STACK Issue 151 May 2017

72 / 92

recorded almost everything at a
studio, but a couple things (like
that piano) were recorded at home
and mixed in later.
A few years ago you encouraged
‘listening experiments’ with the
last album; one person tweeted
about seeing how it synched
up as he/she drove down the
710 freeway.What experiments
would you like to see happen
with this record?
As a matter of fact I've come
prepared with some suggestions
of possible ways to listen to this
album:
1) Turn down the lights, fire up a
doobie, and get into this album.
2) Drive out on a desert road in
the dead of night, roll down the
windows, turn the heater on juuust
enough, and blast this album.
3) Repeat option #2 but along a
coastal highway instead.
4) Get some headphones on
and suspiciously stake out a bank
(please don't actually commit
crimes)
5) Have a special somebody
over, light some candles, pour a
couple glasses of red, put this
album on and see where the
evening goes.
6) Put this album on, mute your
TV and watch the Planet Earth
series.
7) Put this album on and think of
things to do while listening to this
album. ZKR
imagine the narrative arc of
the tracklist to go?
I love albums. I love the
experience of listening
to an entire album from
start to finish, much
like reading a book
or watching a film. I
love how one song
can shape another by
context, or how you can
create or find a story
within the album. So
when given a chance
to make an album
myself I decided I'd
try to facilitate that
experience as best
I could. Connecting
songs and having
themes reoccur
throughout the album
help (in my mind)
to make it more of a
listening experience from which
listeners can create their own
stories, draw their own images
and so on.
On Bad Night At Black’s Beach,
it sounds as if there’s a proper,
real, old piano in there – an
ancient honky-type
one.Where did it come
from?
That's my piano at
home! It's not totally
in tune, so it has that
saloon quality to it. It
appears on a handful of
songs throughout the
album. I'm glad it stood
out a little to you! We
L.A.
TAKEDOWN
10 MAY 2017
Do you think of LA as its own
character on this album, or
within your life?
I think one can't help but be
influenced by their environment,
so in that sense absolutely.
Otherwise I think the album and
band is more influenced by the
products of Los Angeles -- the
films, images, sounds; mostly
works of fiction that come from
Los Angeles.
Apparently you and the band
watched Columbo in the studio
in between recording or writing.
How did he become a part of the
II world?
My wife and I are huge
Columbo fans and we can't help
but spread the Columbo gospel,
so when it came time to record
visit MUSIC NEWS
(and knowing how much
down time there is in the
recording process) I brought out
my complete Columbo box set and
we just jumped right in. I think the
band took to him well. It's hard to
say how Columbo has influenced
our sound... Maybe I'm trying
to achieve something musically
Columbo -esque with the music of
L.A. Takedown? Build suspense
and mystery, tell a
little story with some
interesting characters and
neatly tie it up with a nice
resolution. Formula that
works every time.
Some songs meld into
each other, some fade
out completely. Does
that reflect how you
DIANA KRALL
continued
Turn Up
The Quiet
by Diana Krall
is out May
5 via Verve/
Universal.
Read the full interview online at
II by L.A.
Takedown is
out May 12 via
Domino.
Aaron Olson, the man behind eclectic and
magnetic instrumental group L.A.Takedown,
answers our keen questions about new album II.
Full of joy, free-spirited hope and vivid love, Turn Up The Quiet
is the latest masterpiece from jazz pianist Diana Krall. For
this album, she assembled three highly accomplished bands,
which include the talents of drummer (and hip hop producer)
Karriem Riggins, Grammy Award-winning violinist Stuart
Duncan (Nashville Bluegrass Band), and Grammy Award-
winning bassist John Clayton Jr. (Whitney Houston, Quincy
Jones). "I have thought about these songs for a long time,”
Krall said of the release. “Being in the company of some of my
greatest friends in music allowed me to tell these stories just
as I'd intended. Sometimes you just have to turn up the quiet
to be heard a little better." ZKR
PAUL
WELLER
Over his last two albums,
Paul Weller has absorbed
– and indeed mastered – a
plethora of divergent musical
influences and styles. On
A Kind Revolution , Weller’s
unceasing musical edification
continues unimpeded.
The songs here are a
disparate collection. Nova
tethers Split Enz’s stark synth and the quite brilliant Long, Long
Road taps deeply into reflective Northern Soul. The Cranes
Are Back proffers a beautifully crafted late night soul melody,
while the smooth delay-driven One Tear features Boy George on
vocals. The final track, The Impossible Idea, wouldn’t feel out of
place on a Doves record and provides the perfect closer.
From a musician whose creativity and artistic capacity
improves with every passing year, A Kind Revolution is yet
another accomplished step in Weller’s enduring career.
Words Paul Jones
A Kind
Revolution by
Paul Weller is
out May 12 via
Warner.