Mandy and Nathan Tensen-Woolery

In fact, given the current landscape of the indie music world and its favoritism toward quirky electro-tinged pop songs (see: The Blow, The Postal Service, Fuck Buttons, etc.), I get the feeling that Tooth could skyrocket if dropped in the right hands. The harmonies between Nathan and Mandy are irresistibly endearing, and the song structures and melodies are given room to breathe over a delicate background of muted electro beats and synthesizers. The songs are lush, inviting and familiar, and in some ways the songs on Tooth seem more straightforward and accessible than the duo's previous work with Fitzgerald, which occasionally felt muddled by an attempt to over-experiment.

Ghost in the Water will celebrate the release of their debut album tonight at the Kitty Cat Klub, and in anticipation for the show Nathan and Mandy agreed to sit down and answer some questions about their new project.

Reveille: Are you still active with Fitzgerald?

Mandy: I quit! [laughs]

Nathan: I will still be doing stuff as Fitzgerald, but it's on a bit of a break. It seemed like it was time to stop and regroup for a while, to do something a little different. I have full intentions of going back to a guitar-based, drum setup eventually, but she doesn't [points to Mandy].

Reveille: When did you get the idea to start a new project?

Mandy: A long while ago.

Nathan: We always wanted to do more of an electronic thing, it's always been music we liked, and we flirted with it with Fitzgerald. We did a little bit on the albums, and then more so live. I wrote one piece for animation, that someone had me do, and then the animation never ended up happening and we were left with a song that we liked, it worked well, so we thought we would start writing more.

Reveille: Do you think it helps, when you are taking a step in a new musical direction, to have a new label for it?

Nathan: I think so.

Mandy: That's what our thinking was. Several people have been like, “Well why don't you just stay with Fitzgerald and go in this new direction?” By changing it, it's like starting over, and we can re-target who we think would like the music, or who would come to the shows. It was sort of starting over in all senses.

Reveille: How did you come up with the name?

Nathan: A long time ago, with Fitzgerald. Long time ago. We did a show once, for no reason, with a bunch of cut-out ghosts. We cut out a bunch of ghosts out of cardboard and painted them and made some waves, and called ourselves “Fitzgerald with 12 Little Ghosts in the Water.”

Reveille: How long have you two known each other?

Mandy: Since we were 16.

Nathan: No, 14!

Mandy: Junior high. We were in the advanced art program together in junior high. [laughs]

Reveille: Do you feel like being in a relationship helps your musical process?

Nathan: It's different than working with someone you're friends with, or someone you just have a working relationship with. You take things a lot more personally.

Mandy: I would say it's more convenient. Because we are married, we don't have to work around our separate families, we do this together and we are on the same track anyway. In that sense it is very convenient. Like you said, I guess the drawback would be that it's always personal. When I say, “I think you should change this line in this song,” then he might feel bad like I am picking on his song or something. There's not that separation.

Reveille: When did you start working on these songs?

Nathan: Probably a couple of years ago. The newest were probably a year ago.

Mandy: In the beginning, we had a song or two that we didn't even necessarily know what to do with.

Nathan: In the beginning, we thought we were going to record a Fitzgerald album. And then as we got closer to it and we talked about it more, we just realized that it made more sense --

Mandy: It was going in a different direction.

Reveille: Tell me about your CD release show.

Mandy: It's at the Kitty Cat Klub, it's this Friday, and we are playing with Unicorn Dream Attack and Beatrix Jar.

Reveille: Who is Unicorn Dream Attack?

Nathan: He is one of those people who, online, has fans from all over the world and gets several hundred play a day on his MySpace page, but locally everyone is like, who is Unicorn Dream Attack? He was also voted as one of the worst band names in the Onion, which is unfortunate, because I thought it was one of the best band names... He sits in his basement and writes these crazy electronic songs with a Gameboy and a Casio keyboard and toys and a vocoder.

Reveille: Do you feel like there is an experimental electronic scene developing in the city?

Nathan: I think it's starting, and I think it's exciting because some of the bands that are coming out are really good.

Mandy: Like Mystery Palace.

Nathan: Mystery Palace is a really phenomenal band, and I think stands up to any of the good electronic pop that is coming out of Sweden or Belgium or someplace that you would think would have more of that sort of music. I think they're so good. Beatrix Jar, I think, are fantastic, and definitely in a different vein. Estate is another really good band, nobot, Unicorn Dream Attack, Dosh. I think it's cool. There's this genre coming around that's sort of exciting.

Reveille: Where do you think it's coming from? Is it being pioneered by anyone in particular?

Mandy: I feel like Mystery Palace has broken ground for a lot of people--

Nathan: They're more on the pop end, too.

Mandy: And they sort of have a name for themselves--

Nathan: Because Ryan [Olcott] was in 12 Rods--

Mandy: Yeah. So I think, just because of that, I would wager that that's at least one band in Minneapolis that people have at least heard of, even if they aren't into electronic music they would know of Mystery Palace. I would say they at least broke ground for other people to follow.

Reveille: Do you feel that the community is supportive of experiemental music?

Nathan: I guess we'll find out!

Mandy: Yeah! We'll see what happens Friday. [laughs]