Prince Rama to Open for Deakin

Fringe ArtsAshley Opheim — Published September 14, 2010

Animal Collective’s record label Paw Tracks has just picked up the band and they have been making some noise in the music scene. Not just any sort of noise, some serious, psychedelic noise. Their newest album Shadow Temple is their fourth release—their first on a major label—and seems to be some sort of ascent to an obscured and abstract cosmic consciousness.

The band is made of two sisters, Taraka and Nimai Larson, and their friend Michael Collins.

“I feel, from a listener stand-point, our music has become a lot more abstract,” explained lead singer Taraka Larson. “Originally, we were really raw and primitive and pure and now we all just have pedals and effects and it’s kind of funny the way it evolved that way. We’ve all been more attracted to a spacey sound, something less pin down-able.”

Taraka explained that this album is the one they’ve been most “free” in recording.

“The concept for the album comes out of a necessity,” said Taraka. “Shadow Temple expresses a need in and out of itself.”

Prince Rama is about to embark on a tour which will bring them to Montreal to open for Deakin.

Larson finds it difficult to pinpoint a concrete influence in their music. “I have so many [influences],” she said. “I feel like it kind of changes every week. My sister and I were kind of raised listening to lots of traditional Indian music, so that’s been pretty influential.”

Larson explained that, musically, Prince Rama aren’t trying to be anything at this point in their careers.

“We’re really trying not to try and do anything,” she said. “I feel like once you try and do something, like trying to control a situation, it is damaging to [the type of music we are making].”

Larson wants the listener to use their music to connect, on a deeper level, with their surroundings.

“[We want our music to be] music that makes you forget your surroundings, or puts you hyper-into your surroundings almost to the point where you’re so aware of what’s going on around you that you’re really detached from it,” she said.

Larson sees the band’s music from an architectural standpoint.

“[Our recording process is] a building process,” she said. “I’m the architect – like I’ll lay out the blueprint and then my sister Nimai will lay down the foundation with the beats and then Michael fills it out with all the ornaments.”

As for the kind of music Larson is into? “I really like music that goes beyond and conjures every person and every place.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 31, Issue 05, published September 14, 2010.