The Muslims conversion

Conversation with The Soft Pack (formerly named The Muslims)

Version française
Praying hard is not enough to become the future of rock'n"roll. The Muslims didn't need to pray or to wear a fluo cassock to achieve a miracle with their EP, a Jonathan Richman vs Black Lips crusade. Now they call themselves The Soft Pack and signed to Kemado Records.
Get converted with band member Matty McLoughlin. This interview was published in French on the website Gonzai. This is its english version and it makes me realise it's a shame we don't have cool translation in French for "worth a shit", "whacky" or "keeps you wild" that sounds like the title of a hippie song to me.

Did you change your name from The Muslims to The Soft Pack so that all your interviews start with the question “why”. If not, then… why?
Oh we changed the name because things got really ignorant and annoying. It got too spikey hair and political fist shaking. Not indicative of who we are. We hang out on roofs and drink beer and listen to Black Sabbath.
How did you start making music together? What were you doing all that time while Jonathan Richman & Black Lips fans were all waiting for their new Messiah? Matt and I wrote some songs together and pieced a band together a week before our first show. Brian and Dave joined a year later and made us worth a shit. We became a band when those guys joined.
You get often compared to Black Lips and toured with them, do you think it’s justified?
Well we haven't played with black lips yet. We will in a month in England, which will be cool. I guess we get compared to them because we sound "ameutirish", that's not a word is it ?. I’m excited to play with them, I heard it gets whacky at their gigs.
Your songs can remind of surf music as well as garage or indie tunes that can fill a dancefloor, how would you define your sound yourself?
Rock n roll band. Pop tunes played aggressively for pop songs. Regular guys doing whatever they think is good or funny.
It sounds like you’re done with religion, but just tell us who is your God in music?
Well everyone in the band has their favorites. I (matty) love the replacements. Matt is a Fall guy. Brian is a Bowie whore. David likes Sly Stone and Band of Gypsies. But we all like all of those bands alot collectively
You first released your music on 1928 recordings, do you carry on with them or do you want a bigger record deal, or maybe Vice records?
We will always be apart of 1928 recordings. Ryan (who runs it) is our best friend from highschool and we like doing stuff together. We just signed to Kemado records in the US. So we are excited about that.
I looked at your press pictures. You look like very sweet and well-behaved. They didn’t allow you any craziness or are you really that moderate?
Na, we get weird with it. Just average looking dudes. We dance, we swim without our trunks. No one tells us what to do baby.


You’re from San Diego and moved to L.A. From my French point of view it sounds like a weird choice if you’re meant to be a rock band and not a movie star. What brought you there?
When we started the band Matt was a film major in college and wanted to pursue that (which LA is good for). I was bored in San Diego and wanted to try another city out. Things with the band picked up and now we live here.
What do you expect from 2009 for The Soft Pack?
A full length LP and lots of touring. See some new places and have fun.
You have a problem: I just found out there is a French band called The Softpack. You need to change your name one more time, any better idea?
We'll change it then. It's kinda fun changing your name. Keeps you wild.

BLACK LIPS + THE SOFT PACK + CRYSTAL STILTS IN MANCHESTER THE 18TH OF FEB
THE SOFT PACK IN LONDON 19TH 20TH 26TH OF FEB

Objectif : Eleanor Hardwick

Eleanor Hardwick est photographe. Et ce n'est pas un mot que j'use à la légère. Elle a quinze ans, expose sur Flick'r mais est vraiment ce qu'elle prétend être. Elle esthétise l'adolescence, joue sur les mots, fait poser ses copines, invente des décors. Tantôt lisse, puis drôle, ou trash, elle se cherche. Avant qu'elle ne se trouve, et ne soit peut-être happée par la hype bubble-gum et collant(e) de Nylon, profitons de ses tatônement sur son flick'r, où nous sommes conviés à de la critique d'art adolescente peu pompeuse, certains ajoutant comme tag sur le mug Starbucks un "lol", quand d'autres préfèrent souligner la lumière ou la remercier de viser juste en illustrant leurs états d'âme.


Hanging Out, Eleanor Hardwick

Choices, Eleanor Hardwick

Accidents Happen In The Kitchen, Eleanor Hardwick

Cérémonial de clôture des défilés de tops

A force de rester "au desk" les journalistes comptent de plus en plus sur les défilés de tops pour éviter de forcer leur imagination avant les fêtes. Comme on y retrouve Fleet Foxes, Santogold et Laure Manaudou selon les catégories, je me sens nullement concernée.

Par contre le top de Technikart m'a au moins insufflé la résolution de ne plus dépenser 5€50 inutilement. Dans sa powerlist des 100 personnalités qui ont fait l'année, la première femme n'apparait qu'à la position 46 et il s'agit de Virginie Despentes qui n'a pourtant rien foutu de l'année à part "vivre une année frustrante" comme elle l'explique.
A tous les frustrés de France, je leur déconseillerai d'aller goûter aux quelques secondes du titre "Wolfgang Amadeus" du nouveau Phoenix à paraître au Printemps. Mais comme vous avez votre libre arbitre je ne vous prive pas de l'information et vous donne la possibilité de donner un coup à votre patience.

Puis en ce début d'année, Au Revoir Simone nous fait un petit Hello, ou devrais-je dire ELO puisqu'elles ont repris Here Is The News, que vous pouvez télécharger ici.
A surveiller aussi en 2009, le side project de MGMT+Of Montreal.
Blikk Fang_Just A Little Judas Tonic

Et Foals qui pourrait bien en surprendre plus d'un, jugez plutôt avec cette démo, A Future Dub.

En 2009 c'est aussi l'anniversaire des grands labels, Motown et Islands Records. Ils seront surement dignement célébrés car il faut en profiter, c'est comme les Poilus, un jour il n'en existera plus pour témoigner.

Pour finir, comme j'ai quand même très envie que vous connaissiez mon album de l'année 2008, je vous laisse en deviner l'auteur avec cette photographie dans laquelle vous êtes autorisés à vous perdre pendant des heures et oublier que ça glisse trop dehors pour porter vos nouvelles chaussures achetées en soldes.