a single book of songs by mammoth volume

The Music Cartel

Studio report  NEW  

street date: MAY 22 2001  Tracklist: 1. To Gloria 2. Vipera Berus - MP3 soundclip 3. K 4. Aum 5. The So Called 4th Sect 6. What Happened In Antioch?      including Myrriad Of Sounds	7. Evening Streeted 8. Pleroma 9. Brave Manic Mover 10. Out Take 11. Noara Dance 12. What If 13. Instead Of Circles
Order the album at:  StonerRock.com

MORE TO COME SOON!!!!

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A Single Book of Songs - studio report & song introduction to m.v.�s latest CD

The Third Album: dreaded and prestigious, maker or breaker, historically over-analysed, "here�s where the strings come in" (fantastic Superchunk album title, although for their fifth one)... well you get the build-up I�m going for.

In a way the strings remark comes closest to the mark. We did use more keyboards on this one, and how can you orchestrate rock music without overdubbing mellotronstrings? Eh? And I found that if you skip the stompbox and let the orange head do the job, you can actually hear the chords being played. Sometimes that leaves a little space for electric pianos, organs, mellotrons and such. You should try it.

On the title: we thought about naming it after a track, namely To Gloria. Then we thought of Light, because Nicklas had made this archaic stylized sun with a few sunbeams shoting out of it, and I thought it was a powerful image and a direct title/word. I also liked the idea of the album being stoner-light (as in Pepsi-light), whatever stoner is, right? We then entertained titles like Two or Three, depending on how you count. Then I wanted the word Lullaby to be apart of the title, but that didn�t go over too well, so with a few subdued grumblings the other guys OKed A Single Book of Songs.

Four of the songs were recorded about six months ago. Vipera Berus (poisonous snake) was probably the first one we did after Noara Dance, only the working title was Fumes due to the opening line. Finally a song in the key of G# minor. You also get one bar in the key of A minor, and a power-chorus not unlike those of long-extinct alternative rock hits. The metallophone is heavily featured. Next we did The so-called 4th Sect, part one of three in my mini-series on early christianity (mail me privately for suggested reading material). It boasts a whopping five key-changes, and the instrumental conclusion (organ and guitar solos) is likely to be my most successful songwriting. Hope you like it. The high energy Noara Dance (yeah, like the EP) is J�rgen screaming away on top of a pretty repetitive riff. Big refrain. Then there�s Pleroma, the instrumental part two in the aforementioned series, and the most Gentle Giant we�re likely to ever get. And that�s how this album got started.

Before you read all about the rest of the songs I�d like for you to read some Q&As on this very album; questions courtesy of Ilka at Fly PR, and replies by yours truely.

 

Tell me about the new album:

- all band members are the same, right?

Yeah, and no "guest musicians" on this one either. Keep it in the family!

- what is your favorite song?

We all like the album opener To Gloria, which is pretty progressive with odd time signatures and key changes. Brave Manic Mover is another song that takes a left turn half way through it, and that one also sports heavy symphonic arrangement successfully. It seems we�re moving more into territories like that lately. Personally I am really happy with the way What Happened in Antioch turned out, sort of jazz-rocky. That�s a few favourite songs, eh?

- what does the album make you feel?

That we at least make an effort to progress, and not just play it safe. I don�t think we�ll know if we�ve succeded for some time; I only now see how our previous records work in the long run. A Single Book of Songs has a lot of variety, and that�s always a good thing in my book.

- are there any funny stories about the recording sessions?

The material was recorded at two different points in time, so four of the songs are quite old, and that adds to the diverse feel of the songs.

To Gloria wasn�t at all planned for so when we were ready to wrap up the recording of the last basic track somebody thought of it, and we arranged it on the spot. We then ran through it a few times, and then we cut it; live minus the vocals. And it ended up being our favourite track. We cut most basic tracks live this time around, and our rehearsal-room - which also serves as our studio - is very small, so with these thick portable walls to screen off the instruments you find yourself standing in this minimal booth. Pretty bizarre.

We try to use accidents and weird misshaps and incorporate them into the music, and when my wha-wha and fuzz box caught a Russian radio transmission we couldn�t help but to put that at the end of the album. Just hope they�re not saying anything subversive...

The last song, Instead of Circles, was just one riff that Kalle had lying around, and we did this whole dynamic improv live take of that, and then we started doing overdubs and ended up with a really laid back psychedelic kind of song, with electric piano and flute and what not.

- funny stories about writing any of the songs?

The song K is loosely based on actual events and this local guy that everybody has some kind of relation to. The line "I�ve seen you - I�m not afraid" was a chant he had for exorcising a ghost, so how can you not write a song about that?

Out-take was just an organ riff I messed around with as we were recording and that also ended up on the album. It�s fun for us too when you don�t really know what you�re ending up with.

- any news on the band we should tell people about?

The only news is that our recording facilities are improving to a point of near professional standards, and we�re getting better at using it all the time. And the obvious result of playing together a longer period of time is that you get tighter when it comes down to improvs.

- what makes this album different than Noara Dance?

Noara Dance was an EP so there is more space on A Single Book of Songs to stretch out and give it even more diversity. We try to progress as songwriters and musicians, and the only way of doing that is to reach for it and take a few chances. I think we�ve succeeded in that. Practically I�d say there are more keyboards and less distortion, all without turning whimpy.

- any new bands that are influencing your style?

We were never so much influenced by other bands. As much as we listen to other bands, you don�t want to revamp or cover someone else. But I for one keep looking for the perfect record, and we all borrow each others latest CDs. Generally it�s still early 70�s rock and some minor progressive rock influences, but that�s more a question of the sound and filosophy they had, than the actual songwriting.

 

Pretty informative, huh? OK, on with the story - Brave Manic Mover was an old riff Nicklas had been trying to put to good use for some time, and I messed it up by doing a big symphonic arrangement on top of that. I love it. Mellotron, moogsynth, hugely echoed slideguitar, hugely echoed vocals, syncopated bassline... all and all pretty psychedelic. As I remember it we were all happy with the way the slideguitar doubled the vocal melody on the second part of the song. Even the guitarsolo I doubled with an electric piano. I�m surprised we left it at only one set of drums.

What If must have been rearranged five times, mainly by cutting things out since it was a veritable collection of different riffs. So what you�ve got is the director�s cut; the original version refused to come to an end. That song slides effortlessly into the album�s closing track Instead of Circles, which serves as a model of how you can build a complete song from little more than an improvised couple of minutes based on a simple bass riff. Overdubbing is the keyword here. Most prominent is my trusty hammond organ and fake rhodes, but also discernible is my muddled talent as a fluteplayer. Dynamic drumming, and J�rgen even pulls of some nice vocal harmonies.

You guys know what a phrygian mode is? For a practical demonstration there�s always What Happened in Antioch (including Myriad of sounds). Actually it�s a minor scale with an augumented 2nd, giving it an angular, latin feel, and that�s something I used thruout this song, being part three in the aforementiond series. A long time King Crimson fan I couldn�t resist giving the middle segment (as sung by Nicklas) a separate "including"-title. About the guitarsolo: I did one take, but thinking I could do alot better than that I did a second take. Listening back I was amazed to hear that they were exactly the same, so I used them both, giving it a flangy sound. About the intro and outro: a beat-up cassette tape and a beat-up cassette recorder still work lo-fi wonders computers can�t match.

The story of To Gloria, Out-take and K you can read about in the interview above. Aum was also a song we had been working on as a proper rock song, but at the last minute we decided to do an acoustic thing instead. I love the way you can just hear Nicklas cough between verses, due to his then cold. Panning fingerbells anyone?

Left for my own brand of over-analysation is Evening Streeted, with its record busting megalomanic opening of sheer "overdoingness". As a matter of fact I tried to fit an additional guitarsolo on top of that mass of sound, but there just weren�t any audio room for it. Uninterestingly, the lyrics for Evening Streeted and Insted of Circles were written on the same occasion (don�t ask).

"A single book of songs is better than a 2CD compilation of dance music"

Daniel