Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun sees you experiment a bit with your sound from the previous two releases. Is that something you consciously try to force or does the variation come naturally?

I think that the variation comes fairly naturally.  We are all maturing and changing as both musicians and people.  There is also a conscious decision to not make the same record twice.  It’s funny to me when people ask which record I like the best because I don’t think of the records in those terms.  I have never felt like I set out to make a record and didn’t achieve what I had set out to do.  That’s not to say that I don’t push myself and try new things but that it’s not like we are trying to make a better record then the last, just a different one.

I’m very interested in the links between music and literature so make no apologies for focusing on the lyrical side of things. Obviously writing songs is a very different animal to literature but I often find that the best songwriters construct what are essentially short stories, a fine balance of giving and withholding information to allow the listener to consider the finer details. Is literature something that influences your work?

I’ve always wanted to write short stories, and I do on the side but nothing that I would ever really consider sharing with anyone.  Fortunately for me I have another vehicle for my work and sometimes I dip into those stories and find songs there.  The song is an interesting platform because you are able to leave gaping holes in the story and allow the music to encourage your audience to fill it in themselves.  I love that idea.  I am constantly striving to say more with less, for me the most powerful lyrics are those that with a few words can conjure up a whole world of imagery and emotion.  Something as simple as “Time is on your side”, can bring you to your knees.  I think literature influences my work in the same way that other people influence my work, writing is a way of communicating new ways of looking at different situations.  An event in daily life can be interpreted so different by so many people and it just so happens that some of my favorite authors have inspired me to look at things from a new angle.

As a follow-on from the previous question, do the narratives in your songs exist in a fuller sense for you personally? In other words, do you create a whole story and then condense the idea into a song, or rather choose words which fit the music and build up the picture that way?

That really changes from song to song but rarely do I just pick words that fit the sound of the music.  Actually I don’t think I’ve ever really done that.  It’s not to say that I don’t edit and re edit and edit again once the song comes together and certain things don’t push it forward or work as well as they could.  Sometimes I’ll be inspired by a story I hear and often it’s my suppression of emotion and experience that eventually boils over into a song.  It’s often a way for me to explain to myself how certain events have shaped the way I interact with other people and the worlds they’ve created for themselves.

To me there almost seems to be two levels to your music; the outer layer of rock music that is often upbeat and energetic, then the second, deeper layer of often painful lyrics that deal with the human condition and such. Is this an intentional strategy, allowing a superficial enjoyment of passionate music plus providing more for those who wish to explore the meanings deeper? Or have I thought about this too much? 

There is an intention there but I don’t know if it’s exactly what you’re taking from it, of course that doesn’t mean your wrong.  For me there’s a balance between considering and working through the ‘human condition’ and trying to work past it and enjoy the moment.  I’m not saying that any of our songs are on an Andrew W K level but sometimes you want to lose yourself in an energy and I hope that from time to time we can offer that.  And as you said if you want to go deeper that’s there too.  Part of the energy that you’re talking about comes from the chemistry of the band and the fact that we have a lot of fun just playing music together.  I think that comes through.

Do you have any issues with ‘letting go’ of your music when the time comes to record and release an album? I’ve always wondered how an artist deals with letting others onto something so personal. I know you’ve worked on the latest Evening Hymns record; when I see albums such as Spectral Dusk or The Antlers’ Hospice I wonder if there is a real struggle to reveal such intimate material and then be expected to reproduce it night after night.

For me the hardest part is actually sharing the songs with the band.  I have a special gift for naivete.  Maybe that’s not the right word, ignorance?  I’m not sure what you want to call it.  But I was writing our last record “If I don’t come home, you’ll know I’m gone”, which a lot of people have told me they consider to be a breakup record, while I was still living with the person in question.  It just never occurred to me that while I was writing lyrics like “A home with a wife and a child just seem so far out of reach” they might hit home for her.  I think maybe I was just in denial about that whole situation.

I often find in performing a lot of the songs on the new record that is a cathartic way to exorcise a lot the demons that live in the songs.  Sometimes it is hard to go to those emotional places for people you’ve never met and may in fact never meet but in finding the connection with the songs and lyrics it really elevates me and I think the show as a result.

Finally, could you suggest five or so songs that you are listening to right now, obscure or otherwise?

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Dancing Late at Night

Strand of Oaks – Diamond Drill

Great Bloomers – In the Distance

Evening Hymns – Spectral Dusk

War on Drugs – Best Night

The band are currently touring Europe with Evening Hymns and can be seen in the UK this week. Get yourself out of the house and take advantage of seeing two of the best bands out of Canada perform two of 2012’s best albums under one roof (full dates below). If you can’t get to a show then buy the album here.

03/10 – CARDIFF, Buffalo Bar

04/10 – LONDON, Windmill

05/10 – PRESTON, Mad Ferret

09/10 – LONDON, Slaughtered Lamb

10/10 – GLASGOW, Captain’s Rest

11/10 – HARTLEPOOL, The Studio

12/10 – SUNDERLAND, Independent

13/10 – OXFORD, Oxjam

We’ll leave you with the beautiful new video for ‘I’m Your Man’, directed by Justin Broadbent. Enjoy.

The post Interview: The Wooden Sky appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The album is both very different and reassuringly similar from If I Don’t Come Home…, with the band experimenting with their sound while keeping the familiar vocals and lyrics, the strong core of The Wooden Sky’s success. For me, this is where The Wooden Sky excel, offering the listener the choice of two listening experiences; an entertaining mix of slow and quicker rock songs or a much deeper exploration of often deeply emotional themes. While it could be argued that this is the case with most music, there is something about frontman Gavin Gardiner’s style of delivery that offers a choice, the kind of voice that you could sing along with without really knowing what he has said and enjoying yourself immensely. The variation in pace keep things interesting and the album passes as a pleasant indie-rock listen.

However as I have already said, it is in the lyrics that the true strength of Every Child… lies, and hence the album is a real grower. With each listen a song gives up another detail that was previously missed, another insight into the underlying story. The way in which these ideas unfold suggest a much wider narrative, allowing the listener to flesh out the situation themselves and thus make each story personal and appealing. For example, the opening track ‘Child of the Valley’ is an affecting tale of loneliness and redemption but remains rather vague for the most part, allowing our imaginations to apply the words in any way we see fit. This effect continues to build across the 13 tracks and by the end we each have a slightly different but no less complete picture that addresses some of the most important aspects of the human condition. This isn’t the head-on, painfully personal outpouring familiar to some songwriters, but something a lot more subtle and layered. The messages are hidden, woven into stories and metaphors. They are there if you want to interpret them. If not, there is a confident rock band to love too.

The Wooden Sky are coming to Europe very soon and will tour the US and Canada in October and November. We are hoping to get the chance to ask the band a few questions soon so look out for that too.

The post The Wooden Sky – Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun appeared first on Various Small Flames.

The Wooden Sky will tour the UK (see below). Excitingly, they will be joined by fellow Canadians Evening Hymns, who are also on the verge of releasing a new album. Spectral Dusk is said to be influenced by the experiences of lead Jonas Bonnetta when losing his father in 2009. He has said that his aim was to create “11 moments of reflection or introversion.” Again, what I have heard of the album has got me excited; an atmospheric and visceral exploration of feeling and genuine pain. Getting excited about such a thing sounds a little strange but you get the drift. Stream a track below and watch (a personal favourite) ‘Asleep In The Pews’ at the bottom.

Both albums are shaping up to be some of my favourites this year so hopefully I will be able to write more detailed views on each album when the time comes. Until then, have a listen and try and catch them on tour. The UK dates are below and check here for more European dates.

• 03/10 – CARDIFF, Buffalo Bar
• 04/10 – LONDON, Windmill
• 05/10 – PRESTON, Mad Ferret
• 09/10 – LONDON, Slaughtered Lamb
• 10/10 – GLASGOW, Captain’s Rest
• 11/10 – HARTLEPOOL, The Studio
• 12/10 – SUNDERLAND, Independent
• 13/10 – OXFORD, Oxjam

The post The Wooden Sky & Evening Hymns appeared first on Various Small Flames.