Vinca Minor's Matt Menovcik wakes up every morning in his Seattle apartment to Brian Eno's Music For Films CD. Often inspired by film, Menovcik adds to his treasure box such filmmakers and composers as Angelo Badalamenti and his work with David Lynch, as well as Blade Runner and the Vangelis soundtrack, whose influence can be heard on the upcoming Vinca Minor album, Isolation. Menovcik explains, "That's the thing I really like about film music – that building of a world. That is something I was definitely trying to achieve with this record. I really wanted to make a place where the listener could escape to and get lost in. Film is such a powerful medium with both the imagery and the sound, which is why I like scoring films." Like a traditional soundtrack, Isolation creates moods and textures with themes repeating throughout the pieces. Without the aid of visuals to accompany the music, Menovcik had to make the music itself as "visual" as possible, projecting his image through fat analog sounds and lush landscapes. Much like the namesake of the musical project, Vinca Minor, the songs resemble the less aggressive nature of the periwinkle plant: subtle beauty flowering solitary in the leaf axils, soaking in shimmering layers of ambiance. Characters representing, both people as well as moods, continue from song to song throughout the album. Like the linear progression of a film, the characters represent escape, the reason for escaping and the hope of what that will lead to. Explaining the process, Menovcik says, "I thought very hard about the placement of the pieces on the album, so that the story worked and made sense and there were emotions that had to follow other emotions." In "Holding Pattern", darkness folds into a downward spiral, rebounding into "Raindrop", where it creates the perception of being lost in a memory, while still remaining focused. Menovcik has additionally been involved in film scoring for the past several years, scoring a full-length, I Awake, as well as several shorts. He recently finished the Pacific Northwest Film Scoring Summer Intensive Program this past summer. He says, "After taking my film scoring intensive, I really must admit to John William's greatness. His has the gift of the irritatingly catchy theme with films like Indiana Jones and Star Wars. He also has the ability to draw back and be subtle and moving when the film calls for it which he showed in The Accidental Tourist." Through the project ROPE, INC., Menovcik contributed a track to the Daniel Johnston tribute record, I Killed The Monster, which also featured Sufjan Stevens, Mike Watt, and Dot Allison. He has performed around the US and abroad with his band Saeta, as the vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter, and the now defunct Ms. Led, as the bass player. Menovcik is currently working on a new ROPE, INC. album, preparing to write a dance piece with dancer Deborah Birrane, and gearing up for future travels and projects in the coming months. Vinca Minor's album, Isolation, is due out February 9, 2010. Latest News And Updates : Posted at vincaminormusic.tumblr.com Publicity National Contact Green Light Go Janelle Rogers Phone: 248.336.9696 Email: jrogers (at)greenlightgopublicity.com Join the Email List : |
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