POETS OF THE FALL (Eng.)
– Hi, thanks for taking your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything going into the band’s camp with the release of your new album?
Hey Tania, thanks for having us. What we’re currently up to is rehearsing the songs and the show we’re taking on tour. Also much of our time goes to talking to media around the world about the new album Jealous Gods.
– First off, you are a band with a huge success and recognition in Finland, but in some other European countries, at least in Spain, you still are a quite unknown band so, would you mind to tell how did the band get together?
Sure, it was back in 2003 when we started out. At first it was just our guitarist, Olli, and myself (by the way, I’m Marko, the singer, hi), writing songs at Olli’s kitchen and sometimes at my place. Olli’s beat up old car was our office, where we conducted our strategical meetings, haha, that’s fancy words for day dreaming. Shortly along came Captain, our keyboardist, who joined us by the time we were working on our first single, Late Goodbye, which was featured in a video game called Max Payne 2. The song became a huge hit around the world and made for a very nice start for us. After that we’ve written and released six albums and one compilation album as Poets of the Fall, and written songs for many other artists and video games like the acclaimed Alan Wake etc.
– As I said, you have just released your new album, entitled «Jealous Gods». How are you feeling about it? Are you pleased with the final outcome?
I have to say I’m very pleased with the Jealous Gods. It was a huge effort to get the album done, as much as we loved working on it, such things never come easy. I’m actually very happy, because it’s an album I keep listening to over and over again, and I don’t even think it’s me singing. I think it’s just good, new, fresh music. Works for me.
– I think «Jealous Gods» is a title that everyone can interpret on a different way but, how did you come up with it? What did you want to express with it?
Yes, I think so too, and so far I’ve heard quite a few different versions of what it means, and for me that’s very gratifying, because the title interests people and makes them think, reflect and contemplate. For me it’s a way of bringing up the topic of irony, twists of fate, dark humour, passive aggressive behaviour and many other interesting subjects.
– This album is the end of a trilogy, of your second trilogy. How do the three albums tie together?
They form an roof idea from “be careful what you wish for” through “things are always not what they seem to be” to “there is so much you already have if you know how to appreciate it”. Then there are the minute musical and lyrical contents, which seem to stretch over the boundaries of albums and even trilogies, from this one to the next one.
– And do you already know what are you going to do next (album-wise)?
There is an idea brewing, yes. 🙂
– «Daze» was the first single for this opus; why did you choose this song? Personally I think it almost sums up what the new album is all about.
We also think that it has certain pointers fixed on the rest of the album material, and because it also makes the hips swing while it strokes the soul, we thought it would make a wonderful calling card for the album.
– You also did a video (really creative I must say) for this tune. How did the whole process go? How much input did you have on the creative direction?
Thank you. For us the video is almost a part of the song, so we do discuss our ideas and views with the directors, to give an idea of what we should like to portray. But we also like to give the director freedom to interpret and make things even more interesting if we can. This way it becomes a mutually gratifying collaboration. With Daze it was pretty straight forward after the script was written. It took two days to shoot, with just about two months to prep in advance and around two more months to edit and finalise after shooting.
– I found the lyrics on «Daze» quite personal, autobiographical maybe so, what do some lyrics on the album deal with?
Well, Daze has the side to it which describes in broad strokes the life a rocker lives on the road, out it can also be seen from other contexts. It also speaks of a tragic tell tale love for something one fears and loathes and the same thing vice versa.
– Anyway I think listeners can interpret them their own way. Is this something you care for when you write?
Yes, very much so. There is enough directness in all the songs to tell a story one can grasp at one go, just by reading the lyrics, but I also try to weave in jabs which help you interpret the words from your own perspective, and then sometimes there are the gossamer layers you really have to listen to if you want to hear them. For me, as writer, those are the most interesting, elusive treasures.
– This about «Jealous Gods» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Great spirit level.
– As I said earlier, you have a big reputation in your country, Finland, but are still a little bit unknown in other countries. What do you think is the main reason behind this? As you have played in a lot of different countries, even in India for instance.
I think things progress at their own pace and I’m not worried. In some countries we may still be a bit unknown, but then in others we are very well known and our audiences are much bigger than in our home country. Sometimes progress is slow for whatever reason and then it may go forward in leaps and bounds. What we find very reassuring is that our fanbase in and outside Finland seems to be growing with every new album and every new tour.
– Part of your career is also linked to video games music. How did this arise?
We’ve written quite a few songs for video games as well as had our music featured in them. This has happened through some wonderful friends we have made in the gaming industry. It has been a blast to have been able to be a part of something so imaginative.
– And how different is it to compose a song for a game than for an album? Will you do something similar in the future?
I think it doesn’t really differ so much from other types of song writing. There is of course the story you have to take into consideration and the musical style has to sit well with the game naturally, but for us those guidelines have always been more of an inspiration than anything else, and so the music has flowed freely. And yes, if there’s a chance, we’ll do it again.
– Finally, what are your near-future plans?
To go on tour and make the best of that time.
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Thank you so much!
