Monarchs

Singer/songwriters Sven-Erik Seaholm and Brooke Mackintosh are used to being busy. The duo's actual home is constantly abuzz with studio activity, as Seaholm is an in-demand record producer with credits on dozens of releases each year and Mackintosh is an active live and session vocalist. And there's also their new son together, Miles Harper Seaholm, keeping things 'on the go'... We recorded most of the main vocal and acoustic guitar performances first, because we wanted to capture Brooke's singing in case her breathing became compromised by the pregnancy., explains Seaholm. We laid down the songs the way we perform them live, then we just sort of added little elements to enhance what was already there. In between recording projects, tours and diaper changes and with no collaborators but each other, the pair added a wide array of organic textures: Bass, organ, tom-toms, glockenspiel, banjuke and other less 'conventional' sounds like toys, washboards, shirt sleeves...even the side of 'Max', the studio dog. Many of these sounds were further psychedelicized (to use the duo's own term) and gently laid into the background's subtle audio mosaic, supporting the voices and acoustic guitar which remain the focus throughout. We wanted the essence of what we do, our voices and our songs, to be at the forefront. We just employed whatever was at hand, as a way of keeping things as natural and vibe-centric as possible. But I knew we were getting pretty far out there, after I actually recorded Brooke's vocals with two cans and some string, then ran it through a Leslie rotating speaker!, recalls Seaholm with a laugh. Whether in the playground of the recording studio or the canvas of the stage, the song and the singing are always the thing with Seaholm Mackintosh. Monarchs boasts 12 beautifully striking examples of their unique, melodic storytelling and close harmonization. Throughout, the classic art of songwriting is not only revered, but exemplified.