Covering topics from the psychedelic rock scene in Sweden to “held-grudges” with the Pitchfork writing staff, Consequence of Sound had the opportunity this past week to chat it up with the surprisingly vocal bassist of Midlake, Paul Alexander. This came only one day after Alexander and his fellow band mates would kick off their 50+ city international tour at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, in support of their third studio album, The Courage of Others (which was released this past February, through Bella Union).

For this interview, I want to sort of navigate the theme of intention versus interpretation; having you eventually respond to a quote that was offered up by a Pitchfork writer, regarding your most recent release, The Courage of Others.

Okay.

Being that music is such a vulnerable form of art (and life for that matter), do you ever find yourself becoming anxious during the creative process; especially knowing that the time will come where the work(s) will have to be released to the public?

I think with the creative process, you shouldn’t really think about that kind of thing. I mean, the things that we’re always doing is we record, we listen back, and then we think, “Would I listen to this? Do I like it?” And if the answer is no, then you just have to hit the delete button. But if it’s yes, then you’re on the right track. That’s our filter. It’s not like “Oh, who’s going to like this?”
I think we trust our own musical taste enough and if we don’t like it, then we’re not going to be able to get up on stage and perform before an audience. (a beat) Is that a good answer?

(Laughs) Yeah, that’s a great answer. (a beat) I’ve read in prior interviews where Tim has discussed the idea of self-critique on an album, once it’s been released – whether it’s the sound of his voice on a certain verse and so forth. Do you share in this same rearview mirror mentality, as well?

Yeah, I think that’s quite normal for people who are trying to get the best out of themselves. We’re humans and we’re fallible and sometimes there are things we do that aren’t the best. (a beat) When you finish an album, there’s a lot of perspective you have. You know that you did your best on your album, so in that sense you’re proud of it because you worked hard. But, there are always problem. (a beat) There’s a perspective that only hindsight can give you that one is not able to maintain, during the recording process. So sure, at the end of it (when you look back), you can go “Wow man, we didn’t do this right. Or, it’s a shame we never really figured out how to solve this problem or whatever.” Of course, there are specific things that you could improve on. But in retrospect, you learn from it and you think, “Okay, on the next album, we’re going to try to avoid this or that thing.”

Is there a particular song or recording, which sort of comes to mind, when looking back in this hindsight view?

Oh, I’m not going to talk about specifics. I think it is just part of the maturing process in self-evaluation. I mean we of course accept it and we’re very proud and thankful that we get to make albums for a living and we’re very thankful for our fans and that there are people who care about our music. So with that said, we do look at our songs and sometimes go, “Well, maybe that was a little cheesy. Or, why did we record some many tracks on that song? Why couldn’t we have just let it be a simple thing? Or, that’s a silly bass-line (and I play bass), maybe I should just relax a little bit more on that.” It’s a thing that you just learn. (a beat) I’m not going to start dogging one song or another because some people might love it and it may mean something to them, so I don’t want to say I hate it.

That’s what I was kind of hoping you’d get it. It’s like “Oh, I do hear what he meant there. Man, that sucks. Now I’m going to hear that every single time I listen to this song.”

Yeah, and I don’t want that to be the case. I mean you’re talking to someone who can’t be objective about the music. I live it and I play it all the time, so if I have a criticism, it’s not even an objective viewpoint. I don’t need to poison someone else’s mind with it.

I want to sort of discuss the relationship that you and I share, since it is so dependent upon the other. The writer/critic could not exist without the artist and vice-versa.

Sure, sure.

So, as an artist, how do you feel your work should be interpreted/critiqued, if at all?

The interpretation is your job. That’s your thing. My job is to make the best album I can and try to make the music that is representative of the emotion that we have (as a band) and the emotion that we hope to share with other people. It’s your job to figure out if it’s cool or not or if you even like it for that matter. (a beat) To some extent, we are dependent upon each other. Yeah, we have to make a living. We want to be musicians. We want to continue to do this. So yeah, we need your help because you help us sell albums and get people to the shows, which help us keep doing what we do. But as far as the intellectual relationship that we have/share, I don’t know. I mean, I’m thankful for you guys and I also hate you guys. (Laughs) You know what I mean?

I know exactly what you mean, and eventually, I want to transition into this point…

But it’s your job. You have to interpret it. I can’t interpret it for you. I did enough. (Laughs) I made an album.

(Laughs) That is so much more then what I can say. So, when it comes to reviews, do you think a new work should stand-alone or do you believe it should be looked at in retrospect? For example, should I reference Van Occupanther when reviewing The Courage of Others or should I let it stand on its own, as a separate work entirely?

I think, in order to be an objective person, you always have to understand context. Would you agree?

Yeah.

When you’re going to interpret music, you have the history of everything that has ever been recorded and written that comes with it. You have a frame of reference. You have your own personal taste. You have your guilty pleasures. You have everything that’s there, so when you take a Midlake record…“Okay, there’s everything we’ve ever recorded.” So yeah, out of the context, that should give you some perspective. But comparing one album to another is stupid, I think. It’s a snapshot of where a band is when they make an album. Sure, it’s part of a lineage, but…That’s why I think the Pitchfork review is so retarded.

I’m so glad you’ve said that because I have a quote that I want to read you from that review.

I don’t care if he doesn’t like our album. That’s fine. First of all, I know we made a better album and we like it more. I’d rather listen to The Courage of Others then I would Van Occupanther. (a beat) We have different musical tastes. That’s fine. But he did a terrible job of journalism because he compared one album to another. He compared our new album to our previous album and that’s just idiotic. He didn’t do his job.

Let me read this passage to you real fast. I really want to get your thoughts on it…“It was, they’ve said in interviews, an attempt to distance themselves from Van Occupanther…The Courage of Others is a step down on song craft, atmosphere, and apparently, even self-awareness: If you’re trying to distance yourself from something, you wouldn’t plunge headfirst into it, would you?”

If he thinks we’re being redundant with this album, compared to the last, then I guess he just doesn’t listen to music. I mean, I don’t know what planet he’s on, but maybe he should go back to college and start doing something else with his life. I don’t know. (Laughs) But, I guess he can say whatever he wants. That’s fine. I’m not actually angry at the article. I just think it’s sort of laughable. It’s fine if he doesn’t like our music and I understand. (a beat) We made an album that I think was sort of a different album then our previous stuff. To me, it’s quite distinctively different. That’s why it may be a little more polarizing to some people. But, that’s the album that we made and that’s the album that we stand-by and it’s up to people to decide if they like it or not. Hey, there’s a lot of music out there. If you don’t like it, then don’t listen to it. It’s pretty simple. This isn’t heart surgery. We’re making music. I’m not saving anyone’s life here. (a beat) But that’s there business – to make a living off of trying to destroy something. Which is fine, you know. It’s easier to destroy then it is to create.

Do you read Pitchfork frequently at all?

No, no, no. I’m not a journalist and I don’t use that sort of music media to tell me what to listen to. I use my ears. (a beat) I’m not trying to trash Pitchfork, but it’s like “C’mon.”

I know what you mean, though. I’ve heard some bands on Pitchfork where I’m like “Oh, these guys are pretty good.” Cymbals Eat Guitars (from Brooklyn) are a perfect example of this. They’re one of my favorite bands right now. But, as a leading source in music, it seems that they can be pretty pretentious at times.

Yeah, I guess. I mean, we’ve given them more than enough time in the interview, but they do what they do and they did what they did with our album and that’s fine. (a beat) We’re proud of the album we’ve made and they don’t make us second-guess ourselves. And when we make another album, we’re going to do the very best we can with that, as well.

What’s your favorite song on the new album? Is there a track that sort of stands out to you and makes you almost be like “I’m really glad we wrote this”?

For me, “Acts of Man” and “The Courage of Others” are probably my favorite. I like a lot of them, but I’m the most pleased with those two songs, especially for the way we chose to arrange them.

To closeout the interview, could you make a few artist/album recommendations for people to maybe checkout, next time they’re at their local record store or whatever?

Yeah. I’m on my phone; so let me look in my iPod real fast, so I can give you the correct spelling. (a beat) Have you ever heard of an album called Tio Bitar by Dungen?

No, I can honestly say that I haven’t.

That’s mainly the album I’m listening to right now. I’m really interested in its recording and I just like how the band plays. Also, I just started listening to the new Grizzly Bear, just because I’m very curious. I liked Yellow House, so…

Oh, how do you like it?

It’s interesting. I think I like it. (a beat) But by and large, those are the only two new things (“newer” things) that I’ve been listening to lately. Ninety-percent of everything else is older music. I listen to a lot of Motown. I like old country music. I’ve even got some Ian Clark on here. (a beat) Oh, but one of my most favorite things that I’m listening to right now is Bread, Love and Dreams. And that album is called Amaryllis.

What kind of music are they?

Amaryllis by Bread, Love and Dreams is sort of seventies, I think. You’re going to have to look that up though, in order to get the exact year and stuff, but it’s just like British psychedelic folk from the early-seventies. It may be late-sixties. I’m not sure, but that’s sort of something that I listen to a lot. I just like how it makes me feel. I’m used to the psychedelic stuff. (a beat) Midlake is a little psychedelic sometimes, but I’m more of the guy who wants to make us more psychedelic.