Travels
The ultra-romantic Massachusetts duo isn’t trying to break your heart, though its first self-release just might
By Katy Henriksen
Published: November 15th, 2007 | 4:25am
In November 2006, Anar Badalov of Metal Hearts wrote “Olivia Hurt” for Mona Elliott of Victory at Sea and sang it to her while their bands toured Europe together. The song became the final track of their new band, Travels’, self-titled CD, self-released October 30, 2007.
“I listened to Mona sing her songs every night, and I watched her pretty closely. Really, really closely, actually,” Badalov explains via phone. Elliott’s intense stage presence and connection with the crowd prompted Badalov to write the intimate song. “Mona’s got a pretty compelling presence on stage. The best way I could put it is that she really evokes tears and joy at the same time,” he says.
In the song “Olivia Hurt,” Elliot’s foil, Olivia, makes “the universe cry and the solar system sing.” She also makes church bells ring early in the morning after staying up all night. If it isn’t clear: the song outlines the arc of emotions Badalov held when he fell in love with Elliott. “We’d stay up, giving up full nights of sleep, so we could talk or have another drink,” Badalov remembers.
They danced too. “We thought we were the best dancers in the world,” Elliott says, laughing. “Nothing else mattered. In our heads, our moves were like moves by people who had danced together for years. But now I realize … I don’t think we’re very good dancers at all.”
When they returned from their European tour, Badalov moved in with Elliott, and they began recording the 10 songs that became Travels’ debut. Using a digital eight-track recorder, a drum machine, guitars, and vocals, the entire album was crafted in their apartment, which they describe as a darkly painted, cluttered little space in Somerville, Massachusetts, that Elliott had lived in for 10 years. The setting comes through in the recording: a dense, delicately textured testament to their new love.
The duo kept their songwriting process simple: Elliott and Badalov wrote songs individually, and then they’d come together with the drum machine and guitars to add layers of distortion, percussion, and vocals to the tune. They never lingered on a song, oftentimes finishing one in a day. Elliott describes the process of home recording in terms that recall their relationship. “We are not actually going for a sound, but I think home recording gives way to having a homey sort of cozy feel,” she says. “Throughout our record, I can hear our eight months together. It feels really intimate for me.”
Recording the album wasn’t always candy hearts and roses. Heartbreaking news came two months into their relationship when Elliott was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was then that their music became a way to heal. “To come home and have a place to be safe, and still play music no matter what, and record it … it is just so good and so healing,” Elliott says. “When I hear it now, it just sounds like healing and warmth to me.”
Although an early review described Travels’ sound as depressing sadcore, Badalov sees it as hopeful. “We hear it as very happy, but maybe that’s just because our other bands were really sad. I still love dark-sounding music. I think Mona does too, because we end up listening to a lot of it.”
Like most couples in love and ready to conquer the world, Badalov and Elliott have decided to take on the daunting tasks associated with managing what they’ve created. The duo says that the benefits of self-releasing far outweigh any pitfalls. Badalov has time at his day job to conduct publicity, and Elliott enjoys crafting the covers in her free time. “Basically, other than mastering the record, we did everything ourselves,” says Elliot, who also designs work for sale on the crafting site etsy.com.
Given all that they’ve accomplished in the year that they’ve been together, if asked the question: lover or fighter? Badalov and Elliott might come up with the surprising answer of “Both.” “It all goes back to expectations,” Badalov says. “We don’t expect to be the new Pitchfork-hyped band or anything. It’s been working. A lot of people are finding out. We send each album out personally. We write letters and send them candy. It doesn’t feel like the music industry, you know —”
“ — It feels like arts and crafts,” Elliott adds.
For now, Elliott and Badalov have recently moved into a new apartment, one with more room, white walls, lots of light and plants, and they both agree that this will affect whatever music comes next. Though they only wrote one piece together for their first release, next time around they believe the entire songwriting process will be more collaborative. Perhaps the sophomore effort will be a testament to a seasoned, no-less powerful statement of love.
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Travels is available as a digital download on iTunes or in a limited edition CD. Each of the 500 CDs sport unique covers hand-crafted by the band and available at http://www.myspace.com/travelsband.
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