A Lull

Some musicians would be upset if their 2010 included a tour that endured two broken-down vans and a flooded practice space equipped with moldy instruments, but not Chicago quintet A Lull.

“We still have the one van (that broke down),” drummer Aaron Vincel said. “It runs, but not well. We just try to look things over and hope for the best when we leave (on tour).”

If the ambient rock group -- comprised of vocalist Nigel Dennis, bassist Todd Miller, guitarist Mike Brown and drummers Ashwin Deepankar and Aaron Vincel – doesn’t seem phased by the disasters of yore, it’s because 2011 is lining up to be the group’s best yet with their long-awaited, debut album “Confetti” releasing April 12, via Mush Records, and a March tour with indie rockers Cold War Kids.

Of course, 2010 wasn’t entirely awful. A Lull’s single “Weapons for War” gained much attention after appearing on ESPN’s “Web Gems” special. The video, directed by Anthony Ciannamea, also appeared on popular music website Pitchfork.com.

The band, which played its first show in 2008, was suddenly on everyone’s radar. A Lull signed with Los Angeles label Mush Records in the summer to unleash Confetti onto the music-listening masses.

“We put the [Ice Cream Bones EP] 7″ (Weapons for War) out ourselves and that was a lot of money,” Vincel said. “[We] obviously wanted to tour on (Confetti) and you can’t spend money on gas when you have to press everything on multiple formats.”

Miller agreed saying that partnering with a record company to release Confetti would help them not only afford touring but increasing the album’s visibility.

“They (Mush) have resources that we wouldn’t have access to,” Miller said. “Like public relations, distribution and getting the album into stores.”

The longer a band has to work on an album, the more time they have to develop its sound. Miller said that A Lull has worked on Confetti since 2009.

“We tracked at least 60 good ideas from the EP to the LP,” vocalist Nigel Dennis said. “(The songs) weren’t dramatically different stylistically, but it’s a different approach.

“As the sessions went on, we focused more on vocals and constant rhythms,” Dennis said.

The band members agreed the biggest difference between their EP and the new album is minimal guitar use. “If there is a guitar, it’s hard to tell if it is one,” Vincel said. “There are a lot of effects on the album.”

Like most young bands, A Lull is tuned into the Internet. A Lull’s blog not only alerts fans to band news but tour diaries. Miller said that he believes the band blog provides a necessary link to its fans that allows them to get to know the band better.

“It’s nice to offer more than just listening to the music,” Miller said.

For those mainly interested in A Lull’s music, the band plans to release a new EP after Confetti with remixes of its song “Weapons for War” by several bands including Chicago electro-rockers Houses in late Spring on March 1.

For more with A Lull, watch our video on the making of the “Weapons for War” video.