WHITE HILLS "Don't Be Afraid -the song originally had a CAN vibe to it. The version that White Hills created has more of a Pink Floyd vibe if they were a proto metal band." Hailing from New York, White Hills' "Heads on Fire" is nothing if not the aural simulation of an LSD freak-out. A jammed up collision of fuzzed-out wah wah guitars, gonzoid bass riffs and weird electronic noises arranged in a stunning replication of the effects of Owsley's psychotropic gift to brains everywhere. "Heads on Fire is released through Rocket Recordings. Words | Dave The proposition to record 'Heads on Fire' came after we returned from a stint in the UK at the end of April 2007. It was at this time that Ego Sensation [bassist for the band] and I met with Chris and Johnny from Rocket Recordings before heading back to the US. During our initial meeting we were discussing a reissue of our self-released album 'Glitter Glamour Atrocity' [GGA] from earlier in the year, but that soon turned into the label wanting us to record a brand new record for them. It was decided that if we were to record a brand new album it had to be done in time to be released when we returned to the UK for our September 2007 tour with DØGNTANK [this is the solo project of Spiritualized and Julian Cope's band guitarist Døggen]. This meant we had to record, mix, master, and decide on artwork in a month's time. Seeing that we had more than enough material, and I had a few concepts rolling around in my head for a new album, we set out to record what became 'Heads on Fire.' My concept for 'Heads on Fire' was to record an album that was heavier, dirtier, and denser than GGA, but still taking the listener far into space. I also wanted the album to have a sense of urgency and intimacy to it, as if the band was playing live. Having a short time to put together an album fit right into my concept. No time to worry about or fuss over tracks: just get into the studio and bang out the songs. I took a similar approach to overdubbing and mixing. Seeing that the album was to be recorded in the same space we recorded GGA, I wanted to make sure the recordings sounded sonically different from GGA. To do this we employed various room microphones to create a spatial quality to the music that was not present on GGA. We also tracked the album digitally whereas we tracked GGA to 2 inch tape. The basic tracks [guitar, bass, and drums] were recorded live at the drummer's, Bob Bellomo, studio in Passaic, NJ. His studio is like a vintage music store wet dream! Once the tracks were recorded, Bob would give me the digital tracks [with a stereo drum mix he did] and I would add vocals, synth/oscillators, and in some cases an extra guitar at my home studio. The album was mixed by myself and mastered by Shawn Joseph at O ptimum Mastering in Bristol, UK. Equipment used was: Guitar; Gibson Smartwood Les Paul. Amps; Rivera 2 channel head through 2 4x12 vintage Orange cabinets and Marshall JCM 900 head through a Marshall 2x12 cabinet [for overdubs]. Effects; Homebrew Electronics Big D Overdrive with boost, Homebrew Electronics UFO Octave Fuzz, Foxx Foot Phaser, Boss RV-3 reverb, Boss DD-20 Giga Delay, Boss DD-5 Delay, and a modified Crybaby Wah. Bass; Lotus. Amp; Acoustic head played through an 8x10 Ampeg cabinet. Effects; Boss Blues Driver Distortion, Homebrew Electronics Hematoma Bass Overdrive and Preamp, Boss RV-5 reverb, and Boss DD-3 delay. Drums; Vintage 5 piece Ludwig Vista-Lite [charcoal color]. Synths; Korg MS 2000, KORG EA-1, MOOG MG-1 Concertmate, TRIO AG-203 Oscillator. Microphones... to many to name. Mackie Console. Digital format recorded on Nuendo. Overdubs and mixing on Pro-Tools. HEADS ON FIRE > Track by track breakdown... Radiate There was no doubt in my mind to use this track as the album opener. The song has a heavy swirling feel that sets the tone I wanted the album to convey. The version that appears on the album is the first take we recorded. We actually messed up this version as well. The guitar solo comes in a measure early, but the overall feel of this take really captures the essence of the song so I decided to go with it. The effect on the guitar is a combination of the Boss RV-3, Boss DD-20, and a constant rotation on the Wah. No guitars were overdubbed on this one. The only things added were vocals and one synth part. Oceans of Sound This one was the track that was giving us the most problems. I was not getting the right guitar tone, so after some trial and error we decided to just track the drums and bass. All of the guitars were added at my home studio. I wanted a real nasty guitar sound, so instead of using an amp the majority of the guitar parts were recorded direct and then compressed to limits that aren't right. The guitar parts were done in bits and pieces as to be able to space them differently in the stereo field. If you listen to this track carefully you will be able to hear the different parts bouncing back and forth between the right and left channels. At the time of overdubbing, I had just bought a new distortion box, Homebrew Electronics UFO Octave Fuzz, which is all over this track. The great thing about the UFO Fuzz is that you can get many different tones and saturation levels out of it. Some say you cannot play chords with the Octave enabled on the box, but this track proves all of those naysayers wrong! The solo in the bridge of the song is 2 different tracks played backwards. I added delayed reverb [each with a different delay time] to both tracks in order to create a swelling effect as if the tracks are floating in an ocean. Return of Speed 'Speed Toilet' was a song I had originally slated for the first version of GGA I recorded. GGA was originally done the same way I did the first White Hills album, 'They've Got Blood Like We've Got Blood', as a solo project. During the making of GGA Ego and I met up with Bob, things started to work out, so I decided to scrap the version of GGA I had already recorded and we began work on the album as a trio. About half of the original version of the album made it onto the version that ended up being released. However, 'Speed Toilet' didn't make the cut. Because I liked the song, I decided to try and revive the track for 'Heads On Fire', hence renaming it 'Return of Speed Toilet.' Originally the track opens with a distorted organ part and a driving bass line fading in. Then drums crash in with a descending bass line as duo guitars solo ferociously over each other. Just as the listener is completely pummeled from the onslaught, the track goes into a delayed wash of cymbals, guitar and bass droning on and on as a chanting chorus floats on top of the wash of sound. After recording the track for 'Heads On Fire' I started to play around with different mixes of the song: chopping it up, rearranging parts, extending the track, and so on. I did a number of different mixes of the track. The one that appears on 'Heads On Fire' is just the main rhythm chord structure of the bass and guitar. The only thing that I added to the track was some reverb. I found it to be a perfect way to bridge songs between each other. Visions of The Past, Present & Future I have a way of bringing a song into practice, teaching it to the band, and then recording it immediately. 'Visions...' is one of those songs. I only had the main riff that starts and ends the song and the concept of bringing the song down and building it back up during the jam part. Everything that happens during the jam was made up by each of us on the spot. The backing tracks were recorded in one take [this being the second time we ever played the track]. All the effects on the original backing tracks were from when the song was played, not an after thought added on during mixing. Synth, vocals, and one tiny guitar part [the high pitched harmony line at the very end of the song] were added later. 'Visions...' was originally recorded to be included on an album by spoken word artist, Dan McGuire, titled 'Phosphene River.' The version that appears on 'Phosphene River' is titled 'Potter's Field' and is a different mix than what appears on 'Heads On Fire', it has Dan's spoken word bit over the music [none of my vocals] and fewer synth parts. I started from scratch when remixing the track for 'Heads On Fire', deciding to add more synth, compressing the drums more, boosting all levels and adding a vocal line. Don't be Afraid 'Don't Be Afraid' was a song that I was playing in a different band called One Thousand Points Of Light with Tim Evans and Jordan Redaelli [now of NYC based psych blasters Bogan Dust]. The song was originally called 'Squeeze.' It was about the sleazy guy who ran the studio we rehearsed in. Tim wrote the bass and drum line, Jordan came up with the breakdown idea, and I wrote the guitar part. I also wrote new words for the song and renamed it. The song originally had a CAN vibe to it. The version that White Hills created has more of a Pink Floyd vibe if they were a proto metal band. This was another track that I brought to the band and recorded on the same day we learned it. If memory serves me right, the recorded version is the third time we ever played it. As with 'Visions...' all of the effects on the backing tracks were from the original tracking of the song. Vocals, synth, samples, and minor guitar parts were added later. My original idea for 'Don't Be Afraid' was to have it be a vinyl only release with half of the track taking up one side and the other half taking up the second side. The original mix of the song was a bit over 40 minutes long. Once we had all of the tracks recorded for 'Heads On Fire', with the push of the other members of the band, we decided it would be a great song to add a different dimension to the record. I trimmed it down to 26 minutes in order to be included on the album. This track was the biggest mix undertaking of the album. I employed various sound samples [fog horn, whale noises, telephone ringing, etc...] to add an air of mystery and suspense to the song. I have always had a fascination with collage and this kind of mix is just an extension of this, with sound instead of images. There are also a number of synth parts in this song. I used every synth I own during one point or another on this track. During the first breakdown you can hear a bit of the original version of the song as recorded by One Thousand Points of Light. It is the heavily reverbed swell that comes in at the 12 minute mark. At the very end of the song, around the 22 minute mark, a different One Thousand Points of Light jam comes in as well. Eternity This track, like 'Oceans of Sound', is one that I wrote to be short and hard. I have a tendency to write long songs, which I love, but I also like to have a variety to choose from. At the time I wrote both of these songs I was definitely focusing on writing shorter tracks to break up our set a bit. 'Eternity' is a pretty straightforward song with a descending chord structure that is hard hitting and rough around the edges. The tracks of room microphones we recorded are mixed more prominently on this song than the others. They give the drums a nice slap back reverb quality to them adding a dimension you can't get from outboard gear. Heads on Fire > Albums of Influence... The Heads – "Under The Stress Of A Headlong Dive" I love the way this record sounds! It punches you in the gut from beginning to end: rough and dirty Rock 'n' Roll. I used this record as an example of how I wanted 'Heads On Fire' to sound overall... dirty and live. Shawn Joseph, the guy who mastered this album, also mastered 'Heads On Fire.' I think he did a great job in taking what we recorded to that next level with mastering. Hawkwind – "Warriors On The Edge Of Time" What can I say about Hawkwind... the music this band produced during the Lemmy years has been very influential on me. I was listening to this particular album a lot before and during the recording of 'Heads On Fire.' I dig the way the tracks flow in and out of each other... their timing and spacing is impeccable. I strive to create music as heavy and spacey as this band once made. Tivol - "Interstellar Overbike" Tivol is a band from Finland that plays an over the top blown out style of guitar driven psych. Their records tend to be excursions into the raw and raunchy. This album in particular reminds me of Simply Saucer's 'Cyborgs Revisited' album but played with chainsaw guitars. Once again this album influenced the overall sound that I was trying to achieve with 'Heads On Fire'. Amon Duul II – "Yeti" Another classic and extremely influential album for me. There is a looseness and intensity to this album that is rarely seen in recorded material. So often people try too hard to make something perfect when they record, not realizing that they are just creating something stale and lifeless. 'Yeti' has so much life in it. Mistakes and all are there for the listener to revel in. I embraced this attitude while making 'Heads On Fire.' Mistakes were not my main concern. I just wanted to capture the life of White Hills at this point in time, the same way Yeti caught Amon Duul II at that particular time. Yura Yura Teikoku – "Na.Ma.Shi.Bi.Re Na.Ma.Me.Ma.I" Yura Yura Teikoku is a current Japanese rock band. I had the opportunity to see them in NYC and they just blew me away. At times they sound like the best garage band you've ever heard while at other times they are melting your mind with twisting delayed guitars and vocals. The rhythm section of this band is so solid and heavy. This album is a live album that has an amazing sound to it. Once again I used this record as a source for how I wanted 'Heads On Fire' to sound overall... heavy, live, and in your face!