John McBain has been involved in numerous projects over the years, having worked alongside Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam, Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden and Josh Homme as a short-lived early member of Queens Of The Stone Age. He’s also worked with The Heads, Kandodo and many more.
His latest project is a solo effort, entitled Accidental Soundtracks Vol. 1: The Alpha Particle, set for release next month, and recorded at his home studio in San Francisco. Taken from the album, you can stream ‘The Alpha Particle’ above right now.
"This record was the result of a dare," McBain explains. "My friend Luis Gutiérrez and I were talking about making records and current technology. We challenged each other to record a song a day until we had a complete album. This record is the result, took about two weeks."
The album offered McBain a chance to revisit how he used to write music, having wired up some microphones, hit record and added his vocals and guitar. Accidental Soundtracks Volume 1: The Alpha Particle is recorded using modern technology but recorded in an “analogue” way, with McBain limiting himself to no more than eight tracks and only using complete takes with the guitar and bass tracks.
Where McBain’s first solo album, The In Flight Feature, was devised as a soundtrack for a 70s movie that didn’t exist, this new album is more rooted in ’80s influences such as John Carpenter. It’s all recorded by McBain himself save for the drums on one track – as McBain explains: "I like to work alone." The record is set for release, via God Unknown Records, on June 2.
