11. Royal Trux
I was never a huge fan until I heard Twin Infinitives, but that record, I related to it 100%. I felt I was doing something similar, or rather, I could do something similar. How Jennifer lays her vocal down is super influential, she’s a master… Don’t tell her I said that!
What I didn’t know about those guys was that they were always on the cusp of technology, they were using Pro Tools the year it came out, going digital before anyone was going digital. Their production is brilliant but it’s raw, you wouldn’t think that they’re so, so involved in their production, and they’re so avant-garde with their technological skills, and that blew my mind years later to learn this. It’s not just a jam session – every little bit is very intentional, and talking with Neil about that is far out. He said, you put your amp flat on the floor and you put a piece of wood under it, and then you mic it from the side, and that’s how you get the sound. And truly, he’ll follow it up by saying ‘Neil Young’s guitar tech taught me that’. And so that’s actually real. Wow.
Years later, hearing them say that they were creating ‘era-based records’ – one was supposed to be like 70s rock, another like an 80s rock record – that was really enlightening.
