J.B. & LAUREL HORRELL OF AQUARIAN BLOOD
Memphis, Tennessee duo J.B. and Laurel Horrell are Aquarian Blood. An evolving outfit steadily producing records since 2015 who have gradually morphed from their early chaotic firebrand punk roots into a driving force in the folk-psych, weirder country music scene.
Having extended upon their 2019 critically acclaimed album A Love That Leads to War (ALTLTW), their latest offering Bending The Golden Hour takes its name from the moment that exists in the artistic realm between channelling an emotional state, wrestling it into a tangible quality and crafting it into sonic entity before laying it down on tape. A notion that is easily understandable once explained but a fundamental one for the underlying and deeper processes at work when it comes to the essence of how the band operate and the creative approach J.B. and Laurel take when producing their work.
The concept of writing and recording each track individually is a key feature in understanding how the pair make their music. As the Horrell’s sagely remark “writing and recording becomes more intuitive and less deliberate after you do it long enough and that’s where we’ve found ourselves the past few years. We usually start with a melody and/or a guitar part and work from there. We add and subtract other elements based on what feels right and also what other collaborators on the track bring to the table. Sometimes the lyrics influence what the track needs or if a certain riff or motif emerges as we add stuff then we might focus in on that; but really we just don’t think too much about any of that till it starts to feel done then we can kinda see where we’re at and if it needs anything added or subtracted.”
This comment rings true for the eclectic psychedelic desert trip song off the album ‘Waited’. In particular due to it’s wondering sonic nature, evidence of the musical skill that one would expect from an outfit who have honed their skills over many years. “These tunes are a continuation of the natural sonic palette that came so naturally on ALTLTW and is a result of experimentation, inspiration, and the fun in trying things we hadn’t done before.” In a sign of that exploration and taking a broader approach to writing and recording for the album, it “feels good to slow down and check out the scenery and really examine some of the quiet corners we used to blow past.”
The record is riddled with little gems throughout such as ‘Bending Time’ which centres around switching modes from worker by day and artist by night and ‘Boredom Hours’ which explores the feeling after a tune is created. Yet in terms of the deliberate sequential flow between tracks on the album “it’s unintentional as any given song is probably mostly a reflection of whatever went into making it as far as the emotion, inspiration, motivation etc.” Reiterating the approach that individual tracks are just that. Specific, unique and standalone pieces that are all mini works of art and find themselves on the record because they are the best offerings.
This was highlighted by the fact that the pair amassed a collection of 43 songs for the record with only 17 making the final cut. The process of whittling these down to but a select few became the responsibility of Goner Records co-owner Zac Ives. “Since we started in this sonic direction before the last record, Zac’s encouraged us every step of the way. He booked our first show presenting this material back in 2018. He’s an essential part of the equation in these records. We did it this way on ALTLTW and were happy with the result so the fact that we took the same approach in giving him tunes to pick and sequence again, we felt confident in the end result before we knew what it would be. Because of our own connection to the songs it’s impossible to guess what someone else might choose and how the sequence would run. We don’t turn anything over that we wouldn’t be comfortable having on a record so it’s interesting to hear the songs that were selected and the running order he picks. It’s not something I would have been comfortable with in the past and most of my friends who make records wouldn’t wanna do it that way; and I totally get that. But when we focus on making songs instead of making records we believe that we get better results and the writing and recording come more naturally. I learned somewhere along the way that it can be very empowering to give up some degree of control over things that aren’t my strong suit and sequencing records is one of them. There’s an art to sequencing records and it’s not a form I excel at so I prefer to leave it up to someone I trust. Not that we’ll never have a song cycle that might sequence itself or some such but right now this arrangement feels right. Props to Zac for getting through all of it and coming up with a killer album.”
Having microscopic songs embedded in the macroscopic album is as if the completed work is looking back upon itself and it’s constitute parts. When this critique of the record is floated to the pair, the idea triggers the Horrell’s to recall a conversation they once heard about the deep artistic question “Does art come from us or through us?” to which this one cat said “It comes from us and through us. We are the universe experiencing itself subjectively, so it’s the universe speaking through us like we are speaking to the universe manifesting itself into reality.” Taking a self-imposed breather whilst pondering such an epic thought the Horrell’s state “gotta sit with that a minute.”
All this isn’t to say that they don’t have a lot of help and some damn fine talent at their disposal. There were a great many musicians on the record including: Coltrane Duckworth (Crystal Shrine), Jesse Davis (Model Zero), Keith Cooper (Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks), and Graham Winchester (Cassette Deck, the Turnstyles, the Sheiks). As the Horell’s graciously compliment them by saying “these are all top-notch shredders, outstanding musicians each and every one of em. They’re on the record cuz we have a mutual appreciation for each other’s style and approach and they each bring something unique to their contributions. Their contributions influence the shape of the record through their ideas, skill, and unique individual musical presence. We don’t show them what to play cuz 1. The whole point is to expand on what we alone can do 2. The spirit of collaboration 3. They can all outplay me. Now I may indicate a feeling or approach but mostly they’re aware of that by the time they play on the track and play their parts quickly and effortlessly.”
Not unfamiliar with performing in bands themselves with J.B. performing in Ex-Cult and Laurel formerly of the Nots, it is interesting to note what they have gleamed from their previous outfits and how that musicality translates into Aquarian Blood. “Every new experience when you start out in bands is a learning experience and if you’re paying attention, the cumulative effect is to make every future endeavour fit more to your liking and to know the do’s and dont’s - what works and what doesn’t. Every experience builds on another and something we both learned is the more time you spend on it, the more desirable the results. If it’s something you’re naturally inclined to do then it’s pretty easy as long as you have the right folks around.” This being said not all experiences are immediately positive as “people have said really nice things that have been encouraging and motivating and also said really negative things that have been encouraging and motivating.” The kind of backhanded compliment that makes one strive for the greatest result yet music is at the end of the day for the Horrell’s “a constructive place to put all this stuff instead of trying to binge drink and wish it all away when it gets to be too much. And also a place to put the beautiful things we never wanna forget.”
Musically gifted as the duo maybe, film clips on the other hand are something of a different nature. When asked about the cosmic clip for ‘Bolted and Embossed’ and in what ways the alien character of the piece ties in with the lyrical subject matter “That was an accident. There was no storyboard or concept for the video before we started shooting it. I learned more about the song making the video than I did writing it. I had the alien mask for a couple weeks just for fun but when the single was scheduled for release and it was time for a video it was sorta bound to happen and I didn’t have any other ideas. I didn’t know how to end it cuz I’m super limited tech wise with video editing but the silver guitar rocket saved it and gave it a resolution in getting the alien back home.”
That DIY approach maybe a throwback to their earlier punk days but ultimately an ethos that has served the Horrell’s well. “Part of that is a result of the nature of the songs themselves but it’s also the result of being drawn to a less-is-more approach that we arrived at after years of steady heavy stuff. This record is clearly a departure from the sound of our first singles and LP. But prior to those releases we had a couple tapes out on Zap cassettes that indicate this direction in our sound. It’s a more acoustic based approach that still includes electric guitars, synth, and drum machines but is more sympathetic to the dynamics of the songs vs crank’n it to 11 on every track.”
Understanding ones strengths is equally as important as knowing ones limitations. Nothing could be truer with J.B and Laurel in terms of understanding the quality of work they produce, their approach in crafting their music and the dynamism between the two in birthing it. Yet by the same token, the pair are not afraid of identifying the boundaries of their comfort zone and hesitating to bring others into the fold. By harnessing the skill of fellow musicians, producers and industry colleagues, the humility of relinquishing control of certain aspects ultimately results in the Bending The Golden Hour being the beautiful, clever and technically savoy record that it is.
