Photo by Gregoire Alexandre
Sometimes playing with expectations can be a tricky thing, but, on the other hand it’s also highly fascinating thing. METRONOMY soon-to-be-released fourth album Love Letters – out on March the 10th – marks such a record. The 2011 album The English Riviera saw the former bedroom project by mastermind Joseph Mount evolving into a more comfortable band – including plenty of hit singles like The Bay and The Look. While a lot of people expected a continuation of this style, the upcoming album turned out to be a bit different.
On Love Letters METRONOMY take a more discreet and gentle approach, providing a back-to-basics album that shows Mount more personal than before. NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION sat down with the musician and cleared up a few things. What part of METRONOMY is just him and what is the band? Did becoming a father change his perspective? And why the hell do the people don’t write love letters anymore? Find your answers right here.
You remember the first love letter you ever received?
Oh god. (laughs) I think I might have gotten one for Valentine’s Day once. But I had a few relationships with girls where I sent love letters.
Do you remember the age?
I was quite young. Probably eleven or something. But this was earlier. Later they’ve became more sexy. (laughs) I also got a girlfriend who moved away and these letters became more romantic due to the distance.
Isn’t it sad that in times of Whatsapp, Facebook and e-mails, the concept of love letters got a bit lost?
I hadn’t really anticipated this. And of course the people ask me a lot about love letters recently but it never really crossed my mind. I didn’t realize that it was an old fashioned idea. I’m not sure if people still realize the power of these letters. If you’re the only boy in your school who realizes that there is a gap in the market for this old-fashioned concept of romantic, handwritten letters, then you’re gonna be a great fucking lover. (laughs)
When I first listened to the new album it felt like a step back. After The English Riviera I somehow expected that you head more into this grooving band direction. But Love Letters turned out to be very intimate and reduced. It might even recall your early lo-fi days. Why is that?
The lo-fi-effect comes from the recording via old analogue tape. Actually the amount of material I recorded for the album was twice the amount of what ended on the album. And the other songs are far more groovy and upbeat. And the songs that ended up on the record are the songs I really like and the ones I’m hundred percent happy with. That somehow dictated how the album was like. And that’s good since I think the most important thing is to let the songs be in charge. And I also knew that I wanted to follow The English Riviera with something that was way more different. Half of it happened on purpose the other half… well, just happened naturally. I wanna continue this, you know – exploring this sound as I get more comfortable with my music.
During the last album it felt a bit like – especially with the new members – METRONOMY is moving closer to a full band set-up. But now, at least on the promo photos and in the first video, it looks like it’s you again as a solo artist.
This is kind of funny. It really is just a misunderstanding and a chain of events that made it look like it’s all about me. The first image was supposed to be about the band but the photos didn’t turn out very well. And when this happened, Benga was in Africa and Oscar in the US so it was easier to get a photo of me. However, it’s definitely a more personal record. But the band is still the band like it was before. We spend a lot of time together and they all play on the tracks on the record. But METRONOMY has always been my kind of thing which makes it easier for me to explain it.
But are you one of these artists who prefer working alone?
I somehow play two roles since I also produce the albums. With this album I had – like on the last album – two engineers who help me and Oscar was also always there in the studio. And Anna and Benga also came and played their parts. But basically I’m in control and that’s how I want it to be. And I still think the relationships we have are much easier than within other bands.
On the new album, your guitar playing has way more of presence. Very soulful, I have to say. Who are your influences, in terms of guitar players?
I hate guitarists. (laughs) I’m not very good at the guitar. Yes, I play it on stage but I’m not very good at it. So with this album I just wanted to sit down and write a couple of songs with the guitar. There’s a couple of songs like Never Wanted and The Most Immaculate Haircut where I sat down and learned how to play it. And I don’t have any guitar idols. Sorry, I’m not good with names. Let’s say… Elton John.
Yes, who could forget his great Woodstock performance?
Exactly. (laughs)
Are there any general influences for the album? When I first heard the title track I instantly thought of ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA…
Yeah, that’s good. Before I recorded it – and I knew that I would record it in an analogue studio – I thought about that. There’s this effect that E.L.O. used to have. You know, having the piano sound a bit more mysterious and more chorus-like. THE BEACH BOYS did this as well on records like Wild Honey. I loved that effect and I really wanted to do a song with it and Love Letters was written around that idea. But you’re right, its got that hints on E.L.O.
Photo by Gregoire Alexandre
You just said you only recorded half of the written songs. Are there any plans to record the other ones? Like a quick follow-up album?
Basically we recorded all of these songs. For a long time I wanted to quickly release the other half. But in the end it’s a bit like the same spirit of what the album itself is. It’s ten tracks long and got forty-five minutes and that’s it. The songs speak for themselves and so does the album. And I think it’s a way better move to clear all the other songs up. They are not on the record for a reason, they are on their own and so I think there’s no need to force it. I’m not doing it like JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE or whoever…
Yeah, that was crap. I always wondered why people make double albums. I always think it would be better to just take the 10 or 12 good songs and let them be the album instead of having 24 tracks.
There you go. And that’s basically what I did and I’m so happy I made that decision. Genuinely I really thought about doing a double LP. And I told everybody: “Don’t let anyone convince me that this is a bad idea.” And at the end I realized it by myself.
The English Riviera was inspired by you moving away from the big city. You’ve became a father before recording Love Letters. In which way did this event inspired and influenced you?
Not that much. I already started writing the songs when I heard the news. And in such a case you don’t want to let anything influence your writing. But I knew the baby would come in March. So we finished touring in September 2012 and that basically gave me a time schedule to record an album. And everybody says a child changes you, and it actually does. But it was good to have that schedule and it didn’t affect the quality or the album itself. And strangely it helped me to be much more focussed. But didn’t let the emotional aspect onto the album, maybe on the next one. I’m in a position where I like to do more of this songwriter stuff.
Your fans are desperately waiting for your live comeback. What can we expect from the upcoming tour?
The usual people. (laughs) We’ve been rehearsing for the last three weeks. We’ve managed to banish the computer from our set. For a long time we’ve always used the computer for several sounds on stage. So, I’m really looking forward to this tour. And I’ve never looked forward to a tour before. (laughs) It sounds quite good. A friend of mine, Michael, is helping out on keyboards. The sound will be richer and we also got a nice little stage set we’re working on. It’s gonna be good fun since the new record transfers quite well to the stage. Feels quite natural.
We’ve come to the end which always means that we’re asking about hope and passion. What’s your opinion on those terms?
I’m more of a realistic person but I don’t see why this isn’t some sort of optimistic in the end. I’m realizing things through being realistic. And I’m definitely hopeful.
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