INTERVIEW: Russell Edling
Discussing Golden Apples' Excellent New Album 'Bananasugarfire'
Listening to Golden Apples’ latest album, Bananasugarfire, there is an overwhelming sense that something crucial has clicked into place.
This new collection of songs delivers on the promise of their previous releases—Shadowland (2021) and Golden Apples (2022)—but their musical, lyrical and sonic evolution is less of a progression and more of a cohesive leap forward.
Hooks and melodies play an important role but aren’t the center of attention in these indie rock landscapes built on fuzzed out guitars, deep grooves and haunted vocals. Feet will tap and heads will bob, no question, but the pop thrills are only the gateway into something deeper that demands our attention. (Fans of early Smashing Pumpkins, Yo La Tengo and My Bloody Valentine should take note.)
“What I liked about our record Shadowland was that, to me, it felt like an occupiable space. It felt very immersive. I wanted to revisit that sort of approach. I like it when music makes people wonder how it was made, or when instruments sound like foreign versions of themselves,” Golden Apples’ vocalist/guitarist Russell Edling told me in the interview below.
I caught up with Edling by email to discuss Bananasugarfire (Oct. 27, Lame-O Records), the inspiration for standout tracks like “Guard Stick,” “Waiting for a Cloud” and “Stuck,” and what they’re listening to in the tour van these days.
Russell Edling Interview
Congrats on the new album. Would you consider this a continuation of the band's development on 2022's Golden Apples, or does this feel like more of a departure?
Russell Edling: Thank you! Well, in a way I think it may be a bit of both. I think that the natural progression of this band is to attempt to make departures with each release. With this one I just wanted to try new stuff out; new instrumentation, new approaches to writing songs, etc.
The first song on the record was written and recorded in about 45 minutes, and the rough mix I did in my basement is basically what is on the record. I don’t think I would have tried that before, I am usually too precious.
Experimenting with programmed beats and working them into the songs was sort of new to me as well. I always start with electronic drums for the demos but then phase them out when we rerecord the ‘real’ versions, but for some of these I either kept them or added new ones on top of live drums.
My friends in music are also always inspiring me and making me want to keep pushing things. Listening to records like Delight in Eight by Eight (Mimi’s band) and Dazy’s Maximumblastsuperloud, Greg Mendez’s live record…so much good stuff. Gotta keep pushing!
There is a rich sonic landscape to this album. Is that the sound you were going for or did it take on a life of its own during the recording process?
Russell Edling: When I first heard My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless in high school, the person who shared it with me told me that it was ‘all guitars.’ I was blown away because so much of it sounded like synthesizers or even weird otherworldly samples, but I loved the lore that it was ‘all guitars.”’
Additionally, one of the most influential albums on me is The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, there is so much experimentation and layering, things are backwards or slowed down or collaged into place—recognizable instruments feel otherworldly.
I think the intention for Bananasugarfire was to make something inhabitable and I also think that each song informed how that process might play out.
This strikes me as an album that demands your full attention. If you got to choose where first-time Bananasugarfire listeners heard the album, what would you suggest?
Well, I think if a song is one that really demands attention, you have one of those ‘stopped in your tracks’ moments no matter where you are. The circumstances around you kind of evaporate and the song takes over. Like, you might be in the grocery store looking at orange juice and then ‘Seven Wonders’ by Fleetwood Mac comes on the intercom. In that moment its like…both a blessing and a crime that you’re standing there with Grovestand in hand when you really ought to be sliding around on the dance floor with Mimi. Hah, indulgent. But my point is that if you are a first time listener, you are already exactly where you need to be.
The songs "Guard Stick" and "Little Bronco" really transport me to the sonic landscape of '80s/'90s bands like Smashing Pumpkin, Yo La Tengo and even Pond. What's your relationship with music from that era?
Russell Edling: I think that music really defined a lot of how I look at the guitar, not only as an instrument but as a character. I think of bands like Nirvana, My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo, Stone Roses—there is a lot of aggression and angst in the guitar tones at times. Lots of modulation, chorus, flanger, etc. There is a psychedelic twinge often.
I love how that music often blended electronic elements like drum machines or samples. That stuff was just in the air when I was a kid. On the radio you’d hear ‘All Apologies’ and then ‘1979’ and then ‘Ray of Light’ all the time. ‘Steal My Sunshine’— come on. I didn’t really get into Yo La Tengo until I was in high school, but I loved The Beatles and Velvet Underground and they kind of immediately became my favorite band.
The first single from Bananasugarfire is "Waiting For A Cloud." Why was that the right track to introduce the new album?
Russell Edling: We were finishing recording that song, Mimi and I were in our basement and she was singing the ‘waiting for a cloud’ line at the end of it and I just remember listening back and looking at one another and being like ‘that’s gotta be the first single.’
It was encouraging to feel good about that song because it was one we had actually started to play out a bit, like on our little tour last year we played it live mostly every night, and I was maybe getting a little estranged from the path. Rediscovering it with Mimi was really special, I remember rewriting the lyrics of the choruses and feeling good. I wanted people to hear the first song from our new album and feel good.
I really love the darker groove of "Stuck" from later in the album. Can you tell me a little about how that one came together?
Russell Edling: Thanks! A lot of times these little chord progressions just kind of pop up out of nowhere if I am playing guitar. ‘Stuck’ was one that appeared and I think the phrasing of it felt a little unique to me and I wanted to dig into it more. The sound also had this angularity, kind of downward facing, it felt haunted to me.
The first demo of that song is just electric guitar with an insane amount of chorus on it. I was definitely going for some Nirvana sort of sounds, but I also wanted it to have a wayward spacey part in the middle. I remember Mimi added that lead guitar part at the end that reminded me of Pixies and I felt like, ‘Ah, there it is. The song is saved.’ Hah. I often feel like that when someone brings a part to a song.
Any plans to tour for the new album?
Russell Edling: We are playing a few shows on the east coast in November. We would LOVE to tour the whole damn world, but for now we will take what we can get! Love getting in the van.
If I jumped in the tour van with Golden Apples, what music would I be listening to?
Russell Edling: Well, right now I know that Wrong Way Up by John Cale and Brian Eno is in the tape deck. We have ‘The Sign’ single (with a few remixes I believe) by Ace of Base. We also have Nevermind in there and a few Sun Organ tapes.
Sometimes we listen to podcasts, too. Last time we played in Richmond we listened to the Otherworld podcast for most of the drive home. It was great—we would listen to an episode and then discuss our own theories afterward.
I love my friends, lol. Music is sick. Thanks a lot for your questions and for listening to the record.
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