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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Future Bible Heroes: Synth-pop Vampires Suck Minneapolis’ Blood
Tuesday 29 October @ 17:08:07 |
 by Patrick Smith
“Eternal Youth,” the gift and curse of the vampire’s kiss also happens to be the title of Future Bible Heroes second and latest album. It offers music by Christopher Ewen with Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson of The Magnetic Fields writing the lyrics and singing. Whereas Memories of Love, the Future Bible Heroes’ first album, sounded like a collection of songs, Eternal Youth maintains a continuity throughout the entire record and still does a fair job making each song sound distinct.
I was able to talk to Christopher Ewen and Claudia Gonson about the new album at some length but forgot to press record while speaking with Ms. Gonson, so most of the following quotes/album analysis will be from Mr. Ewen’s perspective. Sorry.
Eternal Youth is not a new wave album and often sounds very different than Memories of Love. There aren’t any songs that sound like “Blond Adonis” or “Real Summer.” This needs to be said, lest listeners think that just because there is an ’80s revival happening, all bands that write with synthesizers are trying to sound new wave. These synthesizers are programmed for wet, cavernous, organic sounds that often make you feel as though you are listening to the catchiest pitter patter of rain you’ve ever heard, not an orchestra in the dark. “Doris Daytheearthstoodstill” is the best example, as the rhythm section is partially comprised of raindrops. Seven of the tracks are strange little instrumentals by Mr. Ewen that drape the whole album in an underworld gloom. Mr. Ewen describes a different approach he had to writing the music on Eternal Youth. “I think we set a mood with the album much more as a whole piece as opposed to just 11 songs. I think that’s the big difference. We didn’t want to make Memories of Love part two. Also, after Memories of Love we got a lot of response saying ‘This is so ’80s’, and I personally couldn’t here that. I made a conscious decision to not make the songs [on Eternal Youth] so ’80s sounding… For the next album we want to try writing things in a different way again.”
Stephin Merritt’s lyrics join in the eerie fun with songs like “I’m a Vampire” and “Doris Daytheearthstoodstill,” about aliens addicted to late-night sci-fi movies. All the songs are not as successful as they might be with different lyrics. “When you’re lying facedown in the snow/ Find an open window/ Then without a sound/ Climb through and just let go” from “Find an Open Window” would kick the hell out of “A Thousand Lovers in a Day”’s line “So you thought I loved you well, I did too but my love has gone astray” if it wasn’t trying to kill itself. I asked Mr. Ewen about vampires and science fiction in Future Bible Heroes lyrics, noting that The Magnetic Fields’ “Crowd of Drifters” and “I Have the Moon” are also both about vampires. “Vampires are extremely romantic figures. I mean, I work in a Goth club. [Laughs] They are these beautiful creatures who wear fabulous black clothes and go floating through the night. We all have a fascination with science fiction and horror movies especially. Christopher Lee is amazing. Vampires are these characters of strength, they are mysterious and beautiful…always. They are literally young forever.” Hence, Eternal Youth.
For the first time ever Claudia Gonson is the lead vocalist on an album. For Memories of Love she and Mr. Merritt split the singing duties right down the middle. Mr. Merritt does sing, but it is a hard to hear background vocals on “Kiss me only with your eyes.” Ms. Gonson brings the correct amount of disinterest to lyrics like “I would rather be the frog speaking tagalog as they start the vivisection.” If she sang that line as though she thought it funny rather than with total sincerity, it wouldn’t work at all. Mr. Ewen agrees. “Claudia has this amazing voice. She takes these weird little instrumental tracks I come up with and makes them very plaintive without being overwrought.” Says Claudia: “I sing in a really simple, unaffected way, but also kind of sad. Songs like ‘Find an open window’ come off serious, whereas if Stephin had sung them they would sound droll. One of the subtle things about this record is that one doesn’t get how really supremely funny it is as quickly as one might if Stephin were singing the songs, because I kind of make them seem more sad and serious. I try to sing in a way similar to Astrud Gilberto, or Alison Statton of the Young Marble Giants, where you use your voice more as an instrument and it’s less about expression than tone. ‘I’m a Vampire’ is the grand exception to that. When I heard Stephin was going to make me rap I thought I was going to kill him.”
Lucky for us, Minneapolis, the Future Bible Heroes are performing live at the Women’s Club Assembly on Nov. 3. I asked Mr. Ewen to explain what the live show would be like given the extensive programming and synthesizers used on the album. “We’re playing songs from both albums and the I’m Lonely (and I Love It) EP. Stephin is singing some songs and we have radically re-worked a couple songs. Everyone gets to do a lot of different interesting things and it’s just the three of us. How we worked on playing everything live was to have a piano, synthesizer, and Stephin is playing ukele and guitar. We all change off instruments. We try to present the music live. There is nothing you will hear live that isn’t generated by one of us.”
Eternal Youth does not sound like any synth-pop album sitting on your shelf, and as always, Mr. Merritt’s lyrics are uniquely his own. Writing an album for Ms. Gonson to sing was a success and should be repeated, though it’s always nice to hear Mr. Merritt’s baritone.
The Future Bible Heroes play the Womens’ Club Theater in Minneapolis on Sun., Nov. 3. 8 p.m. $16.50. All-ages. 410 Oak Grove St., Mpls. 612-339-7007.
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