LIQUID SOUND COMPANY - Fluffy through the solar system

LIQUID SOUND COMPANY - Fluffig durch das Sonnensystem

Without a doubt, Liquid Sound Company were among the heroes of the international psychedelic scene at the turn of the millennium. After almost two decades without a regular new studio album, the band from Austin, Texas returns impressively with the new trip "Psychoactive Songs For The Psoul".

Singer/guitarist John Perez and drummer Jason Spradlin are the center of Liquid Sound Company and with the two albums "Exploring The Psychedelic" (1996) and "Inside The Acid Temple" they have earned their hero status. These albums are characterized by guitar licks with fabulous hooklines, some Oriental-Indian harmonies and a relaxed, hypnotic groove. 2011 saw the release of "Acid Music For Acid People", which however cannot be counted as a full-fledged studio album, as it consists of demos, outtakes and live recordings. The new "Psychoactive Songs For The Psoul" follows directly on from the two early works and catapults Liquid Sound Company back into the psychedelic scene. John Perez explains the album's trappings.

eclipsed: Welcome back to the psychedelic world. How does it feel?

John Perez: It feels great. The psychedelic consciousness is always a liberating and empowering feeling, especially when it's brought on by music. The cool thing is that Liquid Sound Company has been inactive all these years, but we've always stayed deep in the psychedelic world ourselves. So: it's great to be back with LSC. But we ourselves have never been away.

eclipsed: Your last regular studio album "Inside The Acid Temple" was 20 years ago. What happened in the meantime and why did it take so long?

Perez: Yes, that's true. LSC was a pure studio project until today. For many years I was involved with my epic doom metal band Solitude Aeturnus. That went on very intensely until 2012, after which I worked as a tour manager here in the States but also in Europe. Our drummer Jason Spradlin had other things on his plate as well. Along with our current bass player Mark Cook, he released several albums with the band Herd Of Instinct and played live often. Mark still plays with Herd Of Instinct and has a new album out right now. We have been following the psychedelic scene and alternative music all these years. So our interest in that music hasn't been lost. We've just been passive - until now. I believe that quality goes before quantity. And since we didn't play live, there was no need to release new material. But that has changed now.

eclipsed: What made you decide to record a new Liquid Sound Company album again?

Perez: This type of music has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. Jason and I, as well as the other current band members, are lifelong fans of psychedelic and freaky, weird sounds. I'm sure we'll remain that way until the end of our lives. The reason for getting back into it is simple: we want to create music that captures that psychedelic consciousness, and share that music with as many people as possible around the world. That's a big goal. I think music is a universal language that can connect cultures and people. Psychedelic music expands consciousness. It can entertain and sometimes enlighten. It's good for humanity. We want to make ourselves and others happy with our music and our visions. And even if it sounds a bit arrogant, I have to add that I personally really love our music and enjoy listening to it. If I walked into a record store and they were playing something by Liquid Sound Company, I would buy the record. How could I expect anyone to like our music if I didn't like it myself. We started working on the album at the end of 2019. Then came the COVID 19 break and then at the end of 2020 we finished the album. It still took a little while to get the album pressed. So now it's a 2021 release. The next album won't take that long.

eclipsed: Do you agree with me when I say that the song "Cosmic Liquid Love" is the hardest song you have recorded so far?

Perez: That's actually true. It's also the oldest song on the album. Jason and I wrote and arranged the song in a very short time. At first we were a little hesitant to use it because it sounds a bit like a riff I wrote for Solitude Aeturnus. I decided it didn't matter, that it might sound a bit harsh. Conversely, I've also often incorporated psychedelic elements into Solitude Aeturnus since its beginnings in 1987. "Cosmic Liquid Love" is an attempt to create a space rock song in five minutes. A lot of space rock songs stretch out indefinitely, which is also a great thing. I wanted to go in the opposite direction, though. I like this song. It's like a warm blanket that lets you fly through the solar system with fluffy, acid-tinged guitars. Nice and slow and gliding. Also, "And To Your Left ... Neptune" has some heaviness in it, with riffs I could have used for Solitude Aeturnus. But of course we didn't become a heavy metal band. But if heavy riffs make the mix more trippy, then we use them too ...

The complete interview is part of our online subscription, see https://www.eclipsed.de/de/abo

More about the band:

https://liquidsoundcompany.bandcamp.com/

https://de-de.facebook.com/liquidsoundcompany/