Adam Pfleider
05/21/10, 07:07 AM
Being on a major label is a stigma that isn't bothering Circa Survive in the least. In fact, it's something that some of us care about that the band is least concerned with. Whether it's the studio or the stage, all the band care about is creating something special. While out supporting Coheed and Cambria this Summer, I recently sat down the axe men of the group to talk about the shift to the big leagues and the writing process to an album that has created less of a tear between fans then we'd like to believe.
The first thing I wanted to talk about was who wrote the blog (http://www.circasurvive.com/news/how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways/) this morning?
Colin Frangicetto: I did.
One of the things I discussed in my review was the release being on a major label. Has that been the general negativity of [Blue Sky Noise] or is it other things that you guys are hearing about?
Frangicetto: No, no, no. Actually, the post [was] way more about kids being negative towards each other. Honestly - we were just talking about this - I've noticed that this record has gotten more positive response then we had ever gotten for a record before. There's only 2% or 3% of kids that will say some shit, and what happens is they will basically put other people down for liking the band. They'll call us ******s. Call fans ******s. Basically every bad word you can use. Then there are these fans trying to defend us and defend ourselves. I just can't stand going on a site that is our site and see kids saying that kind of shit. I don't care what kids say about the record or what they say about us, that's fair. As long as it's constructive. [As long as it's] they don't like this or whatever, that's totally fine. That blog was strictly about people being respectful of each other. It's like the same thing if people were playing, and people were beating the shit out of each other. We don't like being a catalyst of negative energy. That's all that was about.
Brendan Ekstrom: Ever since we developed an online persona, there's been a question of "How do we treat the online messageboard?" We don't want to censor it really. At the same time, we don't want people coming on and basically offending our fans. It's not going to be a breeding ground for people just punching each other in the face.
Frangicetto: Yesterday was kind of the last straw for me. I just saw some kids saying some shit and I was like, I never wanted to delete a post, but I'm going to start deleting post when I see kids say that shit to each other.
This isn't the first time you guys had to deal with this. There was a similar problem on a tour a while back.
Frangicetto: That was more of an in person thing. Kids were at the show booing them and saying fucked up shit to them while they were playing.
Ekstrom: That's the same aspect. We don't want people to come to our shows and make fun of bands that are our friends that we respect. That stuff doesn't need to happen. You want to think if we are respectful and we're a respectful band that our fans will just be that way. That's just not the case.
Frangicetto: The thing that is really funny - this is why I wasn't afraid of posting that blog today - numerous times that we've said something, I think our core fan base is really respectful...
Ekstrom: I'm not saying that aren't...
Frangicetto: I know, but I feel like because we've done this, we've bred a certain type of fan. It's awesome. I think our fan base is awesome. I really think that the majority of kids that are "Circa" fans are cool music fans. I couldn't be happier with the kind of people that say they love our band. Having an album like this, knowing we may have some new fans, they should know we are like that. We're about respect. We're about positive energy. We're about love. That's why we play music, to bring people joy. Not to fucking spread negative energy.
That's something, going into this album, do you feel like that stigma was going to be there once everything was said and done? With any band that's ever signed to a major with an indie background, did you feel at any point the things you were writing were a bit more mainstream?
Frangicetto: Not really. I mean, we were just talking about this too. We feel like this record is a lot weirder than our last two. I think a lot of people are blinded by a major label. They hear that it is on a major label, so it changes how they listen to something. In general, I really hadn't thought about it, until the day we were about to announce it. To us, it wasn't a main focus. We were just hyper focused on writing songs and writing the best record we could. It was like, yeah, we know there's concern there because we're from that punk rock background and to some people that matters. Brendan made a post about how many records we love that have been on major labels.
Ekstrom: In a sense, the evolution of labels in general, the way major labels have fallen apart a little bit in this slow degradation phase, that mixed with the way people receive music now, the term sellout isn't the same thing that it was ten years ago. I don't think people think about it as much. I definitely thought about it. I remember thinking, "Fucking Everclear sold out!" [Laughs]
Frangicetto: The thing that was really amazing is that we were prepared to take shit when we were announcing it. Again, people were 99.9% positive, saying "Congrats...We have faith in you...Can't wait for the new record." There was so little talk about it, honestly, no offense to you as a journalist, interviewers bring it up way more than our fans do. It's the center point of almost every interview we have now. To us, it's not a problem to answer the question, but it really was surprising about how little our fans have been talking about it. There's a couple of kids that will say, oh, they're fucking sellouts or whatever. There's a few kids that will say, "Oh, it sounds like fucking girl rock." It's like, dude, this is probably our most aggressive record yet. If you associate aggression with the male persona, that's why there's a dude on the record and not a girl. This represented a certain kind of aggression.
Ekstrom: That's the same sort of people that we tell, "Yeah, we just got to go to Europe and play a bunch of shows for free." A whole lot of people got to come to our shows for free. That's something that we never would be able to do on an independent label.
Frangicetto Another thing we got to do is a live broadcast on our website the day [the album] came out. It was all facilitated through Atlantic and didn't cost a thing. We did this great live performance. They recorded the audio, got it professionally mixed and sent two songs for free to all the people who pre-ordered our record. They're mixed. They're yours. Take them. Thanks for pre-ordering the record. We are constantly making decisions that make us less money. I don't think any of us would have it any other way. For anyone who is afraid of [us selling out], we respect our fans way too much. Money isn't worth it. That's why this band will break up at a high point. We will not drag it through the mud. Everything that we worked so hard for will just go down the drain. We make music to help people. It's amazing that it puts food on our plates and helps pay bills. A couple extra dollars here and there is not going to put us to bed at night. We come front a hardcore punk rock background. Integrity in music means a lot to us. We respect [our fans] and our legacy.
Ekstrom: Ever since the beginning of the band, we've always tried to ride the line between having Fugazi-like ideals and make it to an okay place. How do we find that middle ground? Bands like Pearl Jam have accomplished it and we hope to get there.
Frangicetto: That is why we answer e-mails. I've had the opportunity on this tour for three or four of the nights, I've been able to throw a random fan on the guest list because it's sold out. Being able to do that is awesome.
Ekstrom: I also look back at when I was sixteen or whatever, and people were throwing the term sellout around a lot. It was right when Green Day broke. I remember thinking, "Yeah, they sold out." I had no idea where I got the word from or why I was saying it. I was just sixteen and saying it too. I feel like a lot of people who are still throwing the term around, they just don't know what the fuck they are talking about. I'm sorry, I just...
No, that's fine. I don't mean to dwell on the subject. Let's talk about the recording process. One of the interesting things I read about was that you guys recorded in this cottage. It had this window out into nature. There's something clean and natural about the record. Do you feel like that nurtured some of what you wanted to come across?
Frangicetto: The environment that we wrote the record in definitely effected it. I don't see how it didn't. For me, writing at the Creek House, the thing that was so cool about - we wrote for 10-12 months straight - we watched the seasons change through the window the whole time we were writing. That in itself was a trip. I think, us individually, just love seeing nature in general. We like the woods. Being able to just look out and see all the woods and these animals and stuff, it was surreal. It just felt like the perfect place.
Ekstrom: It was totally necessary, because we were in a dark room. It was small and cramped. We would go in at noon and we would come out and it would be dark. I think that we just all felt like we needed open space where we didn't have this sensory deprivation. I always feel a lot more alive when I'm out in nature. That's always good.
There was also a situation with Anthony in the process. While he was dealing with that, what was going on amongst you guys as far as writing? Did it all come to a halt? Was it a situation that created any inspiration from hitting a rock bottom?
Frangicetto: It uh...
Ekstrom: We took a few days off.
Frangicetto: We took a couple of days off to kind of clear our heads a little bit. Especially the day he came to the Creek House and said he was going to go away for a little bit. You're always concerned for your friend. At the same time, I felt relieved. I think we all had this sense that it was real good that he was taking care of himself in this sort of way. It wasn't like a death in the family kind of thing...We kind of knew that it would be kind of short and that we had work to do and continue working. I think a couple of songs were written in that time that were good songs too. There was a lot of polishing at that point of certain songs. At that point, we were just hoping that when all the smoke cleared, things would come out. There were concerns of course too.
Ekstrom: I think we all felt confident that he was going to be okay. Anytime that he's going to go see a psychiatrist or anything like that, it feels good. I think anybody should be able to go to people and talk about what's going on with them, because life is pretty insane.
Frangicetto: All of us, I'm sure, support one another getting help for any problem. I think Anthony has said it in other interviews just to other people, if you feel like you're losing that grip on anything, just go somewhere. Get your shit figured out. Don't hold it in until you lose your mind.
Ekstrom: We definitely worked straight through that. I don't think it effected anything musically. It kind of gave us this point where it was definitely a day or two where it was reflection, where everyone sat back and remembered that everyone [was] happy and healthy and able to go on with their life. That's more important than anything we [were] doing.
Frangicetto Anytime any of us go away, I think there's an immediate rebirth of appreciation for that person. We realize what they bring to the table, what they bring to the atmosphere and the mood. Anthony lights up a room when you work with him. Super funny guy. Always keeps things in this place. He always brings us to a place of positivity, to a fault. Sometimes you need to have a certain type of critical side. Sometimes he's brimming over with positivity, that you sometimes can't be critical.
Ekstrom: There are certain points where if you are not on a level of positivity that he is, if you are feeling normal...
Frangicetto: You feel like you let him down...
Ekstrom: ...he feels like you're being negative.
Frangicetto: It's a beautiful thing to be around all the time. When he was away, that was one of those things that was noticed absent from the room. We got through it, like everything else. He got through it. Props to him for doing it.
Something I saw was a more direct approach in songwriting. Both on a lyrical level and you guys coming around to a more direct level. What kind of came first, the lyrics or the songwriting? What was the influence of that?
Frangicetto: First of all, we're three years older. Just like anything, you're trying new things in your craft. The same way a painter can start abstract and eventually end up doing figurative stuff. I feel like a record is a snapshot of where you are at the moment. Writing songs is our craft. We knew we had done certain things in the past and really wanted to try certain things in general this time around. I think that gets applied all over the board. Another reason that this is our most collaborative record, all of us were keeping an eye on everything. With that said, continuity, and all the songs sounding like a group, this quality control aspect of it. Everyone had their eye on everything. Anthony has talked about it in his lyrics. One of his songs, it's a b-side called "Every Way," he says, "If it's the most important thing you say, make sure they understand." I think that's him talking to himself in a way - if I'm trying to say something important, I want it to be a clear thing. That's not to say that these are simple lyrics. I had a hand in writing some of these lyrics. All of us did. I don't think any of us can clearly tell you what any song is specifically about. I think they are open to interpretation still. They're a little bit more communicative of a feeling and maybe they're easier to have your own interpretation.
Ekstrom: They're easier to relate to.
What do you guys feel about that?
Ekstrom: I remember having this conversation with [Anthony] between these records, [saying] if you want to broaden the audience, you have to write things that people are going to be able to understand a bit more and trying to do that without dumbing it down because I still think he's amazing and genius with the way he writes. I think he really pulled it off well. Then there's the sense musically. I don't really read reviews of our records. I just make these guys tell me if they're good or not. Actually, I make them tell me if it's good, then I''ll look. [Laughs] There are, sometimes, some really good written reviews out there that have constructive things that I took from my earlier work is that the songs had really good parts and that the flow wasn't right...
Frangicetto: They meandered...[Laughs]
Ekstrom: They meandered.
Is that the word that kept coming up?
Ekstrom: And a word that our producer used..
Frangicetto: And a lot of reviews used...
Ekstrom: That songs would be really good, but not have the payoff. We tried really hard to make those things flow a little better this time.
I think this record has a lot to do with building to a certain point without a pay off. Creating tension and holding a little bit back. Gradual peaks.
Frangicetto: We wanted to capture both those things this time around. We wanted to have songs that were super intense and would reach a peak and we also wanted to have songs that [just sort of glided]. I think we accomplished both on the record. In a way, if you think of songs like shapes, there's a lot of the same shapes on the first two records. This one has a plethora of shapes. That was really important to us. A record that went up and down. A record that was a journey, that really was an experience from the start. For me, I always look at records like movies. I want there to have this flow, almost a visual narrative. I want you to cry at the end. I want you to laugh at the end. I want you to have that thing. I don't know. I was just so proud of this album, because I feel like when I watch - or hear - our movie, I feel like, "Fuck yes, we did it." I just think that having the different kinds of songs is important.
Ekstrom: I think that's the thing - not really relevant to your question - when people talk about this record, it's that thing that's most important. It's the first time that a hundred percent, we've accomplished what we want to accomplish. There are just little things on the last two records, that whether it was the process or the outcome, we just don't feel connected to the piece. Whether it's all of us or one of us. The process just meshed up so well. It was just the most gratifying experience that we'd ever been a part of musically.
Something I had talked about with Anthony at South by Southwest after the set at Red 7 this year was the live show. I feel like there's a lot more room for you guys to jam and stretch songs. A way to move things around and be playful. This seems a bit opposite since the record feels so direct. What's with the difference? Is it just something that comes out different on stage?
Ekstrom: We always just take different approaches to the live shows. Every aspect of the band, we want to be different experiences of the band. Making videos. The videos that Jamie makes on our site. The videos create a different mood just by itself. Playing live. If there were parts on the record we want stretched, [to] have this song structure be something that people will understand more readily than on stage, we can take it to new places either with an idea we had when we recorded it or a new idea recently.
Frangicetto: Part of growing up as a musician, you struggle with committing during the recording process. You are like, "Fuck, this is going to go down in stone. Once it gets pressed, there's no re-recording it. That's it." Realizing that your song can be reborn every single night on stage...
Ekstrom: It's a freedom...
Frangicetto: It is. There's so much less headache than committing to a record. Let's do it. We can have a million versions of it as we want. I think, it's another thing - and I hate to say that we're breeding because it makes me feel like a scientist - I think that we kind of have been planting the seeds over the years. Our fans want to hear other versions of the songs. It's kind of an experience for us as a band. Musically, I feel like try it.
Ekstrom: I feel like there's a part of me that has always wanted a following like the Grateful Dead had, where we can always play different things live, that it won't be on any recording, but people know [what's coming]. They'll know the words and shit.
Frangicetto: Now when we play "Meet Me in Montauk," everyone throws the change [on stage] because we started doing it a while back. Now we get pelted with change. It makes me smile so much. It just shows blatant history. It shows that these people have been around so much. They're growing with us and they're still here and they have their traditions. That's the best part of playing live. It's like a secret handshake, you know? You have this connection with the crowd, it's awesome. I love that shit.
The first thing I wanted to talk about was who wrote the blog (http://www.circasurvive.com/news/how-do-i-love-thee-let-me-count-the-ways/) this morning?
Colin Frangicetto: I did.
One of the things I discussed in my review was the release being on a major label. Has that been the general negativity of [Blue Sky Noise] or is it other things that you guys are hearing about?
Frangicetto: No, no, no. Actually, the post [was] way more about kids being negative towards each other. Honestly - we were just talking about this - I've noticed that this record has gotten more positive response then we had ever gotten for a record before. There's only 2% or 3% of kids that will say some shit, and what happens is they will basically put other people down for liking the band. They'll call us ******s. Call fans ******s. Basically every bad word you can use. Then there are these fans trying to defend us and defend ourselves. I just can't stand going on a site that is our site and see kids saying that kind of shit. I don't care what kids say about the record or what they say about us, that's fair. As long as it's constructive. [As long as it's] they don't like this or whatever, that's totally fine. That blog was strictly about people being respectful of each other. It's like the same thing if people were playing, and people were beating the shit out of each other. We don't like being a catalyst of negative energy. That's all that was about.
Brendan Ekstrom: Ever since we developed an online persona, there's been a question of "How do we treat the online messageboard?" We don't want to censor it really. At the same time, we don't want people coming on and basically offending our fans. It's not going to be a breeding ground for people just punching each other in the face.
Frangicetto: Yesterday was kind of the last straw for me. I just saw some kids saying some shit and I was like, I never wanted to delete a post, but I'm going to start deleting post when I see kids say that shit to each other.
This isn't the first time you guys had to deal with this. There was a similar problem on a tour a while back.
Frangicetto: That was more of an in person thing. Kids were at the show booing them and saying fucked up shit to them while they were playing.
Ekstrom: That's the same aspect. We don't want people to come to our shows and make fun of bands that are our friends that we respect. That stuff doesn't need to happen. You want to think if we are respectful and we're a respectful band that our fans will just be that way. That's just not the case.
Frangicetto: The thing that is really funny - this is why I wasn't afraid of posting that blog today - numerous times that we've said something, I think our core fan base is really respectful...
Ekstrom: I'm not saying that aren't...
Frangicetto: I know, but I feel like because we've done this, we've bred a certain type of fan. It's awesome. I think our fan base is awesome. I really think that the majority of kids that are "Circa" fans are cool music fans. I couldn't be happier with the kind of people that say they love our band. Having an album like this, knowing we may have some new fans, they should know we are like that. We're about respect. We're about positive energy. We're about love. That's why we play music, to bring people joy. Not to fucking spread negative energy.
That's something, going into this album, do you feel like that stigma was going to be there once everything was said and done? With any band that's ever signed to a major with an indie background, did you feel at any point the things you were writing were a bit more mainstream?
Frangicetto: Not really. I mean, we were just talking about this too. We feel like this record is a lot weirder than our last two. I think a lot of people are blinded by a major label. They hear that it is on a major label, so it changes how they listen to something. In general, I really hadn't thought about it, until the day we were about to announce it. To us, it wasn't a main focus. We were just hyper focused on writing songs and writing the best record we could. It was like, yeah, we know there's concern there because we're from that punk rock background and to some people that matters. Brendan made a post about how many records we love that have been on major labels.
Ekstrom: In a sense, the evolution of labels in general, the way major labels have fallen apart a little bit in this slow degradation phase, that mixed with the way people receive music now, the term sellout isn't the same thing that it was ten years ago. I don't think people think about it as much. I definitely thought about it. I remember thinking, "Fucking Everclear sold out!" [Laughs]
Frangicetto: The thing that was really amazing is that we were prepared to take shit when we were announcing it. Again, people were 99.9% positive, saying "Congrats...We have faith in you...Can't wait for the new record." There was so little talk about it, honestly, no offense to you as a journalist, interviewers bring it up way more than our fans do. It's the center point of almost every interview we have now. To us, it's not a problem to answer the question, but it really was surprising about how little our fans have been talking about it. There's a couple of kids that will say, oh, they're fucking sellouts or whatever. There's a few kids that will say, "Oh, it sounds like fucking girl rock." It's like, dude, this is probably our most aggressive record yet. If you associate aggression with the male persona, that's why there's a dude on the record and not a girl. This represented a certain kind of aggression.
Ekstrom: That's the same sort of people that we tell, "Yeah, we just got to go to Europe and play a bunch of shows for free." A whole lot of people got to come to our shows for free. That's something that we never would be able to do on an independent label.
Frangicetto Another thing we got to do is a live broadcast on our website the day [the album] came out. It was all facilitated through Atlantic and didn't cost a thing. We did this great live performance. They recorded the audio, got it professionally mixed and sent two songs for free to all the people who pre-ordered our record. They're mixed. They're yours. Take them. Thanks for pre-ordering the record. We are constantly making decisions that make us less money. I don't think any of us would have it any other way. For anyone who is afraid of [us selling out], we respect our fans way too much. Money isn't worth it. That's why this band will break up at a high point. We will not drag it through the mud. Everything that we worked so hard for will just go down the drain. We make music to help people. It's amazing that it puts food on our plates and helps pay bills. A couple extra dollars here and there is not going to put us to bed at night. We come front a hardcore punk rock background. Integrity in music means a lot to us. We respect [our fans] and our legacy.
Ekstrom: Ever since the beginning of the band, we've always tried to ride the line between having Fugazi-like ideals and make it to an okay place. How do we find that middle ground? Bands like Pearl Jam have accomplished it and we hope to get there.
Frangicetto: That is why we answer e-mails. I've had the opportunity on this tour for three or four of the nights, I've been able to throw a random fan on the guest list because it's sold out. Being able to do that is awesome.
Ekstrom: I also look back at when I was sixteen or whatever, and people were throwing the term sellout around a lot. It was right when Green Day broke. I remember thinking, "Yeah, they sold out." I had no idea where I got the word from or why I was saying it. I was just sixteen and saying it too. I feel like a lot of people who are still throwing the term around, they just don't know what the fuck they are talking about. I'm sorry, I just...
No, that's fine. I don't mean to dwell on the subject. Let's talk about the recording process. One of the interesting things I read about was that you guys recorded in this cottage. It had this window out into nature. There's something clean and natural about the record. Do you feel like that nurtured some of what you wanted to come across?
Frangicetto: The environment that we wrote the record in definitely effected it. I don't see how it didn't. For me, writing at the Creek House, the thing that was so cool about - we wrote for 10-12 months straight - we watched the seasons change through the window the whole time we were writing. That in itself was a trip. I think, us individually, just love seeing nature in general. We like the woods. Being able to just look out and see all the woods and these animals and stuff, it was surreal. It just felt like the perfect place.
Ekstrom: It was totally necessary, because we were in a dark room. It was small and cramped. We would go in at noon and we would come out and it would be dark. I think that we just all felt like we needed open space where we didn't have this sensory deprivation. I always feel a lot more alive when I'm out in nature. That's always good.
There was also a situation with Anthony in the process. While he was dealing with that, what was going on amongst you guys as far as writing? Did it all come to a halt? Was it a situation that created any inspiration from hitting a rock bottom?
Frangicetto: It uh...
Ekstrom: We took a few days off.
Frangicetto: We took a couple of days off to kind of clear our heads a little bit. Especially the day he came to the Creek House and said he was going to go away for a little bit. You're always concerned for your friend. At the same time, I felt relieved. I think we all had this sense that it was real good that he was taking care of himself in this sort of way. It wasn't like a death in the family kind of thing...We kind of knew that it would be kind of short and that we had work to do and continue working. I think a couple of songs were written in that time that were good songs too. There was a lot of polishing at that point of certain songs. At that point, we were just hoping that when all the smoke cleared, things would come out. There were concerns of course too.
Ekstrom: I think we all felt confident that he was going to be okay. Anytime that he's going to go see a psychiatrist or anything like that, it feels good. I think anybody should be able to go to people and talk about what's going on with them, because life is pretty insane.
Frangicetto: All of us, I'm sure, support one another getting help for any problem. I think Anthony has said it in other interviews just to other people, if you feel like you're losing that grip on anything, just go somewhere. Get your shit figured out. Don't hold it in until you lose your mind.
Ekstrom: We definitely worked straight through that. I don't think it effected anything musically. It kind of gave us this point where it was definitely a day or two where it was reflection, where everyone sat back and remembered that everyone [was] happy and healthy and able to go on with their life. That's more important than anything we [were] doing.
Frangicetto Anytime any of us go away, I think there's an immediate rebirth of appreciation for that person. We realize what they bring to the table, what they bring to the atmosphere and the mood. Anthony lights up a room when you work with him. Super funny guy. Always keeps things in this place. He always brings us to a place of positivity, to a fault. Sometimes you need to have a certain type of critical side. Sometimes he's brimming over with positivity, that you sometimes can't be critical.
Ekstrom: There are certain points where if you are not on a level of positivity that he is, if you are feeling normal...
Frangicetto: You feel like you let him down...
Ekstrom: ...he feels like you're being negative.
Frangicetto: It's a beautiful thing to be around all the time. When he was away, that was one of those things that was noticed absent from the room. We got through it, like everything else. He got through it. Props to him for doing it.
Something I saw was a more direct approach in songwriting. Both on a lyrical level and you guys coming around to a more direct level. What kind of came first, the lyrics or the songwriting? What was the influence of that?
Frangicetto: First of all, we're three years older. Just like anything, you're trying new things in your craft. The same way a painter can start abstract and eventually end up doing figurative stuff. I feel like a record is a snapshot of where you are at the moment. Writing songs is our craft. We knew we had done certain things in the past and really wanted to try certain things in general this time around. I think that gets applied all over the board. Another reason that this is our most collaborative record, all of us were keeping an eye on everything. With that said, continuity, and all the songs sounding like a group, this quality control aspect of it. Everyone had their eye on everything. Anthony has talked about it in his lyrics. One of his songs, it's a b-side called "Every Way," he says, "If it's the most important thing you say, make sure they understand." I think that's him talking to himself in a way - if I'm trying to say something important, I want it to be a clear thing. That's not to say that these are simple lyrics. I had a hand in writing some of these lyrics. All of us did. I don't think any of us can clearly tell you what any song is specifically about. I think they are open to interpretation still. They're a little bit more communicative of a feeling and maybe they're easier to have your own interpretation.
Ekstrom: They're easier to relate to.
What do you guys feel about that?
Ekstrom: I remember having this conversation with [Anthony] between these records, [saying] if you want to broaden the audience, you have to write things that people are going to be able to understand a bit more and trying to do that without dumbing it down because I still think he's amazing and genius with the way he writes. I think he really pulled it off well. Then there's the sense musically. I don't really read reviews of our records. I just make these guys tell me if they're good or not. Actually, I make them tell me if it's good, then I''ll look. [Laughs] There are, sometimes, some really good written reviews out there that have constructive things that I took from my earlier work is that the songs had really good parts and that the flow wasn't right...
Frangicetto: They meandered...[Laughs]
Ekstrom: They meandered.
Is that the word that kept coming up?
Ekstrom: And a word that our producer used..
Frangicetto: And a lot of reviews used...
Ekstrom: That songs would be really good, but not have the payoff. We tried really hard to make those things flow a little better this time.
I think this record has a lot to do with building to a certain point without a pay off. Creating tension and holding a little bit back. Gradual peaks.
Frangicetto: We wanted to capture both those things this time around. We wanted to have songs that were super intense and would reach a peak and we also wanted to have songs that [just sort of glided]. I think we accomplished both on the record. In a way, if you think of songs like shapes, there's a lot of the same shapes on the first two records. This one has a plethora of shapes. That was really important to us. A record that went up and down. A record that was a journey, that really was an experience from the start. For me, I always look at records like movies. I want there to have this flow, almost a visual narrative. I want you to cry at the end. I want you to laugh at the end. I want you to have that thing. I don't know. I was just so proud of this album, because I feel like when I watch - or hear - our movie, I feel like, "Fuck yes, we did it." I just think that having the different kinds of songs is important.
Ekstrom: I think that's the thing - not really relevant to your question - when people talk about this record, it's that thing that's most important. It's the first time that a hundred percent, we've accomplished what we want to accomplish. There are just little things on the last two records, that whether it was the process or the outcome, we just don't feel connected to the piece. Whether it's all of us or one of us. The process just meshed up so well. It was just the most gratifying experience that we'd ever been a part of musically.
Something I had talked about with Anthony at South by Southwest after the set at Red 7 this year was the live show. I feel like there's a lot more room for you guys to jam and stretch songs. A way to move things around and be playful. This seems a bit opposite since the record feels so direct. What's with the difference? Is it just something that comes out different on stage?
Ekstrom: We always just take different approaches to the live shows. Every aspect of the band, we want to be different experiences of the band. Making videos. The videos that Jamie makes on our site. The videos create a different mood just by itself. Playing live. If there were parts on the record we want stretched, [to] have this song structure be something that people will understand more readily than on stage, we can take it to new places either with an idea we had when we recorded it or a new idea recently.
Frangicetto: Part of growing up as a musician, you struggle with committing during the recording process. You are like, "Fuck, this is going to go down in stone. Once it gets pressed, there's no re-recording it. That's it." Realizing that your song can be reborn every single night on stage...
Ekstrom: It's a freedom...
Frangicetto: It is. There's so much less headache than committing to a record. Let's do it. We can have a million versions of it as we want. I think, it's another thing - and I hate to say that we're breeding because it makes me feel like a scientist - I think that we kind of have been planting the seeds over the years. Our fans want to hear other versions of the songs. It's kind of an experience for us as a band. Musically, I feel like try it.
Ekstrom: I feel like there's a part of me that has always wanted a following like the Grateful Dead had, where we can always play different things live, that it won't be on any recording, but people know [what's coming]. They'll know the words and shit.
Frangicetto: Now when we play "Meet Me in Montauk," everyone throws the change [on stage] because we started doing it a while back. Now we get pelted with change. It makes me smile so much. It just shows blatant history. It shows that these people have been around so much. They're growing with us and they're still here and they have their traditions. That's the best part of playing live. It's like a secret handshake, you know? You have this connection with the crowd, it's awesome. I love that shit.