In Deference to a Broken Back

After moving from Hungary to rural Austria I was introduced to The Daredevil Christopher Wright through a mutual friend – an American who lives in Germany (and was visiting Austria); she worked on their artwork while living in Wisconsin.  If all that sounds a little complicated, then listening to The Daredevil Christopher Wright’s new album right now might not really help things.  Musically (rhythmically and vocally) and thematically In Deference to a Broken Back is a deceptively complex and deep album.

Upon a cursory glance, one could be forgiven for thinking much of the album is fairly straightforward in content, but complications slowly arise on closer inspection.  For example, the song Bury You Alive initially appears to be a simple song about romantic interest and settling down together, ‘enough of these polite glances I’d much prefer to stare, will you snuff out your candles and I’ll cut my hair. I’ll find a steady job, until the following line shatters that image completely – ‘and I’ll bury you alive’. The whimsical tune carries on, yet the entire feel of the song has been skewed.  The idea of ‘settling down’ now appears to be portrayed in a cynical light of robbing one of their ambitions, like clipping a bird’s wings.

The East Coast is a song about marriage and seasons in life and this song in particular hit home with me.  It’s written as a one-sided conversation with a brother (edit: not fictional!) who married and moved away (probably living on the east coast!).  Upon returning home he for Easter his brother notices he feels slightly out of place and as if his changes aren’t recognized by those who knew him as a younger man, ‘now that you’re married to you think it has changed you?  She’s oh such a lovely girl and you say that, “everyone keeps thinking I’m the same man from before I met her.”’

Thematically much of the lyrics on this album seem to have sprouted from self-introspection and challenging of life’s conceptions in light of death and faith.  The story behind A Conversation About Cancer was most likely such an occasion.  Lead songwriter Jon Sunde was inspired by an email he received from his mother after she had visited a family friend who had been living with cancer for 5 years.  In his words, “my mother and her friend spoke of David and Goliath and strength and Jesus and illness and hope”.

“Talking about David and Goliath, and how he slew that giant with faith and rocks and slings and things. She gained hope from the story, before she enters into glory. The Father loves her and that’s stronger than cancer and she’s teaching me, she’s teaching me, she’s teaching me.”

Death features prominently in this album, in fact the first, fourth, tenth, and final tracks all end in the death of a character – in some cases factual, others fictional  (as is the case of the entirely imaginary daredevil Christopher Wright).

Unexpected death causes us to reconsider our lives and our faith; the climax of Clouds appears to be inspired by such an event, “I want all the answers to life’s big questions. Is that too much to ask? For once in my life I wish the clouds were more clear.”

Ultimately death and the hard questions of life are inevitable, but Jon, in Conversation about Cancer, concludes that he needs to continue to live by faith,

‘If heaven is the place that we’re going we won’t have to be dealing with what we’re dealing with here. No one will be sick, no one will be able to inflict all the things that we seem to insist on, to conflict on, to resist on, to exist on…

…and I was encouraged.’

The Daredevil Christopher Wright on Myspace
Free Daytrotter Session

Fever Ray

Karin Dreijer Andersson, best known as one half of the electronic duo The Knife, has used a similar melodic template in her solo album released under the moniker Fever Ray.  The first striking difference however, is a lack of emphasis on pulsing beats, which shifts the focus even more to her wildly unique delivery and vocal processing.

Her voice, like a more-eccentric Björk (and proof that such an idea were even possible) is the foundation to Fever Ray’ sound.  Some musicians treat their voice as just another instrument that contributes to the sound of a song, but to Karin the voice is the sound.  Her voice is manipulated and tweaked to such a degree that it defines the character of each song; and character is the key word here as Karin uses each unique vocal delivery as a representation of the true voice(s) of the song.  Karin began working on this album just after having her second child and this has influenced her work greatly – most songs are sung either through the perspective of a mother (Karin herself) or her children.

For example, the cold and near-emotionless voice in the opening track If I Had a Heart seems to be that of a mother yearning to give more affection but who’s love is constantly restrained by weariness – “If I had a heart I could love you, if I had a voice I would sing”.

The sludgy Concrete Walls draws a strong contrast between the homebound isolation and trials of a mother with newborn children versus the joy and warmth that can be experienced – “I live between concrete walls…I leave the TV on and the radio…eyes are open and mouth cries, haven’t slept since summer…in my arms she was so warm”.

The child in When I Grow Up however, sounds carefree and full of life singing such lines as,“When I grow up I want to be a forester, run through the moss on high heels” and possesses the quirkiness one would expect from a wide-eyed child, “last night I drew a funny man with dog eyes and a hanging tongue”.

Interestingly, the only song with an unprocessed voice is Keep The Streets Empty for Me, in which the primary character – a deer – roams the streets at dawn praying for protection; possibly used as a metaphor for a mother providing for her children.

The dual-vocal in I’m Not Done seems to portray both an aged and wise Karin alongside a younger version of herself, both declaring that their resolution in continuing to make music; however the duality of the vocals imply that Karin’s priorities and ambitions have changed from since she first began.

Always theatrical, (almost) always masked

Looking at the album mas a whole, Karin often seems to contrast the carefree benefits of childhood with the responsibility of an adult.  My current favourite lyric is found in Seven, “Accompany me by the kitchen sink, we talk about love, we talk about dishwasher tablets, illness, and we dream about heaven”. To me this line undermines the possible tedium of daily life and personal responsibilities when seen through the lens of eternity.  We may talk about what occupies our time, but we dream about what inspires us and motivates us to believe there is meaning in our actions and sacrifices for others.  Do we give out of duty or out of love, like that of a mother?  What motivates us and guides our choices in life?

“I think most things you read as a parent are about how it’s all fluffy and wonderful, but when you become a parent, you also get drawn into all these new perspectives. You get a totally new look on – at least I did – on life, and also death.” – Interview with DrownedinSound.com

Fever Ray on Myspace
Recommended Interviews: The Quietus,  The Tripwire,  Drowned in Sound