It’s been four years since UK instrumental heavy proggers Sons of Alpha Centauri released their self-titled full-length on Sound Devastation, and though they’ve got another record in the works, it’s not like the four-piece has been sitting still since that time. In 2009, they released one of the best albums of that year in Ceremony to the Sunset, the debut of Yawning Sons, their collaboration with Gary Arce of Californian desert legends Yawning Man, as well as a split with Karma to Burn offshoot Treasure Cat.

In 2011, Sons of Alpha Centauri return with another installment of Yawning Sons. This time, it’s a split 7″ with another of Arce‘s many projects, Waterways, and, as SOAC proper, another split 7″ — this one with Karma to Burn. If you believe in guilt by association, Sons of Alpha Centauri have thrown themselves headfirst into the upper echelon of the instrumental heavy underground, and while one hopes their next offering lives up to the high standard they’ve set in these collaborations, their progressive atmospheres have already helped make several strong releases even stronger.

There’s a lot to keep up with, so all the more reason to hit up bassist Nick Hannon to get a better sense of everything happening with the band. Fortunately, he was kind enough to field the interview and you’ll find the results below.

Sons of Alpha Centauri is Hannon, guitarist Marlon King, first-name-only ambience specialist Blake and drummer Stevie B. Please enjoy the following Six Dumb Questions.

1. How did the collaboration/split projects with Gary Arce and Karma to Burn come about? Does the writing process differ at all when you know someone else is going to be playing on the track?

The projects were quite straightforward to arrange. I called Gary and Will and they both responded with interest to develop some new music. SOAC are a flexible band and both Gary and Will [Mecum, Karma to Burn] are accommodating musicians. As such, when they came over, they used our equipment, and compositionally, we held the bass and drums low with room for guitars to breathe along. It was great to watch the tracks unfold in front of us from there! We played and practiced by the sea and everyone found it a very emotional and inspirational experience.

2. Tell me about the Yawning Sons process this time around. Did Gary come to the UK again to record?

No, no Gary by the sea this time! The track on the vinyl came from an original demo from the Garden Sessions from when we were all recording over in Marlon’s garden. There are quite a few tracks that didn’t make it onto Ceremony to the Sunset and that’s one of them. We didn’t have time in the studio so we re-recorded it and sent it over the Gary who laid it down thick on his end. We had it mastered at Abbey Road and it sounds very chilled. Just like when we were in the garden!

3. Any idea on a release date for the new Sons of Alpha Centauri full-length? How has the recording been, and can you give any hint as to what can be expected from the album? Did you have anything in mind specifically for the songwriting and recording?

We have been determined in writing and recording the second album but there’ll be plenty of music on there, so it’s not going to be a short production. Blake is having a much greater role in the band compared to six or seven years ago and it’s been great to grow since writing and recording the debut. All I can say for the time being is that it’s next logical step and level for us from the debut. Strangely we’ve been together 10 years and we’ve only just started recording our second album! We’re aiming for a release date of mid/late-2012.

4. Talk about the development of the Sons of Alpha Centauri sound. Do you feel that these collaborations have had an effect on how you create new material?

As we had hoped, we’ve grown from the collaborations and accelerated our learning curve for new ideas and exploration of sound for sure. In a way they’ve developed into entities in their own right now, which is cool. For the first five years we wrote 35 songs and picked some for an introduction to some of the styles we liked. The new album is a complete concept in itself and we’re really excited about it.

5. What does the word “progressive” mean to you?

To spiritually evolve organically within your environment. Musically the same applies to SOAC and Yawning Sons. We’re both progressive bands for sure – always evolving!

6. What’s next for you guys? Will you do any other joint projects or releases between now and the next Sons of Alpha Centauri release? Is anything in the works as far as touring after the record comes out?

Well, we’re busy at the moment, which is good. Later this year we’ll be finishing off and putting out the next Space Age and Cheesecake release on 7” vinyl. This is the second in the SOAC/Karma to Burn 7” series as it goes. As with the previous release it’s got a new SOAC track on there and new artwork from Alex Von Wieding. We’ll also be doing a special 12” release before the second album comes out so we’ll be focusing on that for the New Year. Got some great people involved with that…

As for touring, we’re hoping to play some shows in Europe next year and depending on our setup we’ll be looking to bring our background visual setup with us like we’ve been using for the UK shows.

Sons of Alpha Centauri’s website

Yawning Sons on Thee Facebooks

Space Age & Cheesecake Records