A lot of reviewers like to use references to big name artists when they review albums to give the readers an idea of what a band sounds like.  I usually try to avoid the practice as much as possible, but with Avi Ghosh’s Severing the Tie, I’m going to have to break my own rules.  After several, (and I do mean several,) listens, I still find myself reminded of a lot of the later Nine Inch Nails albums.  I mean this in a good way though…  most of the time when I see a band compared to Nine Inch Nails, it’s usually in a negative context, with the writer saying that a band sounds like a copycat, or tried to achieve the sound without being successful.  In Avi’s case however, it’s the arrangements and the structure of the songs that reminded me of NIN.  His attention to detail on this record is phenomenal, with very smart arrangements, and a great use of dynamics in the songs.  I compared it to Nine Inch Nails when describing the sound to my friends as both Avi Ghosh and Trent Reznor have an amazing ear when putting their songs together.

 Severing the Tie is a sophisticated, dynamic record with the attention to detail placed in all the right places.  Unlike many artists, Avi Ghosh obviously wrote the album with the strengths of his songs in mind, and it comes out in the final product.  The production of the album is great, with none of the songs being over produced…  everything is just right!

 While I enjoyed, and continue to enjoy the entire album, my favorite song is definitely Don’t Count on me Anymore.  It has a great beat and bass line that reminds me a half dozen or more of some of my favorite industrial rock groups of the late 90s.  It’s without a doubt the strongest track on the album and would be my personal suggestion for a radio single.

 Overall, Severing the Tie is an awesome album.  You can buy it online through Avi’s myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/avi. 

I enjoyed this album so much that I asked Avi if he’d be interested in doing a quick interview with me for Alternative Explosion.  You can read it here:

Eric from Alternative Explosion Interviews Avi Ghosh

Eric:  Tell me a little bit about Avi Ghosh… how did you get started?

Avi:  Let’s see. I just turned 23. I put out the first full length release under my name this past Valentine’s Day. I’m currently balancing a full-time day job with my music career that seems to be getting more challenging everyday. I’ve been making records for the past six years under dEFY and just recently transitioned and transcended into releasing my work under my own name.

Eric:  I’ve enjoyed listening to your latest record, Severing The Tie. What inspired you to put together this collection of songs?

Avi:  Heartbreak was the primary sentiment that underlined and inspired the overall theme behind “STT.” Even though there were several other factors that go along with the experience of that degree of loss, the majority of the album revolved around falling out of love and the addiction-like dependency you find yourself battling after-the-fact.

Eric:  You’ve told me before that you write, record, perform and produce all your own music. I have a lot of respect for do it yourself artists as I also do the same. What kind of equipment and/or software are you working with?

Avi:  At one point I owned several fantastic synthesizers such as the Korg Z1, Motif, K2K, but I’ve managed to ebay 90% of my gear in the past two years. I’m using the computer strictly as a tape machine this time around. The majority of the album wasn’t even done in pro-tools, actually a recording program that came out in 1998 which is embarrassing to share. There were no plug-ins used aside from the standards that came with the recording program, one hardware synthesizer, a guitar, a bass, and a few nominal mics for a pretty shitty drum set I borrowed. I didn’t even use a compressor on the signal chain when recording the vocals for this album and my microphone is considered consumer audio.While my good audio junkie friends found me insane for neglecting all this, it was really a conscious and purposeful decision on my part because I’ve found myself often surrounded by so much gear that I’d overlook the most important part of recording- the song itself. The Beatles didn’t even have stereophonic recording capabilities for years and people are still listening to their entire discography because their songwriting resonated well past the production capabilities that limited them. You really don’t need much to write and record a good song. You don’t need to spend thousands in a recording studio. You can do it in your bedroom. That’s what I did.Severing The Tie sounds like it draws from a lot of different musical influences.

Eric:  Can you tell us a bit about artists who may have influenced the sound of the album?

Avi:  Wow. That’s a pretty open-ended question. During the time I was recording STT I was primarily listening to theSTART. “Ciao, Baby” is such an exceptional album- in fact it’s still in my player. I found myself playing their entire discography though for a good while. Other band’s that were rotating in my car were the Foo Fighters, Dave Gahan, Saul Williams, Black Light Burns, Idiot Pilot, The Birthday Massacre, and Queens of the Stoneage.

Eric:  Many artists are utilizing the internet to sell their music these days as are you with Severing The Tie. How is this working out for you, and do you plan on eventually releasing the album on disc as well?

Avi:  The internet is the single most important weapon an unsigned artist has to find exposure. Considering the fact that every major seems to be going independent now and every kid & their grandmother is a myspace rockstar- it is a bit more difficult to get noticed. However, Avi Ghosh would be nothing with the growing network of people spreading the word about the music and helping expose what I do in my bedroom to people all over the world. As for a hard copy of STT, yes, I do have something special planned for the four people left in the world who enjoy the tangibility of holding a record. It’ll be on it’s way in the next two-three months, right around the time the album hits iTUNES.Do you have any plans to tour in support of the new album?Fuck yes. Hopefully most of this fall and winter will be spent exploring all the cracks of this country with my best friends and going broke on the road!

Eric:  Avi Ghosh has a large, growing online network. Do you have any advice you’d like to share with other bands hoping to build up their own online fanbases?

Avi:  My number one thing would be to get to know your listeners. These are the people that are allowing you to do what you love and why not show them you appreciate it by responding that message. There have been days that I didn’t go to sleep just so I can make sure I got around to responding to every single comment and message that was on my myspace page. It pays off. People will value you when they feel like you’re not there just to make a buck on them or treat them as a trading card on your friends list. I’m fortunate to have the coolest listening base any artist could ask for. I’m sure I’d be friends in real life with every single one of them and am grateful my music has served as a medium for our introduction.

Eric:  Anything else you’d like to share with us?

Avi:  Just thanks to everyone who has taken a moment out of their hectic lives to show that they care about my music. It means the absolute world to me.

Eric:  Alright… thanks for talking with me. I look forward to catching you live someday!

Avi:  Thank you. Keep up the great work man  We’ll both be playing all over the place soon I’m sure.