The Spanish Inquisition

Reviewing Spanish Prisoners’ debut “Songs to Forget” for the forthcoming issue of Analogue struck a chord as an exciting new prospect in the chockablock American “bedroom” music scene. The mastermind behind the record, Leonid Maymind, talked to us about poetry, progress and makeshift percussion.

What’s the reaction to “Songs To Forget” been like so far? It seems to act more as an introduction to your music than a self-contained album. Is this what you were going for?

Seems like the reaction has been small in scope, yet the people that it does reach seem to really enjoy it. I don’t think it’s very widespread at all really.

Is there a lot of effort still involved in trying to organize shows and get booked, or have venues start coming to you?

Half and half, I’d say. It also depends on what kind of shows you are trying to book. There are a million venues in New York city, so there never is a shortage of places. Then again, there are a million and one bands. I enjoy the competition, to a certain extent.

There’s not really one defining sound or genre on the album, what do you think binds your songs together? What makes them “Spanish Prisoners” songs?

This is true, the album is very diverse sound-wise, which is definitely something I was aiming to achieve. I enjoy having a variety of instruments and textures. I think what binds the songs together is my voice, both physical and lyrical. And I hope that the general feel and recording quality of the songs is pretty consistent as well.

You’ve lived in New Orleans and Latvia amongst other places, how have these different cultures affected your music? Of all the locations you’ve lived which do you think has been the most formative to your sound?

I think living in a variety of places has affected me as a person, and that in turn has affected me as a musician. I don’t know that the specific locations that I’ve lived have had a direct influence on the music- there aren’t any zydeco songs (yet)! I think as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more in tune with the music that is happening around me.

In your songs you often jump unexpectedly in a new direction. Is this contrived, do you feel you have to keep the listener on their toes, or are you more concerned with challenging yourself not to keep to conventions?

It is completely contrived! No, I’m kidding. I don’t really feel that the songs are made with the listener in mind, mostly because I have no idea what the listener wants to hear or who the listener is. Different people might want to hear different things and I think you would go crazy if you tried to do something to please or displease a generic “listener.” I simply feel like I’m chasing the song, trying to figure out where it wants to go, and then following that path the best I can. It’s also due to the fact that I have a short attention span and I do enjoy challenging conventions.

Would you view your music as “experimental”? Do you always try to maintain a level of accessibility for listeners?

I would view it as experimental pop music, sure. I think it’s pop music in the simplest sense, just with a whole lot of other ‘musics’ mixed in.

Is the lo-fi sound out of choice, or necessity?

Both. I recorded most of this album by myself at home using really simple tools, because that was all that I had, that was all I knew how to use, and I was content with using them. I also think that songs should create a place and using shiny production destroys that. There are a lot of random sounds in the album that may appear to listeners over time, and I think music should be like that- layered and nuanced, just like humans.

The poet James Wright is an inspiration on you… What affects you about his poetry? What elements of his work do you incorporate into your own?

I think he has a way with words that often disregards their standard meanings, a sense of playfulness, and that is something that is inspiring to me. Admittedly, I’ve only read a small chunk of his poetry. I’m also very into Neruda, Billy Collins, David Berman, many others.

There’s an arsenal of different instruments on the record, are they all yours? Did you play them all yourself in recording? What’s the pride of your instrument collection?

“Song for the weary” was recorded live in someone’s living room, so the only thing I played on that was the banjo. Mantequilla also had some help from Eric Metronome and Erik Kang, who is now in Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. Most of the drum parts were played by friends. Other than that, most of the rest of the instruments were done by me. The power of overdubbing!

Was calling the album “Songs To Forget” self-effacing, or were you playing a game of reverse psychology?

Definitely self-deprecation, but also trying to dispel the notion of hyperbole for new bands. Take that as you well. It’s also a sly Leonard Cohen reference, most of his albums were ’songs…”

Is the name “Spanish Prisoners” a reference to the film? What are its origins?

Yes, the Mamet film, a great one, in my opinion. I also just like the cadence of the sounds.

Are the days of using a cardboard box for percussion over? Do you think it’s important to keep a ramshackle element to music?

You never know, the cardboard box might re-appear someday!

Check out Spanish Prisoner’s MySpace for some songs to remember (ahem.)