Supergroup Gone Is Gone Checked Egos at the Door to Craft Cinematic ‘Echolocation’ Album [Exclusive Interview]
If you're not familiar with Gone Is Gone, they're a supergroup comprised of members of Mastodon (Troy Sanders), Queens of the Stone Age (Troy Van Leeuwen), At the Drive-In (Tony Hajjar) and multi-instrumentalist and composer Mike Zarin. In support of their debut album, Echolocation, we were fortunate enough to have everyone, save for Hajjar, swing by our studio to dive deeper into the record.
After working scoring music for film trailers, Hajjar and Zarin decided to take this ethos and apply to it a more standard song approach. With Van Leeuwen and Sanders locked into place, they first released a self-titled EP, exploring the soundscapes meet rock 'n' roll approach further on Echolocation.
The album itself is a true grower, as repeated listens help the listener understand the full scope of what's going on amidst the seemingly disjointed sequencing. We asked Gone Is Gone about the track order, as it appears to have the same ebb and flow as a film soundtrack, jumping from mood to mood in a somewhat jarring fashion.
The members revealed that this was indeed the intent, explaining more about how they created this music to score the film in their heads. We talked about the more cinematic nature of Echolocation and how it occasionally delves into the heavier realm, as heard on the brawny and Mastodon-tinged track "Pawns," which Sanders details.
Two songs, "Slow Awakening" and "Fast Awakening" are cut from the same cloth, musically and lyrically, serving as slight opposites of the same song. Here, we learn the theme of this pair of tracks and how they're connected as well as a bit of a surprise as to how "Fast Awakening" came together in the first place.
If there's one thing that crops up repeatedly, its the collaborative effort between the band as they put aside any egos, working together and doing what's best for each song.
To dig even deeper into one of 2017's early standout albums, watch the video above with Gone Is Gone! Get your copy of Echolocation at Amazon or digitally through iTunes and be sure to follow the band's Facebook page to stay up to date on everything they're doing.
Troy Sanders Plays 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'