By the end of this introduction, you will own two Richard Jankovich albums.
Jankovich has been one of the most fascinating under-the-radar artists to emerge in the last 15 years. Back in 2003, he worked with a variety of collaborators under the name the Burnside Project. Their most notable album, 2003’s The Networks, the Circuits, the Streams, the Harmonies, was a small bit of electro-pop wonder, mixing pop culture-heavy lyrics with dynamic digital arrangements with an astute sense of melody. Who loved the Burnside Project? The UK charts did. Queer as Folk did, using single “Que the Pulse to Begin” as its theme song in later years. Hell, even Cameron Crowe did, nominating it for that year’s Shortlist Music Prize. There was a profound warmth to Jankovich’s music, which helped separate it from a lot of the other electronic acts at the time.
However, nothing Jankovich released since garnered the same kind of critical prominence, and before long, he began doing remixes under the moniker Pocket, adding his own spin to songs by everyone from Beck to Radiohead to Of Montreal. Fulfilling a lifelong dream of his, Jankovich eventually releasing a full-length album under Pocket in 2012 featuring collaborations with the likes of Tanya Donelly and Robyn Hitchcock.
Yet for Mon Draggor, Jankovich’s newest collaboration, he decided to do something totally different: he created two albums, one of more “upbeat” songs and the other of more “downbeat” numbers, and put the entire damn thing online for free. Yet that’s not even Mon Draggor’s greatest accomplishment, either. The best part about these two albums is how, unlike, say, the Foo Fighter’s similarly split In Your Honor, Jankovich finds real diversity in these different sides, changing tempos and textures just enough to make each disc a total standalone piece in and of itself, all while crafting what may be his two strongest full-lengths yet of his career.
Artist: Mon Draggor
Album: Pulling Strings
Label: Fraga Music
US Release Date: 2015-01-12
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/m/mondraggor2015cd2.jpg
Yep, you can download both albums with no fuss right on his website (or iTunes, if want to tip the guy). To help celebrate the occasion, Jankovich sat down to answer PopMatters’ 20 Questions, here revealing a kinship with Tina from Bob’s Burgers, a desire to remove ’90s nu-metal from our universe, and how he wished he created the 1991 movie Soapdish.
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1. The latest book or movie that made you cry?
I used to watch two to three movies a week but since having my daughter, my viewing time has been greatly reduced to about 30 minutes a week where my wife and I huddle around a laptop, shushing each other while an episode of Downton Abbey or Nashville flickers on. Still, I’ve managed to sneak away once or twice for a trip to the cinema and while I’ve seen most of the Oscar contenders, I can’t say that any of them made me cry. However, I will state that, in terms of literature, my monthly bank statement usually draws a tear or two. And even though I didn’t watch, I imagine The Interview would make me shed a tear on behalf of quality filmmaking.
2. The fictional character most like you?
Tina from Bob’s Burgers. Her monotone expressions of love and being perpetually stuck in those awkward pre-teen years are a match for how I live my life. Though I do not have the same fixation on butts that she has.
3. The greatest album, ever?
There are a few records that I always come back to and that stop me in my tracks. I suppose those are probably my “greatest album ever” picks: the Replacements’ Tim, New Order’s Lowlife, R.E.M.’s Reckoning, etc. This the foundational stuff, the music of my youth. Today, though, I usually “consume” music by the playlist. Albums are so passé; anyone who would release an 18-song double album today is a lunatic.
4. Star Trek or Star Wars?
When I was little, we used to play Star …sky and Hutch. My brother, Dan, was Starsky, my cousin Tim was Hutch, and I was “And”. This is a true story.
5. Your ideal brain food?
When I need inspiration or intellectual stimulation, I turn to vapid and disposable headlines on Huffington Post or BuzzFeed. Honestly, putting down the phone and/or laptop and going outside usually does it for me: walking in a park, hanging with my daughter or solitary physical activities. Which reminds me, time to go swimming…
6. You’re proud of this accomplishment, but why?
Look, I’m sorry that I went the wrong way. I got so much on my mind it’s been a long day. And I’m sorry, ma, that I took the wrong roads but I figured I’d take time to let y’all know. Sell drugs, I did it (but I ain’t proud of that); I’m a thug, I admit it (but I ain’t proud of that); It’s just the way I’m living (but I ain’t proud of that, ma, I ain’t proud of that).
7. You want to be remembered for …?
When all is said and done, I want to be remember as an artist who released music primarily in digital formats and occasionally on physical formats like compact disc, cassette, or vinyl records. These musical creations contained rhythms, melodies, and lyrics as well as instrumentation and production techniques.
8. Of those who’ve come before, the most inspirational are?
The most inspirational of all who came before me? Jeez, it’s hard not to point to major figures of history like Gandhi or George Washington or Steven Segal. Yes, for sure it would be Steven Segal.
9. The creative masterpiece you wish bore your signature?
Even though I am neither a filmmaker, actor, producer nor have anything to do with the creation of movies, I wish I had created the 1991 comedy Soapdish. It is simply stated the best 97-minute experience available on planet Earth.
10. Your hidden talents… ?
I excel at being a mediocre cook, a fair-to-middling breadwinner, and a sub-par athlete.
11. The best piece of advice you actually followed?
Barack Obama once said “Yes We Can” and, while that wasn’t direct advice given to me, I think of it often when pondering certain situations like “Can we order a second appetizer?” or “Can we go to bed early tonight?” or even “Can we order a third appetizer?” In all instances, that booming voice of a young presidential hopeful comes ringing in “Yes We Can!”
12. The best thing you ever bought, stole, or borrowed?
I am legally prohibited from discussing anything I may have stolen or, as my lawyer insists I word it, “misled the public and investors about the health and viability of mortgage backed securities.”
13. You feel best in Armani or Levis or . . .?
What are those cameras for? And who are all these people holding boom mics? Is this a denim jeans commercial? I can’t believe you are trying to trick me into providing a brand endorsement! You would never try this with Ben Gibbard or Wayne Coyne. I’m taking my pantaloons and leaving!
14. Your dinner guest at the Ritz would be?
The Ritz? Seriously, what is this the ’30s? Are we in a 1937 British, black-and-white, mystery romance film, directed by Harold D. Schuster and starring David Niven, Annabella, Raymond Huntley and Ronald Shiner as Sydney, the Porter? I suppose if I had to have dinner at the Ritz, I’d want to have it with David Niven, Annabella, Raymond Huntley, and Ronald Shiner.
15. Time travel: where, when and why?
1994. Various US cities where I would prevent the assembly of Limp Bizkit, Staind, Slipknot, and Korn, thereby saving the world from nu-metal. Similarly, one year later, I’d prevent the creation of post-grunge. Nu-metal and post-grunge combined account for 70% of the world’s disasters.
16. Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac?
None of these are viable options for me. When stress hits, I try to take a nap. Sleep cures all ills.
17. Essential to life: coffee, vodka, cigarettes, chocolate, or . . .?
In this order: coffee, beer, coffee, wine, beer, coffee, bourbon, (water), a bite to eat.
18. Environ of choice: city or country, and where on the map?
Definitely an urban dweller and I’ve spent time in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. I have to say, L.A. is for me. Well, more precisely, the East Side of L.A. You get all the perks of city living plus 72 degree weather every. single. day.
19. What do you want to say to the leader of your country?
Can you move over? It’s kind of a tight squeeze.
20. Last but certainly not least, what are you working on, now?
Creatively, I’m all about my newest project, Mon Draggor. The Mon Draggor double LP features 18 songs split between two collections, Pushing Buttons a pounding electro-pop collection and Pulling Strings a somber, acoustic affair. Featuring Tanya Donelly (Belly, Throwing Muses), Rick Moody (author of The Ice Storm), Greg Bertens (Film School), Kevin March (Shudder to Think, Guided by Voices), and Tim Cronin (Camera Obscura) among others.