#bryan tulao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

chelseawolfemusic · 7 years

Text

Chelsea Wolfe Talks Hiss Spun // MusicRadar

The word ‘artist’ is used with witless abandon in music, but with Californian songwriter Chelsea Wolfe it feels wholly appropriate.

An originator and creator, over five albums she has constructed an intricate, dark body of work, one capable of crossing vast spaces, from gothic folk to black metal, while still feeling part of the same awe-inspiring aesthetic.

2015’s Abyss saw the Sargent House-signed songwriter develop a cavernous dynamic presence through gigantic, dystopian riffs, all contrasted with a tortured Cocteau Twins vocal. Now she has returned with Hiss Spun – a record that bathes in the bleakness of the current global outlook and delves ever deeper into musical extremes.

youtube

Produced by Kurt Ballou and featuring Queens Of The Stone Age’s Troy Van Leeuwen, it’s her heaviest album to date and something of a black mirror record – one that points aggressively at our ugliest tendencies and states: ‘what hath man wrought?’ or in 21st century terms: ‘look at this gigantic shit storm’.

We spoke to Chelsea about Hiss Spun, what it was like working with Troy Van Leeuwen and Kurt Ballou and the primordial origins of white noise…

This album was produced by Kurt Ballou at his GodCity studio in Salem, Massachusetts during the winter months. It really feels like you can hear that snow-quieted landscape on the likes of Vex or Two Spirit. How did that surrounding impact you and, by extension, the record?

The sense of the cold, quiet outside contrasted with the hissing radiators of the warm interiors is reflected on the record

“Yes, I think the sense of the cold, quiet outside contrasted with the hissing radiators of the warm interiors is reflected on the record. One of the reasons I wanted to record in Salem is because I fell in love with Kurt’s studio last year when I was there working on Converge Blood Moon.

“Sometimes a building has no effect on the recordings, but sometimes it becomes a character in it. I’d say the GodCity building played a big role in this record. The building has three levels: the basement dungeon where much of the drums were recorded, the middle studio area where all the guitars were recorded, and then the upstairs apartment and vocal room. So I thought of it almost like hell, limbo and heaven... Each level had its own personality.”

What are Kurt’s greatest strengths as a producer? What does he bring to a record or a session?

I knew Kurt Ballou would get the kind of metallic, almost engine-like tones I wanted for the bass and guitars

“I wanted to work with him because this record is very drum-focused, and I’ve been a fan of how he records drums for years. Also I knew he’d get the kind of metallic, almost engine-like tones I wanted for the bass and guitars.

“When it came to vocals, it was on me to conjure up what I wanted to, but I had already planned for that because I come into the studio really prepared and almost utilitarian-like: ready to work and push myself as far as I can.”

When we last spoke, you described the tensions - borne from two strong-willed creative characters - you had with John Congleton as being “immediate” but ultimately very positive on Abyss. What sources of tension were there on Hiss Spun? Was it required this time?

“This time is was more of an internal struggle... A lot of these songs are about my own memories, self-destruction, addiction and ill-health so I had to face that and try to become stronger than the songs I was writing; stronger than the memories.”

Troy Van Leeuwen joins you throughout Hiss Spun. Why did that stick? What made that playing/writing relationship such a successful one?

“I knew Troy would get the kind of weird, twisted emotions these songs needed and he did. He’s a great guy and one of my favourite guitar players.

“The main lead lines on Spun are Troy, and the leads on the choruses for 16 Psyche. I also left space for him on that song to do an aching lead part over the bridge. While he was playing I could feel my guts wrenching and it was perfect, so I asked him to keep going in that direction.

“He’s on a few others songs playing lead like Offering. Bryan [Tulao, guitarist] played lead on The Culling and Static Hum, both of which are my guitar songs, along with 16 Psyche. Ben [Chisholm] actually wrote a lot of the guitar for this album as well, like the main part for Spun, Vex, Particle Flux and Twin Fawn.”

youtube

In an interview with No Clean Singing you talk about finding “the right guitar and the right pedals and microphone” before writing. How early in your writing process do you consider tone? Why?

“When I’m initially writing and making demos I’m just going on instincts, but then once we’re in the studio I’ll hone it in and try to think about what’s right for the song - something deep or something more tinny and lo-fi.

“Kurt helped guide me on this journey, finding the right amps and pedals. I ended up just using this EarthQuaker [power amp distortion] pedal called Acapulco Gold, though; it weirdly fit on a lot of songs.”

What were your main guitars and amplifiers on the recordings? And how did you use them to get such sizeable distortion sounds?

The really big distortion tones on the likes of Twin Fawn came about because there are about six layers of guitars on those choruses

“There was an old Gibson amp I think Kurt uses on a lot of recordings that I used a lot... it just has that great vintage tone, but I was also drawn to his Klipp and used that a lot. The Gibson is an older one for sure. Basically Kurt set up a wall of amps and we just went through and tried them all until I was drawn to the sound of one. It ended up being those two!

“In general I don’t always know the technical details of all the gear I choose, I just collect guitars, amps and pedals that I like instinctually. I knew I wanted the guitar tones to sound really metallic on this album, almost like a motorcycle engine, so I was seeking that out on the amp journey.

“For guitars, I used a Fender Jazzmaster with a Randy Rhoads Dean neck, my Gibson 335s, and a borrowed classical. The really big distortion tones on the likes of Twin Fawn came about because there are about six layers of guitars on those choruses…”

A Fender Jazzmaster with a Dean neck is quite an unusual beast. What drew you to that instrument?

“That’s one of Kurt’s guitars - I don’t actually know the story behind it, but I saw it sitting amongst other guitars and was drawn to it. The neck instantly felt good in my hands and then Kurt told me it was the Randy Rhoads edition. I’m such a fan and had Crazy Train on repeat the year before, so it felt meant to be. Plugged into the Earthquaker Acapulco it was a great sound so I ended up using that combo a lot.”

youtube

What do you consider to be the most successful guitar moment on the album?

“16 Psyche was a riff I had kicking around for a year or so, and when I finally brought it to the band I wasn’t sure if anything would come of it, but right away we all had tons of ideas and it came together really quickly.

“Another moment is Ben’s guitar playing on Twin Fawn. He also played through that Klipp and layered the choruses maybe six times - I love the little feedback moments on the pauses, and the way the guitars and drums come together at the end of that song is one of my favourite parts of the album.”

Your press sheet interlinks one of the album’s central themes - global destruction - with the white noise that occurs throughout the album. Why do you think this sound is suited to the topic? What association does it hold for you?

I’ve had a strong affinity for white noise since I was a kid

“Carl Sagan said that 1% of TV and radio static is relic sound from the Big Bang. I think something about that connection to the origin is comforting, and I’ve had a strong affinity for white noise since I was a kid. I was talking more about confronting the chaos of the world with your own internal chaos - accepting the mess of yourself and finding strength through that.”

You’ve said that you want to write escapist music. We get that sensation with the likes of 16 Psyche. Where does the escapism come for you?

“I find a lot of freedom in music. I have my writing studio at home, so I can be in a place where I feel fully myself, and I can work and write at any hour of the day.

“Onstage, it’s taken me years to become comfortable, but my way of dealing is just to lose myself into the songs. Last year, while I was relocating back to Northern California, I was staying with family while I was in-between houses. I didn’t have a lot of personal space, so I ended up writing a lot in headphones, and was reminded of that sense of escapism in music, where you can totally tune out your surroundings and slip into a new world.”

“It seems like the world has been in tears for months, and then you remember it’s been fucked for a long time, it’s been fucked since the beginning. It’s overwhelming and I have to write about it.” In the face of this, do you think escapism is enough?

“No, of course not. I was being honest in saying that that’s sometimes how I deal, but I also strive to put a lot of reality about the world into my songs, and tell stories of people to honour them.

“Particle Flux, for example, has some lines in the choruses that were inspired by watching a short documentary about the refugee crisis coming out of Syria - seeing how these families were torn from their homes and sometimes torn apart, but still remaining so strong: mothers and fathers still trying to make their children smile and pushing on against the terrible situation they’re facing.

“I have a B-side coming out later this year which I’ll be donating the proceeds of to the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency). There are so many refugee situations right now and they’re struggling to keep up funding for all of them.”

You have traditionally been portrayed as a shy character, but this album feels more overt. Do you feel you are gaining confidence in your abilities as a writer and performer?

“Getting older as a woman and as an artist, I’m becoming more confident, or maybe just giving less of a fuck what people think. [Ultimately] it was fun to write some songs that were more in-your-face and aggressive.”

#Sargent House #Chelsea Wolfe #Hiss Spun #Music Radar

2 notes · View notes

sargenthouse · 7 years

Text

Chelsea Wolfe on New Album 'Hiss Spun' & Tearing a Hole Through Perfection // Billboard

Call her goth, metal or doom pop. Just don't call her pedestrian. California-based musician and songwriter Chelsea Wolfe naturally defies categorization, siphoning influences as varied as Neurosis, Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails and Tricky into her brooding new album Hiss Spun. The music spans distorted dirges, electronic ephemera and folksy tranquility, with her siren soprano vocals contrasting with the grittiness of the music, creating a striking contrast that has helped define her sound for many years.

Full Article Via Billboard.

When Wolfe spoke with Billboard, she was in the midst of heavy rehearsals for her next U.S. tour, which commences on Sept. 28 at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, Calif. The touring lineup includes Wolfe, drummer Jess Gowrie, bassist Ben Chisholm and a guitarist filling in for Bryan Tulao, who has been pulled away by family commitments.

“We're having to retrain a new person, which is difficult but also keeps things interesting and keeps us on our toes as musicians,” notes Wolfe. Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen, who guests on the new album, will join them for a couple of Southern California shows.

Despite creating highly personal, rather uncommercial music that embraces a dark aesthetic, Chelsea Wolfe has received some high profile recognition lately. Her music has appeared in promo teasers for Game of Thrones, How to Get Away With Murder and Fear the Walking Dead. Jaguar used “Carrion Flowers” from 2015's Abyss in a new commercial. And the title of said song was inspired by an essential oil scent she created for herself and wore and sold on tour a few years ago, which was a prelude for her two new products (Ash and Ember Eye Soot and Enchanted Lip Sheer), available now through Rituel de Filles.

Chelsea Wolfe Drops Haunting Track 'Grey Days': Exclusive Song Premiere

“It's fun to branch out a little bit sometimes, and I think it wakes up your creative brain a little bit too,” says Wolfe of her cosmetic endeavors.

First and foremost is the music itself. Wolfe calls her sixth studio release, Hiss Spun, her rock album, even though some people have immediately deemed it metal. Goth is another tag she gets labeled with even though, visual imagery aside, she does not identify with that scene. People have come up with new tags to describe her music, such as doom pop or doom folk.

“I think there are a lot of different descriptions out there for what I do,” says Wolfe. “I think that most of them are probably valid depending upon what song of mine you're listening to.”

Hiss Spun was recorded by Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou. The two met when she was asked last year to join the Massachusetts metal band onstage for a few European shows to perform reworked Converge songs under the group name Blood Moon, for which she sang and played some acoustic guitar. During tour rehearsals at Ballou's GodCity Studio in Salem, Mass., she became enamored with the space and ultimately recorded the new album there. The set up with an apartment above the studio appealed to Wolfe and reminded her of home.

“I work in my home studio whenever inspiration hits me,” she explains. “I like that vibe of being able to get out of bed at three in the morning and work on something if you're feeling it.”

The main Hiss Spun recording lineup includes Wolfe, Gowrie, Chisholm and Van Leeuwen. Wolfe considers Chisholm her co-producer because they worked closely while demoing and fleshing out the material before the studio sessions and she jammed with him and Gowrie, which is not her typical approach. “I like to write alone and send things back and forth to Ben or whoever I'm working with at the time, but for this one I felt really comfortable with Jess,” says Wolfe.

Some interesting sonic bits were injected into the album. For “Particle Flux,” Wolfe sampled the sound of her fingers moving over a Walt Whitman book that she was reading while writing the song. While the group was visiting her former canyon home north of L.A., Chisholm recorded the sounds of coyotes howling and motorcycles riding by. “He ended up manipulating them and making them into this weird beat that we used on the breakdown for 'The Culling,'” says Wolfe. “That was a weird one, but I really like how that turned out. It's nice to create new sounds that people haven't used before.”

The musical and lyrical fodder for Hiss Spun arose from two reunions; one with her friend and former bandmate, drummer Jess Gowrie, and the other with her hometown of Sacramento, which she lives near again.

Close friends Gowrie and Wolfe were in the band Red Host a decade ago, and the drummer taught Wolfe a lot about music and helped her gain confidence as a frontwoman. But then Wolfe departed to launch her solo project, which she says was a difficult decision to make, and the two friends did not speak for seven years. But a meeting on New Year's Eve 2014 was the catalyst to renew their friendship and rekindle their strong musical chemistry.

Another personal reconnection came about when Wolfe relocated outside of Sacramento last year. “A lot of this album ended up being about that in a way -- just being around old friends, hanging out in old haunts and being around family,” says Wolfe. “It definitely dug up a lot of memories and unfinished business.”

Part of what gives Wolfe her mystique is her intensely private nature. She keeps personal matters close to the vest, although in a recent Revolver interview she opened up about a patriarchal family figure with disturbing sexual predilections who harmed the female side of her family. Thus what she rails about in album closer “Scrape” clearly comes from an intensely personal place. “Scrape” is probably her most intense vocal performance to date as she pushes both her emotional and vocal range.

Wolfe was surprised by how personal her Hiss Spun lyrics became. She says her early, pre-studio music tackled more common concepts like breakup songs.

“I didn't just want to write about my own life,” she confesses. “But once you get older and you really start to process things that happened to you, things that you did and your memories, it feels a little more poignant to write about because I've processed things and I'm dealing with them and dealing with the aftermath of certain things. There is something about looking back at your own life rather than writing about it as it happens that makes a little more sense to me.”

Many of the album's lyrics address personal views without being overt about their origins. “I think there's a line here or there that actually reflects the state of the world, but a lot of it is really internal this time,” says the singer, who reveals that she is already working on her next album. “I won't say what it is yet, but it's definitely different from what I'm doing right now.”

Wolfe's last studio release, Abyss, hit the Top 200 at No. 130 for a single week. As she notes, she is not getting played on the radio or being asked to do late night shows, but word of mouth is helping build her fanbase, which has resulted in a slow growth that she feels comfortable with. “I think it's more of my pace,” admits Wolfe. “I'm kind of a slow person. Because I'm doing it my own way and not adhering to one specific genre, it does make it a little bit more difficult to move forward. But I think I've done some really cool things so I'm happy.”

One imagines that if Wolfe stripped away the bellowing male vocals of the new song “Vex” and tweaked it a bit that she could have a potentially commercial single. But she is not sure she could write a really good pop song. The musician needs to have that crunchiness in her tunes.

“I do,” concurs Wolfe. “I don't know what it is, but if something sounds too perfect I just want to tear a hole in it and fuck it up a little bit.”

#Sargent House #Chelsea Wolfe #Hiss Spun #Billboard

4 notes · View notes