Review Fix Exclusive: Corbu’s Jonathan Graves Talks ‘Crayon Soul’ And More

Review Fix chats with Corbu’s Jonathan Graves, who discusses the band’s new album “Crayon Soul,” detailing the creative process for it, as well as their goals for the future.

Review Fix: How did the band get together?

Jonathan Graves: Amanda, Todd and I are all from Pittsburgh, but we met in New York. Todd and I played in a friend’s band, but Amanda had never played a note of music before joining Corbu. She was a friend of mine that always had good ideas for the songs, and when it was time to play live, I taught her how to play keys. That was only a few years ago, and now she plays a million things at one time and produces every track with me.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you?

Graves: Abe Seiferth, who recorded our album, said we make “modern psychedelic music.” He said most psych bands are referencing 60s and 70s stoner rock, but we’re drawing from classic Warp Records stuff like Aphex and Boards of Canada instead. “Psychedelic music that isn’t retro.” It’s the best description I’ve heard, so I’ll go with that.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Graves: I write a million sketches, whenever inspiration strikes, and try to get as much of the idea out as I can in the moment. It’s tough because I’ll hear 5 or 6 parts at once, and have to stop what I’m doing and get it all recorded before it goes away.

I’ll post those sketches somewhere, and we’ll live with them like a radio station. Over time, favorites emerge and we’ll add new sections or vocals. It’s fun to let them exist in the same embryonic state, and then have them “grow up” together. A group of songs will fuse together in our heads, and we’ll finish them as a whole. That’s how Crayon Soul and both of our EPs came together.

Review Fix: How important is it to you that this is an album and not a slew of singles?

Graves: It couldn’t be more important, honestly. The idea from day one  was to make a proper album like Dark Side of the Moon or In Rainbows, that flowed together as one piece.

My favorite albums are more like movies. I used to listen to music on my parents’ stereo, sitting in front of the TV with the screen off, staring into the spot between the speakers. It’s the same feeling as watching a movie, except the movie happens in your head. That’s the kind of record I wanted to make.

Review Fix: Regardless, what’s your standout song? How was it written?

Graves: Answering that is like choosing your favorite kid, but “Watchmaker” is probably the standout for us. I had a dream where I went to heaven and hell, even though I don’t believe in either. Hell was like being stranded in the middle of the woods, and that’s where the idea for this song came from.

The middle section was written when I had just moved into a new apartment, and a hurricane was approaching the city. I recorded the acoustic guitar in an empty room while the birds outside were freaking out, and you can hear them in that moment of the song.

I think it’s about finding your way out of chaos. There’s something I love about the ending, how the vocal melody constructs this geometric shape in my head. It’s like building a bridge to escape a fire.

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2016?

Graves: We’re going on our first big tour supporting Bloc Party in September, and then playing our first festival at Austin City Limits. We also really want to play in the UK/Europe before the year is over. The goal is to get out there and play the songs and the album for as many people as possible.

The recording process is pretty isolated, but playing live is about connecting with people. That’s what I want to focus on now.

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

Graves: I think anyone who makes music wants it to soundtrack other people’s experiences. When you love a song and it gets attached to a memory, it’s a part of you for the rest of your life.

Beyond that… when I was growing up, my favorite music helped me figure out who I was. It was a mirror for me, when nothing else around me looked like I felt on the inside. Those albums gave me permission to be myself for the first time. It would be nice to be able to give that to someone else.

Review Fix: How do you want “Crayon Soul” to be remembered in a few years?

Graves: I guess I want the album to be like Twin Peaks, for the people that love it. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched that show, but it feels like home and it never gets old. I still get excited and feel the suspense, even though I know what’s going to happen. It still takes me to the same place in my head, and so few things have ever taken me there. I don’t want Crayon Soul to be remembered in a few years – I want it to still be present, alive and asking to be experienced in the same way it is right now.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Graves: The framework for the next album already exists, and at the moment, it’s pretty different than Crayon Soul. I don’t want to say too much in case we change our minds! But we’re excited.

It’s forming on its own, has its own voice and it tells us what it wants to be. If our first album is an inward trip, the next one might be the feeling of going back into the world, and being with other people again. A more “social” record. We’ll see.