Martina Grbac’s low-key approach to her music sounds downright sheepish at first.
“As a band we don’t really look around for opportunities,” admitted Grbac, the singer-cellist for Denver indie trio , over lunch at Capitol Hill’s Shish Kabob Grill last week.
But don’t mistake low-key for unambitious.
“We figured if no one comes to us to release this new record, we’ll just do it ourselves,” she said.
After an raised nearly $7,000 for the project, Land Lines decamped to Denver recording studio with veteran engineer and soundman Xandy Whitesel (Bon Iver, Volcano Choir). There they cranked out nine tracks that sit nicely between the melancholy, energetically askew work of Wye Oak and a less jittery version of indie goddess St. Vincent.
“This album was a departure in that we took a little more production liberties in the studio,” Grbac said. “Before, we were just obsessed with recreating our live sound.”
Granted, for Land Lines’ Jan. 30 album release at the Grbac has roped in some locals to recreate the delicate string section on the recordings, including Julie Davis (Bluebook, Nathaniel Rateliff), Tom Hagerman (DeVotchKa) and Rebecca Vera (Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Munly).
But overall, Land Lines sticks to its honed chamber-pop sound, which comes to life with the help drummer Ross Harada and keyboardist James Han.
The trio’s ability to insinuate itself after only a few notes has made it a favorite of Colorado Public Radio’s OpenAir (102.3 FM), where Land Lines returned for a recent .
“We’d like to do a Daytrotter (session) this year, too, if we can swing a tour in that direction,” Grbac said of the Illinois studio series.
Along with Anna Mascorella, the sultry-voiced, Croatian-born Grbac, 34, formerly sang and played cello in the Fort Collins band Matson Jones. That group briefly flirted with national indie fame after a mid-2000s stint on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label (Hole, the White Stripes, Rocket from the Crypt) before disbanding in 2008.
Hawaiian-born Harada, 36, was Matson Jones’ dutiful drummer, and has been Land Lines’ timekeeper since its 2010 inception. South Korean-born Han, 39, joined Land Lines a couple years later — just before the release of its self-titled debut on Denver’s Cash Cow Records. In October, he also became Grbac’s husband.
“Everything fell in so naturally,” said Han, a piano tuner and instructor who has played with acclaimed Colorado songwriters Rateliff and Gregory Alan Isakov. “We share the goal of creating good art as opposed to hitting it big or something like that. We don’t have some incredibly inspiring, ambitious target here.”
Perhaps, but Land Lines is artistically ambitious in a way that few Denver bands are. Grbac’s lyrics are atypical in their impressionistic but earnest construction. The band has collaborated with dancers from Denver’s Tigress Dance, and plans to again this year. Its cinematic, slowly unfurling songs make for ideal gallery fare, which is why it’s looking to play shows for its friends at the nonprofit RedLine art space in 2015, as well shopping its music for potential soundtrack licensing.
“What we’re doing right now kind of lends itself to being in TV shows and movies,” said Harada, who works as a nurse at downtown’s Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center. “When we all met and said, ‘What are our dreams for 2015?’ I said let’s do whatever it takes to get Land Lines on the next season of ‘True Detective!’ “
The patient, hyper-detailed music of “The Natural World” would fit the show’s mood well.
“Rivers + Streams,” the lead track, begins with a simple plucked cello as Harada taps hollow percussive notes. Robust bass, ghostly vocals and Han’s keyboards wash ashore, heralding a synth line worthy of the “Blade Runner” soundtrack.
It’s moody, elemental stuff, but songs like “Plans” and “Limb from Limb” are not wanting for punch and propulsion, while “Matter” nods toward the adventurous avant-pop of Blonde Redhead, spliced with a folksy fiddle refrain.
It’s not just a quieter, more circumspect version of Matson Jones’ sawing cello-punk (even if the builds and choruses sometimes echo that band’s dynamics). “The Natural World’s” broader sonic palate also get a finishing tint from TW Walsh (Pedro the Lion, Sufjan Stevens), who has worked with Denver artists such as Rateliff and Tennis.
The results reflect Land Lines’ desire to create crisp, minimalist music under no pressure or commercial illusions (Grbac is an optometrist by day), but still stand apart with thoughtful songwriting and playing.
“When we started I had a partial chip on my shoulder,” Grbac said. “As in, I don’t want to be known as ‘that cello band’ forever. I want this to be a continuation of what we were doing in (Matson Jones), since we were creatively the same people.
“But I wanted it to be more open-ended to where we can try more things. We don’t skimp on quality just because we don’t have huge expectations. Aspirations, sure. But maybe not expectations.”
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642, jwenzel@denverpost.com or twitter.com/johnwenzel
LAND LINES. Album release party for atmospheric Denver indie rock band, with Snake Rattle Rattle Snake and Porlolo. 9 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. $12. 303-291-1007 or larimerlounge.com.
