Photo courtesy of Eric Hwang
Oh Hai! Do we know you? That bi-coastal brother duo behind this song - memorializing their first official show in the LES on a Sunday night, after which they surprised a very Italian lady friend of Salvatore's at the corner pizza joint with an impromptu 'Happy Birthday' guitar-parfait serenade? Let's get to know Wildlife Control.
Neil and Sumul Shah have an idea for and way with sound that comes with a life-long music immersion that, lucky for us, has only just begun with this project. From piano, drum and guitar training to jamming with their Pops on the traditional Indian tabla and exploring the mini accordion-like harmonium, they mildly chuckle at the thought of how long they've been playing music (their whole lives). Wildlife Control is something they really believe in and are sinking their teeth into. The namesake? Just a random 'only-in-Brooklyn' encounter with a Ghostbusters-like vintage hearse with wings and "Wildlife Control" decals purposefully placed throughout. A passerby noticing Neil's perplexed blank stare stopped to explain: the owner of such a fabulously peculiar mobile was not sanctioned, but is a self-proclaiming vigilante against, of all things, wildlife. It stuck.
Oxymoronic, right? To control something that, by definition, cannot be controlled? Perhaps the idea of channeling what seems like noise into a harmonious, crowd-pleasing sound is what they mean. "First and foremost, we're creators," they emphasize. Inspired by all sound: the instrumental, natural and digital alike - it's the creative process these guys thrive on. Between cross-country flights from SF to NYC and late-night email exchanges, Neil and Sumul record everything of interest (Prospect Park, even), conceptualize, self-critique and collaborate their way into completely accessible compositions of integrated sound. "We'll bang on a pot as long as it creates a sound we're interested in." And you would never know they took a mic into a giant stairwell and banged and stomped around to work the resulting organic reverb into their tracks.
It is that imagination and daring commitment they admire and look toward. Noting some of their favorite acts - Radiohead, The Beatles, Ratatat, Phoenix - all have a certain depth and evolving artistic repertoire, but remain steadfast in their unique music identity. With a vision and creativity (throw in some serious talent), genres are an afterthought, and theirs would be indie-rock meets alternative pop.
Take their "Analog or Digital" video that is actually a dynamic, interactive animation of words, blocks, baby godzillas, dogs and robots that allows comments to appear for a unique experience. Utilizing SoundCloud and programming languages (they can do that, too), they found a way to use the timing of events to track comments and play back a scripted visualization. Ever seen that before? "This is what happens when drummers write JavaScript."
As innovative as Wildlife Control is, Sumul is quick to remind us, "you can make someone happy by just putting heart into it." Just to have heads bopping is all they ask, and their music does just that. You'll bop. You'll sway. You'll ponder the swells and soothing lulls. You'll never guess all the intricate layers and hours of tweaking it took, but you'll enjoy their passion and sound, and they'll be content.
So what's next? As Neil put it, "This band is a freight train and this freight train is moving." With an expected album release this Spring, tour dates and plans up their sleeves, we can't wait to see what they've got in store. First stop: Mercury Lounge on Thursday, January 5 at 7PM. Oh, and did we mention they make a sick remix? Check out their cut of Dj Shadow (ft. Little Dragon) - Scale it Back and let's get bopping'! Tickets
Neil and Sumul Shah have an idea for and way with sound that comes with a life-long music immersion that, lucky for us, has only just begun with this project. From piano, drum and guitar training to jamming with their Pops on the traditional Indian tabla and exploring the mini accordion-like harmonium, they mildly chuckle at the thought of how long they've been playing music (their whole lives). Wildlife Control is something they really believe in and are sinking their teeth into. The namesake? Just a random 'only-in-Brooklyn' encounter with a Ghostbusters-like vintage hearse with wings and "Wildlife Control" decals purposefully placed throughout. A passerby noticing Neil's perplexed blank stare stopped to explain: the owner of such a fabulously peculiar mobile was not sanctioned, but is a self-proclaiming vigilante against, of all things, wildlife. It stuck.
Oxymoronic, right? To control something that, by definition, cannot be controlled? Perhaps the idea of channeling what seems like noise into a harmonious, crowd-pleasing sound is what they mean. "First and foremost, we're creators," they emphasize. Inspired by all sound: the instrumental, natural and digital alike - it's the creative process these guys thrive on. Between cross-country flights from SF to NYC and late-night email exchanges, Neil and Sumul record everything of interest (Prospect Park, even), conceptualize, self-critique and collaborate their way into completely accessible compositions of integrated sound. "We'll bang on a pot as long as it creates a sound we're interested in." And you would never know they took a mic into a giant stairwell and banged and stomped around to work the resulting organic reverb into their tracks.
It is that imagination and daring commitment they admire and look toward. Noting some of their favorite acts - Radiohead, The Beatles, Ratatat, Phoenix - all have a certain depth and evolving artistic repertoire, but remain steadfast in their unique music identity. With a vision and creativity (throw in some serious talent), genres are an afterthought, and theirs would be indie-rock meets alternative pop.
Take their "Analog or Digital" video that is actually a dynamic, interactive animation of words, blocks, baby godzillas, dogs and robots that allows comments to appear for a unique experience. Utilizing SoundCloud and programming languages (they can do that, too), they found a way to use the timing of events to track comments and play back a scripted visualization. Ever seen that before? "This is what happens when drummers write JavaScript."
As innovative as Wildlife Control is, Sumul is quick to remind us, "you can make someone happy by just putting heart into it." Just to have heads bopping is all they ask, and their music does just that. You'll bop. You'll sway. You'll ponder the swells and soothing lulls. You'll never guess all the intricate layers and hours of tweaking it took, but you'll enjoy their passion and sound, and they'll be content.
So what's next? As Neil put it, "This band is a freight train and this freight train is moving." With an expected album release this Spring, tour dates and plans up their sleeves, we can't wait to see what they've got in store. First stop: Mercury Lounge on Thursday, January 5 at 7PM. Oh, and did we mention they make a sick remix? Check out their cut of Dj Shadow (ft. Little Dragon) - Scale it Back and let's get bopping'! Tickets
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