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Andrew W.K. on New Track from To Live & Shave in L.A.

Chris Grier, member of eclectic avant noise-rock collective To Live & Shave in L.A., has made an exclusive track for SPIN.com, one that mixes parts of all four songs (which, collectively, clock in at over an hour) from his band’s forthcoming album, Noon and Eternity (out Oct. 31). The current incarnation of the band is led by founder Tom Smith and features Rat Bastard (bass), Ben Wolcott (oscillator), Don Fleming (guitar), Chris Grier (guitar), Mark Morgan (guitar), and heavyweights Thurston Moore (guitar) and Andrew W.K. (drums), who revealed the album was mostly improvised.

“[Smith] had written song titles and lyrics, but a lot of songs we were playing on tour, which immediately preceded the recording, were entirely different songs,” Andrew W.K. revealed. “[Making the album] was thrilling for that reason — everything went down as a document of the experiment, not so much a construction of something. That felt a little risky, but there was no structure to the song except in that moment.”

And that is what’s so exciting about the album to him — the unconventional structure of the band’s songs allow listeners to engage directly with the each track. “While this song isn’t on the album,” Andrew W.K. said, referring to the song Grier mixed specifically for SPIN.com, “it already takes the album from a cold, hard fact and liberates its sound. There’s a sense of possibility there.”

Now Hear This:
To Live and Shave in L.A. – “Noon and Eternity Overture” (Download MP3)

Talk: Would you want to live or shave in Los Angeles with this band? COMMENT

On the Web:
toliveandshaveinla.com