Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Coolonaut

Coolonaut - Karma Smile

From Scotland , but now living in rural Australia, Coolonaut creates analogue Psychedelic Mod Music for the era in which we live . Inspired by the greats of the past and fuelled by the increasing absurdity of the world around us. Coolonaut is self recorded and produced using an analogue 8 track machine.

Interview with Coolonaut

How does Karma Smile reflect your response to the current state of the world compared to your first two albums?

My first LP- Tales From The Black Stump was largely inspired at least lyrically by life in the Australian outback and the feelings and impressions of my life there and the characters I had come across..although I was already starting to write about the global sadism being inflicted on a people far away. My second LP -Dark Energy was almost all political -about the control of the media, the killing of journalists, the hypocrisy of the "free world " and their "human rights" applicable to one group but not another . I was calling out the killers, the hypocrites, the appeasers, the silent.

What inspired you to address global injustices and mass violence through your music rather than focusing on personal themes?

Personal themes -at present- are almost irrelevant. We are facing a complete deconstruction and inversion of morality that threatens us all. Regards humankind , The time for fence sitting and considering the equal merits of opposing parties is gone. There is no Right or Left -only good and evil. You dont debate with evil. You dont "debate" with a death squad about to shoot children. You take immediate action.

How do tracks like Confabulation, Boganville, and Volvoman balance eccentric storytelling with your broader political messages?

Having said that , we all still have a personal nuances that make us who we are. Hence some of the songs -old Volvos are. hobby of mine , Pebble Dash Heaven is about growing up in the mind numbing boredom of mid 80s grey and rainy suburban Scotland and wanting to escape to a brighter time and place from the past. Rainbow is about escaping in my own mind

What role does your belief in Ultimate Karmic Justice play in shaping the lyrical content of this album?

"Ultimate Karmic Justice " -well one has to believe in that when the perpetrators of mass murder are so openly celebrated by our political class and are unlikely to ever face justice as we understand it. Unless there is a complete overturning by revolution -which is highly unlikely.

How does recording and producing entirely on an analogue 8-track machine influence the sound and atmosphere of Karma Smile?

Using a reel to reel tape machine with 8 tracks -well it disciplines you. You cant overdo tracks or number of takes , you have to rehearse till you get the parts right and THEN record. There is no copying and pasting. The tape itself smoothes out harshness that digital recording gives. It naturally compresses the sound and gives it punch. The tracks meld together into one whole song better as there is slight leakage from one track to another. Plus it inspires me -watching those reels go round is just fabulous.

Why is it important for you to capture the essence of mid to late 60s psychedelic and mod music in a contemporary context?

Making this kind of music necessitates using this old technology otherwise it will always sound like it's been recorded in 2025. I want my listeners to be feel like they've been transported back to 1966. And that includes it being in mono. Which again tightens your discipline in the creative process. It's all about the song which should punch out of the simplest speaker and sound great.

How do you ensure that your music retains authenticity without aiming for modern polish or contemporary trends?

Regards authenticity and avoiding contemporary trends - I avoid this naturally without even thinking about it. I rarely listen to any music recorded after 1973. At a stretch , some 76-80 punk/ new wave. Yes -Im an elitist - I prefer not to pollute my brain cells with modern sounding over produced hissy rap infused digitally copied and sampled "music" It does nothing for me. . I have absolutely zero interest in it. The modern chord or rhythmic structures therefore do not come out at all in my music. In the same way, I cannot play a single cover song -Ive just never been interested in learning them -even songs I love . I maybe seem to avoid accidentally replicating a cliched riff or chord structure. Maybe Im just lazy lol!

How has moving from Scotland to rural Australia influenced your creative process and musical perspective?

Scotland is small, confined , dark - rural Australia is the opposite- big skies, open spaces, bright light. SPACE. I think that un-corked my brain -all these ideas built up over a couple of decades could come spilling out.

Which psychedelic or 60s mod influences most strongly shaped the sound of this album, even subconsciously?

Psychedelic / mod music of the mid to late 60s was the height of inventiveness, drive , melody , harmony and provided all the bands and albums now regarded as "Classic" . They cannot be bettered. Beatles, The Who, The Action, The Small Faces , Jefferson Airplane , Traffic , Hendrix, Love, Byrds, 13th Floor Elevators are my main influences amongst others. I mean these cannot be bettered. They represented a time when music and mindset were at a cultural ever growing peak.

What do you hope listeners take away from Karma Smile in terms of emotional impact and social awareness?

But they also existed at a time when there was optimism and hope for young people-and the lyrics often represented that. We live in much darker times I think- and it would be false to be singing "All You Need Is Love" today. "All You Need is Truth " would be more appropriate.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Coolonaut on the Pigeon Spins Playlist