An Interview With Norway’s Ai Phoenix (page 3 of 5)
KR: Do you feel a kinship with or influence from any American bands like Low? I hear a little of them in your style. It also seems you’ve absorbed an influence from cinema and film music, as on the “Moulin Rouge” song and in some of the evocative passages on other songs.
Patrick Lundberg: We can agree with your comparison with Low, but I cannot say that they have influenced us. Others have, like Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Vic Chesnutt, Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Stina Nordenstam… as a songwriter I get motivated by any good song. Furthermore, the filmic (sic) element has always been a part of our music, the reason being that we are fascinated by movies. As a result this is an integral part of several songs, both when it comes to lyrics and melodies. The recording of a song may be done on first take, but the process of selecting songs for a record takes a long time. Each time we’ve had about thirty songs to choose between before we decide to make it a record. This selection is just as important as the recording.
MM: I think this focus on similarity does not necessary lead you to the source of inspiration. I am more than anything else inspired by how certain artists balance certain elements. The elements are not even very important as long as the mix is fascinating. Cohen has always inspired me. His mixture of privacy and distance, of sadness, anger, joy and gratefulness breaks my heart. But, however hard I try, you would probably not say that I sound like him. The atmosphere and stories from books, films, paintings, operas and everyday life can all be inspiring. I guess it’s something like this: It hits you and it makes you aware of things in your own life, and then you want to make it a new story, not necessarily about yourself or anyone specific, but connected to your surroundings and with your own words. I’ve always appreciated when a review “gets to the point”. Like one where our first album, FILM, was compared to the atmosphere of a novel by an American author. You see a normal, nice and organized town, but then you realize that it’s all made of papercards and the slightest wind would turn it all into chaos. I don’t mind the connection between our music and a glass of wine and candles. But I really appreciate this kind of sensitivity for the nuances. This scary thing underneath it all exists for us in many of the songs, and it’s nice to see it recognized.
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