Vocalist, musician and force of nature Chrysa Tsaltampas is the creator Spineless. A project that captures the essence of modern music from its cold harsh industrial electronica to the warm of gospel vocals and beautiful melodies. From her work on the excellent ‘’1899’ series, Spineless epitomises uncompromising honesty, rage and experimentation. The debut album was “Dysphonia” and its long awaited follow up is “Speaking of Chaos and Relative Peace’’ an evolution in sound. Both complete listens and incredibly direct
‘’It is true that if you compare these two albums, “Dysphonia” looks as if it’s more direct to the listener due to the “normal” length of the songs, their structure and maybe the addition of more “pop” elements in the vocal melodies. However in my mind, both albums are very direct to what they want to express!’’
Was it an organic manifestation? Or the combination of ideas from your other numerous projects? Did it also lead to the length in between releases?
‘’The length in between releases is always the result of my procrastination when I deal with my solo projects. I am still trying to change this with no success (ha-ha). For this record I decided to let at least one person get involved in the whole process and work as a team instead of torturing myself again to have total control of everything as if the world is going to fall apart if I don’t. We worked with Costas Verigas very closely on the arrangements and he also wrote the music for 3 songs in the album (Justice, Disease and To the core).
‘’Everything else is a combination of ideas that I had specifically for this project.
The awareness of the immediacy of your music?
‘’Well, most of the stuff I write come from personal experiences dealing with the endless vanity of human nature and the desperate seeking of acceptance, love and quality time in the madness that we are living in, maybe that’s where it comes from (just thought about it ha-ha!).
It’s a modern sound that also encapsulates traditional Greek culture?
‘Thank you for the nice comment. There are no traditional Greek music elements in this album but I could argue that all the “no hope” elements that are spread lyrically are very Greek. For example the song “Justice” is written for our law system here that leaves systematically unpunished people who should be behind bars for many years now but instead they are free and keep on destroying.
Beautiful, yet troubled? Ambient but also laden with a heart and an industrial inflection?
‘’I don’t know if it is beautiful, I surely hope that it will be for some people! There are many ambient elements yes and also industrial as I tried very hard to find the drum machine Godflesh use (hahaha).
Your ability to create a new type of brutal? Honesty with little care for convention?
‘’Well to be honest, I never think of how to fit something in a more normal and accessible way, vocally or song writing wise. I just do whatever feels natural to me. So I don’t know if it is a new type of brutal but it is for sure what came up very organically when I was practising my lyrics.
Feelings inspire the music?
‘’I think that feelings generally inspire everything in this life!
Your music reflects the duality and emotions of life?
‘’Most of the times it reflects that “black and white” side of me.
Is it part of the question if darkness vs light? Joy vs Despair?
‘’Hmm, it could be, I haven’t thought about it through this lens!
How do you define uncompromising music and its vitality?
‘’For me uncompromising music means that there will be some unexpected blending of genres that will serve the music and the meaning that wants to be delivered and not blending just to be “edgy” or something. I also appreciate it very much when there is humour smartly put (like Mr. Bungle, the best band in the world) and not everything evolving around the “beauty” of a voice or an instrument or a riff. I crave for sincerity no matter the genre!
Should music be without limits?
‘’Totally!
Tops six albums of all time?
1. California - Mr. Bungle
2. in the eye of every storm -Neurosis
3. How to measure a planet - The Gathering
4. Perdition city - Ulver
5. Into the labyrinth - Dead Can Dance
6. Electro glide in blue - Apollo 440
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