The Laundronauts are a Canadian indie rock music trio formed in late 2007 from Victoria, British Columbia. Founded by Stephen J Horak and Gareth Wynne, the Laundronauts release their material on their own label, Spincycle Records.
Origins and usage of
The first published use of the term comes from a 1963 Cornell University publication describing a new fad. “[A is someone who backs] into a coin-operated dryer. After he is in position, his ‘crew’ deposits a coin in the slot and he begins to revolve in the dryer.”
The etymology of comes from the two roots: laundry + . , of Greek origin, refers to a ship or a sailor and is used in English words such as nautilus, nautical, astronaut, and cosmonaut. Laundry, meaning 'things to be washed,' comes from the French , 'to wash.' A laundry list, in the figurative sense, arose in 1958 and the term, launder, in the criminal banking sense was introduced in 1961. Using the invented prefix, , taken from the word laundromat, the Laundronauts have coined several neologisms: , , and Laundromeda, their mythical home planet.
History
Prior to the formation of the Laundronauts, bassist Wynne and guitarist Horak played in the seven-piece sixties garage-rock band, Captain Cook and the Nootka Sound, which broke up in 1998 and who performed at Fuzz Fest ’98 and toured with El Vez. When the band broke up Wynne left Canada for South America in 1998.
In 2007, Wynne reunited with Horak and the two decided to form the Laundronauts. They recruited drummer Gordon Marshall, with whom Wynne played in the Edmonton garage-rock band, the Drastics.
The inspiration for the band name came after learning of the fad from Patrick Sheehy, a of the 1960s. The name was chosen as both homage to Sheehy, who had since died, and as a reference to the youthful craze he described.
The Laundronauts played shows throughout North America throughout their career. They were selected as "Band of the Month" by commercial modern rock radio station, The Zone 91.3 FM, receiving regular airplay. Horak's guitar solo for the song Stain was featured in a Vancouver Island Brewery beer commercial starting in November 2009.
MuchMusic began airing the Laundronauts' music video for Stain in December 2009 on The Wedge, the same month that the Laundronauts' album The Laundronauts Come Clean arrived at the number one position on the national campus and community radio report, Earshot. On February 13, 2010 "Come Clean" won Best Original Music at the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival. The award was described as recognition of music that best complemented and enhanced the film experience.
Gareth left the Laundronauts in February 2011, though work continues on the band's second album In Filth, set for release in late 2012.
Music
The idea of using laundry as a metaphor become a creative writing project for Horak and Wynne, influencing the band's style and musical direction. The lyrics appear on the surface to be concerned with laundry, however, “The songs are heavy on double entendres [and] each song is couched in reality: Come Clean is about love while Lint Trap is about lying.” Other critics agreed, “With some bands of this ilk, things get gimmicky, but listening to the album, it’s just easy to enjoy the rock ’n’ roll and have the occasional chuckle at the lyrics.”
Branding itself as , a combination of garage-rock, mod, beat, psych, punk, and doo-wop, the Laundronauts sought to create a new sound from what they considered were the best elements of various genres. The Laundronauts' songs seldom run longer than three minutes and the arrangements are designed to be tight and punchy. Vocal harmonies are a key element of the sound and every band member has vocal duties. Horak's guitar effects are also a characteristic element of the Laundronauts' sound. An electronics expert, Horak has created a broad range of sounds through use of upwards of twenty pedals – several of which he created – and multiple amplifiers that make the trio sound more like a five-piece.
Production
After releasing a three-song 45 RPM EP in May 2008, recorded locally, the band decided to look for a studio that would better realize the sound that Horak and Wynne had in mind for the full-length album. They found Detroit producer, Jim Diamond, known for his work with The White Stripes, The Von Bondies, The Romantics and other notables.
"The band’s first [album], Come Clean, a fuzz-bomb of bubbly garage rock, was recorded in Detroit with producer and one-time Dirtbombs bassist Jim Diamond (the White Stripes, Mooney Suzuki, Electric Six), a producer of note in the garage-rock revival community."