Redd Kross just released its first album in 15 years, which we honestly didn’t think was going to happen. Researching The Blues (Merge) is as close to our Platonic ideal of what a rock ‘n’ roll record should sound like: punk-rock fury mixed with power-pop hooks and tinged with a fringe of psychedelia. Researching embodies the best of what the band has done since it started out 34 years ago (during the first wave of L.A. punk) and continued throughout the ’80s and ’90s while taking perpendicular approaches to the prevailing trends of the era. In an age where the tenets of genre conventions and the rigidity that once separated sounds and scenes are no longer relevant, Redd Kross returns as prodigal sons. Brothers Jeff and Steve McDonald, Roy McDonald (no relation) and Jason Shapiro will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on them.
Steve McDonald: I’m choosing to write about Pro Tools only because it’s the software I’ve learned. But whatever an artist has that works for them I am in extreme favor of. Sure there are purists out there who scoff at these methods for capturing recorded sound, and I’m sure they have some valid points. But to all the “analog is warm, digital is cold” discussions, I say there were plenty of shitty “cold”-sounding recordings committed to tape. Trust me, I’ve made a few of them myself. When it comes down to the practical matters of how an artist (particularly independent ones) get their musical vision realized in the recorded medium, there has been no greater invention in my lifetime then the development of home-recording software. I don’t necessarily think every artist needs to weigh themselves down with the technical process of how it’s done, but the fact that there are so many more resources available to them now is thrilling. In the old days, you had to go to engineering school or have a lengthy internship in a professional studio before you ever got the chance to try your own hand at knob twisting. The studio was so intimidating back then, and I guess in someways that was good, but I’m personally grateful to have that pressure relieved. I know I make better records nowadays because of it, Researching The Blues and OFF! being fine examples of this. And in many ways because of these technical advances, I’ve had the opportunity to help other artists realize their vision and artistic voices in the studio as producer/engineer. What a gift!
Video after the jump.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxRHIimzkRY
