Buildings Breeding giving away LP 2

Chris Larsen admits that he never meant to start a band when he recorded as Buildings Breeding in 2006. The self-titled debut was really a “bunch of love letters Christapher Larsen made for Melanie Glover while she was overseas.” Any indie songwriter would be jealous of Larsen’s accidental debut… hitting CMJ’s top 200 chart and staying above the top 100 mark for over two months.

Buildings Breeding is treating the election blues on November 4 with a free download of their new album, LP 2. The thirteen tracks were recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone and their own home studios, produced by Aaron Prellwitz (Sun Kil Moon) and Chris Larsen handled the mastering.

Buildings Breeding - Lowest Light
You can download the entire album for free at buildingsbreeding.com.

We had the opportunity to ask Chris Larsen a few questions about LP 2…

Puddlegum: You recorded Buildings Breeding with very little pressure, and it surprised you when it gained attention. When you started working on LP 2, did you feel pressure to approach this album differently?

Chris Larsen: There was definitely no pressure going into it. We went into the studio totally optimistic, we felt we could make any record we wanted. Though, there was a strong sense that we needed to evolve musically. But to me that just meant play every instrument we could get our hands on. This was the first record made as a complete band, the songs started taking off in a different direction. The album was almost entirely cut live, opposed to the jigsaw, piece by piece method of S/T. It instantly transformed the band to a rougher Buildings Breeding. I started to wonder if we should just be making another “Self Titled”. I was way more fearful of changing than I was of staying the same. It took me a very long time to adjust, actually, I think that just happened today.

PG: What did you choose to track in your home studios verses at Tiny Telephone?

CL:We actually completed the record we set out to make at Tiny. We left there with 15 tracks. That record (A Great Divorce) was made for a label who tried to bed us at SXSW, who ultimately chose to pass. So we had decided that record, as a whole would be shelved. Instead we would hold on to the ones we were proud of and add some new songs we’d been working on. Those we chose to track at home very much in the lo-fi vein of S/T. “Look Up”, “True Heart”, “Flakes” and “Death On Tax Day” were written completely on the spot. Hit record, play some chords for so many measures, write lyrics, sing, add percussion, completed song. There is very little pressure working at home and money is always an issue. I would have really loved to keep tracking at Tiny. Aaron Prellwitz produced everything we did there, he is the 5th member of bb.

PG: There is a cohesion between the thirteen songs, yet they all have their own personality. How did you approach the songwriting to LP 2, compared to Buildings Breeding?

CL:The writing process always starts at home with an acoustic guitar. With S/T they kind of just stayed with that aesthetic. I felt the songs on S/T should all carry a classic or beach vibe. This record I tried to let it take its own shape. Not try and force it to be one way or another. S/T was basically a solo effort on my part and Lp2 is definitely a collaborative. Most of the songs were worked over at band practice but the foundations were almost always preconceived. Like the first record, we wrote over 24 songs and recorded them all. We didn’t judge them until they were complete. I really prefer that method, you are bound to get a record you’ll be happy with.

PG: What setup do you have in your home studio? (recording software, board, etc.)

CL:Due to budget we tend to use a lot of low/mid price equipment. Evan (lead guitar) has a Digi003 rack, some Art compressors/pre’s. Mic’s can vary from Shure SM57’s, Audio Tecnica condensors, a few random ribbon mics and a Senheiser 441-U. We record most of the foundation tracks at Evan’s studio, then I’ll take them home for over-dubs, vocals and mixing. My home set up is Pro-Tools Digi002 but we recently acquired a 8-track tape machine.

PG: The tracks in these songs are placed really well. Did Walsh do the mixing as well as the mastering?

CL: Half of the record was mixed by Aaron Prellwitz, I mixed the other half myself. I also was brought to master. We had originally planned to have TW Walsh do a remix of the entire record. Unfortunately, that never took place. I can say that if we find a label to release the record he will surely get to.

PG: Which song will be promoted to radio?

CL: Again, I can only see radio promo coming with a label to attached to the record. We will try and send it out to the stations we know would love to have it. How do you promo an album you can only download on MP3? To answer the question though, we have decided “History” would be a good start, seeing that “Emmawood” was S/T’s “hit”.

PG: Is the album up for free download on November 4 only, or will you keep it up on your site?

CL: We plan to keep it free until we physically have an album to sell. I just feel guilty selling MP3’s. I really wanted our friends not to have to wait any longer. It’s a gift for the album I promised last April that never came out. I would love to see end up on vinyl, a CD would be nice too.

PG: Any tour plans underway to support LP 2?

CL: We would love to tour everyday of the year, right now it is just not possible. We are trying to line-up a west-coast tour in January. It’s all very much up in the air right now. Know any good booking agents?

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