Our first interview ever

Published in Groove  ages ago. Written by Jonas Elgemark.

Långt ute på den karga öländska landsbygden ligger byn Svarteberga. Inte helt lätt att hitta, men efter att du pas- serat två spöklika väderkvarnar tar du höger, sen får du lyssna dig fram. Ljuden kommer från en liten lada och där inne sitter Calle Thoor och Oskar Erlandsson och skapar stor musik.
– Vi är kusiner, berättar Calle, och har varit bästa vänner sen födseln. Det är så skönt att bara vara två, det blir inte det där blodiga allvaret då.
Oskar är ölänning och Calle är från Alingsås men det är ladan på Öland som är centrum. – Det finns ingen ström där så man får dra en lång för- längningssladd från stugan bredvid. Föräldrarna i stugan står ut tack vare syrenhäcken som tar bort några decibel.
Båda behärskar alla tänkbara instrument och delar upp jobbet broderligt. Båda är skolade musiker på gymnasie- nivå men Calle menar att det inte gett honom så mycket. – Möjligtvis det att man lärt sig harmonilära och hur klanger fungerar men det vi gör strider helt mot dom nor- mer man får lära sig i skolan, hur en produktion och en låt bör vara. Det mest givande var ljudtekniklektionerna.
Från början körde de bara trummor och bas och de hade tänkt fortsätta på den vägen. Men Oskar kom över en gammal orgel och så köpte han en multieffektpedal. Det var på en gammal portastudio som den självutgivna EP:n Modulation Underground spelades in. – Det är så dålig akustik i ladan så man får dränka allt i reverb och effekter.
Modulation Underground är stundtals ett ljudbad, men där finns också ekon av Manchesterpop och psyke- delian ligger som ett filter över allt. Men mest är det deras alldeles egna öländskt vemodiga musik. – Det är så isolerat på Öland, där finns mycket inspira- tion att hämta. Alla låtar är förankrade där. Låten The Walk handlar om att gå på bygatan i Svarteberga och tänka på dåvarande flickvännen. Det öländska soundet skulle kunna bli en spin off på det isländska soundet. På Island tror de fortfarande på älvor och sånt och på Öland finns det häxor och det bara kryllar av gamla borgar och fornminnen.
De är perfektionister ut i fingerspetsarna men är på god väg att få till en fullängdare. – Jag tror det kommer bli så att vi utökar ljudbilden tills vi kommer till den gräns där det bara blir för stort och då tar vi ner det till fyrkanalsnivån och börjar om från scratch igen.

Droyma - Sólarmyrking

Our side project Droyma's debut EP, Sólarmyrking, is now avaliable for streaming/download on Spotify.

Droyma - Sólarmyrking

Weekly Update Vol.3

Dear all,

A part from being dumbstruck by the artwork for the new Spiritualized album (it's a stroke of genius, innit?), we've been busy with getting some buzz around Isles. It's harder than one might expect to get your message/gospel/whatever across in all that digital, white noise.

We've also started working on a minor something to celebrate the fact that is ten years since we started working on our debut 7" - Modulation Underground EP. It's all rather mindboggeling when you put things in perspective; we were seventeen (turning eighteen) years old when we released MUEP back in 2002. We hadn't got a clue about anything, but we managed to get it out in the universe after much ado.
Don't know when said project will see the light of day, but be rest assured that you'll find out well before it does.

Guess that is all for now. Until next time - take care!

Bless

Promo

Feel free to spread the word!

The Shetland Diaries - Part 3

For more or less fragmentary, chronological notes on the last couple of days, check our twitter feed.
Without saying too much, we've planned to new projects for 2012 and 2013 as well as a few neat things for Isles. Be rest assured, you will be posted on the matter.

Here are some photos from our beloved Shetlands. WE WILL COME BACK!!!

The Shetland Diaries - Part 2

Like yesterday, we spent most day on foot and walked around Lerwick. The weather was pretty drizzly and windy, but lovely nonetheless. We managed to find our way to the local leisure centre with swimming pool and all. Good times, good times - except for Calle falling flat on some slippery stairs. No holiday without some bruises we suppose.

We got some nice footage of the roaring sea and some really nice waves bashing the shoreline.

Tomorrow we'll be exploring Scalloway and later on Bressay.

Until then,

Bless!

The Shetland Diaries - Part 1

Hello, Lerwick calling.

After some minor hiccups, four airports and then some we finally arrived safe and sound in Lerwick last night. It's even more beautiful and epic than we ever could have imagined. So far, we've encountered the local music scene (at The Lounge - weeiiiiird bass lines) and walked about in the hills just south of town.

Haven't started talking about the pre-prod of our next project just yet. Might wait until we reach Da Skerries.

That's all far now.

Bless,
Bolywool

Weekly Update Vol.2

Dear all,

Öland is pretty snowy at the moment. Nice though with a bit of snow, covering the ground like a veil or something. Sleazy allegories aside, we've spent most of our Bolywool allotted time with bothering journalists/editors/bloggers with promo material and whatnot. If you have a blog or know someone who'd like to write a piece on Isles or the current state of art or whatever, drop us a line at thesea (at) bolywool.net and we'll sort you out with promo material.

That would be all for now. As you all probably know by this point, we're off the Shetland next week. Just realised that they've got otters there. Cute otters mind you.

Bless,
Bolywool

Waking up at Whalsay (Shetland Islands)

Nostalgia Pt.1

Intro: The Shetland Diaries

Oh yeah, forgot one thing: we'll be writing a diary of sorts when we're one the fair Shetlands in mid-February. Thoughts, ales tasted, photos, etc. Sounds pretty neat, huh?

Weekly update

Halló allir,

Nothing much going on at the moment except shipping off the album to various digital distribution partners and such. Our main concern is that the album might not be on Spotify on the day of release, but be rest assured that we are working on it. It such a hassle but it'll be worth it in the end.

What else? We've started demoing new stuff whilst we're at it. Sounds good for sure.  


As for live stuff, we've sort decided that we're only going to be semi-proactive on that matter as it's always been a rather frustrating thing in the past (getting gigs that is). But we hope to play the odd one or two shows this year, at least.


That's all for now.


Bless,
Bolywool

Thumbs up

Current awesomeness

Khonnor - Handwriting
Dreamend - And the tears washed me away, wave after cowardly wave. 
Spritualized - RAH Bootleg 2011

Oh, almost forgot - we really need your help to spread the word about Isles. Our budget for promotion equals nil and we simply cannot afford any ads or whatnot. So, if you like what we do, when the time comes - please retweet, reblog (or blog) about it. Or, if you feel like it, shout it from the rooftops.

Love,
Bolywool

Progress update

As we mentioned on Twitter, the artwork is done and the master is simply stunning. Hans really turned our lo-fi pumpkin into a cultural artefact fit for a fancy party.

Nowhere (Demo)

This track was part of our live set for almost two years before it got the axe. We might do a proper recording some day, but until then - enjoy.

   Bolywool - Nowhere (Demo) by Studio Thóórshavn

Keep Us Like a Daydream

Someone did a video (of sorts)...

Isles is released March 31st

If you, by any chance, are wondering why we are releasing it on that specific day, it's because it's the national day of the United States Virgin Islands. We just had to be so darn special, didn't we.

In other news, we're shipping said album off to mastering tonight. Hans Olsson Brookes will work his magic with the songs and make them sound even more awesome.  Work with the artwork is going slowly forward after this week's revelation that we lost all the photo Anna took with her vintage Hassleblad. Be rest assured that we've got more photo-genius aces up our sleeves. We're well sorted in that department.

Furthermore, we've started planning the pre-production for our next sonic endeavour. It'll probably follow the sound of Isles pretty much with a few major/minor changes.

4 Songs done

... 6 to go.

Recording at Havnar Kirkja