In a 2020 year overflowing with quality Stoner/Doom/Psychedelic/Sludge releases, Elephant Tree made a strong case for top of the crop with their 3rd LP, Habits. The London band has steadily raised interest since their inception in 2013, taking a leap forward with each of their release. While not a unique formula, their use of contrast between low-end driven grooves and ethereal synths and vocals is extremely effective.
They capped off last year with the December release of Day Of Doom Live, available through these platforms. The record is part of a Magnetic Eye Records four part live series, alongside Domkraft, Summoner and Horsehunter and recorded in November 2019 at Brooklyn’s Saint Vitus Bar, to celebrate Magnetic Eye’s first decade.
Visit elephanttree.band for all the latest!
Your favorite music – Answers by Peter Holland (bass)
Name five songs that you consider “perfect songs” and explain why or what they mean to you.
LAZARUS BLACKSTAR – Revelation 1: Day Of Reckoning
Starts off with a drum beat that I just wanted to figure out, then a weird time changing riff comes in, followed by screeching vocals. It builds and builds, falls apart, then builds again. I didn’t realize you could write music like that. Can listen to them on repeat if I was in a coma.
RADIOHEAD – Pyramid Song
Just sounds so calm and still, but feels like something is off. Timing feels like it’s all over the place, but the beat keeps it smooth and together. Layers and layers of strange and twisted sounds push it forward, adding to the chaos and beauty of it.
OL’ DIRTY BASTARD – Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Instant love for a simple piano sample, followed by the smooth bass and drums. ODB is a wicked mumble rapper who flits and floats around with rhythms and singing on and off the beat. This is just a playful track that I’ll always find something new in it even though I’ve heard it a thousand times before.
WHORES – I Have A Prepared Statement
The production, pace and weight of this track are just huge, on that near brink of dying sound. It’s a song that just makes me snarl, and then the chords build and lift at the mid point, you feel it’s over, and it comes right back again. Just fills me with energy.
THE PRODIGY – Warriors Dance
Slow build to begin, but when that beat kicks in, it takes me back to the first time I heard The Prodigy. This is the ultimate Prodigy track for me, that piercing tambourine sound, the samples, the chilled middle/intro recall, build and release again. Just magic.
Which music genre do you listen to the most? List your five favorite albums in that genre.
Stoner/Doom/Sludge
1. WEEDEATER – Sixteen Tons
2. WHORES – Gold
3. EYEHATEGOD – Southern Discomfort
4. WINDHAND – Soma
5. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE – Songs For The Deaf
Your five favorite vocalists of all time? Name one song that best exemplifies what makes them great.
1. CHRIS CORNELL. His tone, range, delivery are all just outstanding. SOUNDGARDEN – Slaves & Bulldozers, when he lifts it right up at the start of that chorus. Holy shit, son!
2. OZZY OSBOURNE. Piercing nasal tones that just cut through, he can sing so high, and he probably was. Singing “Ozzy” in a Sabbath cover band myself, I just have more respect for how he’d hit those notes. Can be anything, so I’ll just say BLACK SABBATH – Symptom Of The Universe.
3. CHINO MORENO. Does a wicked job of screaming/screeching, but can bring it all back to having a smooth singing voice. Has a style of singing the notes that aren’t obvious to go with the riffs, but that’s what makes him great. DEFTONES – Teething.
4. BETH GIBBONS. Smooth and haunting, with some kind of cool 50’s vibe about it. Can be cutting or soft at a drop of a needle. PORTISHEAD – All Mine.
5. DAVE COLLINS. Not the most heavenly of voices, but cutting and growling with character. You can tell it’s him, and a wicked live man to watch too. WEEDEATER – Wanted.
What’s the album you’ve listened to the most in your life? Do you still listen to it?
MASSIVE ATTACK – Mezzanine. This album was released when I was 19/20, I’d been listening to heavy music for a good 4 or 5 years already, but this album came out and I was blown away by how natural and beautiful it was. The production is amazing, but I didn’t think about that kind of thing when I was that age, I liked the feel of it. Can be played when getting ready to go out, driving, chilling out, or getting busy. I have it on cd still, and will have it on now and then like it’s a comfort to still have it there.
What are some of your favorite song lyrics? Lyrics that have been important to you or that had an impact on you?
I’ve never really actually listened to lyrics that much, I generally dig the vibe of the music and sound of it all.
SOUNDGARDEN – 4th Of July. “Down in the hole Jesus tries to crack a smile”
BLACK SABBATH – There are far too many to choose from. Their lyrics tell stories of war, love, peace, light and dark.
LAZARUS BLACKSTAR – Revelation 1: Day Of Reckoning “Oh how I wish I could”
WHORES – I Have A Prepared Statement. “I’m finally alive!”
BEASTIE BOYS – Intergalactic “I like my sugar with coffee and cream”
RADIOHEAD – Pyramid Song. “All my lovers were there with me, all my past and future”
Do you have an absolute all time favorite band or musical artist? What makes them so special to you?
LIAM HOWLETT – THE PRODIGY. When Charlie was released back in August ’91, I was a 12 year old boy who hadn’t heard anything like it before. Heard it on the radio and tv, and it just blew my tiny mind that you could do that kind of thing with music. The beats and samples he uses are just amazing. Layers and layers that come in and go out, weave into the tracks, but then he adds little tunes and catchy hooks that drive everything along, or strip it back. The grooves that come along with what he creates will always get me nodding my head or having a bit of a wriggle.
What are your ten favourite albums of all time (all genres)? Name a standout track on each of these albums.
1. PRODIGY – Experience. Weather Experience.
2. WU TANG CLAN – 36 Chambers. C.R.E.A.M.
3. ORBITAL – Insides. The Box, Part 2.
4. ROLLINS BAND – Weight. Disconnect.
5. SOUNDGARDEN – Superunknown. The Day I Tried To Live.
6. NIRVANA – Unplugged. The Man Who Sold The World.
7. SEPULTURA – Chaos A.D. Propaganda
8. CHARGER – Confessions Of Man. Pennies For Soil.
9. BEASTIE BOYS – Ill Communication. Sabotage.
10. BLACK SABBATH – Paranoid. Electric Funeral.
The Music that shaped you – Answers by John Slattery (synth, guitar)
Do you remember the first time music had an impact on you?
I’m struggling to pick out a definitive moment, but my earliest musical memories are from 1995-1999. You might say that it was a difficult time in music, however that wouldn’t really be true. Around The Fur by DEFTONES was released in ‘97, for example. What would be more true to say is that I was between 7 and 9 years old in the west of Ireland, and I was at the mercy of the charts and the radio. There was a show called ‘Top 30 Hits’ on TV that gave a weekly summary of the Irish charts. There was EIFFEL 65, AQUA and LOU BEGA. The one saving grace was that they used Freak On A Leash by KORN at the end of the show.
What were you listening to in elementary school? Then in high school? How much of that music is still a part of your playlists today? How have your musical tastes evolved since?
In 2000, I managed to get a copy of The Marshall Mathers LP which I listened to a lot. I managed to get my hands on The Black Album by METALLICA and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’s self-titled album. After hearing those, I set off learning guitar and through that was introduced to more of the conventional big names in Rock music – AUDIOSLAVE, LED ZEPPELIN, RHCP, NIRVANA. That would have been at the end of the Irish equivalent of “elementary school”.
Through secondary school (2004-2009), I delved a bit more into Rap and Hip-Hop (beyond EMINEM and COOLIO who topped the Irish charts in Nov ‘95) . A friend introduced me to RUN D.M.C’s Raising Hell and 2PAC’s All Eyes On Me. Around the same time, I also developed a bit of an interest in skateboarding. I had copies of Flip Skateboard’s ‘Sorry’ and ‘Yeah Right!’ (Note: click the links for related playlists) from Girl Skateboards. I really loved the music on these two films – THE STOOGES, THE VELVET UNDERGROUND, BOWIE, FATLIP & CHALI 2NA, NAS, DEATH IN VEGAS all featured. I also played a lot of Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 & 4 there was some great artists who I still listen to from time to time – AESOP ROCK, DEL THA FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN, N.W.A and SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
Besides those, I was really taken with Because Of The Times by KINGS OF LEON. I was not really a fan of the subsequent material. I think what I liked about it in particular was that so much of the music I had listened to by the time it came out was so ‘in your face’. When you look beyond the singles, some of the tracks had a sort of atmospheric feel (Knocked Up/The Runner/Arizona) that I just hadn’t encountered before in music. I think this, for me, set the stage for a later interest in Post-Rock bands like EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, MOGWAI and GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR. That and some great Irish Post Rock bands appeared like AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR, ADEBISI SHANK and BATS.
What beloved music do you share with your parents? Any specific memories?
As a family, we shared music mainly in the car. We took a few road trips around the west coast of Ireland to places like Connemara, Donegal and Achill Island for holidays. There was definitely tapes of Irish artists like THE HORSLIPS, RORY GALLAGHER (Live In Europe), CHRISTY MOORE and PLANXTY. I’ve listened to an unhealthy amount of Planxty in the past 2 years and I suspect the seeds for the obsession were sown in these trips. I’ve been seeking out a lot of Irish Folk and traditional music as a result so I probably share more taste with my parents now more than ever!
What are some of the most memorable shows you’ve ever seen? What makes them stand out?
I saw a band called MONOTONIX at Electric Picnic festival in Ireland in 2010 and they just played anywhere except on the stage. They were on the crowds shoulders, they were in the mud, they took their equipment and ran out of the tent at points. It was complete chaos and it was so far removed from the typical festival performance where the artist is behind the barriers and you are a punter miles away. It was completely immersive. They broke up the next year so it was nice to have caught it.
Some of the local shows that I witnessed back in Ireland as a young adult definitely stick in the mind. Friends of mine from home had a Math Rock band called C!TIES who were great and their last show in our hometown was chaotic and emotional. I was also lucky to see some of the early incarnations of what would evolve into RUSANGANO FAMILY around the same time and there was an undeniable sense that what they were doing was special. It was also just really good fun!
Too many great shows witnessed to name them all at ArcTanGent Festival but some of the most memorable were from AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR, THREE TRAPPED TIGERS, RUSSIAN CIRCLES, GYBE, ENEMIES, GALLOPS, HO99O9, CASPIAN and SHELLAC.
What are some of your all-time favorite music books and/or zines, documentaries, biopics?
I recall enjoying Everybody Loves Our Town by Mark Yarm and Please Kill Me by McNeil/McCain. They are a sort of history of Grunge and Punk derived from interviews with some of the people involved. Fun to read.
I’ve enjoyed This Ain’t No Disco which is available on YouTube – it has some interesting interviews and some great performances and is generally well put together!
What have you been listening to lately? – Answers by Sam Hart (drums)
What albums have been on heavy rotation lately?
I’ve just started spinning the new FUZZ album that came out this year, can’t say too much about it for now other than at first listen it’s a solid record. It’ll have to go through the shower test before it earns a place in the heavy rotation playlist though. Solid repeats that have featured on the aforementioned damp list have been some classic SMASHING PUMPKINS records (Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness) and the new RUFF MAJIK record The Devil’s Cattle and LOWRIDER’s Ode To IO. The Ruff Majik one is just solid throughout and just really gets the blood pumping when you need to focus. Lowrider released a new album this year, but I just can’t help getting sucked back into that classic. It was one of the first ‘non mainstream’ albums Jack showed me when we were starting out on the road that would become Elephant Tree, and that kind of nostalgia is hard to shake.
What are some up and coming artists that you would recommend?
I’ve not been listening to much live this year for obvious reasons and am generally quite bad at finding new stuff by myself so forgive me if some of these aren’t ‘up and coming’ anymore but:
RUFF MAJIK – We met this band of South African miscreants at Keep It Low and hit it off straight away. Unfortunately we were on at the same time so had to wait until Desertfest Belgium to get to see them and man are they good!
SLIFT – JB of Buffalo Studios put us onto these guys while we were recording there at the beginning of the year. I think Ummon had just been released and he showed us this video of them performing Ummon in a church. Needless to say we’ve all been hooked.
TUSKAR – Everything these boys do is just brilliant. Go see them live when you can!
Is there a band that you’ve discovered live recently that blew you away?
Actually yes. I’ve tended to lean on the old classics this year and stick with what I’ve already heard, but it seems at some point in the past I made a playlist and added some band I hadn’t heard of called TOTTY. I was probably a few sheets into the wind when I made it and couldn’t remember it at all so just stuck it on again. The track is called SIGH. Drunk me had picked out an absolute banger. I love the Garage Grunge vibe of that track and it also has these massive meaty guitars which just hit you like a dump truck full of syrup. They’re also Australian which is always a winner and from Wollongong which is fun to say. Win win.
What are you listening to right now, while answering these questions?
Actually ended up sticking on TOTTY again while writing that last one. I’ll list them out below so the readers can relive the experience vicariously.
1. Spit – FUZZ
2. Zero – SMASHING PUMPKINS
3. Who Bit The Moon – DAVID MAXIM MICIC (Don’t remember listening to this first time round either)
4. SIGH – TOTTY
5. Lucky – TOTTY
6. Fairies – TOTTY
7. Jolly Rodger – RUFF MAJIK
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