Pavo Pavo are a revelation – they have seamlessly come to light in our cluttered musical world, bringing with them one of the most glorious sounding debut albums (Young Narrator In The Breakers) we’ve heard in a while, let alone in 2016. Forming the band whilst studying at Yale University, the experimental pop five-piece are a musical mixture of minds who have worked with some of the best in indie and classical music (such as Here We Go Magic, John Zorn, Dave Longstreth, Porches). Together, they have created something quite special and what’s most exciting is that this is only just the beginning for Pavo Pavo. We put some questions to the band to find out more about them.
What kind of music were you brought up on?
My family is a bunch of classical musicians, and runs a chamber music summer camp, so lots of strings quartets and that sort of thing. Mixed in, of course, with the usual inescapable 90s pop, plus some of my parents' record collection from their college days, Led Zeppelin, Wings, that sort of thing.
Can you remember the first album you bought?
Chumbawumba Tubthumping. Still a great band and a great record.
What was the first instrument you played?
My first instrument was violin, starting when I was six. Right now my favourite instrument is guitar, because it's sort of a hundred instruments rolled into one. A fuzz lead is like the world's most massive synth, tremolo-ey strums are an instant portal to the 1950s, and palm-muted rhythm guitar is a rhythm section unto itself. I love the violin but it's a bit of a one-trick pony.
Do you think where you lived or live now has influenced your music and how?
Definitely – I've gotten kind of obsessed with New York City since moving there three years ago. On the one hand, there are so many people doing inspiring things around you, it's a constant source of creative input. On the other hand, it's impossible to have room for a piano in your apartment, studios are $500/day, and in all likelihood you and your bandmates will be busy making rent half the time – so output is more difficult. I think that really shapes the kind of music people make – instead of curling up in a cabin and writing about your soul, New Yorkers are constantly learning, synthesizing, reinterpreting.
Is there a story behind the name?
We just riffed it up!
How would you briefly describe your music?
We are trying to make music that's musical. Musically expressive, with expression built into chord changes and sonic hooks and melodies. Lyrics are awesome, and borrowing from different styles and aesthetics is awesome, but at the end of the day, notes and rhythms continue to be the most awesome, the most mysterious, the most expressive things in the world. While other art forms like poetry and theatre and art have access to aesthetics and language, musicians are the only people that get to mess with notes and rhythms.
What are the band’s main influences?
The sound of the human voice, any music that creates a new, visual space to occupy as a listener, being sober while writing, heavy drinking before tracking guitars.
What inspires your lyrics?
We try to be as honest as possible about the contents of our day-to-day life. It's not all sunsets and lost love – a lot of our lives is waiting at the subway platform, hanging with our friends, worrying about our future, rehearsing with our band and other bands. So why not write about that, instead of trying to remember old relationships or something?
How do you approach the writing/recording process?
I think it's really important to surround yourself only with people you really believe in and trust. Nothing hurts a creative process more than the constant tugging or resistance to one person's ideas because they aren't in lockstep with the project and the vibe. For this record we were lucky enough to work with two producers, Sam Cohen (Yellowbirds, Apollo Sunshine) and Danny Molad (Lucius), whom we had complete faith in. Someone could have an idea, then I'd go run and get everyone coffees and leave Danny at the board tweaking away and trust that when we returned it'd sound the way we all intended. That's a dream come true – for me at least.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
I've been loving Cate Le Bon, everything she does really. A few records from this year I'm getting into are the new Weyes Blood, Andy Shauf, Younghusband. Also Luke Lemple's 2013 record Good Mood Fool is criminally underrated, perfect pop music.
What are your future plans till the end of the year and after?
We're coming back to Europe two more times in 2017. US touring plans are a little more up in the air but I'm sure there will be plenty of that. We're working on a few collaborations right now – one with an amazing percussion trio called Tigue where we're trying to construct eight-piece versions of our songs, like stop making sense of something, and also eight-piece versions of their post-minimalist compositions, with all of us chipping in on drones and interlocking patterns. Also LP2 is well underway!
Read our album review of Young Narrator In The Breakers here: brightonsfinest.com/html/index.php/12-music/1962-pavo-pavo-young-narrator-in-the-breakers
Facebook: facebook.com/PavoPavohouse
Twitter: twitter.com/PavoPavohouse