On October 4th, Swiss artist Roland Vollenweider released his latest album, When The Birds Kick In, a dreamy body of work ranging from ambient to downtempo. What was once a duo, then a band, and now a solo project, us & sparkles started around 10 years ago in Zurich, Switzerland. With former experience as part of a live Drum and Bass band, and then as a Dubstep DJ, it all led to starting us & sparkles with a friend back in 2014. Fast forward to today, we welcome him to present the latest installment of The Director’s Cut

Liner notes: A red sun sparkles through heaven’s space with a slate-colored haze: When The Bird Kicks In marks the departure towards a new vibe within the us & sparkles universe: warm pigments, woody ambiances and an overall witty attitude lay the ground for a psychedelic trip across a wild west inspired soundscape. The air shines dense and muggy: An ambient and guitar driven opening evolves continuously into a more and more dancy tonality. Glow and glare and rolling flames stream upwards as melodies there to stay. Specially the ever-present synthesizer-background-howling makes a significant contribution to the compositions on the album, which are generous, nostalgic and authentic. An all-gracious sun-God looks directly into the light.

How to listen: There are a couple of ways to proceed. First, you can listen to the whole album, which you will find below, and then read the notes. Or, read the notes as you listen to each track. This will completely change your perspective on the whole release itself and bring you closer to the artist and their work.

Words by us & sparkles

The creation of “When The Birds Kick In” embarked on an inspiring journey that began with a memorable trip to France with my studio partner, Simon Boss. During this trip, we collaborated to develop the initial outline of the album, laying the groundwork for what was to come. Over the next two years, I dedicated myself to refining and completing the album in my studio. Now I’m very happy to share the insights of this journey with you.

Overture

This was the very first track we created after our arrival in France. At the time, we were unsure of what we wanted to achieve. Our trip was first and foremost meant to be a vacation, a chance to do some music without any specific plans in mind. We arrived, then connected the guitar to the amp and began recording, and within just two hours, we had a rough sketch of the track. This piece holds significant importance for us, as it guided us toward the overall vibe of the album. During our stay, we immersed ourselves in the soundscape around us and found ourselves captivated by the endless late-summer sunsets. Those magical days inspired us towards an album that we hadn’t anticipated. We also captured various ambient sounds during our time there, using multiple microphones strategically placed around the house, which we could feed directly into the modular synthesizer. As a unique touch, you can even hear the sounds of our badminton game woven into the final mix. The vocal snippet at the end is a quote by the French psychoanalytic Jacques Lacan, to improve the transition towards the next song.

Okay Panettone

I believe this track truly embodies the vibe we experienced during its creation. It evokes a wild west psychedelic atmosphere, perfectly capturing the essence of that late summer bloom we had in France. We began our initial recording in late summer 2022, and every single day of that week was graced with stunning sunsets that we wanted to capture. The first version we produced in France was considerably rawer than the polished final cut. In the studio, I later layered in a plethora of synths, ambient sounds, and effects such as reverb and delay to enhance the overall experience. The brief sample at the beginning is taken from an anime, where a dragon imparts wise advice to the main character. I felt this added the right prosody to the track, enriching the vibe beyond the main guitar melody. You can even hear the recorded beep of a PlayStation, which seamlessly fitted into the overall soundscape. To deepen the psychedelic feel, I incorporated some mellotron sounds, aligning perfectly with the original title we had in mind: “Summer Cigarette.” As the track draws to a close, the sound of rain begins to play. Interestingly, we recorded that rain about six months prior to our journey to France, and I believed it would serve as a fitting transition. Overall, this track is a celebration of our creative journey, encapsulating the essence of our experiences and inspirations.

Pink Hornet

This track might just be my personal favorite on the album. The ethereal pad that you hear at the beginning and throughout the background is actually created from the sound of a big hornet that we mic’d and forwarded directly into the modular synth. Utilizing granular synthesis, we transformed that unique sound into a lush pad. If you listen closely, you can even catch the hornet buzzing by intermittently, adding an intriguing layer to the pad sound. As I started to improvise the chord progression on guitar, I recorded the entire piece in one take, completely free of preconceived harmonics. This moment felt truly magical. Normally I need quite some takes to finish my guitar recordings. Following that, I layered in some solo guitar, which definitely brings that heavy vibe to the track. You’ll also notice the soft crackling of a fireplace in the background, along with my signature laser and bubble sounds, which add a whimsical touch to the track. 

Harry Strawberry

This song stands out as the only one we recorded entirely in the studio. Simon had already crafted the guitar part, and I added the synthesizer elements to it. The composition features numerous layers, and I believe the endless synthesizer growls contribute significantly to its depth. Achieving a natural drum sound was quite a challenge, especially since we used a drum machine for the rhythm. I achieved that by using a lot of analog tape, delays and filters on it. A fun tidbit: the bird sounds you hear towards the end of the song were created solely with synthesizers and some of my personal vocal improvisations. I find it amusing that these artificial representations of nature add an interesting twist to what is otherwise a more “naturally” sounding aesthetic.

Le Vin

This was quite a swift sketch. I believe I completed the initial outline at the end of an eventful evening on my laptop in just about 10 minutes. If memory serves me right, the vocal is a stock sound from the DAW, and I recorded the rhythm directly over the computer’s keyboard. We later added some fiddly modular sounds on top of that. While we were in France, we considered replacing the Ableton stock 808 with our original TR-808 by Roland. We eventually made that switch, but in the end, we opted for the Ableton stock version due to its essential plastic quality in the sound. It’s somewhat difficult to articulate, but the larger-sounding drums just didn’t capture the original vibe anymore. The challenge with this track was to avoid overproduction. Ultimately, we incorporated a massive reverb that we placed right on the master channel, adjusting the size of the room to our liking. I really appreciate how everything collapses and then comes back together in a seamless way.

Der Kranich

I like the drum work on that track! There’s a beautiful, organic blend of live percussion and drum machines. It was crucial for me that the feel of the drums isn’t overly precise; I embraced a sense of randomness in the groove, utilizing a significant amount of analog gear achieve that unique sound. Recording the guitar proved to be quite a challenge, as we needed several takes to capture it just right. Interestingly, listening to that track without the drums, bass, and guitar offers a completely different experience. The abundance of synthesizer sounds is astonishing—it’s almost hard to believe they’re all part of the track when the melodic elements are stripped away. And just a fun fact: that’s me saying “Der Kranich” at the beginning of the record! 

When The Birds Kick In

This track stands out as the sole song featuring vocals on the album. It began as an improvisational synthesizer jam we created in the studio, which might explain its extended length. The core of the piece was crafted during that jam session, utilizing our full array of analog synthesizers. Several notable guests contributed to this track: the playful whistle melody was produced on an Arp 2600, while the lush pad sounds were generated using a Prophet 10. The Jupiter 4 added some quirky melodies, and we incorporated arpeggios from both the Juno 6 and Juno 106. Some of the percussions are made on the Moog Voyager and a Buchla. The driving rhythm comes primarily from the iconic TR-808 drum machine. Initially, I pondered whether this song would align with the overall feel of the album, but I eventually realized it could fit quite beautifully. Some of my early listeners expressed skepticism about adding vocals to it, but I think I proved them wrong. The vocals are provided by a dear friend of mine, Chineyem Okolo. I first met him at young age when I was at the peak of my nirvana depression and Portishead-puberty. Chineyem, an older gentleman from Nigeria, has a deep appreciation for roots rock reggae. I vividly recall introducing him to Portishead, and his response was to sing reggae over the music, poignantly remarking, “Yes, it’s sad, but it’s beautiful that we can be sad.” That sentiment has lingered with me ever since. Together, we crafted the lyrics, evolving them into a sort of poem that we recorded initially. Following that, I asked him a series of questions, capturing his responses as sample material for the track. This collaborative process truly enriched the song and I think it added depth to the emotional landscape of the album.

Epilogue, Outro and Everything Between

I felt quite biblical while creating that sonic remix of a long-forgotten Ave Maria memory. You can believe me: I envisioned pure brilliance and high-fidelity sparkles, bursting with vibrant lasers that demanded expression as they flooded my mind. It was just as if the sun god himself bestowed upon me with his divine flash-milk, and made me suck directly on his nutritious teats. Those brought me right to this unique creation. This project stood out in my folder as one of the most entertaining endeavors I’ve ever undertaken: over 200 tracks brimming with psychedelic experiences—door slams, screams, badminton sounds (of course), intertwined with voice messages from my mother and an abundance of outdoor ambient noises. I dedicated an impressive amount of time to this track, relishing in its energy and experimental nature, despite its nearly unlistenable avantgarde quality. But I somehow thought that process was important. Naturally, it felt more than right to incorporate classical instruments into that pathetic mix of witty layers. The cello, played by the talented Lia Vogel, adds a distinctive vibe that transcends the quirky Christmas theme I initially envisioned. Ultimately, my goal was to shape the track into a meditative synthesizer experience. It concludes with the ambient sounds from the beginning, played in reverse and two semitones lower. I somehow thought that’s a reflective and intriguing finish to the album.

Grab your copy here.

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