Bringing the stars down from above are singer-songwriters Casey Abrams and Sam Stokes, reminding us that all we are is "Conscious Stars" in their latest single and 9-track album.
Both recording artists spent most of 2021 recording and tweaking their collaborative record, Conscious Stars. The two embarked on a recording retreat in Idyllwild, where Abrams grew up. "We thought it would be a great spot to get some inspiration. Between hiking, eating, and making music, we had a great week. Hopefully, you'll hear all of that in this project," he explains.
Stokes mentioned how the two "didn't really plan to make an album; it just kind of stumbled out of us." Both share a mutual admiration for each other's craft and work ethic, and listeners can get a dynamic glimpse of what the album has to offer through its 5-minute-long title track, "Conscious Stars."
Expanding on the celestial venture, the experience begins with airy and windy samples of nature that shift into Stokes's stunning vocal stylings alongside the warmest electric guitar melodies. As the faint woodwind instrumentals begin seeping through our speakers, Casey Abrams joins in while giving the song an added layer of depth with haunting and twangy acoustic guitar picking.
The song's atmosphere on the hook and verses are so different yet so cohesive; they gradually flow into one another while bringing the listener through various peaks and haunting valleys. There's a nostalgic 60s Beatles sound to their instrumentals and vocal harmonies that add a timeless and psychedelic edge.
With so much more to experience from Casey Abrams and Sam Stokes, what better way to do so than with their newest album, Conscious Stars? Find the record and the title track, "Conscious Stars," on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Casey Abrams, and Sam Stokes. We loved the unique and dynamic listening experience of your new thoughtful single, "Conscious Stars." What inspired you to create this uplifting and inspirational song?
It’s kinda funny, we really believe we made this album by accident. We didn’t set any intention of “hey, let’s make an album” or talked about any specific concepts in advance. We were just two friends playing music late at night and bouncing ideas off each other.
One of the points of inspiration we were exploring was the concept of Art Inspiring Art. Sam had been looking at some paintings, drawings, and digital art pieces from friends of hers, and we played with the idea of looking at one of those images while creating music.
How does the song "Conscious Stars" represent the album Conscious Stars? How does this song tie the album's concept together?
Conscious Stars, the song was like that. We were looking at this incredible painting from Jasmin Giller, and the song went from "not existing" to "fully formed," recorded, orchestrated, and largely produced in a few hours.
So much of this process really felt transcendent, and as though stuff was coming through us so quickly, we sometimes didn’t really know what it meant until days or weeks later.
That’s the feeling of this whole album, it’s as if you’re floating in a warm lake at the top of a mountain in the middle of the night with an incredible starry sky, and you feel love, and you feel comfort.
What sort of sound and vibe did you want to give the song "Conscious Stars?" How would you describe this sound and genre?
The best description so far for this sound is “psychedelic folk.” Every song is intentionally very raw, very honest, and very of the moment. The whole album was done in about 2 months. Every time we met, another song popped out.
We played every instrument and did all of the lyrics, melodies, and orchestration together. Sam focused on the production aspect and mixing - but every element was absolutely collaborative.
There was a profound moment when we were recording All My Friends are Here. This song Casey came to the session with a rough idea of how it should feel. This was before we went to Idyllwild and was the only song we recorded in his Airbnb he was staying for a few weeks.
Sam said, “I remember we did a version of this song that we recorded, and all of a sudden, I felt the strong presence of my ego being childish and bruised that I was less needed in this song. Then I had to actively check myself and told my ego to take a walk around the block. Told my ego to get some fresh air. And at that moment, I finally realized what wasn’t working with the first recording and how I could best serve the song to bring us in the direction that felt best. So we did a deep dive into Parliament Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder and shifted the whole flow of that recording and then captured the moment that’s on the record now.”
I think that is the essence of this album - this process of removing the self and allowing the muse to speak.
How much of the album Conscious Stars was inspired by your recording retreat in Idyllwild? How did nature influence this album?
Casey shared about their trip to Idyllwild, where they recorded the bulk of the project, “One day, we decided to go on a recording retreat - which was kind of new for me. So since Sam had never been to Idyllwild before and I grew up there, we thought it would be a great spot to get some inspiration.”
Sam said, “We spent most of the day hiking, going to the lake, just exploring nature, and then in the evening, we would record or literally lay on the roof of our Airbnb and look at the stars. It was Heaven. Easily one of my favorite weeks of my entire life.”
Casey continued, “Sam is the perfect musical partner. She's humble and knows how to go with the flow with any creative idea. Even though she said she was just learning how to produce music, call it beginners luck, but she knocked the sound out of the park.”
What's next for you?
We have some ideas in the works - something live, something visual, something audio. But these are all surprises to come.
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