Genghis Tron is not your grandmother’s favorite band. They 1) sound like Aphex Twin one minute and inexplicably virtuosic grindcore the next, 2) make a three-piece band devoid of bass or drums feel like an unsparing wave of sound, 3) have written songs about boiling rock candy ashes, and 4) kicked so much ass at the ‘Sco last year that we just had to have them back on March 7th.
Consisting of Mookie Singerman (vocals & keyboards), Michael Sochynsky (keyboards & drum programming), and
Genghis Tron commands mastery of the artful transition. Songs like “Laser Bitch” off of Cloak of Love can evolve from a groove reminiscent of New Deal to a jarring tech-metal culmination. These progressions were built upon for their next full-length release, Dead Mountain Mouth (2006), an undeniably more ferocious album replete with darker lyrics, end-of-days-worthy screaming, and totally skillful electronic backdrops, breakdowns, and interludes. Their newest full-length, Board Up the House, was just unleashed this February 19th on the Relapse record label. With more audible industrial, Intelligent Dance Music (IDM), and experimental direction, this record has captured the brutality of Dead Mountain Mouth while haunting electronic beats tie the album together.
Recently, I spoke with Genghis Tron keyboardist and drum programmer Michael Sochynsky. We discussed the new album, the band’s experience at Oberlin last year, politics and lyrics, as well as answering some questions I have been dying to ask ever since I got myself tangled up in this cybergrindcore-electronica-whatever-the-hell-it-is…music.
The Oberlin Tritone: I am really excited about the new album, Board Up the House. It seems to have heightened IDM, ambient and industrial influences. What inspired that shift?
Michael Sochynsky: I guess we’ve always kind of tried to have that kind of stuff mixed in to the heavier sounding stuff. But with the last album, Dead Mountain Mouth, we had a lot less time in studio to work on it. We had ten days to record then, and we had a month this time. So we had a lot more time to make sure that the sort of quieter, electronic parts were, like, more up-front and prevalent on the album. And I guess also, we also thought that the last album we did was good but it was almost too brutal and heavy, and like almost hard to get through because it was punishing and harsh, basically.
OT: The contrast is amazing on this album, musically. Lyrically, songs like “White Walls” and “Chapels” off of your last record had some extremely intense lyrics. Has writing lyrics for the new album been a different experience?
MS: Mookie, the singer, wrote the lyrics. Definitely, the last album was more personal and about various things were happening to people in the band, but at the same time the lyrics were what I perceived as being kind of cryptic and coded and it wasn’t exactly clear what a lot of songs were actually about. On this album, the lyrics are more accessible and apply to everybody - global things.
OT: “
MS: I don’t know. I mean, people get really into the fact that we lifted a phrase from “The Waste Land.” It wasn’t a particularly significant choice; it was more like that the phrase sounded cool and connected to what the album was about in a loose way. With the new one, we wanted to make it more positive and uplifting, not so, so fucking angry all the time. I don’t know if we succeeded with that. I think we did, to a certain degree because I think this album is a lot more melodic. It’s still heavy and intense and the lyrics ended up being about how the future looks, how we’re sort of at the end of times: so many horrible things happening around the world, and no one really trying to stop them. So that’s not really the most uplifting message, but we tried to make it a little more positive.
OT: How was the environment at Vassar, where the three of you met? Did that lead up to the political style of the lyrics?
MS: There’s no politics at Vassar. Most students are very apolitical. I found that my classes’ teachers were more left-leaning than the students. I was there when the
OT: How did such an innovative band form within that kind of environment?
MS: Basically, it was sort of a drunken promise between me and Hamilton, the guitarist. I’d run into him at a party or something and be like, “Oh, yeah, we have to start this hilarious band…” We realized that we had a common interest in extremely heavy music, like grindcore and death metal, stuff like that. But also we were both into IDM and other electronic music. We were like, “Oh, we have to make this hilarious band where it’s grindcore one minute and then it sounds like Boards of Canada.” So eventually we sat down and actually did it, made a few songs and they were kinda ok.
OT: I’m sure some Oberlin students can relate to that. What did you think of Oberlin last time you came?
MS: Oh my gosh - it was so awesome. It was like totally insane. I couldn’t believe how many people were there. I couldn’t believe how totally massive and insane and energetic the audience was, like it was seriously one of the craziest shows we’ve ever played, definitely in recent memory. I hope it’ll be the same this time. It’s gonna be real energetic and crazy. Everyone should be ready to party and go nuts.
OT: I can’t wait! Well Michael, thank you for talking to me today, and for coming back to Oberlin.
MS: Yeah! See you at the show!
So, if you like electronic music, metal, dancing, crazy shit, noises, the Mongols, 1986 neon sci-fi, and beards, you have finally found your niche. The Boston-based noise/garage rock band, Clouds, along with student metal band, Goatsucker, will be opening for Genghis Tron at the ‘Sco on March 7th. Tickets are $4 for students and $8 for general admission.
Genghis Tron - "City on a Hill" mp3
Here is a video of last year's performance at the 'Sco. The song is "Board Up the House."
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