By JC Poppe Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published May 25, 2011 at 12:55 PM

So often "noise" music, or music that is referred to as such, is exactly described by that word. However, there are many groups or artists that get lumped into the noise category wrongly, and though their music may consist of an interesting jumble of sounds and approaches, the music itself is more experimental in theory and less sound being created for the sake of sound with the hope ofeverything permeating through the chaos and coming out as something manageable on the other side.

Antler Antennas is an example of a group that creates tapestries of noise through experimentation and effort, leading to music that has more direction and structure than anything that is purely "noise."

Their newest EP, "Autumnal Equinox," however, is a much more toned-down product of their work together as it finds a certain musical dimension that wasn’t as strong on their quite pleasing previous EP, "Sidewalk Tectonics."

"Autumnal Equinox," which is available for free download at the band's Web site, is smoother in production and stronger in tone and polish. Both projects feature witty lyrics delivered by Wesley Tank through his wobbly sing-song rap delivery, but on "Autumnal Equinox" Tank’s talent really shines though.

I talked with the group’s musical mad man, Sean Behling, about the new project and what looks to be like the dissolving of the group.

OnMilwaukee.com: This EP isn't as frantic, glitchy and noisy as your first one. What brought about the change for this project?

Sean Behling: The answer is really just life. Wes and I are both the sort of guys that migrate back and forth through the musical cosmos. We take pride in challenging ourselves to put our musical selves in a place of vulnerability. In the studio it’s easy to be a control freak, it’s harder to say "I'm not 100 percent sure on this, but let’s keep going and see where it takes us!" As a musician my comfort zone is really as a saxophone/clarinet player, but in building my studio I've gone out of my way to gather a wide arrangement of instruments. These beats and the recording of the instruments were really about a week of evenings during September 2009 where I just spent time each night sitting down at instruments I'm not traditionally trained on and just learning my way around them.

About the same time I was really into these old Enoch Light records from the '50s. These records, if you're not familiar, are sort of kitschy studio recordings that were all about being hi-fi stereo recordings. They're amazing! The arrangement sand production on those things is just awesome. Some material is big band/lounge and some is like psuedo "exotic" type stuff where they're playing something that sounds like it came from Africa, but it’s just not there (in a traditional sense) because it's being played by a bunch of studio/jazz musicians, so it has this sort of uptight, really tight pocket sort of thing happening and on top of that they're geeking out because they can pan the bongos between the left and right speaker. That stuff is awesome. The artwork is especially awesome, and the liner notes are amazing because they describe the technical aspect and gear in meticulous detail. I really love those records.

Anyhow, I think I took inspiration from that, while just approaching it as a student. So these beats were pieced out of sessions where I'm just trying things on the drums, bass, playing around with different microphone techniques, sitting down at the Hammond M3 organ, playing the rhodes, guitar, Condor Reed Modulator ... you name it. I've been really fortunate to find a bunch of these vintage instruments and while anyone can read about how they technically produce sound and use samples, etc., it’s fun to just sit down and explore them and find out what sounds can be had when you let these instruments sort of speak through you.

OMC: I like both of the projects that I've heard from you, but I haven't had the chance to see you live.What is the AA live experience like?

SB: As a performer, doing this type of stuff live is sort of like being trapped in a mall and you just want to get out. Sure, that Spencer's store has some interesting toys and gag gifts, and the Sunglasses Hut has some dope knock-offs for like five bucks, but you really just want to get some fresh air, and so our shows are basically about our attempt to find that "musical" fresh air. We sort of know what it tastes like, but when you have a group of six guys it can be tough to stay together. It’s like herding cats, so we have to rely on each person to be responsible for their own route/path. I think this approach gives us a sort of freedom to explore and just expose ourselves and the musical weirdness we typically keep bottled up. Amazingly, amidst this chaos we do occasionally find ourselves in some sort of sync, which, when fueled by seeing people dancing and nodding their heads, gives you courage to go a little further than what you might've normally let yourself do. So it’s really this symbiotic thing at shows and we're just a conduit for all these things like Neutrinos and Old Navy commercials to communicate through.

OMC: Tell me the meaning behind your new music. 

SB: As a musical being - I could say musician, but I'm not sure that speaks to the complexity of what we are as people, because it tends to put you into this box of what people see as just the artist, when really it's life and everything that sort of inform each other on both an emotional and philosophical level - I believe that finding oneself is sort of this mystical trip. Growing older every year and finding yourself changing as a person is a trip. Me, I became a father for the second time in the past year and that just rocked my world. Having kids teaches you so many things, and that personally has been in the front of my mind. In addition, I think philosophically it’s a challenge to try and free yourself from the "noise"that exists in our culture. I feel like our generation is really good at making stuff, unfortunately I think a lot of it is driven and inspired by the wrong reasons. So, when I'm making music, I feel like I want to consciously attempt to find a way to let go of certain ambitions and distractions and focus on the humility of learning and practicing music as a craft.

OMC: What was the recording process like?

SB: Beyond the initial recordings, Wes and I sort of just tried to keep things moving quickly. I think I may have belabored the mixing process a little bit because I was agonizing over what to keep and to resist the temptation of doing more, adding more than the music needed, but there were a couple times when I caved in because I'd want to try something and then those pieces would just end up staying in the mix. All in all, I feel like this material has a sort of earnestness and urgency that is not afraid of exposing itself at a basic level, and so we felt good about the relatively simple production. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Dan Reed was crucial with his guitar solo and backing vocals.

OMC: What are you plans for the near future? Shows, new music, etc.?

SB: Sadly, I think we're sort of finding the group evolving into some different things. Folks are taking some time to do other things, so I don't know really what the future, if there is one for this group, looks like. It’s with a heavy heart for me to write this because I've personally loved the entire experience and process. Working at a fast pace as we did just keeps you on your toes. It’s liberating and inspiring to have worked with this cast of characters who support and engage in this process that is constantly evolving.

Besides that uncertainty, we still have a bit of a back catalog of material that was never released. There is just a bunch of stuff that I think was really dope that we didn't release, and so we might drop a collection of that stuff as a mixtape-type thing later this spring or summer just to get it out there for anyone that is into this stuff. Beyond that I'm not sure. (Drummer) Seth (Warren Crow) and I are working on a new project now, and we actually just played together while doing the music for Dancework's "Stone Soup" performance over at Sweetwater Organics, which was this really awesome free-jazz improv-type engagement that he arranged/directed. I also have another EP in the works with the artist Boost that will be this sort of drum and bass mash-up. I believe Wes is recording another Stumblesome album in addition working on a tour for that, and I think Dan is pursuing a new reggae project. So, we'll be around, just in different settings.

JC Poppe Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Born in Milwaukee and raised in the Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer, Concordia University Wisconsin alumnus Poppe has spent the majority of his life in or around the city and county of Milwaukee.

As an advocate of Milwaukee's hip-hop community Poppe began popular local music blog Milwaukee UP in March 2010. Check out the archived entries here.

Though heavy on the hip-hop, Poppe writes about other genres of music and occasionally about food, culture or sports, and is always ready to show his pride in Milwaukee and Wisconsin.