ll be happy!
How would you compare the album to previous releases?
This album is definitely heavier, faster and more technical than the previous releases and is a good representation of where the band is heading. In saying that, we still haven’t lost our punk feel, more so better blended our love for punk and hardcore so we hope that you enjoy it! Also, with more tracks and longer songs this album clocks in over 30% longer than our previous album, we’re all about value for money here at Team Stolen Youth.
Any stand out track/s to you personally?
I really like the way the album opens with ‘Whispers of the Past’ as it is one of the last tracks we wrote for the album and is something that we haven’t yet played live so there is still excitement and anticipation for when we eventually bust it out. Another track I really enjoyed is the title track ‘Dark Century’. It’s a mid-paced song with a different beat to the rest of the album and for that matter anything we have written before so is great track to break the album up a bit.
Anything else of note you want to say about the album?
Not particularly, I am just glad that it is out and there is nothing more to organise for it! Thanks to anyone who purchases the album and supports us and be sure to check us out when we tour through your city in the coming months, all the dates will be on our Facebook & MySpace.
STOLEN YOUTH
MARCH
31st – Boys & Girls, Brisbane [18+] w/ Driven Fear, Headaches, Cavalcade.
APRIL
2nd – Shed 5, Gold Coast [AA] w/ Friends With The Enemy, Chris Duke & The Royals, The Meaniacs, The Final Fall, Trust & Fall.
8th – The Wall, Leichhardt [18+] w/ Star Fucking Hipsters, AC4, Cap A Capo, Homeward Bound.
9th – Shorefest, North Sydney [AA] w/ Carpathian, Break Even, Hand Of Mercy, Lungs, Northlane, The Driftwood Theory
10th – The Sando, Newtown [18+] w/ Lungs + More TBA.
16th – Adelaide Uni Bar, Adelaide [Lic/AA] w/ Craterface, Paper Arms, Hightime, Ante Up.
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