FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| MUSIC SHIVER All ages show Fierce ambition and an undaunted drive drip from local quartet Shiver. Their eyes reflect an all-consuming hunger to get somewhere in the music industry fast. Shiver's debut, Magenta Automatic, is the illustrious speedster that captures their unique passion as much as it captures nine days of extreme emotional torture. "I've never been pushed harder in my life to do anything," vocalist/ guitarist Matthew Currie confesses of their recording process. "I was in tears, I was isolated in my booth and feeling really lonely, but I couldn't have anyone there when doing my vocal tracks. "They (Aggie 'Flinch' Richichi and Dave Alcock, co-producer and engineer, respectively) were in there and they said, 'Do the song, do it again, do it again, do it again, do it again.' I probably broke down twice. "During (the song) 'a.s.a.' actually, you know that breathing? That's me crying because I'm so drained." Occasional abusive sessions lead by Flinch - who's also the drummer for Canadian band Mollies Revenge - seemed to beat the musical proficiency out of Shiver. Each band member remained separate from his buddies to concentrate on recording his part until they reunited to piece the tracks together. Flinch, in particular, felt it was crucial to alienate Matthew for the vocal tracks. "Our producer kicked us out while Matthew was doing his vocals," begins Joel Tobman, lead guitarist, still stunned from the studio strategy. "And I was in darkness," Matthew interrupts with an incredulous look on his face. "And Flinch was yelling at me. At first it was fun. Then it was like he'd take the mood of the song and say, 'You know what I want from you, you fuckin' retard? I want this and I want this.' And he would just tear into me." Flinch, Alcock and the musician under the spotlight would discuss whether a track was laid down to the best of their abilities. If they weren't instantly impressed, they repeated the process until they got it right. Shiver insists that the recording process itself is where all of the emotion on Magenta Automatic came from. The experience provided Jeremiah Klein (on bass and any other instrument not nailed to the floor) with an endless source of inspiration, since the nine days were as rewarding as they were grueling. "We sounded a lot better than I ever imagined us sounding," he remarks. "When we're jamming or playing, you just hear your particular instrument. You don't really get the full spectrum of it. (When) it was all coming together it was like, 'Wow, this is amazing.' It really inspired me. Since then, I haven't stopped being inspired. I'm so happy with this." "At first we wanted something that satisfied us, we want something indicative of our live shows," explains Shiver's drummer, Jon Pynn. "And then after the first three songs we're like, 'You know what, we want something a little bigger,'" finishes Matthew. "And then we were like, 'We want the best record that's ever come out of Calgary.' Didn't get it, but, you know what, I think we got one of the best indie sounding records out of Calgary." All that is left is the release of Magenta Automatic. The release party is making the band sick with the nervous anticipation of an expecting parent, but their confidence is summed up by Matthew, unfazed and ready to roll. "I know that we're going to blow them away," he says without a blink. |