NZ Oufit Raw Collective Releases A Timeless New Album ‘For The Ancients’
Straight off the success of their single ‘Waterproof Coat’ New Zealand outfit Raw Collective returns with a timeless album ‘For The Ancients.’
‘For the Ancients’ was aptly named from the bands fascination with ancient megaliths, the band felt like old souls, like they’ve lived that time before.
“The album lyrically gets deep, but, like an old fairy tale, it can be played in any future decade, devoid of fashion and phases, it’s timeless, even monumental, like the pyramids,” said lead member Raw Deezy.
Recorded in 2016 the album compromises from a selection of the band’s favourite tracks and demos, from two years performing around NZ, and recording in their home based studio in Wellington.
“We spent so long recording, getting every piece perfect; along with 20+ instruments and several vocalists it was always going to be a mammoth project!” said Raw.
“The topics/lyrics are inspired by personal life experiences and a love of history, the Cosmos and psychology. Each track reflects a different side of the psyche, inspired by Carl Jung’s theories, eg, the ego, the shadow, the self, persona etc… Also reflecting on the battles we have mentally, that life is supposed to be hard, and to survive is to find meaning in the suffering. It appears dark, but on that note this album is a celebration. A celebration of our personal struggles, of our friendships, and the music we’ve worked so hard to create, this is our story, every lyric expresses our feelings and philosophies on the world around us and it’s ever lasting impact on our short lives,”
The ups and downs, light and dark, is not only a lyrically journey, but in the music itself. When writing the music the band used a balance of major and minor chords, so that the music reflects the lyrics just as much. A good example of the formula is starting with dark groove, just bass guitar, drums and some samples pulled by Raw Deezy.
From there, the horns and vocals layer that with soulful, light melodies; with guitar and keys to bring in the happiness and light, the end result is a cheerful, positive feeling, but the shadow is still in there somewhere……hiding.
The album was mixed by engineer Jason Erskine who is from a rock and roll background and also mastered by Mike Gibson who specialises in analogue equipment, this mixture gave the band raunchy, heavy hitting feel with the creamy analogue sound, its soul warming.