Blueneck - When Post-Rock Met Candour

The recent, and in some ways startling, extended play from Mogwai only brings us back to a question that's been on the table for nearly five years now: does post-rock - understood as that strand of soft-loud instrumental rock running from Godspeed You! Black Emperor onward - still have a future ahead of it? For many, the answer increasingly seems to lie in an attempt at renewal that, following the now well-established model of the New Millennium, makes cross-contamination its guiding principle. Among those who have stood out this year for their decisive move away from the genre's clichés are Blueneck, a project built on a nearly decade-long axis with songwriter and keyboardist Duncan Atwood at the helm, joined by Ben Green on guitar, Ben Paget on bass and Jhonny Horswell on drums. Alongside the quartet, the band has for years brought in a handful of additional musicians, until finding in ex-Left Side Brain man Rich Sadler the missing piece. It was Sadler himself who told us about the pop-ward mutation of one of the most refined bands in the post-rock universe, one that has abandoned the melodic instrumental grace of its first four albums to embrace a form of decadent art-pop.

Let's start straight away with a provocative question: do you like pop?

Of course! I've never met anyone who doesn't!

Obviously with that question I was getting at the main novelty of your new record: would you agree to call it "your pop album"?

It's certainly an attempt to bring more accessible elements into our mix. I think Duncan's songs have always been fairly melodic, especially where his voice is concerned. So bringing his voice to the forefront is more than enough justification to call it a more pop-oriented record.

You've clearly tried to evolve your sound in a significant way. Did you feel the need to move beyond the formula you'd consolidated on your previous records?

Absolutely! "King Nine" is a clear attempt to make our songs as vibrant, varied and accessible as possible. That was the main evolution we were after, with the aim, in a sense, of spreading our wings.

Has there been any new musical form you've gravitated towards recently that may have influenced your search?

I think we're always on the lookout for music, new or old, that can inspire us, and this time I think it happened with electronic music. We went back to the music we loved and listened to as kids, namely synth-wave, and we also got closer to certain contemporary edm sounds. It's also worth saying that, since we recorded the album mostly via file sharing, it became easier than ever to slot electronic parts into the mix. But to be honest, electronic music has always been an influence on us.

I found your new sound fairly close to a certain strain of art-pop, while a colleague, commenting on the review I wrote of your record, spoke of an obvious affinity with Talk Talk. Do you recognise yourselves in either of these definitions?

The Talk Talk thing is really interesting, I'll tell you that! Quite a few people have said it or written it, but the truth is that until a few months ago we barely knew them! We knew about their synth-pop past but not about their later albums. So out of curiosity, after reading their name mentioned in connection with us so many times, I decided to listen to "Spirit Of Eden" and "Laughing Stock". They're nothing short of monumental records. And now I consider myself a true fan, so I'm glad people find an affinity between them and us, even if I personally don't hear it. What's certain, though, is that in terms of approach we're closer to Talk Talk than to Slint, who are just as often linked to our sound through the common denominator of post-rock but have nothing to do with it really.

What are the album's lyrics about? And is there any connection between the songs and the artwork?

I think Duncan (Atwood, ed.) wanted to keep the most personal meanings of the lyrics to himself, even though you can read them all in the album booklet. I think anyone can pick up on themes related to family and personal responsibility. But we'd like everyone to find their own subjective meanings in it. The cover art reflects the album's themes pretty closely, especially when it comes to the absence of life.

Since the start of your career you've always been labelled a post-rock band. What do you think of that definition?

No problem with that at all, really. I think it's a label that helped us get noticed in the early years, when its meaning was less narrowly defined and so encouraged people to listen. I think "King Nine" is pretty hard to pigeonhole in that sense, especially compared to our first album, "The Fallen Host". But when it comes to the longer instrumental passages, I think that definition still applies.

What music and artists did you grow up on, artistically speaking?

Initially it was the pop, rock and electronic music of 80s bands like Depeche Mode, Genesis (the "second phase" ones, ed.) and Tears For Fears, and I think you can hear some of that influence in "King Nine". Then in the Nineties we got a lot more into various forms of British and American rock like indie and shoegaze, and metal. And these days we're more eclectic, ranging from folk to country by way of electronic music and prog. I think being a bit older now lets us get to the best place, which is not feeling tied to any particular scene, being interested in any kind of music made over the last four decades or so.

Your songs are often credited to the whole band. How does one of your songs usually come about, and who starts it off?

It always starts with Duncan, no matter what. He writes all the songs and without him Blueneck wouldn't exist. Some of his songs, by the time they reach us, are already pretty much complete. On others, Ben (Green, ed.) and I also get our hands on the instrumental arrangements. Live, everything becomes a bit more "democratic", because our songs are pretty hard to play live and to do that we have to reinterpret them as a band.

What's your relationship like outside the studio?

We're all really good friends, and even though we live pretty far apart from each other we talk almost every day. And we talk about everything, whether it's Blueneck, music, films or TV shows!

What about playing live, how do you find that?

Playing live is something completely different. And complicated. "King Nine" was recorded in layers, partly at home and partly in a studio environment. It wasn't objectively built like a band album, and recreating it live is going to take a really long time, I'm afraid.

So you don't have any tours planned for now?

No, nothing planned. We're just trying to recharge our batteries after what was a long and very intense recording period. I have no idea what we'll do next.

You're among the most loyal bands on the Denovali roster… What do you think of this tireless, sensational label?

They're great friends and fantastic professional partners. Our relationship with them is excellent, and it's obviously an honour to release music through a label that boasts so many great artists on its roster.

The last question is, again, a provocation, because I already know you won't be able to give me much of an answer: do you have any idea of the sonic direction you'll follow in the future? Do you intend to keep going down the path of "King Nine"?

It's hard to say right now. I think this latest record has given us the confidence to fully trust our instincts, which leaves us free to go in whatever direction interests us. Whether that's electronic music, guitar-driven rock, soundtrack work... It could be a mix of all these possibilities, or something completely different. We'll see!

Photo: Alx Lecks

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