The third full-length from VACATIONER, Mindset is built on delicate
melodies and crystalline rhythms that seem to alter the very texture
of the world around you. Ornately composed but breezy in energy,
VACATIONER’s warm-hearted dream-pop perfectly mirrors frontman Ken
Vasoli’s intentions in making the album. “The objective was to
write songs that remind me how my brain needs to operate for my own
wellbeing and happiness,” Vasoli says. “That’s where the title
comes from—the record’s filled with all these reminders that put
me in a good mindset for the day.”Despite its often-euphoric effect,
Mindset began in frustration for Vasoli. After countless false starts
on the follow-up to 2014’s Relief, the Philadelphia-based musician
decided to completely upend his creative approach. While
Vacationer’s previous albums came to life in close collaboration
with fellow members Matthew Young and Grant Wheeler, Vasoli shifted
his focus from songwriting to production and worked entirely on his
own for months on end. During that time, he immersed himself in
exploring the nuances of Ableton and analyzing the construction of
beloved albums by artists like the Beach Boys, Barry White, and Curtis
Mayfield.
“Those albums feel like the magic moments that I’m always chasing
after in my own music,” says Vasoli, who co-founded Vacationer in
2010. “It’s such an unbelievable display of production and
composition happening at the same time, and it inspired me to keep
that integrity of ’60s and ’70s record-making while using the
technology that I’d been studying.”
With his love for making music reignited, Vasoli locked in his vision
for Mindset upon penning a song called “Entrance”: a lush and
luminous track that opens the album with swirling harp arpeggios and
shimmering synth. On “Magnetism,” Vacationer maintains that dreamy
mood and reveals the band’s newly embraced experimental
sensibilities with its gently dizzying arrangement. Described by
Vasoli as “a love record in every sense of the word,” Mindset also
delivers a valentine to his dog Waldo with “Strawberry Blonde,” an
uptempo serenade infused with sweetly guileless storytelling. And on
the sublimely hazy “Being Here,” Vacationer matches flashes of
psychedelia with softly instructive lyrics capturing the message at
the heart of the album (“Seeing the trees for the leaves/And all the
grass for the weeds/Going to sleep for the dreams”).
When it came time to sculpt Mindset’s elaborate yet unfussy
soundscape, Vacationer paired up with producer Daniel Schlett
(selected for his ambitious and masterful work on Ghostface Killah’s
36 Seasons). “I was talking to Daniel about that Ghostface record
and how I couldn’t believe there were no samples on it, and he just
looked me and said, ‘Oh—you wanna use the studio as an MPC,’”
recalls Vasoli, referring to MPCs as “the classic stand-alone
sampler and gold standard in beat-making.” Working at Schlett’s
Brooklyn studio Strange Weather, Vacationer enlisted a cadre of
world-class musicians to offer their interpretations of Vasoli’s
demos. “I can only imagine how it felt for Brian Wilson to make Pet
Sounds, and I’m not comparing the experiences at all, but I got a
taste for what it’s like to see your ideas played out by people with
some amazing abilities,” Vasoli says. Once they’d completed those
recordings, Vasoli and Schlett assembled the album by merging elements
of the live performances with the electronically crafted material from
Vasoli’s home studio. “We dismantled everything, then chose what
we wanted to use from different sessions,” says Vasoli. “We had a
total blast sampling the players, sampling ourselves, and deciding
what to leave raw.”
At the end of the years-long process of creating Mindset, Vasoli found
himself more self-assured in his artistry. “I used to always feel
like I was in over my head, but now I feel so much more empowered to
take my ideas and get them down on tape in a way that’s true to what
I hear in my mind,” he says. Not only key in shaping the album’s
distinct and elegant sound, that sense of self-possession ultimately
reflects the essence of Mindset. “A lot of this record is about
experiencing things as they happen, and not giving into the pressure
of anxiety and depression—especially since those things are so easy
to creep up on you,” says Vasoli. “That was a big struggle for me
to get out of in the early stages of this album, but then the music I
was working on ended up being my solution. My hope is that it works
the same way for anyone who hears it.”
FOOD AND DRINK
Looking for a bite to eat during the show? Check out ARDMORE MUSIC
HALL’s amazing NEW 2020 MENU!
Prefer to eat ahead of time? Make a reservation in advance with our
sister restaurant RIPPLEWOOD WHISKEY & CRAFT and enjoy their 3-Bell
reviewed menu! http://ripplewoodbar.com/reservations/
[http://ripplewoodbar.com/reservations/]
Vacationer
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08/06/2020 Last update