MINNEAPOLIS — On Party Sounds (From Another Room), the listener is taken to the center of a bustling house party.
That was exactly what Al Church intended when he set out to make the album.
“I wanted to kind of create a three-dimensional experience,” said Church during an interview on the Friday, April 14, Centerstage Minnesota.
“You’re at a party and it’s like, loud music. And you’re dancing and you’re having a good time. And then also at the same time, you have to talk with your friend about something really deep and personal, and you’re kind of sucked into another room and the door shuts.”
That duality is explored throughout Party Sounds, with faint snippets of conversations appearing within and around the music. While this may sound abstract, the music remains catchy and danceable.
Church highlighted Tears For Fears, The Cure, and Hall & Oates as inspirations.
“I wanted to kind of create a three-dimensional experience."Al Church
“They were experimenting with keyboards and synthesizers, and that really inspires me to experiment with other things,” he said.
On the same topic, Church gave a hilarious impromptu rendition of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin,’” breaking down the song’s structure in comparison to more contemporary pop music.
For the complete conversation with Al Church, listen above.
Centerstage Minnesota, Fridays at 2 and 10 p.m. on KAXE/KBXE, is made possible by the citizens of Minnesota through the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.
