Simian Life
Another Way Down/briefing
Simian Life came into being as a studio project for brothers and longtime Los Angeles psych veterans Andy Campanella (Chief Nowhere, Occult Wisdom) and Robert Campanella (BJM, The Quarter After). Inspired by intrepid acts mainly from the golden eras of yesteryear, the brothers, along with like-minded collaborators, seek to capture the sounds of wherever their muses may take them. Whether the song be mellower (à la Nick Drake or Roy Harper) or heavier (à la The Move or The Who), Simian Life puts an emphasis on instrumental and vocal texture in hopes of creating an atmosphere for going within or travelling throughout... or both. In making 'Another Way Down,' the brothers Campanella were joined by Misha Bullock on drums and vocals along with Gabriel Lazar on piano. In producing the track, they were inspired by the studio wizardry and experimentation that came out of the latter half of the 1960s, much as it did with 'Revolver'-era Beatles. For example, a Roland Space Echo tape delay and ADT (Artificial Double-Tracking) were applied to the vocals for an otherworldly vibe. Additionally, they used a recording technique known as varispeed on the guitar solo, which was purposely recorded at half-speed and an octave lower, thus giving it a frantic effect when sped up to song's actual tempo. The flip side, 'Briefing,' is an excerpt from a forthcoming Simian Life song that took on a life of its own. On it, Matt Cooker provided the cello, Isabel Escalante the violin, Garret Wayne Walters the saxophone, and Rishi Dhir of Elephant Stone the sublime sitar. Largely inspired by the lush, semi-orchestral soundtrack work from late '60s and early '70s Europe, this track layers a repeated string theme and solos by sitar and saxophone over a driving, rock backbeat.