Loki is not a band that messes around. To use a slightly overused phrase: They’re a well-oiled machine. Give them two days in a studio, and then get all the recording done in one. Give them a whole afternoon to practice, and they figure out crazy difficult Tool covers in half that time. Don’t mess with Loki. Just like Joe Bornstein, they mean business.
Which is why Jonathan Taylor, lead vocalist for the band, thinks that the current incarnation of his longtime alternative rock band is the best one yet. Ten years after he and guitarist Jon Boyer met while studying at the University of Southern Maine, the Loki of 2010 is another beast entirely from the 2001 version.
“We’ve gotten to a point where we’re just all so comfortable with each other, we can crank out songs in a matter of hours,” said Taylor. “We have that kind of relationship. Songwriting is really, really easy for us. The process of making them perfect takes a lot longer, but we just communicate really, really well. Quality over quantity.”
The latest fruit of Loki’s labor is “Ebb & Flow,” a six-song EP recorded with Jonathan Wyman at Halo Studios in Portland and due out on Tuesday, April 20. A refined, expertly recorded slice of heavy, melodic rock that brings to mind Incubus, Tool and early Stone Temple Pilots, the album showcases a more mature band, confident in their direction and putting their considerable technical chops to full use. Taylor, Boyer, drummer Adam Nichols and bassist Seth McClellan work hard, and play hard.
“It was a hard time for us to come out with a new album, quite honestly, because as soon as we got done with the last one [2008’s ‘No Disclaimers’] we were ready to do another,” said Taylor. “Jon Wyman kind of talked us down off the ledge for doing another full-length. Instead of spending all the money to do 10 or 12 songs, we did 5 or 6 and made them really, really good.”
They also had the chance to work with some of the best producers in the state, even the country. Wyman’s studio cranks out a number of the best albums in Maine, and Loki managed to get the album mastered at Gateway Mastering in Portland — possibly the most renowned mastering facility in the U.S.
“It was a really amazing experience,” said Taylor. “Of the 68 Grammys that were won last year, they had mastered 29 of them. There were platinum albums all over the wall, all these albums that changed my life, like Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ and the first Rage [Against the Machine] album and stuff from Tool. We were just drooling on ourselves. We were so lucky to get to work with them.”
Loki has cultivated a lot of close relationships with their fans, the venues they play at and the radio stations that support them. In the coming weeks, stay tuned to WCYY and WMPG out of Portland and to “Homegrown” on WTOS-105.1 on April 14 to hear new music and interviews with the group. Radio play is an important part of Loki’s continued popularity in Maine.
“We leave it up to the DJs and the fans to pick what kind of stuff they want to hear on the radio,” said Taylor. “We’re happy with whatever they pick. We like all our stuff. We wouldn’t put it out if we didn’t.”
Between the Bridge Street Tavern in Augusta, the Big Easy in Portland, the Montsweag Roadhouse in Woolwich, Mainely Brews in Waterville and in-store performances at Bull Moose Music stores, Loki has made a lot of friends in the state. It has given them the live experience needed to become seasoned performers — and a chance to build a devoted fan base.
“If we didn’t have those venues that liked us and believed in us, we couldn’t do this at all,” said Taylor.
Loki’s new EP, “Ebb & Flow,” is out online and at Bull Moose Music on April 20. A CD release party will be April 24 at the Big Easy in Portland. They also will play at Mainely Brews in Waterville on May 1. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/lokiband.
