Jesse McClear-keyboards/vocals/programming
William West-keyboards Scott Hixson - guitar/vocals
When Jesse McClear and William West first conceived Heavy Water Factory, their goal was to create electronic music with organic sound. What began as a studio project flourished into a live band that has produced and released it's own music, toured on it's own initiative and established a firm foothold in he underground electro scene.
In 1996 Heavy Water Factory's first album, Fluid and Meat was released on the band's own "Graymalkin Productions" label. Immediately prior to released of Fluid and Meat Heavy Water Factory enlisted Scott Hixon as a second vocalist and guitar player to round out the band's live show. The year of it's debut saw Heavy Water Factory play at club's in it's native Detroit with the likes of Hate Dept., Sister Machine Gun, Mentallo and the Fixer, and most recently crossed the mid-west region on last summer's "Distance" tour (and Battery and Deathline International).
Once the band returned to Detriot, princpal songwriter and programmer Jesse McClear began work on the next Heavy Water Factory album. The 18 song "Author of Pain" album is evidence of McClears constant and prolific songwriting. "When Bill and I sat down to figure out what we wanted to put on 'Author of Pain' we went through dozens of tapes and sequences looking for the best tracks." McClear explains "We narrowed it down to 18 songs. Trying to fit them all on one disc has been difficult, at best." For McClear, a graphic artist by trade, Heavy Water Factory is an opportunity to express emotions and ideas in a medium unbound by the visual spectrum.
"I'm constantly playing with new sounds" states McClear "sometimes it develops into a song, sometimes it gets lost somewhere on my hard drive. I'm sure there's an entire new album on there if I tried finding it." By combining disparate elements of various electronic musics, McClear stakes out a new territory of vartied and emotional electronica. The music alternates between lush soundscapes and sparse throbbing rhythms punctuated with well placed samples and emotive vocal line. Jesse's whispered vocals speak intimately to the listener, complementing the music's sinister atmostphere with subtles tones, while contrasting delicate electronics with harsh emotions of the man in control of his machines. "My lyrics come from my personall experience" related McClear "it could be from a diary of a specific situation in my life, relationships especially...I write about that a lot." Scott Hixson's expressive vocal style compliments McClear;s subtlety to perfection. Hixson's voice emotes his personal pain in a melodic catharsis, while McClear prefers to obscure his voice with shispers and effects.
Author of Pain conveys the emotions of it's creators on a sublime level that is is preceived by the listener as a feeling rather an overt message of confessions. Indeed, the instumental compositions on the album are as emotional as the vocalized sentiments of band, an affect Heavy Water Factory will continue to embody both in the studio and on the road.
For further information regarding Heavy Water Factory contact:
David or Louisa @ 212-695-3000
Energyrec@aol.com
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Heavy Water Factory : Author of Pain
ERG81126-2 |