Guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants—having just returned home from yet another road jaunt—took the time to speak with About.com about this killer new record; one which just may be the band’s best to date.
MetalGeorge Pacheco: Congrats on Spiral Shadow! It’s only been a single year since Static Tensions. Did this one sort of write itself, and come about as a comfortable situation, generally?
Laura Pleasants: Thank you! It all came together in a rather comfortable way. Static Tensions came out in March 2009, but we completed the recording process of that record in July 2008. So when we started writing for Spiral Shadow the timing felt right. I felt a creative streak, as did everyone; we were all ready for a new record.
Did you already have a plan formulated as to where you wanted to take Kylesa’s sound on this, or, again, did it all happen as a consensual, planned thing between everyone?
We always bounce around ideas before getting together to write a record. We were all roughly on the same page. I knew I wanted to go in a more psychedelic direction and allow more breathing room within our songs. I wanted there to be a lot of movement and flow rather than just have a hard attack. I was looking for a more dynamic sound and I think Phillip (guitars/vocals) thought the same.
We both wanted to write a headphone record - one that will garner a new experience with each listen. I know that when I was writing at home and with Carl (drums), I didn’t pay too much attention as to how different everything was sounding. I knew some of the tunes were different, but they felt right and I didn’t want to try to fake anything.
You seem to be singing more than ever on this new one. Was this something which just sort of happened, or was this something you felt particularly strong about for Spiral Shadow?
Perhaps a little bit of both. Overall, the music called for more singing and less screaming. I listen to the music first to envision a vocal melody or approach that will suit. However, I did want to strengthen my vocal abilities and I’ve already explored my range in screaming, so I thought I’d try to expand my sound. I think it suits the music.
I noticed a restrained, but almost pop sensibility to the structure here…well, as poppy as Kylesa is going to get anyways! Was there a focused decision to really fine tune these songs to the point where the melody and memorability factor really came into play?
Somewhat. We’re all about catchy guitars and vocals. Some of our favorite songs have that element to them. Anyone can write a heavy song or something that shreds. Melody is something that is harder to come by - good melody and
catchiness, at least.
Do you think hammering home the catchiness of the songs is necessarily a bad thing, per se? I mean, I don’t think so at all, but do feel perhaps some of your old fans may yearn for those lean years when you first starting out?
I don’t think so. But I also don’t think that should be the main focus, either. Songcraft and interesting playing is just as important. It’s all about keeping a good balance with all the variables involved. There will always be fans who like your first record the best and yearn for those days. This happens with almost every band.
I can be just as guilty, but then there are many bands where I prefer their later material or just love it all. We can’t be too concerned with people who want us to stay the Kylesa from 2002 or whatever. That’s not realistic. We try to keep true to ourselves and our music, and by this we grow organically.
Isn’t that a sign of immaturity, wanting you to “keeping it real,” despite the fact that you guys as Kylesa are artists and need to grow? Does that ever become frustrating, given the fact that there are a lot of influences in your sound from the crust and sludge worlds: two places where progression isn’t always welcome?
I think we “keep it real” in many ways. I don’t think we did a 180 degree turn or anything like that. Plus, we always try to keep some older material in the live set. I think that if after four albums you are not progressing, then your band is in danger of becoming stagnant. We still sound like Kylesa. There are plenty of heavy riffs on the new record. I doubt those will ever go away. In addition to that, we take influence from far more musical reaches than just crust or sludge.
We made a pact at the start of this band that we would never cap ourselves as to what style of music we play. We felt that we wanted to keep the music in the realm of “heavy,” but have the liberty to branch out at any time we wanted to. And that couldn’t be more true today. If I were stuck playing one style of music, then I would have to have five or six side bands just so that I could get all of my creative juices out. It’s nice to be able to explore whatever you want in one band.
On a happier note, what are your positive memories from those early Kylesa days, and how you first got on the musical road to what you’re doing now? Did the band always possess a diverse array of inspiration from which to take bits and pieces for your songs, and do you feel this has ultimately helped in the long run?
Everything was so new to me in the beginning. I had never traveled the States that much, so I was amped to go anywhere and everywhere and sleep on as many strangers' floors as possible. I met some amazing people when we
started out as I was booking the band. Some of the folks have remained very close friends after all these years. I was very green back then so everything was a new experience - playing live, meeting bands, meeting showgoers, seeing new places, etc. I loved soaking it all in. The same is true when we first went to Europe in 2005. You never forget your first tour or your first tour in a foreign country. I think our grass roots approach has helped us not forget why we do this. We do it because it’s in our blood and we love music.
Since the beginning, we’ve had many musical influences and although it may be more apparent now with our latest release, you can hear it from day one that we weren’t just listening to sludge or crust. I think it’s helped us out in the long run, but it was a struggle at first. The musical climate in 2002 was vastly different than it is now. We did a very heavy trippy release with this band Cream Abdul Babar from Florida in early 2003 and people didn’t know what to think of it.
We were often too weird for punk or too metal and too weird and punk for the metal heads! There wasn’t a lot of cross pollination back then. Taking our own path was the right move, but it’s taken us a long time to get where we are, and we still stick out! But I think that’s a good thing. We have our own sound.
