Polyenso

Mind Equals Blown staffer Steve Alcala caught up with guitarist Alex Schultz of Polyenso (formerly Oceana) to talk about the break up, name change, and future of their music.
MEB: Would you say that your break up and reformation was the changing point for Oceana?
Alex Schultz: Absolutely. At the time of the “break up” we were all listening to different types of music and experimenting with different styles of writing songs. If we had not split for a while, the music would have still taken a turn but definitely not as drastic, and probably not as indicative of our sound now.
As the first release since your reunion, what mindset or outlook was Cleanhead written with?
Honestly, the only reason we got back together was to write an album like Cleanhead. Most of us were tired of playing the type of music we did and being pigeonholed into this tiny sub-genre of music. We were ready for something fresh and new – a rebirth of what Oceana was thought to be. Not to prove a point or to alienate our old fans, but to express ourselves the way we wanted and not the way we were expected to.
How would you say the state of “new Oceana” differs from “earlier Oceana?” What would you say was the biggest factor in the change of sound?
Although we were expressing ourselves the way we wanted to, I can safely speak for all of us when I say that Cleanhead was still thought of (consciously or subconsciously) as a bridge or a transitional album between “earlier Oceana” and what we plan to release in December. This time around we have honestly given no thought to a smooth transition or appeasing any old fans. We just wrote what felt right at the time, and I think that’s what music is at its purest form.
And with that, how does your experience as an unsigned band differ from being supported and managed by a label? What are some advantages and disadvantages?
The biggest advantage is, of course, creative freedom. Not that we’ve ever been on a label or management team that has told us how to write or look, but we do have this newfound sense of freedom to do things at our own pace and do them solely in our vision. This freedom has helped shape One Big Particular Loop in so many ways.
One of the disadvantages is promotion; it’s really surprising how much a simple ad in a music magazine is. But we do have a plan up our sleeves that we hope will work out to promote this next release. Being reached out to by publications like Mind Equals Blown helps us out a lot as well, so thank you. The biggest disadvantage though is financial – hence the Kickstarter campaign. If anyone who donated is reading this, thank you so much from the deepest depths of our hearts. I can’t describe to you the feeling I got when we got our mixes back a couple days ago and we were able to hear the nearly finished product of a song that we’ve been working on for almost three years. It is truly a blessing.
No problem! And of course that’s a big step for the band. What was it like seeing your Kickstarter goal reached?
Again, indescribable. I remember getting the call from Kolby [Crider, bassist] the moment we broke our goal, and trying to decide whether to fall over or run down the street screaming.
How has working with Matt Goldman helped achieve your desired final product for both Cleanhead and now One Big Particular Loop?
The first time at Glow in the Dark [Studios] was just a taste. We were very rushed and unprepared but still managed (with Matt’s help of course) to create something with a beautifully raw sound. That was something we didn’t even know we were trying to do. It just spawned itself and we went with it. This time around we couldn’t have been more prepared. We had about 20 songs to choose from and spent the past two years in a constant state of pre-production: create, discard, revise, and repeat. When we got to Atlanta, we had more than enough time to experiment with different tones, instruments, and hardware. Matt once again brought that organic, honest sound to an album that may not have been present otherwise.
On the subject of One Big Particular Loop, could you describe what we can expect to hear?
Expect to hear layers and textures of instruments and tones that we have never incorporated into our music before. Expect to hear influences from music like jazz and blues, to funk, folk, electro and hip-hop. Not one song on the album sounds like the next, but the overall vibe is somehow cohesive. It was difficult to blend three years of writing and growing as musicians and people, but I’ve honestly never been so proud of something.
In many live videos, you’re joined by friends on stage who take up other instrumental duties to play new songs. How would describe such experiences and how do you feel they affect your live performance and the music you play?
Playing live with our close friends and even new musicians is such a blessing. They always seem to bring something fresh and exciting to the table. Our goal right now is to re-create and to also reinvent this album live, as creatively as we can. We could put all the extra instrumentation on back tracks, and play just the four of us, but that just doesn’t seem like it would fit the vibe of One Big Particular Loop and wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding or entertaining as playing with some of our closest friends.
On this note, we would actually like to announce that we’ve added an additional member to the group. Alec Prorock has added such a great element to this album that I’m sure you’ll recognize when you hear it. He’ll be playing the trumpet, as well as some guitar and keyboards, live.
That’s fantastic! I’ve heard that you have some more exciting news to share, as well?
We do. Because of the change in sound, emotion, and band members since the dawning of Oceana, we’ve decided to change our name and start fresh as a new band. We hope that Oceana, and especially Cleanhead fans will remain by our side in this endeavor, and new fans will find something special in our first album as Polyenso.
Going forward, what would you like people to think when they hear your name or your music?
I would like people to discover or remember that beauty lies in imperfection, transience, and creativity. Not just referring to our music, but with every aspect of life. Music helps us get through the hardest and celebrate the happiest moments. If our music aids anyone in that discovery, then we are content dudes.
Have you had any experience, at shows or otherwise, where you truly felt that this is where you all should be in life?
I’m sure that we all have that feeling almost every time we play or every time talk to an appreciative fan. We’re all still very young, but I’m positive that we’ll all make music for the rest of our lives.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to extend another huge thank you to all of our Kickstarter supporters.
We will have info posted soon on where and when to get the new album and hopefully a follow-up interview from Mind Equals Blown! Thanks! - Mind Equals Blown

This album has been a long time coming. For those of you that aren't aware, the band Polyenso used to go by the name Oceana, who released a couple of metalcore albums on Rise Records before breaking up, coming back, and releasing an EP in 2010 that completely broke away from their old metalcore sound. Since then, the band has been working on this album and trying to find a new record label. Well, a new record label never came to fruition, though the band kept playing live shows here and there and debuting some new material to give us fans a taste of what was to come. In early 2012, Oceana did what a lot of bands seem to be doing these days: they turned to Kickstarter, a crowd-funding service that offers rewards to those that donate, to fund their album. It was a logical move for the band and they were able to raise the needed funds to create the album. A few months later, they announced the band would be leaving the Oceana name behind and would now be releasing their music under the name Polyenso. This means that One Big Particular Loop is not only technically a debut album, but one of the best debut albums in recent memory.

If you thought Clean Head was the biggest departure in musical direction the band would undertake, you're in for a big surprise. One listen to this album and it becomes abundantly clear why the name change took until now to happen. Clean Head, while drastically different than Birth.Eater before it, was still released by (for the most part) the Oceana that released Birth.Eater and on the same record label. It was thought to be a taste of what was to come, but when the Rise Records era of the band ended, their musical direction took an even bigger turn than before, and it has never been more clear that the band that has made this album is far from the band that released Clean Head. Not only that, but now they don't have to worry about the flock of fans that pine for them to head back to their roots.

That being said, it's hard not to judge this band as the same band that released Clean Head simply because frontman Brennan Taulbee is still front and center and his wavering, vulnerable but confident vocals are still the focal point of many of these songs. In addition, the production on the album was once again handled by Matt Goldman, a producer who has always seemed most at home in the hardcore/metalcore/post-hardcore realm, and although that may be true, his general production skills left myself and many others, including the band, confident that he could handle the production on this album just fine. Opening track "((O.B.P.L" should put any skepticism to rest, because the production is handled magnificently on this song, and throughout the entire album. The percussion sounds perfect and the atmosphere is dense. The added bells and whistles add layers and depth to the songs that we haven't seen from the band yet, and Taulbee sounds as good as ever. To say this album meets the expectations set for it would be selling it short; it exceeds them in every way possible.

One of the key things about the appeal of Oceana, even back when they were a heavy band, was their ability to make their music emotionally heavy, and a song like "Joy," from the Clean Head EP, to this day remains one of the most emotional songs I've ever heard. It should be absolutely no surprise that the emotion is just as present and just as powerful in Polyenso. Taulbee's lyrics are abstract enough to make you think about them and to dissect their true meaning, but inviting enough to feel a true connection to what he's saying. "And it's a warm, bitter rush/bitter as the berry/A warm bitter rush/bitter as my time spent looking at you," Taulbee croons on "Push," a song that has been making its way into their live sets for a while now and is everything we could have hoped for and more in the context of the album. Other songs that have been presented to us life ("Falling In The Rain" and "Dog Radio) sound just as perfect within the album as we could have predicted.

A very easy comparison to make when listening to One Big Particular Loop is a comparison to Radiohead. This similarity shows itself mostly in the vocals, as Taulbee's wavering and elongated voice can, at times, be mistaken for Thom Yorke himself, but to compare the entire album to a work of Radiohead would be flat out lazy. There is a lot more at play here than that simple comparison, though if there's a comparison to be made for the album as a whole its within the experimentation the band undertakes, much in the way Radiohead is constantly experimenting. The inclusion of a trumpet in many of the songs shows a departure from the norm for Polyenso, and when the trumpet is at its best, on "Always Ending In You," it leaves you with just as much feeling and emotion as Taulbees soulful voice. It's a worthwhile addition to the band, one that many may have been skeptical of to begin with. Well, there's no longer a reason to be skeptical. The trumpet work is, for lack of a better word, brilliant.

Other signs of experimentation, other than just a trumpet, pop up here and there, like the inclusion of electronic, beat oriented percussion on "Danger Signs!" or the stripped down piano balad "Doom)))," which ends in a drone-like soundscape, the band never seems to stay in one particular spot, and when they venture out of their comfort zone the results are as rewarding as ever. Polyenso is, for all intents and purposes, an entity completely separate from that of Oceana, and while a few of the qualities of Oceana seep over into this album, One Big Particular Loop is a beast all its own, and one that impresses just as much as it devastates. The rest of the year will prove to be interesting, as Polyenso have set the bar ridiculously high for the music to be released in the coming months.

9/10
- Sanctuary Review

The gloves are off, and Polyenso is in full swing. Having just released this full-length album as well as a short documentary chronicling the last three years of the band as they transitioned from their previous title as Oceana(Check out the article for that documentary HERE), these guys have put out a lot of material in the past few days. Thirteen tracks, all of them different. Different feels, different moods, different meters, and different emotions, all culminating into one bangin album. They call it One Big Particular Loop.
Before I begin, I just have to say that the album art is beautiful. The color palette and cultured feel coincide exceptionally well with the feel introduced by the opener, “((O.B.P.L.“ and its eclectic rhythm sections infused with a grooving synth lead. This breaks right into Dog Radio and the rest of the tracks all with varying ideas and melodies, with great instrumentation to boot (Namely the trumpet feature in “Falling in the Rain”. Boss).
The album continues with seamless transitions from song to song until “Danger Signs!” holding a mood that stands out from the rest. Vocalist Brennan Taulbee really shines in this track, seeming to have slightly different diction and tone than he carries on the rest of the album’s tunes. It’s always good to change it up, but in this case it was even more so.
The album ends with “Doom))”- A somber, dirge-esque piano arrangement backed with onomatopoetic clamor, ending the album in the best fashion that it could have possibly been done. I, as well as the rest of LX, commend Polyenso for their great work on this album. It’s a great listen for sure, and it’s worth every penny. - By Matt Kuhlman - LX - Goods

“All great changes are preceded by chaos,” declared Deepak Chopra, one of America’s more infamous physicians/public speakers.

The phrase is wholly applicable to evolution in general, but possibly none more poignantly than when describing Polyenso‘s three-year journey thus far. Other than most recently ditching the name Oceana, they’ve broken up, reunited, released the highly-acclaimed indie rock EP Clean Head, added and shedded band members with alarming regularity, all before funding their debut as Polyenso, One Big Particular Loop (OBPL), on Kickstarter.

Oh, and let’s not forget the radical genre change the band undertook – having started off as a bland atmospheric metalcore band, switching tracks to broody post-hardcore, reuniting as a jangly, mathy indie rock band and now, re-entering the fray as a densely layered indie/jazz/folk amalgam of sorts.

So, a busy three years then. By all signs and intent, fans would be forgiven for expecting OBPL to be a right mess. After all, it was with bated breath that fans watched as the band – now made up of Denny Agosto, Kolby Crider, Alec Prorock, Alexander Schultz and Brennan Taulbee – finally re-entered the spotlight with a new sound, an almost unrecognizable line-up and the promise of songs that, in their own words, were being continually altered due to their exacting standards.

Any preconceived thoughts I harbored of a less than fruitful and pleasurable album dissipated completely just a minute into title track “((O.B.P.L.” It serves as a sampler of what’s to be expected for the entire album, melding bits and pieces of the album’s distinct and varied influences into one mouth-watering appetizer; looping beats, electronic samples, seductive trumpet lines and lead singer Taulbee’s mellower croon being the elements that particularly stood out during my first listen.

“Dog Radio” was the first track Polyenso wrote for OBPL and according to the band, it almost didn’t make the album. It would’ve been a crying shame had it been put aside, simply because it’s an outstanding track; densely layered with aural texture, it’s at once seductive, self-aware and brimming with emotion. In fact, it’s the wondrous strata of melodies and ambient sound that makes the album truly shine. Each and every instrument seems to have been tracked with the intent of being fused into a seamless experience. There are no self-indulgent guitar solos or endless freeform jazz drumming. The album is an exercise in restraint and teamwork, with the focus being the “sound” Polyenso has striven toward for the better part of the past three years.

Songs such as “Push” and “Falling In Rain” possess solid hooks and the same remarkable instrumentation, the latter really allowing the entire band to shine on their respective instruments; when the trumpet melodies leap to the forefront of the track, you’re irretrievably hooked – I know I was. “Pocket Soul” is a real treat and Polyenso’s love for Wilco is represented well here. In fact, you hear smatterings of the band’s musical influences throughout the entirety of OBPL. Taulbee’s vocal deliveries bear more than a passing resemblance to Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke, while homages to artists such as Elliot Smith and R.E.M. also abound.

“Cherry Life” is by and large the most straightforward track on the album, both in structure and instrumentation. With a surprisingly poppy hook and guitar lick, it’s best described as biting into a cherry pie – simple, instant gratification and a whole load of fun as well. “Always Ending In You” though, is one of the tracks that continues to amaze me. There’s so much going on at any one time during the song, yet it comes off as incredibly sincere and evenly balanced.

This is why OBPL is destined to become a hallmark album – if not for the genre, then at least for any band looking to evolve. There’s a plethora of influences and emotions on display in every aspect of the album, yet Polyenso doesn’t parade the decision to include trumpets, for example, on every track, ’cause it sounds cool. Rather, they’ve spent time refining and combing through each and every song with a perfectionist’s eye and a creator’s love. And it shows in the organic soundscapes they’ve created on their debut – nothing sounds forced or contrived.

Even if you were a fan of Polyenso’s earlier work as Oceana, you should give OBPL a listen – if not for yourself, then at least to bear witness to how chaos and change can be the catalysts to near-perfection. - Mind Equals Blown

It's late on a Wednesday in September, and the boys of Polyenso -- Alex Schultz, Brennan Taulbee and Denny Agosto -- are headed to The Bends, one of their favorite bars in St. Petersburg, Florida. The walls adorned with oddities: a brass taco, a caged monkey, a gargoyle who looks like a demonic Yoda and a picture of a youthful, mustachioed Burt Reynolds enshrined above the center of the bar. The Bends acts as Brooklyn-ish transplant, serving as a refuge for the young adults of St. Pete who are looking for something outside the stale polos and short-sleeve, button-ups that permeate so much of the city like a bad rerun of "Miami Vice."

As our basic introductory conversation begins budding into new friendship, an informercial, of sorts, comes on the television that flickers on the back wall of the bar. Sequence after sequence, middle-aged men in suits cut through pig’s heads, turkeys and rope pillars with two-handed swords, axes and all sorts of exotic knives. The set looks like a medieval dining hall. Enraptured by the video’s absurdity and awesomeness, we are all struck by the same thought: “We are totally going to cut some large objects with a sword one of these nights.”

And so we did. It’s funny how far a joke can go after a trip to Walmart and a few stops at bars.

Polyenso breaks down into two parts: “poly” and “enso.” “Poly,” the prefix meaning "many," also captures the band’s proclivity for polyrhythms. "Enso" is a symbol in Zen Buddhism that is a circle drawn in a single brushstroke. Never a perfect circle, thicker and thinner at certain sections, among many things it expresses a “moment when the mind is free to let the body create."

“We knew the music was going to have these electronic elements sprinkled in,” Schultz said. "We knew it was going to be some types of music that maybe people haven’t combined before. ‘Poly' kind of had that futuristic thing to it that we loved. But then we ditched ‘poly' and I discovered 'enso' and brought it to the guys. It just has so many deep, beautiful meanings to it. To us it represents perfection within imperfection. You do it once and the beauty is in that imperfection. We went back to ‘poly' and not only did it have this ring to it, but now we have 'enso' and we’re each our own. It represents something a little different for each of us.”

The band released their debut album, “One Big Particular Loop," at the beginning of 2013, an exceptional record that captured stylings of acts such as Radiohead, R.E.M. and Coldplay. For several months now, the band has been in studio crafting their sophomore album, before premiering the first track, “17 New Years.”

While there is a tying thread between their harmonic choices, rhythmic choices and Taulbee’s vocals, Polyenso’s new work is a significant departure from their debut. Described as "urban indie progressive" by Agosto, the album demonstrates their listening habits of hip-hop, neo-soul and experimental electronic music, mashing elements from acts like Flying Lotus, Bonobo, Common, The Roots, Bright Eyes, Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Justin Timberlake. But when it comes down to it, Polyenso has created a sound that is entirely their own. As Schultz notes, the failure to sound like your idols is how you create your own sound.

“The common goal is to find our version of a universal sound, as hard as that is because you can’t please everybody,” Agosto said. "I feel like it’s important to take a lot of those modern influences or old influences and put it in a cadence that is simple to understand, and, at the same time, be new and recycled.”

“It appeals to a wider genre, but taps into a more abstract style,” Taulbee said.

Recording in label Big3’s studio in St. Petersburg, the band came to producer Jason Pennock’s attention after a local promoter told him there was “only one band here worth knowing.” A long history in the business, having worked on a variety of hip-hop and pop records from Tupac to The Pussycat Dolls, Pennock described Polyenso as “some of the most creative people he has ever met.” He labeled his role as more of a psychiatrist, pushing and nudging the band instead of controlling, and encouraging the guys to be “wickedly honest” with each other.

“We’re all in the room a slave to the song,” Pennock said. "The song is actually more important than any of us, so leave the ego at the door because as much as I’d like my precious idea on the song, it’s more about the song dictating itself. They just live inside that space. There’s so much trust. They allow each other to make mistakes and explore.”

For the new album, the band decided to rid themselves of all rules and barriers and experiment with a whole different approach to songwriting. Written almost entirely while in studio, they have forgone concerns of live-performance translation, choosing to focus on each song in that exact moment. Even when a track is fully written, they can think of something different, switch out those parts and give the song an entirely different vibe from where it started.

Hanging out in the studio's kitchen, Schultz explained how each member has a hand in every instrument, and that there is no limit to the sounds they are hoping to capture on the album.

“This is one of my favorite instruments,” Schultz said, pulling out a wooden bowl from below the sink. We were sipping on rum and cokes. “It just sounds so good.”

“And the spatula that he plays it with,” Pennock added.

“The spatula was a great find,” Schultz said. "That’s on like three tracks."

Besides kitchen utensils, Agosto has taken his passion for sound design to add organic noise into the songs.

“Brennan showed me this Bright Eyes song from the album 'Digital Ash in a Digital Urn,' and the lyric was, 'I feel like a piñata, why don’t you take a swing at me,’” Agosto said. "They put sample in the background of kids smacking on something, and they were laughing at the same time, and that painted the scene for me. I’ve heard it in other things before, but it never got my attention like that did. From then on, and that was quite some time ago, now I want certain parts or certain words in songs to make you feel like you’re there. I just take live sounds of certain things, and make instruments and samples out of different things that I hear. That way you aren’t just hearing the guitar, drums, bass, piano, whatever your instruments may be. You hear almost a whole movie scene.”

For example, one song includes the lyric “I’ll be going away for a little while, getting on a plane, thinking about not landing.” When Taulbee sings "getting on a plane,” Agosto added the ding of the seatbelt sign he recorded on an airplane, and when Taulbee sings “not landing,” he added a recording of a pilot saying, “Enjoy your flight.” They are subtle details, but they add an incredible amount of depth to the record.

“17 New Years” is about a moment in a relationship when you realize that the person you love is using you as a scapegoat for their past emotional injuries. And despite how much you care for them and want them, you can’t let them bring you down. “Is that all I meant to you?” the chorus begs, even though the answer is already known.

"It’s a really relationship-y record,” Taulbee said. "It’s about being friends, having your heart broken and really loving somebody.”

The song marks the first vocal appearance by Schultz, who handles the chorus. Taulbee sings the verses.

“There’s this dynamic between the two of them that was never there before,” Pennock said. "I’m a big fan of Brennan’s voice; he’s like a god to me. Being involved with projects, it’s like when you meet a girl, the lead singer is so important because no one falls in love with a girl at first because of her personality. It’s always the pretty factor, so the singer is that. It’s the body. It’s the shallow part, so if the singer is sexy, it’s like, 'Hell yeah, man, I wanna date this band!' And then you meet them and you realize they’re the marrying type. Not only is she hot, but she likes football, too. It’s the singer first, and the songs and always these little qualities and you think, 'I can bring this band home to mom.’ Now, his dynamic has changed it. He didn’t do a lot of singing before, but it all just started with one part in one song. [...] Could I listen to a whole album of just Brennan? For sure, but each have their own tone, so adding Alex’s vocals in just takes it to the next level.”

Music is at a turning point. The rise of streaming services have opened up a pool of options that is larger than one person could consume in a lifetime. With unlimited access to any song at any time in any place, the blending of genres has never been more important. As Pennock noted, “It’s better to be original than good. I don’t think good is enough anymore.”

That's what Polyenso represents. It is truly rare to witness individuals who are absolutely in tune with their artistic vision and capabilities at work. It feels like a step into the future, where not only can you see the significance of what they are currently creating, but also how important they will be going forward. There’s something very spiritual to their music. From start to finish, their songs capture you in a moment, and in that moment we are all imperfect perfect beings together. - Huffington Post

The three members of Florida’s Polyenso always have their ears perked up, ready and willing to absorb whatever music or artist comes their way. The seeds of their ever-evolving indie rock sound were sown on their debut album, 2012’s well-received One Big Particular Loop, and continue to grow some three years later.

As they ready their sophomore LP, Pure In The Plastic (due out this fall), the band — comprised of Alex Schultz, Brennan Taulbee, and Denny Agosto — have refined their songwriting chops, as well as looked to genre-bending acts Flying Lotus and Björk for inspiration. According to a press release, the St. Petersburg natives have also enlisted the help of producer Jason Pennock (Michelle Williams, The Pussycat Dolls) and explored various ways in which they could turn random objects like spatulas and packing peanuts into makeshift instruments for their music.


For a glimpse at what Polyenso has in the works for the new record, take a listen to “Osaka Son”. “This song is about head versus heart,” Schultz tells Consequence of Sound. “In this case, you’re focusing on the head. It’s about all of those things you do throughout your life — big and small — that may not fulfill your soul, but for the meantime, you’re content because you’ve satisfied some kind of immediate desire. Like sleeping with someone you don’t love, or spending frivolously on things outside of your means, or taking drugs …”

Though the song is meant to draw attention to the silliness of some of our daily decisions, sonically, it’s a serene number that, in addition to indie rock, features bits of laid-back country twang, warm island rhythms, and even hints of soul. Listen in below. - Consequence Of Sound