“There are these intangible objects and ideas that
we can’t reach or see,” says Kylesa guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants. “We
were kind of dealing with a lot of these philosophies while writing this album.
The idea of Ultraviolet light is a nice visual metaphor for the whole thing.”
The whole thing, of course, is Ultraviolet, the band’s sixth full-length album since forming right
after the turn of the century. Drawing from the hazy, yet heavy-handed
soundscapes from previous efforts, while simultaneously following the band’s
tradition of pushing their own envelope, Ultraviolet
sees Kylesa reach new heights, both sonically and cerebrally. Among the most
notable aspects of Ultraviolet is the album’s dark and often chilling vibe. As
if it wasn’t obvious from the swirl of anger and confusion permeating from
Pleasant’s voice throughout the album, the pain and emotional tumult that went
into Ultraviolet is as real as
anything set to tape. Laura’s co-pilot and fellow guitarist/vocalist Phillip
Cope explains why the band’s newest album is also their darkest.
“Rough times, man,” laughs Cope. “During that period
of time after Spiral Shadows, things
got a little rough here and there. Because we were writing on and off during
that time period, I would say this album came across as significantly darker.
Some of what went on, we talk about and some is better kept to ourselves. I had
some health problems and Laura was dealing with death in the family. Everything
that went on effected how the album came out, but we weren't writing to say,
‘Oh woe is us.’ We approached it with the idea that everyone goes through these
things and we all deal with it at some point.”
As darkness always does eventually give way to
light, the creative minds behind Ultraviolet
used the album as beacon to guide them ashore from rough waters. “The writing
process was really hard for me, says Pleasants. “When I write, I allow myself
to open up that part of brain and psyche, which leaves me vulnerable and
emotional. The writing process for Ultraviolet
was a difficult and emotional process.” Once the demons had been exorcised,
Pleasants and Co. were able to put the rubber to the road and etch their
emotionally-charged sonic masterpiece in stone. And doing so was a much
healthier process. “Recording the album
felt really good,” adds Pleasants. “I was confident about the material and it
felt good to sing and play everything.”
The writing process for Ultraviolet wasn’t all doom and gloom, and crafting the album also
gave Cope, who has donned a producer’s hat almost every time Kylesa has entered
the studio, plenty of room to play with a new box full of toys. One of those
toys, the Theremin, which was a cornerstone of the psychedelic rock sounds from
the 60s and 70s, quickly became one of Cope’s favorites. “When Corey [Barhorst,
ex-bassist/keyboardist] decided to leave the band, that left the keyboard spot
open, which I happily took over. I had a lot of free reign over that. It was
really awesome to pick up something new like that. I had already been playing Theremin
for a while so I had some tricks up my sleeve. Carl [McGinley, drums] had been
experimenting with electronic drums at the same time, which we also had a lot
fun with.”
The Hawkwind-ish space-prog vibe spawned from the
Theremin is only one of the many ways that Ultraviolet
is Kylesa’s most expansive record to date. The band’s ability to grow is
something that Cope accredits to several different factors, one of which being
his dual role as songwriter and in-house producer. “There’s no set rule in the
band that says I have to be the guy to do it and I certainly wouldn't mind
working with other people. It’s really just that no one understands what we
want more than I do. I’m around everyone in the band all the time. When I’m at
practice or we’re writing I can hear an idea as it’s coming out and say,
‘that’s totally possible,’ or ‘that’s going to be a complete nightmare.’ So
there are certain advantages with me being around all the time versus someone
else who isn't That’s not to say we won’t ever roll the idea out and the time
may come when we do bring someone else in for an album. If I ever feel like I’m
not learning or figuring new stuff out where producing is concerned, that would
be a good time to go with someone else.
Fortunately I keep learning new things with each album and have been
able to pull new tricks out of my sleeve.”
Balance, Cope contends, is key to keeping things
moving forward both in the studio and in the jam room. “The main thing is that
I have to keep in mind that everyone in the band needs to be able to express
themselves in the way they want. As a songwriting, I have to step back a little
bit and make sure they have the room they need to get their ideas out. As a
producer, I need to make sure those ideas sound as good as they can.”
As songwriters, Cope and Pleasants have formed a
bond over the years that allow the pair to evolve as one without putting so
much as a thought behind the actual growth process. The end result is an
organic cultivation of ideas that eliminate any need to force things in one
direction or another. “Phillip and I will have discussions about creative
process or what we've jamming on or listening to, but there general ideas and
we give each other complete creative freedom to try thing,” says Pleasants. “We
have this chemistry together after working so closely over several years which
allow us to be comfortable with giving each other that space.”
“We always push ourselves to grow each time,” adds
Cope. “We never try to settle into a normal way of doing things. This album is
just us staying true to how we've always been. I want to try new things and so
does Laura. We just go for it and stick with what works. “
Though Kyelsa was born in the trenches of the
underground/indie scene and proudly remains there to this day, there’s no
arguing that since the release of 2009’s Static
Tensions and subsequent tour with
Mastodon, the band’s stock has been steadily rising. Fortunately, succumbing to
the pressure of success has left the band’s approach to their music unaffected.
In fact, they’re probably clinging to their indie-bred values now more than
ever. And it only takes a single spin of Ultraviolet
to hear the band’s integrity full intact. “It’s easy to stick to your formula
or your comfort zone, just out of habit, but we’ve never really liked doing
that,” says Pleasants. “It gets boring after a while. Plus, it becomes a
challenge to think of new things that you’re into and how to incorporate them
into the context of Kylesa. That’s what we’re interested in doing and that’s what
we’ve always been interested in doing, but without alienating ourselves from
our fan base or who we are as a band. I think that Ultraviolet is very much a Kylesa record.”
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