The Double - By C. Jones
wonderful accidents

It turns out that a serious finger cut (remedied at work) can be a crucial moment in the development of a band. Such an injury forced The Double’s drummer Jeff to spend some time far from the kit and closer to computers, samplers, and recording devices. We owe to that accident (and presumably other ones of which we are not aware) one of the best records of 2005, The Double’s “Loose in the Air.” This is a record that renovates, enriches, and already belongs to the NYC tradition of forward looking pop, in a family tree inhabited by figures like the Velvet Underground, Bryan Eno, Talking Heads, Arto Lindsay, Television, and Soul Coughing.

When I read about your injury story I wondered how much control we really have on our lives and destiny… Did the accident also force you to quit work for a while and allow you to spend more time doing music?
Yes, that’s exactly what it did. I suppose it was some sort of jolt to the system that gave us the impetus to explore new ideas with my new found leisure/convalescence time.

I find that the musicians who are the best at renovating their music are the ones who have the courage to change the way they approach it. You were basically forced to do so: do you think this helped your inspiration and stimulated your curiosity?
I think that beyond the particular incident you’re referring to, we all have a dislike for preciousness. There is no one that has music figured out in such a way that they can’t go further or in a new direction. I think that idea inspires us as much as anything.

How important is magic in music?
I think all artists are channeling on some level. Whether it is magic, I don’t know. But there is a place that a musician or band can go to, if they are good, that will make the hair stand up on you’re neck. We all know it when we see it. It can’t be taught, and it can’t be commanded. That place is the thing that makes music something different than a profession. And it’s why we’re all here, right?

What kind of stuff were you guys playing before this event? Is there any website where our readers can check out your pre-2000 material?
I’m not sure where the old stuff can be heard. It was different than we sound now: a guitar drums two-piece. I’d encourage people to seek it out if they want to hear it, rather than have me give a dumb description.

Track #7 (What Sound It Makes The Thunder) is now playing on my stereo – hey, that’s the first time I can tell there’s a clear influence at work, and it’s early Pavement. Did you guys start as a lo-fi combo?
We’ve always just worked with the means at hand. Actually, when we were a two-piece we scraped together the money to record in some nice studios with Geoff Turner and Michael Demming. Dave Portner recorded our last CD as a two-piece at his parents’ house. “Palm Fronds” has a more lo-fi sound because we wanted to explore and we couldn’t afford a studio for the necessary dicking around time we needed to figure things out. The new one is hi-fi I’d say. And, yes, we do like Pavement.

The Double’s sound is extremely complex but defined - mature and extremely original. How long did it take to develop it?
I think it’s just an ongoing process, and I’m sure we’ll never sound just like we sound now again. Moving on is just something we find interesting. When put together, though, all of our releases since the beginning do show a broader picture of how we’ve changed, I guess.

What is the band’s priority during the songwriting process? Is it the sounds, the songs, the harmony between elements? Has this priority shifted at all during the years?
It’s a big fucking whirlwind and it makes me want to hide under the covers sometimes. When the solutions to all those competing interests you mentioned are found, however, we usually all can feel it in the room. I think it’s always been this way for us

Are you guys a studio band or do you write mostly together in the rehearsal studio?
We can be either, I hope.

I find that samplers and computers are incredibly powerful creative instruments with the potential to kill inspiration and live performances. What’s the band’s relationship with them?
I find any instrument that is not modulated by a musician kind of unappealing as well. That whole magic thing you mentioned is hard to attain when the drummer is wearing big studio headphones and making a constipated stiff face so he doesn’t miss the click track and get off the sample timing. I use an old drum machine but it is always a live manipulated sound. It never sounds the same twice. Excepter is a band the bridges the technology/inspiration gap well.

How did you record “Loose in the Air?”
It was recorded in a nice studio, in the kind of old studio manner. We wanted to try our hand at a real rock record, or our version of it. Now we did, and I’m not sure if we’ll go back there or not.