Words by David C. Obenour
Trombone, acoustic bass, and three unique voices, the music that tilt creates is as curious and exploratory as it is confident and well-formed. Uniting the vision and artistry of Isabel Crespo Pardo, Kalia Vandever, and Carmen Quill, their debut album something we once knew exists amidst the sonic connection between melodies both sung and played. While stepping back that statement could be generically applied to any recording, what tilt does is entirely unique – blurring the tonal connection between instrument and vocals in a way that redefines both.
OS: As a name for your trio, what does tilt mean to you? How does it embody or reflect what you put forth together? Is there any further meaning to the lower case lettering?
Isabel Crespo Pardo: The name “tilt” came from one of Kalia’s songs, “tilted.” The decision was quick and simple, the name just clicked. To me the word “tilt” feels connected to our way of gently stepping into a space that is a little off-kilter, playful, and perhaps even a little uncanny. The understated and subtle nature of the lowercase felt fitting as well.
Off Shelf: Did performing or recording with tilt change any of how you thought about vocals as a unique musical element in a song?
Carmen Quill: For me, most of this thinking happens during the compositional process, which has evolved since we formed the band. I often feel a barrier when trying to use words in my compositions in general, so one way around this is to just think of the voice as another instrument. For tilt, I think about the spaces that our specific voices can inhabit, and try to imagine different roles for each of our instruments and voices to play. I think you can hear us exploring these different roles and combinations on the record and I’m excited for us to keep discovering new approaches in future compositions.
OS: Repetition of vocals in practices such as mantra in meditation can have an effect where a pronounced phrase turns into a disconnected and unique sound. Did you have a similar experience while you were exploring vocals in tilt? Could you explain some of that exploration?
ICP: I have definitely experienced the transformation of language into sound, but this band doesn’t usually evoke that for me. I think our poems feel very vulnerable in their simplicity, and I imagine the songs like sitting close to someone in a quiet room and whispering. In this way, every word is quite carefully placed and the songs are concise.
OS: Considering the lyrics for something we once knew, it felt directly connected to poetry and its performance in a unique way. Did it feel different in penning and performing these words than it might for other projects?
ICP: Writing for “tilt” feels unique in the way that writing for any specific set of people is unique. I feel there needs to be an understanding of everyone’s individual voices, interests, practices, and a willingness to live in the intuitive center of an imaginary venn diagram between everyone.
OS: Was there any difference to how you approached your vocal parts when they were more directly tonal as opposed to sung lyrics?
ICP: Words can be a clear place to gather; they allow vowels and consonants to guide the sound. On the other hand, when we’re singing wordless vocals, the sound could take any shape, so we often discuss our preferred sound quality and color per song.
OS: The emotion you were able to embody through vocals on tilt was just fascinating but also forced more consideration of tone and emotion of the accompanying instruments. Do you think this project gave you any new insight to playing your primary instrument?
CQ: I like to think of each of these elements as having equal emotive capacity – I feel best when I’m putting full intention behind how I’m playing the bass and can feel the emotion behind it. I also love how much emotion I hear in Kalia’s playing. Her tone and phrasing choices really evoke feelings that may be hard to put a finger on or describe concretely, but which speak directly listeners in an intuitive and powerful way. When we’re all performing together I feel like there is a sort of shared emotional plane that we all tap into.
OS: Are there unique considerations for how a trombone and bass fits alongside the voice as a musical instrument? Is there an instrument you found yourself thinking of the voice as similar to?
Kalia Vandever: I’ve always believed that the trombone has vocal qualities, so it has felt natural to write with other voices in mind. The trombone also shares a similar timbre with bass, so we often write and improvise in close intervals. All three of us have similar melodic sensibilities and we pay close attention to tone and blend, so we’re not necessarily focusing on the differing instruments.
OS: How has performing live changed your experience of these songs? Is there anything new that’s come to light when performing in front of an audience?
CQ: The songs each have varying amounts of flexibility built in and can change with each performance and setting. One of my favorite performances of ours was on tour earlier this year at an intimate home-like arts space in Maine where we had a glowing orb placed in the middle of the band. I think the informality of the situation empowered us to take risks that opened up the material in new ways. That was a special feeling that I’d like to tap into whenever possible.
OS: What do you feel most connected to when listening back to something we once knew? Either a moment or melody as part of a song or a spirit or memory that you reconnect to?
KV: I feel really connected to both the opening and closing of our record. We always begin and end our live sets with those pieces, so our album feels true to how we approach a performance. Grounding into I could aptly introduces the way we connect and interact as an ensemble. I believe it also eases the listener into what we’re about to share in the album. In general, tilt is very open and giving as an ensemble and you can really hear that in our recording.
OS: What would you be excited to revisit or explore further or beyond on a subsequent recording?
KV: We’ve been performing a new song called “Let It Take a Yawn” written by Isa that employs all three voices improvising around a melody. It’s been really enjoyable to improvise more with my voice and follow the way Isa and Carmen dance around the melody. It’s been a challenge for me, but I would love to lean into this more as we continue working together and ultimately record another album.