A Place to Bury Strangers:  Loud Enough to Wake the Dead

A Place to Bury Strangers” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. Recently, people have started to refer to them as “the loudest band in New York.” Not much shorter, but at least you start to get an idea of what you’re in for.

There are familiar, even fashionable, elements. But take the Joy Division drone, the shoegaze penchant for repetition and atmospherics-then run it through Oliver Ackerman’s self-made pedals and equipment, wash it in distortion and layer it thick enough to drown in. Think Interpol but less full of themselves, and with guitars so loud you can’t see what they’re wearing.

Singer/guitarist Ackerman fronts the Brooklyn trio, which has been on a steady rise since the 2007 release of its eponymous debut. The album, essentially a collection of demos, was produced in Ackerman’s Death By Audio space-a recording studio, concert venue and workshop for Ackerman’s gear, which has been used by the likes of Spoon and Wilco. They’ll record their follow-up in the same place, again with Ackerman at the helm.

Before that, and before the release of their upcoming live album, APTBS has a North American tour to finish. Ackerman was kind enough to answer a few questions before their Fargo stop, next Tuesday.

HPR: You’ve demurred about the “loudest band in New York’ label, but A Place To Bury Strangers (APTBS) nonetheless has this reputation for pummeling shows. It sounds visceral, almost sublime. What is it, in your words, that you’re going after?

OA: We are creating an out-of-body experience for us and the listener. It’s really only then when I can, as a musician, enjoy myself. The lights, super loud guitars, all contribute to the confusion and chaos which enables you to let go.

HPR: Bands like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth have commented on the difficulty of returning to old material, trying to figure just how the hell they created a sound. You’ve been portrayed as a sort of mad scientist in regards to your pedals and equipment, and the layers of APTBS beg for repeat listens because of it. Do you chronicle in any way the equipment and sounds you create?

OA: I think that when you get involved in building pedals, engineering recordings, and playing lots of instruments you begin to demystify what it is that creates certain sounds, and then are able to create anything you want. It even can kind of ruin things when you get so in tune with everything; it takes out some of the fun. You then have to keep on setting yourself up to make accidents, and let things get out of control to surprise yourself. Honestly, that is why I make music—to hear something that I have never heard before.

HPR: I imagine your live show can’t be a note-for-note replication of an album that complex. Is that where the live record is coming from?

OA: Definitely, everything we do for a record is meant for a record. We use recording as a tool, and then when it is time to play live that’s something completely different. The layers of guitars/vocals/drum machines are not what we are trying to do live. We are creating something completely different, and that has to be done completely different to express those same sort of feelings.

HPR: APTBS has blown up this year-opening for the Jesus & Mary Chain, the glowing Pitchfork review and more and more-but you’ve been at this a while. Tell us about Death By Audio, your Brooklyn scene, and what drives all of that.

OA: I think there are a lot of people doing a lot of cool things in NY because it can be so hard to live here. It’s hard to make money, rent is crazy expensive and it’s tempting to party all the time, so you really have to work really hard to make it all happen. It sort of weeds out the people who can’t take it, and that leaves a lot of people who do a lot of really cool things and helps build community.

DETAILS:

WHO: A Place To Bury Strangers w/Holy F**k and GhostHandPunch
WHAT: Noisy Brooklyn shoegaze, Toronto electronica, local indie pop
WHERE: The Aquarium
WHEN: 10 p.m., Tuesday, February 19
HOW MUCH: $6/21+