Sudan to Brooklyn & Everywhere in Between

Welcome to the new Terrific Music Column, now penned by yours truly, Zach Pollakoff. In this, our first installment, Terrific takes Brooklyn’s own Ahmed Gallab, aka Sinkane, for a typical Williamsburg Sunday: record shopping and brunch.

I meet Ahmed at Academy Records in Williamsburg on a blustery Sunday–only days after winter has settled firmly in–and immediately begin on the “New Arrivals” bins of used records up front.

Though a permanent Gowanus resident, it’s rare to find Ahmed home long enough to get together for an interview. His life recently has been comprised of a string of world tours with a variety of different bands. A drummer for Yeasayer and Eleanor Friedberger’s solo project, Ahmed has also played with Caribou and Born Ruffians and is a former member of Of Montreal. However this month, Ahmed has a chance to regroup at home, work on his own project, Sinkane, and begin promoting his forthcoming album, Mars (release date TBD). More on that later. Read More

Girls Names

Welcome to Terrific’s music column, in which we pair our own questions about music with gently-repurposed items lifted from major fashion and style magazines.

Girls Names released their first full-length, Dead To Me, on Slumberland this past Spring.  The former two-piece is now firmly settled as a three-member group (Cathal Cully, Neil Brogan, and Claire Miskimmin).  No tour dates are on the books right now but keep your eyes out for their next spin through your town.

Q:  Could you give a brief explanation of how you began playing together?  You’re originally from Belfast–did the city affect your approach to music?  Places like Glasgow have a perceived “sound” but Belfast strikes me largely as a blank slate, at least in the US.

A:  A friend had a show booked and needed a support band so I semi-drunkenly volunteered my as yet unformed band and thought nothing more of it. I’d never played music before–I don’t know what I was thinking! Belfast affected us in that we wanted to keep ourselves to ourselves in town. Read More

Seapony

Welcome to Terrific’s music column, in which we pair our own questions about music with gently-repurposed items lifted from major fashion and style magazines. For this week’s interview, we’ve plundered the vaults at ’Teen and Elle Girl, and we’ve thrown in some Seventeen quiz questions as a special bonus.

Seapony is about to release its first full-length, Go With Me, on Hardly Art this May 31st.  The band consists of three members (Danny Rowland, Jen Weidl, and Ian Brewer) plus a brand-new live drummer.  They’ll be touring the west coast in May.

Q: Your official bio says your “ascent has been almost absurd in its rapidity.”  Does this feel true to you, and if so, what do you think you’ve done differently than other bands/how has it changed your approach to music and performing?

A: It’s just a little absurd. I hope that someday it will be more absurd.  As far as what we did differently, I think many bands start out performing, but we did not. Read More

Times New Viking

Welcome to the first installment of Terrific’s music column, in which we pair our own questions about music with gently-repurposed items lifted from major fashion and style magazines. For this week’s interview, we’ve plundered the online archives of GQ, which humbly claims to provide “definitive coverage of men’s style and culture.”

Times New Viking is about to release its fifth album, Dancer Equired, on Merge Records this April.  The band consists of three members (Jared Philips on guitar, Adam Elliott on drums, and Beth Murphy on keyboards) and will be touring Europe and the UK from now through the middle of May.

Q: The first single off Dancer Equired, “No Room to Live,” features a cleaner production than your prior efforts (Merge claims that the album “abandons the pissy histrionics of the past”).  Does this feel like a deliberate step for you or a natural evolution? Read More