fantano - Black Country, New Road - Forever Howlong INTERVIEW
Anthony Fantano engages with Black Country, New Road members Charlie Wayne and Georgia Ellery about their upcoming album, highlighting the band's evolution post-lineup change. The album features diverse songwriting and singing contributions from three members, offering a mix of fantastical lyrics, pop, and dramatic elements. The band emphasizes a brighter, more positive tone, partly due to the use of lighter instruments like mandolin and flutes. They discuss the creative process, noting the importance of maintaining a cohesive sound while exploring new musical territories. The conversation also touches on the band's dynamics, emphasizing the benefits of their collective approach and the challenges of maintaining cohesion with multiple contributors. They reflect on the band's stylistic evolution, noting that while the band’s sound changes, the way they communicate and play together remains consistent. The interview concludes with insights into the band's upcoming tour and the balance between their collective and individual projects.
Key Points:
- The new album features diverse contributions from three singers and songwriters, offering something for everyone.
- The album has a brighter tone due to the use of lighter instruments and higher range voices.
- The band values their collective approach, which fosters creativity and cohesion despite the challenges of multiple contributors.
- The band is committed to evolving their sound, focusing on new and fresh material rather than revisiting past works.
- Upcoming tour dates in the U.S. are planned, with a focus on maintaining a balance between collective and individual projects.
Details:
1. 🎶 Introduction & New Album Excitement
- Anthony Fantano, known as the internet's busiest music nerd, is hosting an exclusive conversation.
- The discussion centers around a new album, highlighting the excitement and anticipation surrounding its release.
- The album is the latest project, showcasing innovative music styles and potential collaborations, which are expected to engage fans and critics alike.
- Listeners can anticipate detailed insights into the album's creation process, key tracks, and artistic influences.
- With its upcoming release, the album is set to make a significant impact in the music scene, drawing attention from a broad audience.
2. 🎤 Band Members & Interview Setup
- Black Country, New Road is preparing to release a new album, generating anticipation among fans.
- The band features members Charlie Wayne and Georgia Ellery, who are actively promoting the album.
- Interviews with the band members are conducted individually via Zoom to accommodate their schedules.
- The interview format involves engaging each member separately, allowing for a more personalized interaction.
- The staggered interview approach helps maintain focus on each member's unique insights and contributions to the album.
3. 🔄 Lineup Changes & Album Evolution
3.1. Lineup Changes
3.2. Album Evolution
4. ✨ Album Themes & Expectations
- The album aims to outperform previous works, driven by a strong competitive spirit within the group.
- Luke and May are entrusted with elevating the album's quality, supported by their proven track record of excellence.
- The group is currently at a peak in their career, suggesting high levels of confidence and anticipated success.
- This release marks a pivotal moment, transitioning into a new phase with the first studio album.
- Expectations include increased engagement and possibly revenue growth, as this is a strategic release aimed at expanding their audience reach.
5. 🎵 Sound Exploration & Instrumentation
- The album features contributions from three different singers and songwriters, each bringing unique styles, such as pop and dramatic themes, ensuring a broad appeal.
- Listeners are treated to fantastical lyrics combined with pop elements, creating a mix that caters to varied musical tastes.
- The sound is characterized by a bright and sunny tone, achieved through the use of upbeat instrumentation and lively arrangements, contrasting with occasional darker tones.
- The diverse instrumentation includes guitars, synthesizers, and percussion that enhance the album's vibrant and dynamic sound palette.
- Each artist's contribution is distinct, adding depth and variety, which is reflected in the album's ability to engage a wide audience.
6. 🎛️ Studio vs. Live Album Dynamics
- The band considers the current album as a transitional phase, capturing their ongoing evolution and real-time development.
- This album is a continuation of the band's dynamic work, attempting to capture the energetic essence of live performances within a studio context.
- Valuable insights were gained from the live album experience, which, although not a formal album, significantly influenced the current project.
- The creative process involved incorporating diverse singers and ideas, aiming to create a cohesive work that effectively bridges live performance energy with studio precision.
7. 📜 Songwriting & Emotional Layers
- The band has expanded its instrumental palette by incorporating diverse instruments, including mandolin, harpsichord, banjo, nylon string acoustic guitar, whistles, and wooden flutes. This variety contributes to a lighter, brighter sound.
- Higher range voices and lighter instrumental arrangements have shifted the band's tone towards positivity.
- The juxtaposition of upbeat musical arrangements with darker lyrical themes adds depth, creating a complex emotional landscape in the songs.
- The band's songwriting reflects a significant mood shift, potentially indicating internal changes or evolving writing processes that affect the music's emotional direction.
8. 🤝 Band Dynamics & Collaboration
8.1. Songwriting Themes
8.2. Analysis of 'Besties'
9. 🎤 Creative Process & Vocal Duties
- The music transitions from dark tones to upbeat, lighter themes, often categorized as 'sunshine pop,' but retains emotional depth by exploring complex layers of friendship.
- One song in the album highlights the multifaceted nature of friendships, capturing both positive and negative aspects, showcasing the depth and complexity of relationships.
- The song's final lyric creatively blends vintage musical influences with modern, bold references, demonstrating an innovative juxtaposition of styles.
- References like 'walking TikTok trend' indicate the song's contemporary cultural impact, despite its vintage qualities, reflecting a blend of old and new in its appeal.
- Lyrics are carefully chosen to provoke thought and reflection, emphasizing intentionality in lyric selection rather than randomness.
10. 🎙️ Band's Collective Identity & Voice
- The band boldly incorporates modern technological references in their music, adding a contextual dimension that anchors their songs in a specific time and place, similar to how classic rap referenced older technologies like pagers.
- Their focus on connectivity, both artistically and personally, distinguishes them in the modern music scene.
- Despite the challenges of being a large band, this size promotes diverse ideas and creativity, with long-term relationships fostering a strong collective work ethic.
- Music being their full-time job enables them to manage the logistical and financial demands of a large ensemble, ensuring sustainability and focus on their craft.
- Specific examples of modern references include mentions of social media platforms and contemporary communication tools, enhancing relatability and relevance.
11. 🎧 Recording Techniques & Album Cohesion
11.1. Cohesion and Collaboration
11.2. Recording Process
11.3. Writing Process
11.4. Material and Album Intent
12. 🔗 Transition & Musical Identity
12.1. Maintaining Musical Integrity
12.2. Creative Evolution
12.3. Studio Experimentation and Production Approach
13. 📀 Album Art & Band's Image
- The band strategically utilized three female voices as a cohesive element throughout the album, a decision that emerged organically during the writing process rather than being pre-planned. This choice marks a significant shift from their previous works and highlights the distinctive palette offered by the vocalists.
- The album is characterized by thematic and lyrical links across songs, which contribute to a conceptual feel, even as individual band members expressed their unique songwriting styles. This approach allows for a rich tapestry of narratives and perspectives.
- Songs on the album explore a wide range of emotional spaces, from grand, sweeping themes to more intimate and personal reflections, showcasing the versatility and depth of the vocalists. This diversity in emotional tone adds layers to the listening experience.
- The song 'Happy Birthday' exemplifies the band's storytelling prowess, offering a narrative from a unique perspective that adds depth and intrigue to its lyrical content. This approach enhances the album's overall narrative complexity.
- The integration of these elements not only enhances the album's artistic appeal but also underscores the band's evolution in sound and thematic exploration, offering listeners a cohesive yet diverse auditory journey.
14. 🌍 Touring Plans & Scene Dynamics
- Band members maintain a high level of personal control over their creative processes, with little interference from others unless explicitly invited.
- Lyrics are seen as particularly personal, and there's an unspoken rule that motives behind lyrics are not questioned unless band members are invited to do so.
- Despite stylistic changes over time, the band's unique sound is preserved through consistent instrumental collaborations, such as violin and saxophone.
- The band acknowledges the evolution of their music between albums, emphasizing that while styles change, the core communication and interaction methods remain constant.
- Specific stylistic changes include integration of new instruments and experimentation with different genres, enhancing their unique sound.
15. 🎶 Influences & Creative Freedom
15.1. Creative Surprises & Style Evolution
15.2. Artistic Integrity & Audience Perception
15.3. Artistic Presentation & Collaboration
16. 🗺️ Balancing Projects & Future Prospects
16.1. Celebrating Collectivism in Music
16.2. Trends and Influences in the Music Industry
16.3. US Touring Plans and Fan Engagement
16.4. Balancing Creativity Across Projects
17. 👋 Closing Remarks & Future Excitement
- The interviewer expressed appreciation for the interview, stating it would be their best Black Country, New Road interview.
- There was a humorous exchange about the potential for the next interview with remaining band members to be worse, yet encouraging them to outdo the current members.
- Concerns were voiced jokingly about creating tensions within the band due to comparisons in interviews, with an apology offered.
- The conversation ended on a positive note, wishing the band members a good night and expressing gratitude for their time.