Dreaming with Snowblink

Daniela Gesundheit and Dan Goldman make up the band, Snowblink. They call their dream-like sound “nondenominational, devotional pop music.” Gesundheit draws from her fascination with the ocean and her background in cantorial and Indian religious music.

Snowblink has just released their newest album, “Returning Current,” and stopped by the studio to play a few songs and tell us what inspires their unique sound.

Kurt Andersen: You guys have had two projects called “Returning Current.” You’ve had on previous albums songs called “Sea Change,”and “Pray for Surf,”and “Ambergris.”Why are you so oceanic?

Daniela Gesundheit: I have lived on the beach since before I was born, and I’ve also had a recurring tidal wave dream since I was 5.

A scary recurring dream?

Gesundheit: You know, they were scary for a long time, and at this point it’s just like, “There’s the tidal wave, again.” It’s not scary anymore.

You two have been working together for a decade, and got married in 2009. But you separated not long ago, as soon as you finished this new record — how is that playing out in your creative process?

Dan Goldman: Well we haven’t started writing songs together yet. We’ve toured, that’s been going great. It’s taken some time. We took a good few months off, you know, not working together to let things gestate.

Daniela, I noticed you have antlers on your guitar. Why? And what are they from?

Gesundheit: I’ve been told they’re caribou. Before I moved to Canada I had a dream that my guitar had moose antlers. And this was the best I could do.

A note for clarification: in the audio interview El Malei Rachamim is referred to as a prayer sung at weddings. In fact, the song is sung at funerals.

Bonus Track: “Returning Current” live in Studio 360