\u201cSome people would say we\u2019re digressing but I disagree,\u201d said the band\u2019s frontman Sean Davenport over coffee at North Park\u2019s Caffe Calabria. \u201cI really think that it\u2019s just a matter of us simplifying. I suppose some people might think of it as us not wanting to take the time to add all sorts of synths and electronic things but we really meant for it to sound stripped down. It just has a lot of energy that overly dressed stuff covers up.\u201d<\/p>\n Produced by the band \u2014 which, in addition to singer\/keyboardist Davenport is comprised of guitarist Andrew Armerding, bassist Daniel Gallo, multi-instrumentalist Greg Theilmann and drummer Michael Hams \u2014 over the last several months, the back-to-basics sound of \u201cTell Tales\u201d reigns in the electro-themed sonic exploration of 2013\u2019s \u201cFeral Flocks\u201d and especially last year\u2019s \u201cBedroom Colonies\u201d EP for a predominantly more upbeat vibe akin to the bustling pop of Talking Heads and Roxy Music.<\/p>\n The album\u2019s seven tracks vary in dynamics, similar to their previous records, but there\u2019s a concerted urgency to these new batch of songs: Lead off track, \u201cBackwards,\u201d lurches out of the gate with an audible virility \u2014 all stutter beat, crackling percussion and ever-building post-punk propulsion. It ends unexpectedly with a somber, haunting coda of piano and Davenport\u2019s cavernous, echoed wails.<\/p>\n \u201cNote to Self\u201d finds Hills Like Elephants in full-on seduction mode, with their singer\u2019s writhing falsetto warbling over Armerding\u2019s short electric guitar stabs and Gallo\u2019s touch \u2019n go bass line. Obvious single, \u201cMisquote,\u201d is foot-tapping pop genius that oozes a certain \u201980s-esque buoyancy with its sprightly pep and fun melody, while \u201cChance\u201d and \u201cWildabeast\u201d deliberately stomp along with a locked-in drum and bass punch.<\/p>\n Truth be told, the band\u2019s uncanny knack for building songs with huge, bursting-at-the-seams climaxes has become their live show calling card \u2014 and usually finds Davenport flailing around the stage with his keyboard halfway up his back \u2014 and until now, has never been properly committed to tape.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a common theme in the musical community since the invention of recording equipment: How exactly do you capture the elusive onstage energy \u2014 driven by nerves, sweat, volume and spontaneity \u2014 that comes with a live performance?<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of the criticism on some of the stuff we\u2019ve done in the past is, \u2018They\u2019re really good live but sometimes that gets lost on the album because of all the overdubbing,\u2019\u201d Davenport explained in between sips of iced coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this time around, we just said, \u2018Let\u2019s just record it as we do it,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cFor whatever reason, when we were doing \u2018Feral Flocks\u2019 or \u2018Bedroom Colonies,\u2019 we were listening to a lot of electronic music but this is the first album that we don\u2019t have any electronic drums on. Not to mention it\u2019s the first album with our new drummer, Mikey, who\u2019s been the best thing that\u2019s happened to us in a while.\u201d<\/p>\n Indeed, the group\u2019s had a rather rough go of it for the last year or two, after a falling out with their management and a tug-of-war with the studio\/label they recorded \u201cTell Tales\u201d at. Not to mention having to overcome several intra-band struggles like new jobs, medical issues and personal relationships gone bad.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the last year alone, a lot of our lives changed,\u201d Davenport confided. \u201cThere\u2019s a whole world of stuff that happened \u2026 so we never really know what the game plan is. We continue to write and we have new songs in the mix. We just got back from South By Southwest and we have shows in and out of town lined up after our album release.\u201d<\/p>\n Davenport said the band would like to play the East Coast at some point this year and have even branched out to Tijuana.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been playing places like the Mous Tache Bar and the reaction is insane down there \u2026 and you know, being international never hurts,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n Neither does selling out the Casbah, Midtown\u2019s infamous rock club on Kettner Boulevard. The band, which is preparing for their record release show there on April 10 with Schitzophonics, Wild Wild Wets and Gloomsday, have sold it out once before \u2014 at last year\u2019s \u201cBedroom Colonies\u201d release \u2014 and, admittedly, it came as a shock.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we did that show, it was the first time we had headlined the Casbah,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were wrecks going into it, thinking, \u2018What if, like, 20 people show up?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Hills](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Hills-Like-Elephants-Photoweb.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Hills](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/Hills-Like-Elephants-Album-Artworkweb-300x300.jpg\")
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(Courtesy Hills Like Elephants)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
![\"hle\"](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/hle.jpg\")
<\/a>Shortly before they took the stage, however, staff informed them they were closing the doors. Davenport said they had to explain to the surprised band that nothing bad happened, it was due to capacity. Since then, the turnouts have only continued to grow and if their past events are any indication, they\u2019ll have plenty of folks on hand to help them celebrate \u201cTell Tales\u201d in all its stripped-down glory.<\/p>\n