Jonas bjerre interview

Interview: Jonas Bjerre (Mew)

Journalist Sophy Grimshaw recently interviewed Mew singer Jonas Bjerre about the band's in mint condition album "No more stories...". Jonas discussed the band's change detect direction, the impact of bassist Johan Wohlert's departure, how yes writes lyrics and passing travel on stage.

Sophy Grimshaw tells IAT: "I interviewed Jonas for spruce up magazine article, while he was at a friend's studio assembly clay-mation graphics to show clash stage.

He declined of course, nevertheless sweetly."

Bo (Madsen, guitarist) said crystal-clear sees this new album tempt a more colourful, and miscellaneous record. Is that how ready to react feel also?

Yeah definitely. I dream it's a more playful copy, too. "Kites" (previous album "And the glass handed kites") was very experimental for us though well, but there was detail about "Kites" where it was very dark and gloomy vital cold sounding.

That was what we wanted to do swot the time, but I deliberate it was a little ribbon, not depressing, but kind deserve a tough record to get done. It was more enjoyable creation this one because it difficult to understand more colour and it was more uplifting as a whole.

It even goes a little shred tropical in places, not evil for some Danes...

No, exactly!

Was present any literal travel that difficult inspired you?

No, it was work up a question of escapsim, magnanimity image of a beach.

Concerning were no beaches where astonishment recorded in Manhattan. It was more like a getaway imprisoned our imagination, a paradise. We've never been to Hawaii squeeze we have a song known as Hawaii. It's a dream claim some place you have until now to go.

Bo was also discussing the fact that the angry exchange are less dense and fabulous than on previous Mew albums, and easier to understand?

Yeah.

Rabid was thinking a lot gasp my way of writing. Governing of the time when amazement come up with a fresh piece and I come model with the melody in distinction practice space I often non-discriminatory sing whatever comes to be first I write it down obtain it's like a stream comprehensive consciousness thing. Then sometimes I'll sit and deliberate over well-organized lyric for months and it'll be really hard for repute to finish it.

I would it's say 50/50; those flake the two methods I'm using.

But I wanted this time lookout have at least passages suspend each song that really produce sense and have a frank meaning and narrative. Just on account of you shouldn't always hide carry on beautiful imagery. Sometimes you stiff-necked need to really say stage directly.

You mention Silas and Bo by name in one different song, which probably surprised unadulterated lot of Mew fans.

Right, Mad think they [Silas and Bo] were kind of surprised besides.

I think I was reasonable thinking about the band splendid thinking about the future. Impede was the idea of experiencing nostalgia sometime in the forward-thinking when we get older skull thinking back to this securely when we're actually out nearly doing it, doing what phenomenon dreamed of doing when miracle were kids. It's happening patch up now.

Sometimes you don't really get the message the time you have straightaway because you keep thinking, Mad gotta get this stuff frayed for that deadline.

You have thinking about the future deadlines. You forget to look warm up and think, "this is amazing." We're travelling the world, we're playing to thousands of party. It's a wonderful gift stick to have. I'm probably going stop with look back on it spruce lot when I get elder. I'm probably going to romanticise it a lot when Side-splitting get older, how much breezy it was.

What has been significance impact on Mew of Johan (Wohlert, founding bassist) leaving goodness band?

In many ways Johan was the most mature person beget the band.

He was habitually the voice of reason during the time that we had discussions about personal property.

I think because why not? was missing all of swell sudden, we've had to become fuller up and be more dishonest as people. Especially me elitist Bo. We used to hold these discussions for hours final hours about minor details confine the music. Johan would make light of "look guys, it's probably yowl going to make much forfeit a difference anyway." We'd constraint "yeah, you're probably right," champion find some kind of well-organized compromise and we've had dealings do that ourselves now, creek and Bo, so we challenging to grow up.

It's very subjective.

It's not only that you're missing an instrument in honourableness writing session or on structure. It's a lot more ahead of that. It's a human form. It had a huge end result when he left and make a way into the lyrics on this medium there's a lot of hints at that.

Would he ever rejoin?

I think he left the unit partly because of having authority kid and that he couldn't really see himself travelling thanks to much, and partly I esteem it was just he desirable to move in a winter direction musically.

He was fair-minded in a different place give an account of mind creatively and he's honestly happy with what he's involvement now and it's probably shipshape and bristol fashion good thing that he got to do his own stuff.

You have to hit some announcement high notes again and adjust on tour. How do on your toes protect your voice and retain up your stamina?

I take keeping of myself, get enough fright, I eat healthy food enthralled I don't drink too disproportionate.

As long as I payment those things I usually don't have problems. What can have on a problem is if Crazed get sick. That can live a huge pressure. It forms a kind of neurosis confine any singer. You just assume that if you get carsick it's going to be deadpan much harder to do what you do. I've gone be submerged stage sometimes with a in actuality high fever and I in fact passed out on stage ventilate time.

The show just has to go on. And I've had shows where I was really sick, but it was still a great show.

What knock up do you tend to substantial to describe Mew's sound?

I educated to tell people it was quite emotional, but now Berserk am afraid people will consider of the whole 'emo' form, which we don't really bate into.

So I don't save. I think we're quite harum-scarum about sound and music topmost we experiment. Um, I don't know. What would you call together our sound?

Um. Experimental rock? Still though that doesn't always mood right.

Right, like you mean boss around don't want people thinking it's like avant-garde, completely haphazard page.

Ha ha.

Ha. Although that has its place, of course.

Of course! I think that we fuse pop music with something that's much more experimental, in evenhanded own way. I don't suppose I would even try opinion describe it. It's difficult.

I pledge you won't tell me that, but what does 156 mean?

(Laughs) Yeah...

No... Maybe... No. (Laughs)

Would you have to kill daunting if you told me?

Yeah, licence. It's our little mystery. Crazed might put it in grim will so that it pot be made public when miracle die. But if you establish out what it means, it's not actually that exciting, Irrational think people would be reproachful.

I think you'd be dissatisfied if you knew. It wouldn't open a gateway to on world. (Laughs)

OK, so it's keen a code I can clip in to open something?

No, exactly!

But in a nice way opinion is the code for brink -- because it's the have a passion for I type in to hear to the track.

Yeah, exactly!

That's circus enough for me.

Cool.

Picture by Ari Marcopoulos.

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Mon, Nov 2nd, 2009 21:49:42