DUSTER

(I do not own the rights to any images used.)

Greetings- it's Chef Gracie! I am officially adding the "American Slowcore Rock Band" Duster to the Song Soup Menu, with a bit of a fun twist. Usually on the Song Soup Blog I provide facts about the music artist, along with some interesting history behind their music and the artist themselves et cetera. For Duster's part of the Menu today, I will briefly do what I have just stated as always and bring to you a super cool interview I did with a friend on his favorite album of all time, Contemporary Movement by Duster. Let's dig in!

ALL ABOUT DUSTER.

The band Duster was formed in 1996 with Clay Parton and Canaan Amber out of San Jose, California. Third member Jason Albertini would then join in 1997. Duster's music genre shows them to be in the slowcore (rock) category, as well as indie rock and more famously space rock. On the very credible website AllMusic I came across a man named Tim Sendra who wrote a brilliant Biography for Duster, telling us about how the band "began working together in a makeshift home studio space they called Low Space Orbit, tracking on cheap analog equipment". I found a bit of Duster information that I would not have known without Sendra's Biography about how Duster had their first release in 1995, a short cassette called Christmas Dust. Sendra adds that they would put out a "longer tape release called on the dodge in 1996". This brings us to the year of 1997 where Duster signed to the label called Up Records based in Seattle, Washington, and Duster's first EP named Transmission, Flux was released this year as well. Listing the rest of Duster's Discography, we have the single Apex, Trance-Like (1998), Album Stratosphere (1998), EP 1975 (1999), Album Contemporary Movement (2000), Single What You're Doing to Me (2019), Album Capsule Losing Contact (2019), Album Duster (2019), and album Together (2022). As you can see by the discography year releases there is clearly a gap between Duster's music output. For details on this and more Duster education, I am encouraging all of you reading to check out the rest of Tim Sendra's Biography for Duster on this AllMusic link.

As stated in the beginning of this post we are going to be looking at Duster's second album Contemporary Movement, its cover showing the parking structures at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

DUSTER: CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT

AN INTERVIEW ON A FAVORITE ALBUM OF ALL TIME.

Give us a brief introduction of yourself below such as your hobbies/passions/interests, and anything else you may want to add about yourself: Howdy there, my name is Griffin Gleeson I was born and raised in Solon, Ohio. A suburb 30 minutes southeast of Cleveland. I am a huge music enthusiast both as an amateur musician and an avid music listener. I developed this immense passion for music in my early teens and have never lost interest through the years. I also spend a bulk of my free time doing all things outdoors. Camping, Hiking, Kayaking, Fishing, and anything involving nature. I find that it eases my mind in this complicated world. Not very passionate about other things in my life right now but there’s still plenty of that to figure out. Just want to live a happy life. Do you remember your first time coming across the band Duster? If so, when and how? I couldn’t recollect the very first time I heard them precisely, although it was when I was around 16 or 17 and “Gold Dust” from their album “stratosphere” came on from somewhere in the ether. I was instantly drawn into it, I thought it was incredibly unique sounding for a relatively popular and broad genre. I've always had an ear for this kind of music not for its genre related properties but for its strangeness in comparison with its counterparts. I grew up listening to indie, alternative and general “rock” style music but I never quite heard it being played in such a manner that duster was able to achieve. Therefore, I was naturally drawn into it. I quickly got into the rest of their discography and immediately fell victim to their sound. Can you describe how you felt listening to Duster’s music for the first time? What were your initial thoughts and feelings while listening? Hearing duster unleashed a vast array of emotions for me. Emotions that no other music could do for me at the time. I was hypnotized by their genre bending sound. I thought to myself how could something that sounds so peaceful and calm also be so sad and melancholy. Their style really hit the emotional sweet spot for me. I was able to ponder my existence and life story with so much ease listening to them. Which is something that never really happened to me in such depth that I was able to discover listening to my new favorite band duster. What do you think about the band’s sound as a whole and how would you describe it in your eyes? Does it inspire you or make you feel a certain emotion while listening? Finding a way to describe their sound and its effects on me is something I’ve put a lot of thought into. Their play style fascinates me as an amateur musician myself. It’s complex yet simple at the same time. Whether it’s the straightforward approach and almost repetitive nature of the drum layers providing the glue that bonds this album together. Every time I hear the constant ride cymbal subtly crashing away or the interesting contrast between chords and riffs they use in an almost offbeat manner which really gets to me as a member of their audience. Isolating these individual layers would truly show how simple their music really is. However, when you combine them their complexity and artistic integrity really shine through. Not to forget the hesitant, coy lyrics that softly enhance their songs with great melody. The bulk of their vocals encompass all things space related. Which works really well with their atmospheric sound. I am very drawn into all things outer space. Their play style really inspires me as an artist because by no means are they intensely technical musicians but their ability to capture strange emotions with their odd musical structure and approach is really what does it for me. I like going against the grain in my personal life just like how duster does musically. Your favorite album of all time is Contemporary Movement by Duster, what would be your second favorite album or project by them if you have one and why? This is also a tough question for me and honestly I’m a huge fan of all of their other work. “Stratosphere” is a brilliant, slightly polished lo-fi album where their sound really comes to life for the first time. Songs like “heading for the door” which has such an interesting composition as it starts fast and exciting gleaming with hope and a good time just to turn into a very melancholy, slow drop tuned riff which provides a generous handful of sadness and regret. Their much earlier work is very good too the small project “transmission, flux” has a simple, youthful approach to this genre especially the song “my friends are cosmonauts” they were still quite young when this was released but it was impressively ahead of its time. What is your favorite song on Contemporary Movement? Why would you say this is your favorite and what do you feel is the meaning behind it, if there is one? My favorite songs on this album would probably be “operations”, “travelogue’’, “me and the birds” and lastly “now it’s coming back”. I would narrow it down to these four due to the ideology of how these songs should sound. Which are by no means how a core rock setup song should sound at a technical level. Which proves they’re going for more of an artist approach in lieu of a proficient standardized, cookie cutter version of what this genre should sound like on paper. I will also say the entire track list is very cohesive and complimentary to one another due to their willingness to commit to their sound full send and their ability to access the listeners spectrum of emotions. Tell us why Contemporary Movement is your favorite album of all time. How did you determine this? What does this album mean to you? This is my favorite album simply because of the emotions it provides me. Emotions that I experience in my day to day life which can vary at any given moment. Which is also incorporated into their play style. Don’t get me wrong there were a few other albums that I really love but I have to give it up for “contemporary movement” and what it’s done for me as a person, inspiring me musically but also calming me down so I can be the version of myself I want to be. What do you think about the album cover for Contemporary Movement? I love the album cover, it’s very simple and aesthetically pleasing. I want to thank you for informing me about the specs of this album cover as well! I was pleased to hear that information. I’m very into architecture, especially the biomorphic/brutalist nature of the parking garage photographed. Also the large blue block taking up a bulk of the cover accentuates the very name of the album as that is a contemporary/modern approach to display such an image. What are your overall thoughts or opinions on the band, Duster? Duster is quite simply my favorite band of all time. No other group has had the effects that duster has had on me. I truly believe their sound and overall aesthetic will never be able to be duplicated even considering how many bands are involved in this expansive genre being lo-fi rock, post rock, and slowcore. In my personal opinion duster is the quintessential example of slowcore specifically. A genre that really touches me as an artist and even a human being with ever changing feelings. Unfortunately feelings that envelope the ethos of slowcore being sadness and nostalgia but with just the right amount of happiness and joy thrown into the mix. Is there anything else you would like to add (such as fun facts, etc.) about the album Contemporary Movement, or the band Duster? I’ve recently been looking into the hardware they use to perform/record being certain tremolo, reverb, and fuzz pedals which certainly help boost their atmospheric sound. It’s also a funny thought to think that I was only 3 when this album came out and the course it took to finally reach my ears. Duster wasn’t ultra successful during their recording career but has since gained tons of steam and respect as their music was resurrected from the bowels of time by our generation primarily. I would like to ask, what does music mean to you and how does Contemporary Movement as an album fit into your personal meaning? Music is a very powerful vessel to get things that are important to me across. It conveys emotions and feelings very well which can really help people deal with things affecting them. Music can also accentuate your general vibe as well as introduce you to new subcultures which can help you find people and even future friends you’re generally more compatible and interested in. Furthermore, music is simply a form of art just as potent as every other medium. “Contemporary movement”, and duster personally gave me a stronger ability to speak in these terms about music which goes to show how much of an effect this album and band has had on me. I know for the rest of my life that this album will never let me down and that's very comforting. Thank you Gracie!

Concluding Statements From the Chef: Listening to Contemporary Movement by Duster was more than just hearing music through my headphones casually, as the first time I had listened to this album (three times in a row) was right after I got done asking Griffin what his favorite album of all time was, to which he responded with "that's so tough", and immediately after stated Duster's second album. Contemporary Movement for myself personally was an automatic like. Duster's sound is very unique, captivating, and lovely on the ears. It is perfect for listening everyday while doing various tasks, and I'd imagine very nice on a car ride. It’s smooth, thought provoking, and super epic slowcore rock fantastic. I want to thank Griffin for allowing me to put Duster on the Song Soup Menu, and for giving engaging responses to the questions about his favorite album of all time. In the future I would love to experiment more with what appears on the menu. This was such a new and fun way to introduce more awesome music for everyone to enjoy. See Duster's website here, or their Instagram @thisisduster. I hope you enjoyed what was on the Song Soup menu today!