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Ethereal, airy and bewilderingly good, there's something about dreamy two-piece Hammocks and Honey that makes you sink into a cloud of bliss. Classically trained cellist and synth addict Prudence Rees-Lee makes up one half of the duo, and is completed by the experimentally electronic inclined Alex Nosek of ii. This dazzling and unexpected equation results in music that's partly baroque-inspired (trying really hard to hold my tongue and not name a certain Yngwie Malmsteen song), orgasmically electronic and so dreamy that you'll be pinching yourself to check if you're awake.
When it comes to talent, these kids have the Midas touch, and it appears that have it when it comes to manufacturing as well with their debut EP Spellbinder also available amazingly as a solid gold "vinyl".
Paper-Deer daydreamed about clouds, synths and classical music while talking to Prudence, the female half of Hammocks and Honey.
We have to say that Hammocks and Honey is a lovely band name. Is there a story or meaning behind it?
It was a phrase in a book, Ada or Ardour by Nabokov, which is a story about two young cousins discovering their sexuality together, among other things. It doesn’t really have much of a baring on how the band sounds though, just a coincidence that I was reading that book when I started writing music.
So how did the pair of you end up where you are now?
Alex and I met quite a few years ago playing in another band, but only started playing together in Hammocks at the end of last year. Special Award Records got involved in February and since then we’ve just been really lucky. Blogs and community radio picked up the demos we’d made we’re releasing on EP which is available digitally already, and on vinyl which is coming out on the 22nd of November.
As a classically trained cellist, is it sometimes hard to loosen up and turn to dreamy, electronic pop?
Yes, it was initially hard initially to loosen up. Writing and playing something like this is very far from what I’d imagined I would be doing while I was studying. I value the classical education I’ve had very much, and it’s given me a great base knowledge about music theory and music history, but in a way I had to forget most of that when I was writing these songs. It’s such a different approach to making music. I think lots of electronic musicians have classical backgrounds though. Programming beats and samples on a computer is very similar to working on an orchestral score.
Many writers use words like “dreamy”, “surreal” and “otherworldly” to describe Hammocks and Honey’s sound. What would you call it?
I’d agree with those descriptions, I think they suit Spellbinder well, although they probably make us sound a bit wishy-washy or aimless, when the music definitely isn’t and the stuff we’re working on now is a bit darker.
Tell us all about Spellbinder. What was it like working with Morgan McWaters (The Emergency) and Casey Rice (Tortoise, Pikelet, Dirty Three)?
They were both really amazing to work with. We spent a lot of time with Morgan, first recording everything and then mixing together as well. It was really fun, but he was great because he’s so skilled at what he does and could quickly translate the kind of sounds we had in our heads into the tracks.
Casey was great too! I didn’t know much about mastering and what’s involved, but he explained everything he was doing and did it really well, he seems to really care about artists and music, and is actually very affordable! Everyone should ask him to master them!
Spellbinder is really… spellbinding, for lack of a better word. How do you create such a timeless piece of work?
Thank you! I take timelessness as a huge compliment. I guess we’re not interested in doing what’s particularly fashionable at a given time. I want to write good songs with interesting arrangements regardless of trends, although it is hard not to be influenced by them in some ways. I guess that makes it timeless, we have a very wide range of influences from all the classical stuff I grew up with to more experimental things, and also lots of pretty mega pop.
Was recording at a beach house just an excuse to get sandy?
We couldn’t afford to hire a proper studio, and none of us lived anywhere that would make a good home one. The beach house was a good place to go where we wouldn’t be disturbed and it would be quiet, it was kind of a last resort but it worked out to be the perfect place.
We’ve heard that Spellbinder will also be available in solid gold vinyl. Where did this idea come from?
It seems kind of crazy to me that people still make CDs, as a format it’s really unreliable and commercially not solid either. I think digital, vinyl and cassette releases are going to be much more relevant in the future of music distribution, so the decision to release on vinyl was kind of an obvious one. As for the gold… the option was there, why wouldn’t you?
How much will the solid gold vinyls cost, and where can one pick them up? Will postage be a bitch since it is solid gold?
They’ll be in independent record stores and available via mail order (probably the best way) from www.hammocksandhoney.com. In shops the price will vary slightly depending on where you go, but they should be retailing for around $19. We’ll be selling them at the launch for $15.
UPCOMING SHOWS:
- Saturday November 27: Bouverie Studios, 1/81 Bouverie Street, Carlton [EP launch with AOI and Isle Adore]
- Hammocks and Honey official website
- Hammocks and Honey MySpace
- Hammocks and Honey on Bandcamp (purchase music here)
Gold vinyl? :O
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