Feature
Radical Face and Kenji of Boy In Static
When it's just you (i.e., not in a group), do you have a usual go-to process for writing a song? Drum loop first? Vocals, keyboards?
I do my best to avoid a specific process in song writing. It's kind of a rule of mine. I'll generally use a method or concept for a record, but I make sure that I build the next record differently. I try to avoid doing anything with too much repetition, because I feel like I don't pay as much attention and begin to assume it will “work” before I even try it. It's when things are a bit unfamiliar and might blow up in my face that I really watch them, and feel like I'm more creative when I don't know what's going to happen.
So in general, once I have a technique that I feel pretty comfortable with, I take that as a sign to move on and try something else.
For the records I'm currently working on, I went with a specific idea of demoing, both to try something new and because the subject matter is so large that I needed a way to organize it beforehand. It went like this: once the general idea of the song was together on paper, I had to pick the two or three instruments that the song/section would revolve around, then make a demo with only those using the shittiest mic I own (it came free with the $20 mic stand I bought from a catalog). If I couldn't get the mood I wanted out of just those few tracks and a terrible mic, then I reworked it until I did. Once I got the demo solid, and felt the mood was strong enough in that form, I'd leave the song alone for about a month, then come back and do the final version once I was fresh again. It's working out well.
That said, can you give me an example of a real outlier? A song that came about through an especially convoluted process?
Well, I'd say most things I write come about in some convoluted way. Especially in the last few years. But I think that's because I tend to work on records as a whole piece, instead of a song at a time. I usually don't finish a song until I know what I'm going to be putting next to it on the record. So I'd say it feels more noteworthy when it's simple, or fast.
For example, I recently finished a song in under an hour. From the concept, to the chords, to the words, and then the recording of it. It's been years since that's happened.
Did you use a different process for the album with Astronautalis? As a dude who writes solo music, do you find it less cool to have your songs relegated to "beats" for a rapper?
When we worked on Mighty Ocean, we started first organized how to approach the record. We broke it all down into four “acts”, and then decided what each act would be about, and what their overall mood would be. So it was worked on in 3 song chunks, more or less. Once all that was settled, I tracked some song structures here at home, and Andy put together some drum loops and samples on his own. Then we worked in his label's studio, off and on, over the course of about a year. It wasn't recorded in a very direct way. Everything was done with an “try everything that pops into our heads, then sort it out later” attitude. Some songs came about quickly, and others were kinda Frankensteined together over the course of a few months.
So it wasn't the kind of thing where I was just randomly making beats and he took the ones he liked and rapped over them. I don't mind making random beats from time to time as well, but it doesn't hold my attention for long. One or two a year is about all I ever do.
The Patients barter thing you did was very interesting. Not the sort of thing to make much money by, but the sort of thing that definitely increases your stock among your fans. A couple questions there:
Do you feel like you got back what you put in? Giving away music for free sounds easy on paper, but it's tough when you're attached to your songs.
I had no issue letting these songs go. I'm really particular about records, and them being more than just the last ten songs I wrote that didn't suck. All the songs on Patients were just songs that didn't have a home because they didn't fit on any of the records I was working on, and were otherwise just collecting (virtual?) dust on my hard drives.
And I definitely got a lot back from this project. It affected me way more than I was expecting it to. I figured it'd be a fun social experiment, to see what people do when you remove money from the equation. But I got a lot more from it than having my curiosity satisfied. People were really creative and thoughtful and random and everything in between, and more than once I was moved by what someone sent, or why they chose to send it.
It was much more work than I anticipated, but I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Had I known how time consuming it would turn out to be I likely would've done something else. I'm glad I lacked the foresight on this one, because it turned out really great.
What were some of the more outstanding contributions? I'm curious to see what kind of value people attach to your music, as shown by the sort of things they traded with you.
It's hard to say. There were lots of things, both large and small, that stood out. Some I don't think would be appropriate to share, at least in terms of the person's letter that accompanied their trade, because it seemed pretty personal. But if you're interested and would like to see what everyone sent in, I listed all the trades on my website under the Patients section.
What's up next for you, musically or otherwise? Do you know? Would you rather not know?
Well, I'm in the middle of my next Radical Face album (which is now spanning two records … I had a lot to say on this one), and I'm about 2/3rds done with a new project I started with a friend (Rickolus is his music moniker) called “Clone”. I'm also finishing up the b-sides from the last Electric President record. So I'm recording pretty much whenever I can along now. Lots to get done.
Do you have a favorite album of 2009 yet?
You know, I don't know if I've heard a single record released this year. I don't usually listen to lots of new music while working on records. It's mostly something I do in between them. Lately I've been listening predominantly to instrumental stuff (classical stuff, film scores, various composers), and then some Polvo, Halo Benders and Tom Waits records.
Of your current obsessions, what song should everyone reading this interview go out and download immediately?
I'll give you three, because I'm indecisive on these things.
Rachel's – Wally, Egon and Models In the Studio
Takagi Masakatsu – Girls
Carter Burwell – Fargo, North Dakota (theme from the film “Fargo”)
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