Still In Rotation: Andy Bull On His Instrumental Side Quest
We make no secret of our love for Andy Bull around here. Less like a friend and more like a younger, considerably more gifted brother, he's someone whose every musical twist and turn we've followed, championing his work at every opportunity and even having the pleasure of exclusively pressing his brilliant Sea of Approval on vinyl. So when Andy heads off in an unexpected direction, we're naturally all ears.
His latest adventure is a curious one. Having built a career around one of the most distinctive voices in Australian music, Andy has decided to make a largely instrumental record. The first taste, 'Páme, Páme', finds him exploring new creative territory, guided by synthesisers, soundtracks and a desire to let the music speak for itself.
We caught up with our old friend to discuss his self-described "side quest", the freedom of making music without words, his wonderfully unserious ambient alter ego and what comes next in the most excellent, interesting and ever-expanding Andy Bull universe, which, at this stage, is leaving the MCU in the dust. Join us......
But first .... Listen!
OUR CHAT WITH ANDY BULL
Andy! Welcome back, old friend. You've described yourself as being "currently on a side quest". What does that look like in the Andy Bull universe?
“Great to be back again. I’ve been making (mostly) instrumental music. When I put out Collapse In Bliss two years ago, I included the instrumentals. I realised they worked in their own way, so I set about making some new music that was intentionally less vocal heavy. Without a voice and words front and centre throughout, the other elements become lyrical, and conventional narrative perspectives aren’t required, which is kind of a nice relief. There’s also something special about the way the listener’s own experience integrates into music that is either purely instrumental or that uses voices in a more diffuse way than in, say, pop music.”
You've got one of the most distinctive and beautiful voices in Australian music, so naturally you've decided to release a song without it! What's behind that decision? Is there something you're finding you can communicate through instrumental music that you can't necessarily express through singing?
“Because my voice is distinctive, I assumed that the albums I made would always need to revolve around my voice. But it’s a relief to break free a little, and a relief to make meaning without having to make literal sense. As an aside, over the last couple of years I’ve been trying to say less and be more succinct, so maybe it’s connected to that, too.”
When we last spoke, you mentioned having completed an instrumental album built around live drums, synthesisers and influences ranging from film and computer soundtracks to dungeon synth. Is 'Páme, Páme' our first glimpse of that very record, or has the project evolved into something else entirely?
“Yes, that’s right, 'Páme, Páme' is the first release from that record we spoke about. An unusual but genuine mix of inspirations.”
You've previously explored more ambient and experimental territory under your other musical project, Sera Nord. What made you decide this particular music belonged in the Andy Bull catalogue rather than under that identity? Where do you draw the creative distinction between the two?
“Well, Sera Nord was a very unserious experiment to see if I could generate millions of streams doing very low effort ambient music. It’s yet to generate millions of streams, but it was fun to make. I mean, it took about 2 hours to do a whole album. In the cases where generic ambient drone tracks do go on huge DSP curated ‘meditation’ or ‘sleep’ playlists and generate millions of streams, I suspect that there is some sort of clandestine behind-the-scenes arrangement that has taken place quite aside from the music. I’d love to know how that all works, and how to be both incredibly lazy and also very lucrative, but it’s all a bit cloak and dagger. Anyway it was a fun experiment and the Sera Nord music will put you to sleep, or your money back.”
I'm curious about your recent duet with Raph Parpex. Did that collaboration influence the direction you're now heading in, whether in terms of production, musical ideas or simply the freedom to approach your craft from a different perspective?
“That was just a really wonderful experience and another confirmation that as an independent recording artist, it’s your prerogative to do whatever you like. Making 'Jamais Aimé' with Raph (originally from France, now living in LA, and who I met on MySpace so long ago) was a dream.”
Tell us about 'Páme, Páme' itself. Where did it begin, what's the significance of the title, and what were you hoping to evoke musically? Without lyrics to guide the listener, do you find yourself thinking differently about how a piece tells its story?
“Páme means ‘let’s go’ in Greek. I married into a Greek-Australian family and that’s been a beautiful and educational part of my experience of life. That’s where I got the phrase. To me, much of this new music is strongly from the feeling of going somewhere, or the longing to experience the kind of awe you might feel while travelling, moving through actual spaces and imaginary ones. It feels like it’s all about moving. So 'Páme, Páme' seemed like the right idea, and sounded like the right words to sing.”
You've described the forthcoming album as "mostly instrumental". Does that mean we'll still hear that glorious voice of yours somewhere on the record?
“There are a few places in some pieces where I have a really strong melody that I want to sing. I still have some time to add things. The trouble I keep finding is that words to go with the melody are not forthcoming, like, somehow the words break the spell. So I’m not quite sure how I will resolve that. I’ll keep checking in on them and seeing what happens.”
Something I've always admired about your work is the way you seem willing to follow an idea wherever it takes you, even when it might confound expectations. Do you feel more creatively liberated these days, or does releasing music that moves away from what audiences know and love about you still come with its own peculiar anxieties?
“Well, I look for inspiration, and then I use what I can find. There is trial and error as I try to work out how to do things, but my constraints, where they exist, are unrelated to expectations and more about time, perspective, and brain power. I have standards for myself, I try to live up to them or evolve them. I don’t expect anything secondary to come from it, and in return I get to enjoy a kind of mental freedom and live a basically creative life. Having fun is extremely important to me.”
One thing that stayed with me from our last conversation was your description of all your music existing together in an imaginary palace, with different rooms you could revisit whenever you pleased. I loved that. Does this instrumental album represent an entirely new room in that palace, or is it somewhere you've been quietly spending time for years?
“Yes, the palace! To me, this album could be like a garden there, or a field with some overgrown ruins.”
Finally, what does the immediate future look like in Andy Bull world? How close are we to hearing this mostly instrumental album, will there be opportunities to experience the music live, and is the side quest becoming the main adventure, or are there still some glorious pop songs waiting for their moment?
“The next song to come out from this album will be 'In The Shadow Of The Fountain At Ponte Sisto', and it releases on December 4th. The title comes from a day I had once in Rome that I still think about very often. And then we’ll just keep going from there.”
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