The Woodlands invite you into their blanket fort

We introduce you to one of our Winter Sonicbids selections

By Roxanna Bennett
Published: November 3rd, 2010 | 7:00am

Wife and husband duo the Woodlands, comprised of Hannah and Samuel Robertson, are versed at moving seamlessly from one project to the next. While providing tracks for the indie film Nuummioq as well as fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff’s latest look book, they have also been independently shooting a video for their song “Summerland,” developing their next album, promoting and re-mixing their first album, launching an art project, and soon, becoming the subjects of a documentary by award-winning Swiss filmmaker Kaspar Kasics.

Self-professed film nerds, the Woodlands are excited about the last mention in their very long list of opportunities. Kasics recently flew to the Robertsons home of Portland, Oregon after falling in love with the Woodlands through their MySpace page and wanting the perspective of a musician couple in his film. “It was like a week-long blind date with a director,” Hannah laughs.

Originally from Idaho, the pair have lived in Portland for three years. “We’re a little nomadic,” Hannah confesses. Another stop? Guatemala. After volunteering at an orphanage in the Central American country, the Robertsons reassessed what they wanted to do next. “It always came back to writing songs,” Samuel says. “We committed ourselves to making an album, then moved to Portland to craft a studio.”

Recently accepted by Web giant Pandora, the duo’s self-titled album was recorded inside a blanket fort constructed in a corner of their apartment. “We were really broke and wanted to have a handmade, intimate feeling,” says Hannah, describing the process. “We used blankets, sleeping mats, and pillows to block the outside sounds like neighbors vacuuming and traffic. We recorded everything in Garage Band using our Apple computer.”

“We both play guitar,” Samuel explains. “The other instruments we learned on the spot, like the glockenspiel and child’s accordion. We had this motto: We’re going to ask the songs what they want to be. And so, we tried to be not forceful but intuitive.”

On the intimacy of their music, Samuel is thoughtful. “We know the limits of what we’re exposing and have private things that we keep to ourselves. Something we've lamented over the years is that people seem afraid to engage with each other. Our way to provide an alternative to that is to feel that we’re connecting with people and each other—and to do that requires some degree of vulnerability.”

Woodlands is a gentle, buoyant album threaded with bittersweet moments. “That’s just life” Samuel declares. “There are moments of joy and sweetness; there’s also pain and struggle. You can’t circumnavigate the darkness; it has a string attached to you, you’re tethered to it—but if you can get to the heart of the feeling, you can remove that anchor point.”

Hannah agrees. “I feel it’s important not to avoid painful areas, but rather go into them, through them, and then cross over. It’s an honor when someone says, ‘I was having a rough time and these songs spoke to me and helped me through that.’ When we hear that, we always feel privileged to have created our music for someone else.”

At the moment the couple are in a “reconstructive phase,” focusing on a new art project. Using found, vintage books, the Robertsons hand-sew one of a kind envelopes and other ephemera. The duo shot a short, documentary style video of their artistic process: Augustina Finch will have a gallery launch in October.

Tour plans are on hold until the release of the as-yet-unnamed second album. While developing new songs, the duo is also working on an electro dance remix of their acoustic music. Hannah says, “It’s a really fun departure from what we’ve done. Samuel has always wanted to do something like this. It’ll give people something to dance to when it’s dark and cold in January.”

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Find out more about the Woodlands and get a free download of single "Summerland"

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