Thursday, December 16, 2010

The Depreciation Guild (SCQ's Year-End Questionnaire Part II)


Although 2010 saw The Depreciation Guild continue to affix shimmering modern ideas to indie’s retro-obsession with Spirit Youth, it wasn’t enough to hold the Brooklyn outfit together. Alongside his candidates for album-of-the-year, vocalist/guitarist Kurt Feldman divulges the end of The Depreciation Guild and his post-band plans. This revelation, as far as I’ve gathered, might be an exclusive but on behalf of every DG fan: Kurt, don’t quit music altogether! (Photo by Drew Reynolds)

SCQ: Every list-lover's favourite question: what are your top albums of 2010? Feel free to include any older yet worthy records you discovered this year.

KF: San Serac - "No Twilight"
Serena Maneesh - "No. 2: Abyss In B Minor"
Games - "That We Can Play"
Toro Y Moi - "Causers Of This"
Hooray For Earth - "Momo"


SCQ: What were you listening to a lot of while recording the excellent Spirit Youth?

KF: according to last.fm:
Gangway, Scritti Politti, Wild Swans, Babel 17, Brighter, Microdisney, The Ventures, The Passions, Swing Out Sister...


SCQ: Be cocky for once in your life: what was the finest thing you did all year? That moment where you actually thought "shit, I nailed that..."?

KF: I really didn't "nail" anything actually. In general, 2010 wasn't really all that great and things kind of fell apart for me and the band. I'm looking forward to moving on and seeing what the future has to offer.

SCQ: Effect and Cause: As 2010 continued to exploit the last of the 80s' resonance, I took solace in your record's vital mix of retro and modern songwriting, which culminated on the gorgeously ethereal 'Blue Lily'. Okay, your turn: confess a true tale that inspired one of the songs on Spirit Youth.

KF: haha, actually, i'm pretty sure we just exploited the 80s too. I thought up the main melody line for "My Chariot" on a plane heading from sweden to new york. It came to me over the sound of the cabin drone. I remember at the time it was an A, but somehow in the process of writing the song, the key changed to B. That's really all i remember about writing this album. Some of the other songs on that album are up to 4 years old.

SCQ: If all the reasonable and implausible ideas in your head came to fruition in 2011, what would they be?

KF: probably to quit music altogether and go teach elementary school so i could pay off my student loan.

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