The Clamor is a new project between Aaron Louis, Omer Leibovitz and Alan Douches, with their debut album out on March 17.
Today, Scene Point Blank is excited to unleash two tracks from the record ahead of time, "Nerve and Vein" and "She's in Static," two tracks that reflect a punk spirit with strong early/mid '80s elements that recall art-punk, New Wave and other independent-minded, adventurous yet accessible sounds.
“Nerve and Vein”
When you’re just smart enough to know that something or someone is dangerous for you, but you’re just reckless enough to keep doing it. That fight between control and abandon. - Aaron Louis
Aaron Louis is the project ringleader. Formerly a member of Dandelion Wine and current Audio/Visual Director of MoMA, where he produces a variety of live events.
Louis gives us some context:
I have spent so many years working in other mediums, film, theater, fiction, and working in the art world, that I wanted to return to my roots, where I feel most at home being creative. That’s music. Like a lot of people, I had a pretty wrecked childhood and the only thing that kept me sane was being a part of the insane punk rock community around me, and listening to and making music and I miss it more and more as I get older. The album is not me trying to recreate that atmosphere but a place to begin where I left off. Even if that just means having fun - like not being too precious, finding ways to be vulnerable, and embracing the collision of styles, all of which I hope you feel in this album.I like this moment in my life and feel like this album was a way to create a sort of sonic snapshot of what I've been thinking about and what's important to me. And thinking of how fast it goes. Like in Cardiac Soundtrack – I wondered what it was that the great Joe Strummer might have been listening to when he had his heart attack. "U-Roy? The Jay Tees?" What will I go out listening to? And what music can I leave behind?
I wrote all the music and brought the song demos to the producer, Omer Leibovitz, and he assembled a group of killer Brooklyn musicians (himself included), to get the full band sound that I wanted. And then he brought along the excellent engineer at Studio G, Jeff Berner, and with Alan Douches mastering I felt I couldn’t be in better hands. The album artwork was done by one of my favorite illustrators, Roxanna Bikadorroff. I first discovered her artwork on the cover of my favorite Flannery O'Connor books and I actually cold-called her and coaxed her out of “applied art” retirement with punk rock.
“She’s in Static”
Reflects on those frustrating moments before someone decides to exist in the world the way that feels right to them. Be that morally, physically, artistically, or all of the above. And then if you’re lucky, the freedom and empowerment that one can feel from finally doing so. And in many cases this isn’t solved by convincing yourself with some simple platitude like “just be yourself” because a lot of times, for instance coming out as gay, or trans which is mainly what the song talks about, can actually be dangerous. So it takes a tremendous amount of courage. So “She’s in Static” is about transition, and choosing what of your old self you want to take with you and what you want to leave behind. - Aaron Louis
