Jessica Bailiff - New folk fading into dissolution

Five years have passed since Jessica Bailiff, undisputed queen of drone-folk and superstar of the legendary Kranky label, released her last solo work. Since 2006 we've only been able to hear her on brief rarities collections ("Old Things" and "Since Always") and the occasional collaboration. She recently came to Italy to accompany her husband Mat Sweet (aka Boduf Songs) on tour, and granted us an exclusive interview with some interesting previews.

What are your future plans? Will there be a sequel to "Feels Like Home"?

I just finished recording a new solo album. I don't know when it will come out. I also just finished an album with Annelies Monseré, and I don't know when that one will come out either.

Can you give us any hints about your new solo record? Is it more folk-oriented, like "Feels Like Home", or does it have massive drones and ambient landscapes like your previous albums?

The new album is probably somewhere between "Even In Silence" and "Feels Like Home" - the electric guitars are more prominent this time, and there's more drums. There are nine songs, and it runs about forty minutes.

And what about the split album with Annelies? Is it similar to the untitled EP that Morc released a while back?

The album with Annelies is different from the EP. We wrote all the new material together, rather than each covering the other's songs. It's heavier and darker than the EP. Writing with her was amazing. We're planning to keep doing it.

What do you think is your best song and your best album? And why?

My best song is probably on the album I just finished. And I'm pretty happy with it, so let's say it's my favorite album. It's been several years since I recorded my last solo album, and that makes this one very special.

I'm amazed I was still able to write, to be honest. And the experience allowed me to get back to that creative space in my head. I've been working on something every day, musically, since the beginning of April. I intend to keep working every day. I built a solid habit while making this latest record.

Listening to your albums, the influence of Low and Flying Saucer Attack is obvious…but which other bands or artists have influenced you the most?

Whatever I've listened to has influenced me in some way. There's music that repulses me, and sometimes I find myself listening to it deliberately to try to understand it. There's music I love and from which I've learned a lot by listening to it, and I just try to carry those lessons into my own music through my interpretations or ideas. People often tell me that something I've done sounds like or is influenced by someone I've never even heard before. Any overt homages on my part are made with love and respect.

Your discography includes a lot of collaborations; which artist fits best with your music, and why?

Any collaboration I've done has been something different from my solo work. The projects were kind of an escape from writing on my own, so that they didn't necessarily have to fit with the work I'd previously done by myself.

You play many instruments: how does your songwriting process work? And how does it work in your side projects?

Writing a song happens in various ways. Sometimes I have a melody in my head, and I have to sing and try to record the right instruments to flesh out a song. Sometimes I start with a rhythm, and I've had the chance to record a handful of drum tracks thanks to a neighbour who was out all day. Sometimes I feel like playing bass or keyboards, and a song emerges from that. I generally write while recording, rather than sitting somewhere with an acoustic guitar or at the piano.

As for collaborations, they generally start with one person sending the other some kind of idea, which could be a partial track, a piece of melody, or a finished song that just needs a few additions.

I know you and Mat don't like being photographed; I read somewhere that you worked as a photographer some time ago…isn't that curious?

I never worked as a photographer, but even if I had, a lot of photographers prefer to stay on their side of the lens.

Do you have some kind of day job today, or do you make a living solely as a musician?

I work in a photo lab, five days a week, for an average of eight hours a day.

What do you think of today's slowcore / drone-folk / ethereal scene?

I don't know anything about it!

What kind of music do you usually listen to? Is there an underrated band or artist you'd recommend?

You'll probably be disappointed to hear that the band I've most enjoyed listening to right now, and over the past few months, is Radiohead. In recent years I've come to adore their music. I've also had Thom Yorke's 2006 solo album, “The Eraser“, on heavy rotation. I've been listening heavily to the latest Low album, “C'mon“, and to PJ Harvey's “Let England Shake“. I also love Fever Ray and The Knife.

I've read Arthur Conan Doyle, and I'm rereading Nick Hornby. Sometimes Hornby's books really make a difference. There's a very long list of things I'd like to read, especially “classics” I've never gotten around to.

You recently traveled across Italy for the Boduf Songs tour. What do you think of our country?

This was my third visit to Italy, and I had a great time, as always. Italy holds a special place in my heart.

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