We call walks rehearsal.
Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson They talk about their album of the same name, about nature as a measure of sound, about the paintings of Rothko on its cover and what changes between closing a festival and playing without a time limit in your own room.
SUNN O))) They have been turning volume into a physical experience for almost three decades: sustained notes that accumulate until they fill the body, smoke, robes and a patience that in 30-second music times seems almost an act of resistance. Their tenth album, self-titled and published in April via Sub Popis also the first that Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson They recorded completely as a duo, inspired by walks in the mountains, forests and that feeling of amazement in the face of the enormous. After debuting in Mexico, closing the festival Hypnosis in Quarry Studiosthe duo was preparing for their first show in the country, at ORBE., without a clock in between.
Indie Rocks!: After almost 30 years and seven without a studio album, this new material arrives. First, thinking about the entire discography: what is the inspiration for creating music? Is it life itself or do you take a specific theme between albums and start working on it?
SUNN O))): I have to say, looking back on it, there are so many memories, events and people around that emotional memory when you think about what the inspiration was. We’ve talked a lot about some of those, but with the self-titled album I know we were really inspired by being outdoors, hiking and stuff like that. That was an important part of our decision to work like this. And looking at the album now, it framed a lot of the concepts, the story, the images, the relationship with space and color. Also the visual side. Because music, for me, is dominated by the memory of the landscape when I listen to it, and I love that. It really comes from the heart. It’s feeling: ah, I’m walking through a forest.
GO!: In that sense, hiking and nature are something obvious, natural, but you build a wall of sound between rivers and a lot of distortion. How do you compare that artificial and amplified sound with nature?
S: It’s an inspiration. I think for me, and I think for Stephen Also, there is a connection, or reconnection, with nature, with appreciating its beauty and its size. It’s huge. Going for a hike in the mountains and seeing those huge mountains and trees left me amazed and amazed by the beauty and size. And for me, that’s how I imagine music and how I create it: looking for that feeling, that atmosphere. That has been an influence on me. It is a feeling of wonder. Of greatness.
GO!: It’s an emotion. In general, it’s like talking about the way you enjoy nature through music, right?
S: It’s not so direct. But I think it’s a state of mind that Greg and I have shared for the last eight years. On tours we try to go on several hikes during the day when we can, especially in the Rockies, and bring that vitality. Sometimes we call them rehearsal. For me it is also meditative. That’s how I see this music we make.
GO!: Giving this album your own name: what does it mean to you at this point in your discography and career?
S: It’s interesting, because we always have a lot of discussions about the words we use to frame pieces, songs, compositions. But we don’t talk much about the album. It just seemed, at least to me, very appropriate. It’s the core of the concept: the two of us playing music together. We had never really made an album with just the two of us. The first albums have other musicians. Although most of the writing and performing were Stephen and me, that’s how it all started, and then we added other musicians or other sounds. So it was never really a duo album. The first two albums actually had a bassist: there were three of us playing. And the producer we were working with also added textures and synths and things like that. So it was really cool to make this album, because it’s exactly how it all started in the beginning. But we had never made or released a record that was just the two of us.
GO!: Perhaps a tribute to returning to the roots?
S: I don’t see it that way. I see it as we’ve reached this point now. But I’ve never seen it as something nostalgic about returning to the roots. It’s something refined. For me it is rather the fundamental thing. Of course there are elements of that: there are things in the compositions and riffs They come from the early days, but were reformed and developed differently now. Yes, there is at least one riff from my first album, in fact. But there are others from different parts of the world. And of course, a lot of completely new material. Also things we did in the studio.
GO!: It’s interesting because now we live among the ephemera of social networks. Many people compose music of only 30 seconds to go viral or be trending. But for me, in today’s music industry, it’s a huge gift to have enough time to work, maybe to revisit these riffs and work on them. I think it’s a blessing, and maybe this album works like that: hiking, nature, taking your time.
S: Well, just sitting down to listen to a full album feels like a luxury now. But when I grew up, it was something I did all the time. And that’s interesting, even to me. But I think, really, with all this need for content, it doesn’t take anything away from anything. It actually leaves a lot more room for people to engage with deeper work, in a different way. It’s not one thing against the other. There is tons of space if you take the time.
GO!: Speaking of sound, there is always that wall of sound, even in their logo. It’s like the way they translate music. And along with the sound there is always the visual. On this new album, what was the inspiration for the visual part? How do they visually express the way they work?
S: We had the opportunity to work with a couple of incredible visual artists. The photographer Charles Peterson It really connected with the whole story; It was a dream come true for him. He captured us in the woods in a way that was, I don’t know, really cool. And knowing him too, making that happen. We also got permission to use photographs of two paintings by Mark Rothkowhich is something enormously ambitious. But as with other aspects of this album, it presented itself, it was an opportunity and it was followed up on. It was incredible. It didn’t seem out of reach. It was strange. It fit.
We have talked a lot about the work of Mark Rothko. I think it’s more interesting when fans discover the work of Rothko through our album, or they come back and think: Oh my God, this is perfect, I always thought of the music of SUNN when I saw Mark Rothko. It makes sense. And it is a pleasure to do that: join those links, those connections.
GO!: Also with the photo session, right? The forest: being in contact with nature. What is the difference between a festival show and your own show like the one at ORB.? What changes in the setlist?
S: The time we have. We chose pieces or ideas for last night that basically fit into the time available; It really has to do with that. So today is exciting, because we’re going to be able to expand and not feel any kind of limitation or time pressure, which is what I prefer. But it’s also exciting to work within that framework and say: okay, let’s touch on these ideas that we have. And at a festival, many times the audience is not familiar with the music. So it’s like: this is exciting, maybe these people are seeing it for the first time, maybe it’s something they’re going to connect with, and that’s very exciting. Many times at house shows it is the fans who come. There are curious people who want to have the experience too, but there are many more fans who know what’s coming, or who know our music. So he setlist It’s going to expand today. We can probably stretch a little more than last night. Also the acoustics.
Yes. Last night was very good, because we were down, inside that little quarry. We had walls and things, and especially on the vocal part I could really feel the acoustics of the space. Yes, it is quite different. And also for the visual.
GO!: After so many years making music, what is the secret to continuing and not falling into monotony?
S: Constant openness to exploring different ideas. I feel like we really have no limitations. There’s still excitement about creating music together. It’s like: okay, it could be, who knows what it’s going to be, but that’s what’s exciting. What is it going to be? I don’t know. Let’s find out. Continuing down the path together and exploring is what keeps me excited, what makes me want to keep doing it.
I think it is also having a lot of honesty when expressing ideas. I encourage trying things that push the boundaries, but because you lean on your team and your story, and you like what’s happening, you can trust that those experiments can work. Of course, not always, but over time, I encourage doing it. It’s more interesting.
What inspires you to stay motivated is that the public is also open. We have seen that people are open to what we do, that they connect with it, and that is incredible for us. I’m always pleasantly surprised that people connect with this challenging music and are open to it. We have had very different interactions, we have made very different albums and collaborations. We made an album with Scott Walker. We made an album with Boris. We’ve explored different ideas and people have joined us, which is very exciting.
GO!: For someone who is going to listen to you for the first time, if you could choose one album from your entire discography, what would it be?
S: It depends on the person, of course, on their tastes. Maybe two. The disk with Scott Walker It has a very solid, central piece, but with very different spaces. I would say probably Monoliths & Dimensions either Life Metal. I think they would be a good entry point. They have a lot of color and a lot of different ideas going on. Above all Monolithswhich seems very diverse to me, quite epic. I think it could be a good gateway.
But like he said steveit depends on the person. I think our new album could be something where, if it’s someone really into riffs super heavy, say: ah, okay, this is cool. But perhaps someone more into the experimental thing would enjoy another album. Or if you are someone who listens to black metal, you can identify with another, because of that atmosphere, that aesthetic. It really depends. And that’s what I find most exciting: you can do this, you can do that.
GO!: And finally, individually, describe SUNN O))) in three words.
S: Very strong guitars.
Yes. You can say you are cheating. That’s what I tell immigration people. Or loud guitar music. If they ask me that question at immigration, I say “experimental jazz,” and they immediately let me pass. (laughs)
