[Music] The Kindness of Strangers

by Alex Slawson
Photo courtesy of American Analog Set
December 7, 2005

The music of The American Analog Set is like looking at a beautiful sunset. A serene melancholy pervades as their organic sound makes it seem as if they are playing right in your living room—enveloping the senses without overwhelming them.

Formed in spring 1995, The American Analog Set (AmAnSet) included three members from a previous “living room” band—Electric Company. With Andrew Kenny on vocals and guitars, Mark Smith on drums and Lisa Roschmann on keyboards, AmAnSet recruited Lee Gillespie to play bass. Soon after their inception, AmAnSet began recording “The Fun of Watching Fireworks” at their Fort Worth home using 8-track equipment—it was released in August 1996.

“Fireworks” received much critical acclaim upon its release and found AmAnSet compared to the highly hyped “drone-rock” of Stereolab and the “space-rock” of Spacemen 3. The album highlighted their slow-burning musical style, one where Kenny’s cyclical guitar riffs and lilting vocals synergize with the grooves of the Lee’s baseline, Roschmann’s farfisa keyboards and the brushed strokes of Mark’s drums.

Shortly after, AmAnSet began work on their next album, 1997’s “From Our Living Room to Yours.” Like its predecessor, “Living Room” was dreamy and subtle—the perfect “late night” album. Their third album release, 1999’s “The Golden Band,” perfected the groove established on the first two albums. Then, a shake-up in the band’s personnel came with Roschmann’s departure.

Tom Hoff joined as the new keyboardist in 2000, and Sean Ripple joined shortly thereafter as a guitarist and vibraphone player. A shift then began in the band’s sound, from the drone-rock of the previous three albums to a more “indie-pop” flavor that was still distinctly AmAnSet. In 2001, they unleashed what many consider their best album: “Know by Heart.”

They also released a six-track EP of remixes from the album entitled “Updates,” with remix appearances by Her Space Holiday and Styrofoam. During this time, Kenny decided he wanted to pursue a PhD in Biochemistry at Columbia University. However, work on their fifth album, 2003’s “Promise of Love,” had already begun before Kenny moved to New York.

Just before the 2003 summer release “Love,” Kenny found that his calling was to make music and so he decided to leave graduate school in the hopes of making the best AmAnSet album ever.

In 2004, work began on what would become their sixth proper album, “Set Free.” They began recording at home studios in Fort Worth and then Austin, all the while touring and perfecting their craft.

Then, their home studios in Texas were no longer available, leaving AmAnSet with an album that was almost complete but not quite. Chris Michaels of Living Better Electrically offered his recording studio, and work commenced at The Laboratory in Jackson during the summer of 2004. “Set Free” was completed at Kenny’s home in January 2005.

“Set Free” reveals the band at their prime, with elements of earlier AmAnSet blending perfectly with their newer indie-pop sound. In support of “Set Free,” AmAnSet have played Europe and are currently touring the U.S. in what is purported to be their last “major” tour.

I spoke with Kenny on the phone about the band, their sound and their future.

How is the tour going so far?

It has been the best one so far. We set up the dates so that we play for two weeks and then take a week off. I think we have been smart about it, since we aren’t touring continuously for two or three months. We haven’t toured in a while, so it has been really cool.

There has been some confusion as to whether the band will break up after this tour. You have confirmed this is not the case. What are your immediate plans after the tour?

Well, after the tour, I am probably going home to the family. We will be working on a new singles compilation in 2006, since we have a lot of recorded material that we would like to release. I am probably coming back to Jackson in the spring to work with Chris Michaels on this. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we release our next album of new songs.

The band is scattered across the country—New York, Chicago and Austin. How do you think this influenced the outcome of the album as a whole?

I think it was actually a great thing because we had to be very patient to make this album, and it is the best thing we have ever done. As far as the many studios and the Jackson switch, it came out of necessity. Whenever we would set up a new home studio, the songs would get better. So by the time we made it to The Lab in Jackson, it allowed for improvements in the songs we had already written. We began recording after our tour with The Album Leaf. Then we toured with Pinback, came back and recorded again. All along, we were improving the songs. Unlike the previous records, this allowed us to make the songs better before we actually released them. We spent a little longer in Jackson. I wish we had actually thought to do this earlier—recording in many different studios—because I am very happy with the new record.

Would you say that “Set Free” bridges the sound of early AmAnSet with your more recent recordings?

These elements come from different angles. “Set Free” is the third act of a play, so to speak. “Know by Heart” and “Promise of Love” started the story, and “Set Free” was created to finish the story. Musically, it was made to be a more fully realized version of “Know by Heart” and “Promise of Love.” There are things I wish I could do again. In the past, there were recording projects and then, as we toured, the songs got better. With this album, we took the time up front, and it shows. I think the similarity with “The Golden Band” is that it was written and recorded after our first big tour. We figured out what we were. We became a real band. “The Golden Band” was the first album where we sounded like “us.” When I decided to leave grad school, I realized we hadn’t made an album that was a scrapbook of what we wanted to sound like—we hadn’t popped that wheelie. This album bridges a gap. It highlights what our band is good at. It took a couple of records after “Know By Heart” to realize our sound after the change in line-up.

A twist of fate brought you to record a lot of the album here in Jackson at the Laboratory. How did this come to be?

Well, it was really a couple of things. In April 2004, we were just beginning to record the new record. When we were coming back through Jackson, we stayed at the studio. Chris did not have any gear, yet. I said, “You know what, I like the vibe of this house.” Over the summer, Chris said that we were welcome to come back and record. I said, “Yeah that sounds awesome.” We had never had the help of an engineer before this album, and Chris was the key. I thought, “Why not let someone put their creative stamp on it?” So for two weeks in September 2004, I came to Jackson to work with Chris. We took two more weeks in October, November and December to come back here and work on the album, even for stuff we could have done at home. It just sounded better at The Lab. We recorded extended versions of songs and, overall, had a lot more material from which to choose. More of what we wanted got to go on the new album.

How did you meet Chris Michaels?

I met him when he was playing with Furry Things in Austin; we always had a rapport. After we played a show with Furry Things, I realized he wasn’t a knucklehead, so I have stayed in touch with him. He is a great guy!

Do you foresee any future collaborations with him?

For sure, on the next album. Absolutely, he is the only choice as far as recording—the only person who understands the band and our sound. He has been our sound person on the U.S. part of this tour, and they are the best shows we have ever had. I’ve never heard us sound so good.

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