Track By Track: Soular - Love Crash Heal
Soular jumped at the chance to tell us about their recently released album 'Love Crash Heal'.
Albuquerque-based Soular released their new album 'Love Crash Heal' through Astonish Records earlier this year, and when we asked them to talk us through what's on it, they jumped at the chance:
1. 'Love Crash Heal'
A storm of musical ideas. We started with a drum groove and bass melody and then threw another song idea or two in the mix. We really like writing around a basic groove and melody, like some of the dance music and electronic groups that we love do. The lyrical idea of the song is about the cycle of relationships, whether they be romantic or not, where they're tumultuous, sometimes violent, and then peaceful. The next thing you know you're back in the cycle again, and it can make a person quite numb if they're not careful.
2. 'Hush'
'Hush' is a reaction to a world gone mad - it's about reminding our selves to slow down and count what really matters in your life. People seem to be extremely stressed and in a hurry to get everything done faster, more efficiently, and in a perfect way. In the midst of our over-stimulated and A.D.D. culture, we have to remind ourselves and others to slow down. Musically, we wanted people to feel unsettled a bit and to bring some dynamics to the song to help better paint the words.
3. 'Once In A While'
We first performed this song in Idaho with just a guitar and Brian's vocals. The audience emotionally connected to the song immediately, and so did we. It has this sort of timeless Disney love song feel. We can all relate to loving someone and missing them, but never know how to communicate it in words.
4. 'Nothing Left To Lose'
When you go for your dreams, so many people will tell you that you're crazy, lazy, you need to get a real job, et cetera. But you have to do what's in your heart; when you do, it's often costly in many areas, especially in your love life. Things get really complicated, but you have to keep reminding those who you care about that there's nothing to lose here, really. The song also deals a bit with peoples' expectations of you, versus who you really are.
5. 'American Dream'
'American Dream' is about how being an artist is not always in sync with climbing the corporate ladder of success. We had been discussing the whole idea of American culture: greed, pursuits, all that, and how being an artist is not always in sync with climbing the corporate ladder of success. This is a theme throughout the record, and 'the lion' represents what we desire but are afraid to go after because of what people tell us.
6. 'Take Me Away'
This song was written in a living room while we were thinking about dreams you have as a kid, and what you're convinced life will be like versus the reality that begins to emerge later on. It's about the need for real love. We wanted a song that was simple, yet dynamic in melody and arrangement as opposed to a bunch of unnecessary chord changes.
7. 'Faking a Gun'
We love how classical music uses themes and variations that weave in and out of a song. With that in mind, we took melodies and guitar/bass riffs and wove them into another idea, incorporating a vision of futuristic epoch rock. This song deals with people who try to trap and use you for their own end. It is a story of betrayal, love and self-doubt. Stylistically it mixes the Beatles, Bowie, and Queen, with a dash of Rachmaninoff.
8. 'You Taste, You Feel'
This was one of our many spontaneous moments in the Waiting for Tomorrow sessions where we decided to take a simple and incomplete idea and just create it from scratch in the studio. We had a simple song about moving forward in life, then we built some percussive/sonic layers around it. We play beer bottles and sing the didgeridoo-esque drone for this one. It was a blast to just play and sing whatever we felt in the moment. We wanted an acoustic pause or interlude on the record, and this one was perfect.
9. 'Never'
This is a straight-ahead rock song with a tip of the hat to the 80's Brit-rock that we grew up with. Drums. We stayed away from layering guitars on this record, especially in this song. Lyrically, the focus is a seductress that tries to fool everyone into thinking she's an innocent girl. 'Did she play you again? She's everybody's friend.' Maybe you've met her?
10. 'So, This Is The Way It Feels'
We wrote this song intentionally putting the main riff in the bass instead of lead guitar. We incorporated a dance groove, and we play off of the major/minor mode tension while talking about happiness. There is imagery about all the pseudo-celebrities we know, and a life that promises so much more than it can ever deliver.
11. 'It's A Shame'
In our live show, we have several planned chaotic moments where we aren't sure what's going to happen and the tension it creates is a bit scary but exciting at the same time. We literally just played what we felt and sang whatever came to mind. This was definitely a 'stream of consciousness' moment for us in the studio. We all picked up drums and played the percussion at the end of the song.
12. 'Tomorrow Never Comes'
'Tomorrow Never Comes' is a story about people who are always promised something the next day. We also play a bit off the song 'Tomorrow' from Annie. It's easy to promise what you may not have to deliver. Musically, we thought piano would be a fitting main rhythm instrument, as we wanted the song to communicate emotion through dynamic moments.
You can order 'Love Crash Heal' from Amazon by clicking here. Tracks from the album are available to listen to on the band's MySpace.
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