Tending a hothouse full of luminous, melody-infused indie rock songs with sweet vocals, Boston’s Static of the Gods announceS the release of The Knowledge Machine on November 10, 2009.
The Knowledge Machine, resulted from a discussion with friends on how words get lost in translation—most specifically the Finnish word for computer, which literally translates to “knowledge machine.†Johnson explains, “Over the next few days, that phrase seemed to keep coming up among the three of us, and we talked about how we don’t see computers as knowledge machines so much, but more as information machines – the critical difference being that knowledge requires some kind of wisdom, some kind of judgment that comes from experience, and that humans are really the ultimate knowledge machines!
Remaining outside the proverbial box with a sound that refuses to be fenced in, tied down, or kept under wraps, Static of the Gods now joins a growing trend that has found bands such as the Fleet Foxes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs recording in non-traditional environments outside the studio. Located 20 miles outside of Woodstock, VT, Hounds’ Hollow, a 20 foot ceilinged timber frame house among 24 private acres of meadows, forest, and river nurtured and inspired the sound on Static of the Gods upcoming album. Front woman, Jen Johnson explains, “It was really inspiring for me personally, to be in that natural space and go through all these songs we’ve written in the past 10 months.It felt like I was hearing them with new earsâ€
The songs are the culmination of this evolution of sound the band started to find on “Peluche.†Working with producer, Matthew Ellard (Radiohead, Weezer), the limited EP’s first single, “Peluche,†included an animated video created by Alberto Cerriteno of Curiosity Group (Dreamworks, Paramount, Apple).
Encompassing the musical threesome of Jen Johnson (voice, guitar, & keyboard), Mike Latulippe (drums) and Ben Voskeritchian (bass & guitar), Static of the Gods draws comparisons from every end of the musical spectrum, from The Cure to Rainer Maria, Metric to Silversun Pickups.