Pinhdar - Pythian Visions

A long conversation with the duo formed by singer-songwriter Cecilia Miradoli and musician/producer Max Tarenzi, joined exclusively by Howie B, to tell us about the genesis and evolution of their second album “Parallel”, between tributes to Greek poetry, darkwave echoes, and desert-island top fives. A record enhanced by the artistic partnership with the Scottish musician and producer, known for collaborating with U2, Björk, Massive Attack, Tricky, Everything But The Girl and a hefty roster of Italian artists, such as Casino Royale, Marlene Kuntz, Elisa and Ofeliadorme.

Having a heavyweight like Howie B by your side is a privilege for anyone. How did this partnership come about?

Once we'd finished the rough mixes of our recordings, we asked ourselves how we could make them shine at their best. We played them for our closest artist friends, and from the various conversations that followed, the name Howie B came up as our “dream producer.” At first it seemed like an idea beyond our reach, but we wanted to try anyway, because in the end we wanted the best for this record, given how much it had cost us emotionally to record it. So we wrote to his manager and everything happened very quickly. Howie listened to the material and immediately said he was excited to work on it. Our first video calls on Skype were incredible for us, as well as fun: how often do you get to see Howie B dancing to your songs? It was a wonderful experience — the physical distance was never an obstacle, because we communicated intensely through chats and video calls, and we quickly found a musical connection as well as a personal one. He proved to be exactly what we already knew him to be: an artist of great experience, very sensitive and respectful of our work. His contribution came on several levels: he put his stamp on the sound of the mixes, but before that he stepped into the various layers of the arrangements, often in an almost subliminal way that nonetheless made everything more cohesive and consistent with the vibe we were after.

Your stage name is a tribute to the Greek lyric poet Pindar, considered one of the most intricate and complex figures of antiquity. Why this choice? Could you also point us to the poem of his that you feel closest to, and explain why?

Because he's the most imaginative of the Greek lyric poets. 
His greatness lies not in ordinary logical connections but in imagination, in the sweep of the countless images he uses: physical and metaphysical places that create unreal, otherworldly, almost stellar landscapes — the so-called “Pindaric flights,” journeys into parallel universes.
 The poem of his we feel closest to is Pythian 8: “Ephemeral are we: what is life, after all? Che è la morte? Sogno d’un’ombra è l’uomo. Yet when a divine ray descends upon him, then even mortal light is radiant, and sweet is his life”. We like it because it lays bare the fragility of human lives, which are but a breath of wind, unless flooded by the divine ray — the moment in which man creates a work of art. 


Anacreon, another great poet of the past, pops up instead in the opening track. Why him?

Because he expresses artistically, yet in a very human way, fears — of old age, for instance, and above all the fear of death — with a dismay at the “terrible abyss, from which it is decreed that whoever descends will never rise again.” We tackled fears starting from the most universal one, moving track after track back up toward hope and light. A bit like Dante's circles.



In Pindar's “Pythian I,” music and song are both understood as the unifying element that gives order and harmony to the universe. So, when did you first get close to music? And, in your opinion, what might be the main harmony that it gives to the universe? 

We got into music as kids, first through various studies and musical experiences, then through meeting each other and our friendship, as well as the birth of the rock band Nomoredolls, with whom we recorded three albums and toured extensively in the US and UK. When the band split up, we created a festival (A Night Like This), as a way to absorb more music, grow artistically and reinvent ourselves.
 Music has always guided us and in some way “saved“ us from our own black holes, since we think it's a powerful tool for moving the soul and communicating directly with it through a language of universal beauty. The harmony it gives to the universe finds its main source in the mysterious abyss of emotions, feelings and passions that project us through time and unite us as human beings.


Where do the “darkwave” atmospheres come from?

We try to write and record with our minds as free of references as possible. We prefer, or rather we try, to let our influences emerge unconsciously and blend together to produce a solution of our own. Darkwave, of course, is part of who we are. We love the Cure, especially the ones from “Seventeen Seconds”, but also darker, more contemporary artists like Chelsea Wolfe. The atmospheres of the whole album, not just the title track, were also heavily influenced by the period we were living through: we recorded right in the middle of lockdown, with all the enormous tension of those first weeks pouring into the music. We don't have an anecdote about any one song in particular, because we approached the record as a whole, carrying the songs forward as a single creation and going through some pretty serious moments of crisis too: several times we stopped and started all over again, until we finally felt that the songs truly represented us. 


All the songs have English titles, except for “Corri”. Why?

Cecilia writes the lyrics in English, usually after developing a melody, so after the music. With this record it wasn't always like that — in fact, at times lyrics and music “formed” simultaneously, almost feeding off each other's intensity. That's the case with “Corri”, where the rhythmic drive of the percussion in the chorus and the aching image, almost a lament from the planet, literally brought the title to life. Not just as an exhortation, but as if running were the only activity left possible for humankind and its salvation — and so the “cry” came out in our own language, Italian.


Listening to the songs on "Parallel", one gets the sense of a journey into the Underworld, organized to rid ourselves of the demons that have taken charge in these difficult times. Is that really what it's about, or is there something more?

That's right - it's no coincidence that "Anacreonte" is the first song on the album, leading into a personal, introspective descent into the underworld. As the eight tracks unfold, this descent touches on fears, fragilities, personal demons and those of humanity as a whole, before rising back toward the light in a journey that's literally a flight of fancy, right up to the closing track "The Hour Of Now", which fittingly ends the record without putting a full stop on things, with a dystopian yet hopeful coda.

The cover artwork, created by visual artist Elisabetta Cardella, "reflects the shadowy introspection of the lyrics." How did it come about?

With Elisabetta we always worked together trying to convey the idea of a parallel reality without falling into science fiction. We gave her references on the mood and colors that needed to match the music, and gradually this house emerged (a symbol of safety) perched over water (an unstable element), heavy with the symbolism of the times we're living through and the urge to escape into a parallel reality.

"Too late (a big wave)": is it a way of saying "folks, it's too late, the big wave has already swept us all away"?

Partly, yes. Every track on the album starts from a personal experience to metaphorically describe a broader issue. In "Too Late (A Big Wave)" there's a mistake following an encounter that overwhelms the narrator's fate, leaving them unable to fight the consequences. A paralyzing event like a huge wave wipes out the chance to make different choices, both on a personal level and for the Earth, leaving us barren. The hope is that it's not too late.

"Hidden Wonders": between one whisper and the next, a slow ascent seems to take shape, almost as if the light at the end of the tunnel were starting to appear. So, what are the hidden wonders you're alluding to?

"Hidden Wonders" deals with the theme of everyday life, made up of routine and grey loneliness, where the idea of suicide is brushed against, only to be erased by the secret desires each of us keeps tucked away in a corner of our heart - whispered and then set free (in the vocal break where the track abruptly shifts mood toward light and joy) - represented by an outstretched hand to cling to so as not to slip, which for us is music.

A top five each of the records that changed your life, and why.

Max:

"Paranoid", Black Sabbath: it's the reason I started playing guitar.

"Seventeen Seconds", The Cure: I obviously discovered it after its release. It introduced me to darkwave.

"Hounds Of Love", Kate Bush: a fantastic work of art, immortal songs with an A-side and B-side that feel like two different records completing one another. One of a kind, unthinkable today. It made me fall in love with female voices.

"Third", Portishead: one of the most accomplished records of all time, in my opinion. Perfectly balanced and free of any unnecessary weight. An emotional gut-punch that also has the power to make everything I try to do seem far too trivial by comparison. Very frustrating!

"Kid A", Radiohead: for the same reasons as "Third".

Cecilia

“Shadows And Light”, Joni Mitchell: perché ho imparato a cantare grazie a lei.

“Revolver”, The Beatles: the most experimental Beatles album, and still a benchmark.

“The Man Who Sold The World”, David Bowie: because it taught the world what it really means to be alternative.

“Third”, Portishead: for the same reasons as Max, plus hearing it live changed my life.

“Skeleton Tree”, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds: for the power of the lyrics.

Strengths and weaknesses of each other.

Cecilia: Max isn't very inclined toward social relationships, which can sometimes help. As for his greatest strength, I'd say it's the sensitivity that comes through in his art.

Max: Cecilia is a window onto the world, and not just musically. She vibrates in tune with the planet, and maybe that's why she's rarely wrong when she reads you inside out. Her worst flaw is still that ability to scan you, because I don't like it when that superpower gets used on me!



What are your plans for the future?

We're trying to stay focused on the present. That said, we're preparing our live show, dressing it up with interactive visuals designed specifically for this album, though we don't yet know whether the live performance will be limited to streaming only (we're already on the bill for NMER Festival, an Argentine dream-pop/shoegaze event taking place in April) or whether we'll finally be able to go back on tour. In the latter case, we plan to expand our lineup with multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Baris on drums.

Howie B

It all happened very simply and spontaneously, thanks in part to my friend Francesca Bono. I was asked to listen to their music and I found it incredible right away. It all started right in the middle of lockdown, in the early days of this cursed pandemic. Our conversations happened by email, by messenger, on video calls, basically "everywhere". Despite the physical distance, there was an immediate connection. For me it wasn't the usual mixing job at all. Since our chemistry was constantly running high, I felt free to get involved more deeply. I worked on it for two months, several hours every day and even on weekends, juggling it alongside another major project still in the works. Our intense conversations were aimed only at getting the best result for everyone. I was also very accommodating, because I have huge respect for them. So I happily went along with most of their choices. When I was then told the deadline, that everything had to be delivered by September, knowing how I usually work I got a bit worried, but then I told myself "ok, I'll do it". And that's what happened. I'll confess, finally, that “Parallel” is one of the records I'm most proud of. Pinhdar's music is wonderful and it stirs the imagination intensely. And that last part, for me, is anything but a minor detail.

I know you're very attached to Italy…

I have a beautiful, intense relationship with Italian music and with Italy. It all began toward the end of the '90s. Back then, I was often in your country performing as a DJ. Milan, Rome, the Romagna riviera: I could never forget those wonderful moments. During that time, I also collaborated with Elisa. I've always learned a great deal from working with Italian musicians, since they're all fundamentally very different from me and therefore full of new things to discover. Working on albums as different from one another as, for instance, those by Elisa and Marlene Kuntz, amplified that even further. With almost all of them, I felt a great freedom of interaction. A harmony that's sometimes rare, one that turns into poetry over lunch breaks. Your country truly holds a special place in my heart.

Speaking of the '90s: what do you think have been the most significant changes in the music industry over the last thirty years?

On the economic side, the changes between the '90s and today have been remarkable. The music industry has seen a frightening rise in costs, followed by an average drop in revenue. That imbalance has brought us to where we are now. Making a living from music today is nowhere near as simple as it might have been twenty years ago. The opportunities have changed. In some ways everything is easier, but in others it's far less profitable. Nowadays, for instance, you can even work while travelling on a train. In that sense, I think it would be foolish to turn down the advantages technology offers. In short, I'm anything but a purist. I'm constantly opening myself up to new experiences. For example, there used to be tons of instruments in my studio. To play, I had to keep moving around constantly. Whereas today everything is leaner and more immediate. Years ago it was also easier to lose something, whereas now you can save everything comfortably without ever running the risk of losing a good idea along the way. Well, this progress makes me happy, but at the same time I can't let myself forget just how serious the overall situation is, and how it keeps getting worse.

How have you spent this last period? And above all: when will you treat us to a new album?

I've spent a great deal of time in my studio in France. I've worked hard on my new album, which will be out soon. It's practically finished, just a few finishing touches left. I've also contributed to a few side projects in Asia. The important thing is to never stand still and to try to stay optimistic, despite everything.

Ride the wave of great music

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