Snob's Music: Q&A with Nathan Oliver

North Carolina indie band Nathan Oliver have been pushing hard behind their solid sophomore album Cloud Animals. I recently had the opportunity to speak with lead singer/songwriter Nathan White about the album and music in general. Here's our conversation:

T.O. Snob: Your new album Cloud Animals came out earlier this year. For people who aren’t familiar with you how would you describe the album and Nathan Oliver’s sound?

Nathan White: Well, my opinion is skewed, but I think Cloud Animals is a pretty diverse record that doesn't linger. It's indie rock ultimately, but I like to think it touches on quirky pop, alternative, and folk. A variety of NC musicians make appearances, and the instrumentation shuffles between songs. We incorporate viola, trumpet, melodica, glockenspiel, and more to keep the songs varied.

I think our music has a particular sense of quirkiness and fun. The lyrics are very important to the music, even though they are often dark in the presence of a cheery melody.

T.O. Snob: What were the differences between writing/recording your debut album and this follow up?

NW: Well the first record was really a collection of songs that resulted from bedroom songwriting. I didn't expect the songs to be released when I wrote them, and I didn't arrange them in a way that was representative of a live band. The debut record was also recorded in just over 4 days. With Cloud Animals, many of the songs have existed for years, but I really spent more time in the studio experimenting with different ideas and sounds. These songs were recorded to be released.

T.O. Snob: What inspires a Nathan Oliver song?

NW: Coincidence, death by hanging, anxiety, time closing in on you like moving walls, sarcasm, weather, frustration, religion. Something like that.

T.O. Snob: So I know you are the Nathan half, but who the heck is the Oliver?

NW: Well I wrote and recorded the first album as a solo artist. Oliver is my middle name. We just evolved into a full band.

T.O. Snob: North Carolina and Chapel Hill in particular have a storied place in indie music history. Does that add extra pressure to live up to the tradition of bands like Superchunk?

NW: I don't think so. Instead of adding pressure, I think bands like Superchunk and Archers of Loaf really validated Chapel Hill and North Carolina. They opened the doors to a vibrant music scene in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. I'm excited to be a part. There are so many talented bands and artists that we have played with and worked with--on the whole, it's a great environment.

T.O. Snob: What’s the atmosphere like amongst the music community?

NW: Everyone is really supportive of eachother's creativity for the most part. The music scene is very active, and a lot of musicians are in 2-3 bands. There's always a new record coming out, or a great show coming up.

T.O. Snob: What local bands would you recommend fans check out?

NW: Schooner, Midtown Dickens, The Love Language, Americans In France

T.O. Snob: Your tour dates so far don’t have you coming up to visit us in Toronto. Do you have any plans to tour north of the border?

NW: Not set plans, but we want to get up to Toronto! I played there for NXNE in 2007 with Schooner and that was a great time. Anybody wanna help us out???

T.O. Snob: If you could tour with any artist in the world who would it be?

NW: Man Man. Or maybe that would be a huge mistake.

T.O. Snob: If someone were to look at your CD collection what would they be surprised to see?

NW: Maybe some electronic music like Ladytron's 604? If you want embarrassing, I have a few sweet mp3's. Ace of Base or A-Ha.

T.O. Snob: A-Ha is nothing to be embarrassed by. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

NW: Thank you!

Nathan Oliver were also gracious enough to provide us with some MP3s. Check out their sound with these: