I tried my best to write this with out mentioning that J. Tillman is the drummer for Fleet Foxes, but I guess it’s unavoidable. Now that that’s out of the way we can give Tillman his due. So far everything I’ve heard from his latest, Vacilando Territory Blues, is striking and beautiful. Including “Firstborn” which is only enhanced by the video’s bare images of birds circling the sky.
Since forming in Brooklyn in 2001, The Damnwells’ have lead a dynamic existence to say the least. After recording its first album in a Manhattan mini-storage, the band was signed and dropped by a major label (as chronicled in the documentary Golden Days), released the acclaimed Air Stereo and toured extensively-both as a headliner and opening for some big draws like Cheap Trick and The Dixie Chicks. The Damnwells released their third full-length, One Last Century, on Tuesday, Feb. 10, via free digital download.
Through it all, Singer-Songwriter Alex Dezen has been at The Damnwells’ center. He told us about creating and releasing One last Century on his own terms.
The Goodish: How was your mindset different going into this record?
Dezen: I didn’t want to worry about anything except making the record. I didn’t want to wonder if the record label would like it. I didn’t want to put any pressure on it. I had these songs and I just wanted to make a record. So, we went to Oxford (Mississippi) to record a bunch of tracks at a friend’s studio and just kind of kept it real, one or two takes for a song-just tried not to take ourselves so seriously. We worked hard and tried to make a record that reflected where I was, which is not where I am now and not where I was before.
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