richard in your mind - my volcano

[Rice is Nice : 2010]

Album of the Week is the fantastic outrageous and completely genre-defying new long player by Sydney band Richard In Your Mind. If you like anything that you might have heard from RIYM’s past recordings
we’re pretty sure you won’t be disappointed with 'My Volcano'. The 13 tracks jump all over the place as per Richard In Your Mind’s consistently inconsistent sound – from Nineties slacker rock, acoustic harmonica jams, neo-funk, laidback hip hop, and loose rock n roll. As you’ll see below in the conversation we had with Conrad from Richard In Your Mind, upon first listen our summation of 'My Volcano' was: Beck meets Ween meets White Album-era Beatles meets backyard harmonica jams. You can’t mess with that.

AoTW: How’s it hanging?

Conrad: Great! I had a really nice pie for lunch. Steak and cheese, with mash, peas and gravy. Since then the day has been looking up.

AoTW: Richard In My Mind – is Richard an egomaniac? Is he to Richard In Your Mind what Prince is to the New Power Generation?

Conrad: Rich is no egomaniac but he is a bit like Prince in other ways – he’s small, multi-talented and sexually devious.

AoTW: The new album is amazing. My initial reaction to it was: Beck meets Ween meets White Album era Beatles meets backyard harmonica jams. Thoughts?

Conrad: Wow thanks! That’s real nice, we love all those things. It was a fun album to make. Me, Rich and Brent were pretty much just gnardoggin’ in the brozone the whole time, havin’ a major roni.

AoTW: It’s impossible to pigeonhole the RIYM sound. How would you pitch it to someone who has never heard your tunes?

Conrad: Hmmm, yeah I guess it’s a tricky one coz we don’t just do one thing like a lot of bands. I guess whimsical psych pop or something. Maybe experimental pop? Oh I dunno.

AoTW: So there must be a pretty broad scope of musical influences. What kind of tunes/bands were you listening to when the songs were being written?

Conrad: Well the one’s you mentioned above for sure. One song is influenced by this guy called Paleface – he was an early antifolk singer around the time Beck was starting out. Martin Denny was a pretty big influence too – he does kind of psychedelic lounge music, they call it exotica I think.

AoTW: Your live shows are described by your label as “flamboyant”. Please elaborate with examples of your flamboyance.

Conrad: Oh that’s meant to say “flame-bouyant”. Onstage we have a bathtub with a miniture burning pirate ship in there. But it never sinks, it just keeps on burning.

AoTW: Richard In Your Mind is a band based in Sydney which has a pretty kicking music scene at the moment, tell me a bit about the community amongst Sydney bands.

Conrad: It’s great! It’s cool coz there are some bands that started out around the same time as us that we are friends with like Cloud Control and The Laurels and then there are new ones we love too like Kyu and We Say Bamboulee. I feel like it’s a bit friendlier than it used to be, less competitive, a bit more help each other out-ey.

AoTW: “I Will” sounds super George Harrison-ish. Who is your favourite Beatle – and why?

Conrad: Hmm, that’s tough coz I love them all. Even Paul. I used to hate Paul but now I’ve forgiven his naff stuff because he’s made so much awesome stuff. I guess Rich’s fav would probably be George. For me, I can’t really choose, probably John but then that’s so obvious I wanna say Ringo.

AoTW: I once read a description of the band that referred to your sound as “nerds who take acid”. Your sound does often get described as “psychedelic”. How 'Seventies' are you guys?

Conrad: We’re not very seventies at all. Except Brent coz he was born in the 70s. Hahaha suck eggs Griffo you old dickhead!!

AoTW: What are rehearsals like?

Conrad: Terrible. You have to practice and work on songs and stuff and spend time with these guys you don’t even like. Sometimes you have play the same song 3 or 4 times! It’s hell I tell you. Hell.

AoTW: How was recording the album? What the hell is it like working with SPOD? Is he crazy?

Conrad: It was great, we fucked around a lot, for about a year in fact. Then we got serious at the end and made it happen. Spod is a bit crazy, but I think Rich is even crazier so it worked out ok.

AoTW: What's coming up for Richard In Your Mind - shows? Collaborations? Exciting music videos? Babies? Etc.

Conrad: Yes! All those things! (except for maybe the babies) We’ve already started on the next album, seems like it’ll be a bit more dreamy and instrumental, and we still need to finish our cover album of ‘Please Please Me’ which we were gonna put out a while back but we never got round to it.

AoTW: Final question: I'm from Album Of The Week so right now what is your album of the week - it can be something old or new? What's on your stereo at the moment?

Conrad: We’ve been listening to both the new Tame Impala and the new Cloud Control albums. Both are excellent. The Tame Impala has such a nice chill vibe to it while the Cloud Control has such strong songwriting. Also we like making up our own lyrics to Cloud Control’s songs “Mumma Gumbo take me higher!!”

My Volcano out through Rice is Nice June 26


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