The Philistines Jr Announce New Record, New Homebrewed Instrument Creates Extra Spice

On October 19, The Philistines Jr. return after a nine year hiatus with "If A Band Plays in the Woods…?" (Tarquin Records/EmBarque), a sharply clever, bittersweet record that teases wisdom out of everyday encounters with litterbug neighbors, unruly pets, and broken cable service.

Comprised of songwriter/producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol, Swell Season), his brother Tarquin, and Adam Pierce (Mice Parade), The Philistines Jr. are a band unafraid to tackle life's big questions. The refrain "Hey, hey, it's the end of the world, again" appears throughout the album’s 12 original tracks, but the context shifts each time. The result is a work with shades of melancholy that transform into hope, moments of despondence that blossom into optimism.

As with most Philistines Jr. albums, the music mixes rock instrumentation, vibraphone and glockenspiel, theremin, and electronic sounds including a half-broken sequencer, a cheap Casio keyboard, and a homebrewed instrument, the Dewanatron, here played by its co-inventor Leon Dewan. In keeping with the lyrical themes, the sound is quietly radical — listen to the subtle but epic shift from keyboards to guitars on the majestic "B." "When I appreciate things for being weird," says Peter, "they're not obviously weird."

So, why the long hiatus? “If you work on a record three days a year,” says Peter, “it takes about ten years.” During that time, Peter has produced and mixed some of the most important indie releases of the past decade by The National, Interpol, Jonsi (of Sigur Ros), The Swell Season, Tokyo Police Club, Frightened Rabbit, Mates of State, Fanfarlo, and others.

"One way to create new sounds is to create new instruments," says Peter Katis. "New sounds" barely begins to cover the Dewanatron, an astonishingly complex electronic instrument created and played by artists/inventors Brian and Leon Dewan.

Check out this clip of "A Trip Down The Rooster River" from Philistines Jr's new album, 'If A Band Plays in the Woods…?' (Tarquin Records/EmBarque) for a taste of the other-worldly Dewanatron in action. (click here!)

courtesy of Shore Fire.