- COMPUTER LOVE
Manic Expressive (Tiger Style), the new LP from San Mateo, CA's Her Space Holiday - aka Marc Bianchi, with help from girlfriend Keely Chantaloup - is made up of nine introspective songs full of simulated strings, indie guitar and alluring electronics. The splendor of each track seems rooted in something very sad and tumultuous, yet the record also contains a happily heartfelt element missing from its predecessor, 2000's Home Is Where You Hang Yourself.
"Manic Expressive seems to be more uplifting than my past records," admits Bianchi. "After all the touring we did last year, I realized I was being really closed minded emotionally. I mean, sure, there is a place for melancholy and self-loathing and all that, but there are a lot of good things out there to write about. We met so many cool people on the road and went to so many amazing places, that I just wanted to pay homage to all the things I was overlooking for the past few years.
"I enjoy so many different kinds of music," Bianchi continues. "But my main influences are usually electronic, classical and singer/ songwriter stuff. I still haven't been able to successfully meld all those styles together, but I do feel I am closer now than I have been on previous records."
Bianchi started Her Space Holiday at the end of 1996 after stints in such punk-inspired emo bands as Indian Summer, Calm and Mohinder. "There were a lot of different factors that made me gravitate towards the home-recording environment," Bianchi explains "But mainly, I just got tired of playing in bands. From 1997 until about 1999, I put out a variety of releases on several independent labels, then I got signed to Tiger Style Records." HSH's first record for the New York-based imprint, the aforementioned Home Is Where You Hang Yourself, was a banner release for Bianchi. The critical praise was overwhelming, eventually leading to a deal with London's Wichita Recordings, which in turn helped perk up ears back home and made Manic Expressive one of 2001's most anticipated indie releases.
"For the new record, none of the songs were 'written' before production started," Bianchi admits. "I had no real game plan or motivation. I started with just making beats and manipulating samples until melodies were formed. The guitars and vocals were the last things to be added. So in a sense, the songs wrote themselvesÉ I don't know what it is about technology. It is really seductive and fascinating. Especially external drives. Technology made this record - I didn't."
MIKE CLOWARD