Moving ahead a few years plenty things have changed. Their name’s, for one, have been rearranged (so they look better graphically) to Matt & Kim. Their anonymity is also fading fast. As they walk down the streets of New York people yell out “hey Matt, hey Kim” and neither of them are ever sure whether they are people they should recognise or enthusiastic fans.
When I spoke to Matt he had just stepped off the plane and is a bit tender from a recent back injury which resulted in the cancellation of number of shows back home. After a quick crack and pop of vertebrate we discussed the band’s localised origins. Matt and Kim’s humble name are a result of humble beginnings that are very closely linked to the creative community both artists found in Brooklyn. “I think it was somewhere that we just found a lot of inspiration and not just the music scene,” says Matt. “At first I felt kinda lost as in where I belonged. I grew up in Vermont and was schooled in New York and didn’t know what my place was until I stumbled upon the Brooklyn’s DIY music scene with people playing in warehouses and lofts. This is where we felt at home. People around us are doing rad shit. People working in film, art and photography and it inspires you to do more.”
From there Matt & Kim hit the net in search of a fan-base. As they documented their gigs and personal lives on a variety of social networking sites, more and more New Yorkers starting showing up to their gigs. In fact Matt and Kim are a band that can attribute their international popularity almost entirely to online media written and supplied by themselves. “It worked out great cos we got to do everything how we wanted to do it. We just always did what we always did and we controlled everything. We banked on word of mouth for so long and when people get to choose themselves they feel more connected. On the other hand people also get upset when you put your song in a TV commercial because they felt it was their thing. Music is very personal.”
Moving right along to 2009 Matt & Kim are struggling with the schizophrenic desire to progress and evolve musically while still keeping the essence of two friends jamming together in Brooklyn. With their latest album, Grand, the pair wanted to create a far more complete and polished product compared with their first, self titled record. “We were looking forward to writing and fleshing out this album. It was such a pain in the ass. We had set aside six weeks to work on it. After that time it was not done. We would work in-between tours non stop. Even though people say that albums are dead and people just down load songs or put them on shuffle it was really important to us to create an album that was a full piece.”
Grand is a real feel good album that just won’t stop playing in your head long after you’ve switched off your stereo. Songs such as Daylight with its delicate keyboard riffs and happy go lucky lyrics are certain to make you smile and fall in love with this amazingly talented band. So where does all of this chirpy music come from? “Writing songs is two different things” Matt explains “there’s writing a beat and melody and writing lyrics. We just write music from what we are inspired by without any preconceived notion of what we want the song to be. The lyrics are a different thing. When we were doing Grand we would figure out everything and start off using free word association until it formed with a personal meaning in a more abstract way.”
This simple formula, however, doesn’t mean there is any danger of a hundred Matt and Kim’s popping up around the world. The band’s unique take on pop is fueled by the creative use of keyboards to produce a variety of differing sounds that bear the pair’s vibrant signature. “When we started, Matt and Kim was gonna be whatever Matt and Kim played. Keyboards give a certain freedom. You can write similar songs on different instruments. Using the same cord progression on a keyboard rather than a guitar gives it a new life.”
In their live show Matt and Kim’s individual streak continues. For those with tickets to the band’s Australian tour a great night awaits them. “When those places in Brooklyn started getting full and we moved to other venues and clubs we were worried we would lose that party vibe. So when we go to a new venue we make the playlist for the entire night and give it to the DJs or hand pick the other bands playing. It’s important to us that we make the night still have that energy. We also have a couple of cover interludes going for that party vibe.”
Just make sure that if you see them around you yell out “Hey Matt & Kim!” now that we are all on a first name basis.
Published @ www.fasterlouder.com.au
Link: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/18235/Hanging-out-with-Matt--Kim.htm
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