CocoRosie Go Days Without Sleep to Record 'Grey Oceans'

For the last few years, CocoRosie have been veering into more electronica and hip-hop, most notably on their last release, 2007's 'Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn.' Even when a new EP surfaced last year called 'Coconuts, Plenty of Junkfood,' the argument could've been made that the sister duo was even veering toward dance-pop territory, with the lead song 'Happy Eyez' giving the impression that they were heading for the clubs.

Turns out, that wasn't the case at all. For their fourth full-length, 'Grey Oceans,' Sierra and Bianca Cassidy -- who were both raised in the US, but formed the band in Paris in 2003 -- found themselves recording in Argentina, where at one point they stayed awake for five straight days. "Not very much sleeping," Bianca tells Spinner. "That's kind of the idea. We were really losing track of night and day -- the studio didn't have windows -- using delirium as a drug. It's a little nutso, the way we were working. You're paying studios by the hour, so we commit; when were in there, that's all were doing. It's a little insane way to work but we like trying extreme processes."

The fruits of those insane sessions led to an album that relies less on programming and more on exploring acoustic instruments within the arrangements, sounding classical at times as on the intro to 'Lemonade' and on the lush harps of 'Gallows.' As Bianca notes, the album took a "serious turn" and has a much more ancient sound running through.

Along with dipping into ancient worlds, they also explore a music genre that apparently has been taboo over the years. "We were so anti-jazz for so many years," Bianca says. "But I guess it's typical for us to go towards something we've almost made taboo towards ourselves. Appreciating jazz is a new thing."

'Grey Oceans' is out now on Sub Pop.

Watch CocoRosie's 'God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me' Video