Sounding Out: Bahamas

“I try not to get my ideas too set in stone because I really believe that leaving room for mistakes and leaving room for spontaneity is the most important part about life. And I definitely don’t want to limit my mind in any way.”

Afie Jurvanen is a well-seasoned musician who has spent many years playing guitar and piano in support of other musicians such as Feist. In 2009, he released his first solo album in his home country of Canada under the moniker Bahamas. The album was very well received and was ultimately nominated for a 2010 Juno award for Best Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. In May of this year, the album, Pink Strat, was finally released here in the US.

Pink Strat is a wonderful album, showcasing Jurvanen's fine songwriting and exceptionally warm and breezy songs. Out touring the US now in support of the album, I had an opportunity to talk with him about his songs, his songwriting, and stepping out on his own.

Having recorded Pink Strat in 2008, releasing it in 2009, and touring in support of it in 2010, I was curious if Afie is experiencing a bit of déjà vu with the recent US release. He said that it’s inevitable, but that he has a different kind of band on this tour and is just thrilled to be able to play in America.

“It’s a big deal if you’re a musician living in Canada. There are just so few gigs when you live in Canada. In California alone there are twice as many people. It opens up a whole other world of opportunities to get up there and play and do what I like to do. I’m just really very grateful.”

In a few interviews, Afie has mentioned using the ‘60’s as one of his musical reference points. I wondered what it was about that decade that was significant to him in terms of musical influences. Afie said that he has many reference points and the ‘60’s reference has been interpreted in various interview to be a bit more significant than it has been at times. Having said this, Afie added that it was the simplicity of the production aesthetics and approach that is so appealing to him. A lot of that simplicity came from the limitations of the technology.

“The way that people were creative was much more different. There was no such thing as a remix or computers or any of this kind of stuff that takes advantage and assumes that this is just the way things are done. There is just some romantic notion that I carry about the idea of the album as a complete unit and the idea of the live performance being actually live and not edited together from a million different takes. I subscribe to a lot of those ideals when I am recording. If things are a little bit fucked up, I would like to celebrate those things rather than try to hide them or fix them or use computes to make them better.”

Pink Strat

Afie had talked about not ‘tinkering with things’ in another interview and said that redoing a solo or vocals rarely ends up solving anything. I told him that I thought that there is perfection in imperfection in certain respects.

“Yeah, well, it is never ending. It is never ending. It’s like, it can be anything that you want it to be, and I guess for me I’m not very good at multitasking. Some people are and some really have a lot of patience for going in there and really, really, cleaning things up. Then you end up sounding like Steely Dan. That is just not my intention.”

For Afie the quality of the song is the most important thing. “The lyrics and the melody.....I just sit down and play them on the guitar or the piano or just sing it…will they translate? It’s just falling in line with how I think about songs and artists that appeal to me. Of course there are other bands that are able to assemble things in the studio from little bits and pieces and make just amazing things on a completely different musical level.  For me it begins and ends with the song…always.”

I asked Afie if he considers himself a writer away from music. He said that he really has not done any writing outside of songwriting, but his focus on the lyrics has changed over time.

“When I was younger I did not pay too much attention to the lyrics. Slowly it became the most important thing and that is probably because when you go on tour and you have to sing these songs night after night after night…..for me it makes a big difference if they actually mean something. If you can even reinvent the words on a nightly basis too, the meanings change. I think about some of my favorite songs, they take on their own meanings. I can’t get into Willie Nelson’s head and figure out where he was at when he had written a certain song, but I create my own imagery and create my own history. It is really important to me as a listener and a writer to be able to do that.”

I agree with Afie. I told him about my interview with Rami Vierula of Delay Trees and the discussion we had regarding why people go back to movies or albums or books or paintings over and over again. They go back because there is space in that art for the audience to experience and interpret it differently each time they visit it.

“And you contribute to it too as the reader or the watcher of that film or the listener of that record. At a live show too…..that is the most important thing for me…interacting with the crowd. And that doesn’t always mean talking with them. Musically, they are listening and you’re performing and that’s a relationship that is very complex and can change. It is very malleable. The audience is contributing to the experience too. It’s not just all on me. I think that records are the same way, and books, and movies, and life in general.”

In thinking about this complex relationship, and knowing that others are paying close attention to his lyrics, I wanted to know how much of what Afie writes is autobiographical, and much are just observations and things that he sees in his everyday life.

“For me there is no hard and fast rule. I let the idea dictate how I am going to writing the song. In some cases, it is extremely autobiographical and I try to not get in the way of that. If there is an idea coming and words fit together in a nice way, I am not going to spend much energy trying to mask or hide them. It is just not really in my demeanor to do that. On the other hand there are times when you come up with the lyrics or an idea like ‘hockey teeth’ where there is just something about those two words next to each other that almost inspire a song. On a song like that, there is definitely stuff from my own life in my mind, but the words, which are so playful, just allow the imagination to run wild a little bit.”

There are lots of phenomenal musicians that spend their entire lives playing in support of other musicians. I asked him if he always had a sense in the back of his head that he wanted to pursue his own solo work. Afie said absolutely. “Songwriting has always been present. The number one thing has been time. I am not very good at organizing my time properly and multitasking.”

In making his decision to focus on his own music, Afie leaves behind playing in support of others. He is grateful for all of the touring and playing experiences that he has had and admits that it is a bit scary to say ‘no’ to gigs and just focus on his own music. But he is happy to be out on the road and playing his own music. It is a comfortable spot for him to be in right now.

“For my own musical mind it is really exciting. I can do whatever the heck I want to do. Musically, there are a lot of things that I would like to do. There is a lot of different songwriting that I am interested in, and it is constantly changing and evolving."

"As I think with anyone, and not just in music, the mind is always wondering about other ways to do things. Even if you are just cooking a meal, what is it going to be like if I use fresh cilantro instead of basil? I try not to get my ideas too set in stone because I really believe that leaving room for mistake and leaving room for spontaneity is the most important part about life. And I definitely don’t want to limit my mind in any way. And as a writer, you definitely don’t want to repeat yourself. So finding other ways to sing about those themes that remain close to you are really important. It is nice to be at the helm of that."

Working with Afie on Pink Strat was Robbie Lackritz, a long time friend, engineer and producer. Given their long term friendship as well as the professional relationship that they have forged, I was curious how Lackritz has influenced the direction of Afie's solo project. Is it as simple as recording and mixing his songs, or has he played a more collaborative role in developing what he is doing musically in general?

“When it comes to recording, he spends a lot of time worrying about what the snare drum will sound like or the guitar sound or what microphone should be used on the piano and all this kind of stuff. This stuff sucks all the fun out of it for me. At some point I realized that I don’t care about that stuff. I don’t care about the details. Some guys really get off on all that. I like gear as much as the next guy, but when it comes to making music, I don’t need to get into it at nausum. I sort of subscribe to more of the Bob Dylan or Neil Young approach where you walk in and you start playing and you don’t talk about it a whole lot."

Lackritz, Afie said is the opposite of him. "I was really, really grateful when I started working with Robby because he gets that. He is obsessed with the microphones and he loves choosing the right place to put the guitar and all this kind of stuff. So our working relationship has meant a lot for me because in a way it frees me up to be more creative. I spend more energy thinking about the songs and how am I going to sing them and how am I really going to hear my own voice with different songs. I will let him worry about the microphones! I hope that our relationship grows like any other and we get to do a lot of cool things together, and I am sure that we will.”

After years of watching the careers unfold of the musicians that Afie supported, I was wondering if he has a conscious approach for his own path. Filled with humility, I really liked Afie's answer and thought that it would be a fitting way to end this Sounding Out session as he continues down the road touring.

“I try not to spend a whole lot of time thinking about it because it is so not in my control at all. Honestly, some days I wake up and I am just so grateful to be busy and be doing something that is very close to me and meaningful. I guess if I can just continue doing it, I really can’t picture what I would want outside of it. It is very satisfying to get the chance. A lot of people want to do that and can’t. I am very grateful.”

ARCTIC MONKEYS, SUCK IT AND SEE

The Arctic Monkeys are one of my favorite bands and I have a tough time being objective about anything that they release. Fortunately, I can say without feeling sheepish that Suck It And See is another very strong album by the band. While I so loved the raw energy and power of their first two albums, I appreciate the maturing sound and style that the band shows on their fourth album. Lyrically, the rough and tumble nature of the working class characters in their songs continue to be front and center, which is a big relief. The Arctic Monkeys are at their best when shining a light on the lives of everyday people who have not been handed life's best hand.
Reckless Serenade   

The Weeknd, House Of Balloons

House Of Balloons is one of the more intriguing albums of the year for me. I'm not a big fan of music that celebrates or glorifies sex and drug use, but The Weeknd (Canadian R&B singer Abel Tesfaye), has crafted a highly stylized, dark and moody album that is hard to ignore. On the first of what will be a trilogy of albums, Tesfaye creates a lush, atmospheric landscape that provides such an inviting backdrop to set his unsettling lyrics against, that I found myself drawn into these songs and then unable to escape them. 
High for This   

Death Cab For Cutie, Codes And Keys

I was lucky enough to see Death Cab For Cutie last month, when they performed live for the first time in over two years. What struck me, when they played the sold out show at the Showbox Sodo in Seattle, was how good they sounded. A crisp sound that was sonically rich and finely textured, the band had an invigorated musical sense about them. These qualities can be heard on Codes And Keys, the band's new album. Lyrically, the album also feels a bit anew, reflecting a more upbeat mood than what I am accustom to getting from the band. But, as always, Ben Gibbard's writing is superb. Overall, another fine outing from a band that I have highly respected for many, many years.

You Are A Tourist   

Sounding Out: The Leisure Society

The Leisure Society, from Brighton, England, released their second album, Into The Murky Water this past month. There is this wonderful, whimsical quality and nature to these songs and the overall tone of the album. It has fast become one of my favorites of the year, so far.

Nick Hemming, the driving force behind the band said that there wasn't a specific idea in his head from which these songs were born. Songs usually appear when he least expects them; He could be watching a film or cycling to the shop.

“One of the songs, The Hungry Years, was actually inspired by Burt Bacharach’s score for Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid. I was watching the film and two beautiful chords appeared, I dashed to the spare room and started writing the song. As a result there’s now a song credited to Hemming/Bacharach, which is quite a thrill, despite the fact that I’ve never actually met him.”

You can hear lots of different influences within these songs. Nick has mentioned bands such as The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, and The Beatles as bands that he loves. I was curious about the artists that have had an impact on everyone else in the band.

Sitting in a dressing room at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, some of Nick's bandmates shared their own influential artists. Christian Hardy, who shares vocals with Nick and plays multiple instruments mentioned Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake, Grizzly Bear, and Radiohead. Daz said Jack Bruce. Sebastian Hankins, who plays drums, said The Band. And Helen Whitaker, who plays flute and sings had three with Bjork, Belle & Sebastian, and Mum.

While the band’s music may be inspired and influenced by many different artists, the lyrics seem to stem from a more focused place. I told Nick that it seems to me that lyrically, this album originates from a very different place than The Sleeper, their last album. He agreed.

“Yeah, definitely. Writing The Sleeper was a very cathartic process. I was thoroughly miserable at the time and found it comforting to write the songs. With this album I was in a much more hopeful state of mind, but musing on the more difficult times. I also realized that all the “wasted days” made me the musician I am today. There’s a song Although We All Are Lost which best sums up the way I was feeling whilst writing.“

With eight people in the band, I asked Nick how much collaboration takes place in the writing process. “I generally write alone and I don’t feel comfortable playing a new song to anyone until I’m sure it’s finished. Nick said that he has hundreds of rough song ideas that will never see the light of day. “I think it’s best to edit myself before inflicting my songs on the outside world! With this album, I made rough demos of most of the songs for the rest of the band.”

Nick added that once they started working together everyone had their own ideas to bring to the arrangements. For example, Mike Siddell, their violin player, scored the string arrangements for a few of the songs.

For a number of years, Nick and the other members of The Leisure Society have been involved with the Willkommen Collective, a community of musicians, promoters and artists, based in Brighton. Given their participation, I was curious if playing with the myriad of musicians that participate in the collective has impacted the direction of the band's sound. Almost apologetically, Nick said that he hasn’t seen much the Willkommeners since staring the new album.

“Into The Murky Water was a completely obsessive pursuit, so I couldn’t really concentrate on anything else. However, without Tom from Willkommen, I never would have met Mike, Will, or Helen, and without them, The Leisure Society would be a very different prospect indeed! Since I started recording under the Leisure Society name, I’ve been collecting different sounds - the first recording had saxophone, tuba and double bass. Being lucky enough to work with such talented musicians now hugely elevates the songs.”

I told Nick that I love the harmonizing that takes place throughout this collection of songs. Nick said that the harmonizing comes quite naturally most of the time. “I know nothing about harmony theory, but I think that years of listening to The Beach Boys has imbued me with a limited, but instinctive knowledge of harmony.” On the album, Nick and Christian sing most of the harmonies. “Our voices blend nicely – he takes the high road and I take the low road.”

There is this great neo-folk / folk-rock music revival taking place in the states and it is being embraced on quite a large scale by listeners…in a way that I don't think has been seen in years if not decades. From what I can see, to some extent, this is happening in Britain as well. Many who have written about The Leisure Society have categorized their music in this genre. I asked Nick if he saw the band’s music as being a part of this genre and movement.

“To be honest I don’t see The Leisure Society as folky at all! I can see why other people do though. I guess it’s the use of acoustic instruments. I think of us more as a pop band, albeit one who obsess over lyrics and arrangements and use 18th century harpsichords and church organs on our recordings.”

So what is drawing so many folks into this neo-folk music? “I haven’t a clue why this new “folk” boom is happening,” Nick said. “I actually toured with Mumford & Sons just as they were about to go stellar. It was interesting seeing hordes of teenage girls going wild for a banjo player!”

In this digital age of music, the album jacket or cover has seen to have lost its importance. The cover for both The Sleeper and Into The Murky Water are both quite quirky, distinctive, and fun, in very retro kind of a way. I asked Nick who was responsible for creating the concept and feel of the covers and what was the idea behind it?

The design concept was by a guy called Julian Austin. I’m a glutton for nostalgia and I wanted something that reminded me of the old Jules Verne novel illustrations and Jacques Cousteau documentaries. I actually found some artwork from an old B Movie called “Around The World Under The Sea”, by an amazing artist called Frank McCarthy. We managed to track his widow down in the Arizona desert and she gave her permission to use the artwork, unfortunately Warner Pictures weren’t interested in helping out so we had to commission our own painting at the last minute. Julian came up with the whole die-cut diver concept – we really wanted to make the packaging special, something as detailed and thought out as the music inside."

After the critical success of The Sleeper, I was curious how much pressure Nick felt to avoid the clichéd, Sophomore slump, that seems to be tattooed on bands that have had especially successful and unique debut albums.

“We definitely felt pressure to try and improve on The Sleeper. Whilst recording the first album we were just making music for ourselves, but this time around we knew we had an audience.”

Nick said that he had many sleepless nights obsessing over lyrics, arrangements and marimba sounds. “We always felt we were making something special, but by the time everything had been recorded, I’d lost all my objectivity, it was nice to hand the reins over to Christian so he could make sense of the madness.”

On the band's website, Christian is quoted as saying "On this album, he's (Nick) immersed himself in all the things he was looking at. It's more colourful and vibrant, and it's full of happiness and terror. He's the guy poised to dive on the cover. He's heading into the murky water."

Nick may have dived into murky waters, but he, Christian, and the rest of the band are swimming in crystal clear waters with this collection of songs. Into The Murky Water is simply terrific and one of the year's best albums. 

My Morning Jacket, Circuital

My Morning Jacket has played with the sound of their music and the space in which they have been creating it for the past decade. While I am a huge fan of the band, I have felt at times the music, and especially Jim James' vocals, were set just too far back with too much reverb. For their sixth studio album, the band took up shop and recorded in a church gym. The result is a sound that is naturally open and airy and sounds just great. The collection of songs on Circuital is also more cohesive and focused than the musically ambitious and diverse last album, Evil Urges. Getting back to their southern rock roots, this is the album that I wanted back in 2008.     
Circuital