K&A with I Build Collapsible Mountains

Until recently, as the promo photo attests to, the identity of I Build Collapsible Mountains was a thing of great mystery. Not any more! IBCM is none other than former guitarist with The Gothenburg Address, Luke Joyce. His debut album A Month Of Lost Memories is out today on a brand-new, though somewhat-familiar-sounding record label. The press release describes it as "a thing of restrained beauty". If anything, that's underselling it! It's outstanding.

Here's Luke to tell us some more...

Kowalskiy: Who is I Build Collapsible Mountains?
Luke: IBCM is me. I am Luke. I am a singer songwriter from Edinburgh.

Kowalskiy: How did the project come about, and maybe the most obvious question.... why the name?
Luke: IBCM is something that I think has been on my mind for a while. Taking music back to its most raw, one man and his guitar, is some what of a musical detox I think. Its been refreshing to have no distractions, and to be able to concentrate on getting across my thoughts and varied wonderings via my lovely wooden geetar. The name comes from a superpower that I once claimed would be my ideal. No x-ray vision here, its all about the landscaping. Oh yeaaaaa!

Kowalskiy: For anyone that's not heard your music, how would you describe it?
Luke: Well for anyone who has heard my previous outings, its probably a bit of a shock, but a good shock I hope. There's no bells or whistles here. Its a very minimalist acoustic sound. The songs were recorded by myself in my boxroom, so they're pretty lo-fi, but I think this has maybe been part of the appeal. I think maybe it feels a little like you there towards the end of the writing process - you're in the room, at those ridiculous hours as it finally takes shape.

Kowalskiy: Who/what/where influences your music?
Luke: Its maybe a bit of a cliche, but the coast has been a big influence on these songs. I spend a lot of time there, at this untouched beach I know, just with my guitar, sitting in the reeds watching the weather turn. I suffer from high anxiety so I find it incredibly relaxing there, and I don't feel under any pressure to write the music, so I take my time and just see how I feel. I have a little tape recorder to jot down ideas. Artist wise there have been a few people who have influenced me. I listen to a lot of Tiny Vipers and other more underground American artists, and also the more recently discovered The Tallest Man On Earth. My favorite record of the past year is the Admiral Fallow album. I'm not sure its a direct influence, but its something I recommend everyone should listen to as soon as possible.

Kowalskiy: You're releasing your debut album album A Month Of Lost Memories this month on Peenko Records. What is the story behind the album, and how does it feel to be the first release on the label?
Luke: Lloyd Peenko was one of the first people to pick up on my music, before I had really started pushing it. After I started putting a number of tracks up on Bandcamp Lloyd said he would really like to put a CD out. The CD is really special. Its handmade and limited to 50, so its something for people to treasure. It also comes with awesome Peenko and IBCM badges. The Peenko label is being launched on the same day as the IBCM CD, so October 13 is going to be a landmark. The album itself is a collection of songs that are about situations and circumstances that breezed in and out of my life over the coarse of a few weeks.

Kowalskiy: As well as that, you'll be involved in Peenko vs. AyeTunes 3. What can fans expect from an IBCM live show?
Luke: Yes I'm really looking forward to this. I admire both Lloyd and Jim for their efforts in supporting local unsigned music, so its a great pleasure to be part of one of their awesome AVP nights. Although there are a few accompaniments on the record, the live shows are stripped back to the bare minimum, just me and my guitar. I hope people enjoy hearing the songs in this way as much as I enjoy playing them.

Kowalskiy: What would be your ideal gig?
Luke: Ooft. Erm. Well, the 90's were pretty good. Everything was so exciting musically back then. That bit after grunge, but before emo? That was pretty good. I would like to play at the Metro in Chicago. All the bands who I used to idolise have played their. And I love Chicago. Its a great city to visit, and the music scene is amazing. I don't think I'd want roadies. To be honest, there's nothing for them to do. I'd like to take my close circle of friends on the road though. There's no point living the experience if there's no one to share it with.

Kowalskiy: What can we expect from you in the future?
Luke: Well the CD is out on October 13^th. I am playing a few shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow and then I hope to travel a bit further afield. Then I'm putting out a Flexi single in the U.S. Hopefully in time for Xmas.

You can get your hands on one of the 50 CDs here, though if you need convinced, you can get a free download of opening track Rails here! And if you wanna catch Luke live...

Upcoming Gigs
30^th Oct - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh
4^th Nov - The Liquid Ship, Glasgow
5^th Nov - AvP3 @ Classic Grand, Glasgow