White Out is the second single from the new
Grand Duchy album 'Let
The People Speak,' out
April 9th on
Cooking Vinyl (UK /
Europe) and
Sonic Unyon (
North America).
Pre
Order -
http://amzn.to/gdltps / http://cookingvinyl.com/grand-duchy/
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Black Francis and
Violet Clark had one simple goal heading into their second Grand Duchy album
... My motto for this record was if
Petits Fours was missionary, Let The People Speak needs to be doggy style , says Clark. Let the
People Speak has more confidence, adds
Francis. For Violet, the confidence of finding one's voice; for me, the confidence to become submissive. This record was definitely more about slamming it in. That s clear from the start, as See-Thru You sets the scene alongside laser-guided synth lines, brass-fitted beats and ravenous riffs, only to be swept away by the manic melodies and fist-pumping choruses of White Out. Written by Clark while Francis was on tour with the
Pixies, it s just a taste of how carefree and confident the married couple s become in the three years that separated their debut LP an experiment that didn t stay that way for long and the dizzying highs of a concept album that exists in a parallel universe in the past...now. And the host of that parallel universe? Why, it s longtime
Phoenix DJ
Jonathan L, who treats every track like a freshly played single on his popular Lopsided
World of L show. So while the steely pulse of
Silver Boys may put him in a Warhol-esque kind of mood, the plaintive piano outro of
Esther goes one step further, channeling a glittery
Lou Reed, or maybe a
Ziggy? This isn t an accident. As Clark admits,
Andy Warhol is my hero. I m also fascinated with the dark aspects of nightlife and intoxicated social intercourse, so just thinking about him and his world brought some sexier energy into these songs. As did several other factors, from Clark s position as in-house producer (with the
Fall s
Simon Ding Archer mixing, and drummer
Jason Carter engineering) to the freedom Francis felt as he focused on being a better band member.
Whenever I wrote for this record, he says, I knew that Violet would take it wherever she wanted to. It was nice to just think about music and not worry about the end result. There's more energy left in the music if you're not picking it all apart with your brain, adds Clark, worrying about whether what you're doing is cool or not. I have decided that cool has no place in what we re trying to do or achieve.
What is cool anyway?
- published: 16 Mar 2012
- views: 14264