A new album from Six o' Matic brings a tasteful set of textures, both natural and digital, together to create an atmosphere and feel that blends worlds together and builds a cinematic soundtrack with a sonically driving backbone and tonality.
The Mayor of Yesterday album consists of gorgeous classic rock melodies, synthesized soundscapes, and chapters that unravel and change before your ears each with a little something different to share.
The guitars are lush, and the strings and keys become harmonious as the songs take you on these mini journeys and give you different feels.
They build, sway, swell, and give off a vastness that you didn't see coming.
Most tracks on this release have great surprises and are woven with a love for the craft and an attention to detail.
They hit these beautiful climactic points and drift back down slowly but surely into the subtle starting points as they calm back down.
That cinematic approach is always there, and the use of pads and orchestrated keys are a main focus to these colorful and vibrant songs.
It's all such a gorgeous sound and quite the escape honestly.
You can easily get engulfed ion this record and we suggest you do it. It feels great.
With the release of such a killer album, we wanted to touch base with the band to find out where exactly this all comes from and what may be next up for them.
Here's what happened.
RAG: Okay so let's start with Mayor of Yesterday album. This single has a great range of songwriting styles to it! Where did this album come from?
I have a lot of musical inspirations, and when I create, I try to avoid too much redundancy. So it really came from that — continual creation. I had enough pieces that I was happy with the sounds and the variety.
RAG: I'm hearing some great styles on this release. Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Eno, Phish, Spiritualized, and tons more, musically. I’ve also been a bagpipe player for 30+ years, so that background figures into what I create, even beyond the pieces that have bagpipes in them.
RAG: So how did this all begin for you really? When did you fall in love with making music?
Apparently, I’ve always had it. I used to make up songs in the piano when I was little; I started playing the pipes when I was 7 and was writing tunes and arrangements for them by high school. And my parents had a two-track tape deck that you could dub and bounce tracks with, so I started experimenting with arranging and layering sounds around 16 or 17.
RAG: What's next for you as an artist?
I want to focus (for a little while, at least) on seeing what else is possible with the bagpipes and electronic bagpipes. I still have a bunch of ambient and otherwise electronic music I’m working on, as well.
RAG: What inspires you to write a song?
It can be anything or many things — a melody that I like or that gets stuck in my head, a chord or progression, tones or vibrations that excite me…
RAG: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
My day job involves managing a small team for a business firm, and the rest of my non-music time is spent with my family.
RAG: Who are you listening to right now?
Spiritualized, Arcade Fire, a bit of Pearl Jam lately, Phish’s recent tours, Truth in Advertising, and Mercury Rev.
RAG: Are you doing live performances?
Not too much right now. We have a 5-month-old and a 5 year old, so as the little one gets older I’ll have more time to work out live performances.
RAG: This album seems like a big undertaking. What kind of advice might you have for other up and coming artists out there?
Don’t let self-doubt stop you, but don’t be deluded, either.
RAG: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thanks for listening!