Yep, I'm a fan of the band, a supporter of their sound – a genuinely exciting mix of "live" organic sounds and electronic, dance-flavoured jams, an indie outfit with nightclub sensibilities. But, War Room Stories comes with an added orchestral element, something that adds a filmic quality to their sound, summoning a scope that extends further than just a stage or a dancefloor, instead encompassing the infinite possibilities of emotions and atmospherics. When I put it like that, they DO sound pretty good don't they? Well, they are. You could say it any number of ways, but if you don't know about them already, just HAVE a listen to Breton.
Anyway, Roman Rappak – guitars and vocals for Breton and one of its founding members, alongside Adam Ainger (drums) – was kind enough to immerse himself in the Lazy Interview on behalf of the rest of the band, Dan McIlvenny (bass), Ian Patterson (sampler) and Ryan McClarnon (visuals), wading into the midst of meta-Breton for the sake of our curiosity.
Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do?
ROMAN
LONDON
PLAY AND WRITE MUSIC FOR BRETON
Why did you decide to start creating music?
When I was about 14, and found I could make hiphop with pirate software.
How would you describe your sound? What makes you and your style stand out?
We make music that we would be excited by if we heard it. It may seem like a simplistic approach, but it honestly is the only restriction you need to put on your self. It's putting faith in the idea that you have not gone crazy, and if you like the way something sounds, then others will too.
Is there a perfect time and place for listening to your music?
I think that good music works in different places. In fact the best thing is when you take a track out of context and it works in an entirely different way.
You can see it a lot in Scorsese films, where he'll out a Ronettes track over the top of someone smashing a person's face in. A story I heard the other day was about a guy's funeral, who was a massive metaler and biker, who asked for a track by Iron Maiden to be played as his coffin went into the crematorium. Apparently everyone found it hugely moving and most of the massive biker dudes who had attended broke down crying.
What inspires you most when writing a song?
There definitely isn't a single thing that inspires me more then anything else.
One of the things that keeps me going, is the turns you didn't predict, that you had to run with before they disappeared.
Capturing those is amazing if you get it right.
What is your most memorable musical experience?
Having piano lessons when I was 12. My family moved next door to synth legend Manfred Mann, and became friends with him.
His lessons were basically about getting lost in playing things you liked.
What are your favourite three songs at the moment?
Brown Bells – Dippin Demons
Sons et Al – Mishaped Mouth
Who do you most admire in the music world?
Nigel Godrich
He is everything great about music.
In your opinion, what is the future of music?
I think if you take the last 5 years as a blueprint for the next 5 years, we will see more and more exciting sounds and scenes, but without the cliquey, self-destructive bullshit that you used to get with them. Also the fact that music that was “Difficult” 5 years ago can now enjoy a wider audience, but this is something that has always happened
What's the future of your music - what do you hope to do next?
The next part of the adventure for us is finding out what it's like to release a second record, and to see how people respond to the group's evolution.
I'm really excited though, not many bands get to make a second record, and I feel like its something we really needed to do.
What, aside from music, is most important to you?
I feel like there are a lot of films I have to see, and books I need to read, which I'm hoping to catch up on soon.
A trend, well not so much a trend as a rule of thumb, I've been seeing a lot of is musicians, artists, producers, whatever you wanna call em, making exactly the kind of music that they want to make. The simple statement of that Roman gives here – "if you like the way something sounds, then others will too" – should read like a mantra to other musicmakers from all across this busy globe. It rings true in Breton's music that they have enjoyed making it; it feels as though it wouldn't move the same way, sound as intrinsically impassioned as it does, if it hadn't have made with its own creators' tastes imbued within.
As for their second album, it's right that the band should be wondering what people will think. As you grow, your own tastes grow, and as such this will show in all creative pursuits – in this case, it's music, and more specifically it's music inspired by what its makers find exciting, resulting in a direct correlation between their own likes/dislikes and how their new music will sound. One thing particularly stands out so far, and that is the filmic quality of some of their new tracks, which – combined with what Roman mentioned about out-of-context music used in films – should make for some punchy, atmosphere-making or indeed atmosphere-breaking moments, and will I'm sure influence the videography that will accompany any further singles from their new album. I've rambled too long.
War Room Stories is out February 3th 2014 on Breton's label Cut Tooth, an imprint of Believe Recordings.
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