No longer are rock bands confined to the standard five-piece format. It’s true that not every band can achieve ensemble success while still retaining a signature sound, but for a select few, the expanded creativity and complexity inherent in a large musical collective can be well worth whatever minor squabbles might arise.
Bobby Tamkin’s Los Angeles-based Xu Xu Fang perfectly illustrates that trend.
The band’s debut release, “Los Angeles During the Winter of ’99″ ““ an experimental concept narrative album that combines elements of radio drama, mystery theater and psych-rock ““ was released to strong critical acclaim in 2001, eventually culminating in an LA Weekly award for best album.
The band emerged back in 2001 after Tamkin recorded a set of songs by himself on an 8-track tape machine. Shortly afterward he found that his colleagues at the record store where he worked were keen to help him transfer the album to the live setting.
“Initially, there wasn’t going to be a live show because of the complexity of the album, but when I realized I could pretty much put a big band together, we went for it. It was a huge 13-piece band. My co-workers pretty much talked me into it, and I’m glad they did.”
While the band no longer has 13 members, the current seven-member collective is large enough to faithfully reinterpret the record’s symphonic spectral sound live. While Tamkin remains the lead songwriter, he describes working with the current lineup as an experience that is both liberating as well as constrictive.
“I like to layer tons of sounds on our recordings so when we play live we can really get that same thickness. Having so many musicians enables us to cover all of the parts. On the flip side, if we write something that is just, say, piano, vocals and bass, then some of us are sitting out. And, at the moment, the band is really great.”
The band’s first single “These Days” was a success for the band and was recently picked up by The CW’s hit show “Gossip Girl” ““ perhaps not so surprising given Tamkin’s background experience in soundtrack composition, but nonetheless an accolade warmly welcomed.
The song begins quietly before cavernous drums and reverberating guitars enter; as the instruments combine to form a fluctuating soundscape, a ghostly sounding voice enters, singing, “These days / Things are just OK.” The combination of the indifferent sentiment, the lingering melody and the flexuous backdrop is both unsettling and instantly memorable. The song signaled a new approach to Tamkin in terms of his songwriting.
“”˜These Days’ was the first song I wrote with a singer, melody, lyrics, etc. so, to some degree, it does have a defining element to it. However, songwriting is relatively new to me, so we’ll see what the future holds.”
But while Tamkin believes the songs present a somewhat more definable element in comparison to the band’s earlier recordings, he is not willing to define a direction for a band. Instead, he places greater importance on creating what feels right at the time.
“I don’t really like to repeat myself, and that is why Xu Xu Fang is what it is now, although there will always be sound effects, dialogue, etc. in every Xu Xu Fang release whether it’s a song-oriented album or more of a narrative style.”
Part of Xu Xu Fang’s appeal lies in this refusal to restrict its sound. Tamkin is interested in musique concrete, a form of music that emanated from the French composer and theorist Pierre Schaeffer, in which emphasis is placed on finding new sounds that aren’t traditionally regarded as music to create a new aesthetic. Likewise, Tamkin is interested in appropriating the defamiliarization of the nonmusical sounds of our daily reality, and combining this with the more melodic elements of the band’s recent songs to create a new sound.
“Reality-based sounds will always appear. I think the ultimate goal is to be able to combine songs and sound within the same context. We’ll see about that one,” Tamkin said. “We don’t have a specific direction. We are influenced by so many different styles of music that we just go with whatever spark is ignited and follow the trail. Our forthcoming CD, “˜Seven Days Now,’ has electronic elements, so there goes the psychedelic, shoe-gaze label.”
With the new album comes a new direction. It’s just another sign that for Xu Xu Fang and other large collectives, looking beyond the five-piece reveals a bright horizon of possibilities.