I think the album has definitely a big blues influence. We've tried to keep our approach to recording minimal. With this I mean that if there's a specific melody or some element that epitomizes the song's strenght, then well keep it as the guiding thread. The song developes around a single sound. This doesn't mean that everything is going to be uptempo and heavy. Our song Angel, which people could listen to when we showed the video at our press conference, and which is still at development stage, is heavily influenced by blues, but it's very minimalist at the same time. It's without a doubt a reference to a certain style. The guitar sets the tone, but it is, at the same time, a very electronic album, both from the production and performance points of view. Although there's a part with a guitar sound, we also incorporated a guitar amp and then manipulated the sound through modular synths... even from the lyrics point of view, some can be very personal, at least from my own perspective - but at the same time they give a look to the outside to reflect what's happening around us. In my case they show how what's happening in the world affects me at any time.
The interviewer asks if he feels like Angel's lyrics say: “Confused and contented / I was flipped around with fears beyond me / I was lost I was found / I found the peace I’ve been searching for”
For me, it's a contradictory process. It's stirring. You lose something, but win something else. It's taking a position. And you can obtain a possitive result from all of that. Sometimes, closing a door reveals the existence of a bigger one waiting to be opened. But the courage needed is a different story. That's what I ment about the blues presence in the lyrics and performance. For example, Angel is some kind of protest, of constant lament... an overturnig of emotions... I think it's a more mature sound for the band. i believe that, both in the musical aspect and the lyrics, the album reflects who we are nowadays, not who we were or who we will be.
In one of my songs I sinng: "Your lies are more atractive than truth". It summarizes the way I can't manage my life. It may give me a momentary pleasure, but the consequences, at the end of the tunnel, are so big... So, the verse ends: "What i want is love". This can be considered as selfish, but it's also who I am, or who I'm trying to be. Very often, when I write lyrics like that, it's not until I sing them and listen to the song later that the song starts making sense for me. Another verse from this song is: "Your arms are infected / They hide the truth". For me, this sentence is a reflection about anything that comes with an addiction, either drugs, alcohol, love, sex or anything. We get infected with those traps, which end up controlling ourselves. For me, anything that exercises control leads to having a problem in the end. So, for me, being able to transform those words into music and then seeing them being performed (interpreted? not sure) allows me to learn a lot about myself. It's something magical, what happens with music. It allows you to identify yourself with those contradictions. There are also other song on the album - for example, a ballad with a strong blues/gospel feel. I think it's one of the best songs Martin has ever written. Singing it was some kind of exorcism for me. I guess it made me feel the same a fan feels when he listens to a song for the first time. I've learnt a lot from Martin. He writes with so much honesty. That the important thing, the better song is the one which pictures a situation. It may have a ficctional component, but in every Johnny Cash song I've always felt that he was talking about his own life. It's not a fake.
About influences and references for his new songs:
Lots of things. I'm constantly influenced by my friends, family, films, by a straightforward sentence or a song. In the last few years, one of the most inspiring men has been Mark Lanegan. I love the constancy, the tranquility of his voice.
(The interviewr says the term synth pop seems to be relegated in contemporary electronic music.)
Unfortunately, one thing that the development of electronic music has eventually broght is lazy musicians. They use technology in a abusive way. I am aware that I could say the same about guitars or drums in traditional music... there's music and there's bad music. The thing is, there's dreadful electronic music around, produced for instant gratification only. Very often, and coming back to our album, the easiest way is not the best. You have to earn respect. A person can listen to our albums and feel the affection we put in them, the growth and maturing in that journey.
(Some third person sentences: gahan supports Obama, Pussy Riot, and the second country of the upcoming tour is Greece,whose citizens -as in Spain-, are bearing a huge crisis:)
I believe music unites us, while politics and religion divide us. That's the way I feel when I perform. Having said that, I'm getting older, and I see my children growing in a world that still adopts those dividing options.
We are coming to a point where a change has to be made. I don't think it's going to be easy. It's going to take some time and is going to require a big effort from everybody, as Obama says. People from the USA don't like hearing that, because they think if they work hard, they'll eventually have a reward. But this doesn't work anymore! Lots of things are changing in the world. i'm so fortunate that sometimes I feel ashamed. I have many friends in my country and in New York that are having a hard time. In the end, you have to help others to help yourself.
But you have to take care with extremes. Music is for me the the most important teacher I've ever had and it lifted me up when I needed it. But it's also the case with films and soundtracks. They can change your life. Even if they are a negative experience, they can make you to work harder for your goals.
