the afternoon after .... {November 1, 2009}

Thoughts of penmanship tire me (yup, too many drinks last night), thus I will seize this warm, bright afternoon, defy my lazy inclinations, and break out for a short hike. My soundtrack: Land of Talk's 2008 album, Some Are Lakes, plus their new EP, Fun and Laughter.

Yep, it's all in happy preparation for Land of Talk's performance tomorrow night in San Francisco. I discovered the band after witnessing the band's vocalist/guitarist, Elizabeth Powell, perform with Broken Social Scene in 2008. Land of Talk is back on the road after canceling their tour last year, and based on the new tracks, I think it is going to be a fantastic performance. Lizzie has such a distinctive, gorgeous voice—& mixed with those guitar riffs, o my!

Lizzie was kind enough to answer a couple questions on their EP and the newly-launched tour—plus give me a few details on whether or not Broken Social Scene is recording a new album. Have at it:

Hi Lizzie! I hope you are having a lovely day, and thanks so much for taking a few moments to answer my questions. Frankly, you sound fantastic on Fun and Laughter. I read that you underwent vocal chord surgery last year, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear how strong your vocals sound on these new tracks. I'm curious to know if the surgery changed anything for you. Was the recovery process difficult?


Actually, I did not end up having the surgery. We cleared my schedule indefinitely, and I healed on my own terms. I had pre-existing nodes on my vocal cords which would have healed had I taken a year off—which was not an option for me at the time ... or so it seemed that way. My voice was constantly competing with my guitar and the cymbals so I was pushing way harder to get the sound out, which put my body in a constant state of tension. I eventually developed a polyp on my left vocal cord, was warned by my ENT Doc that it would hemorrhage and potentially burst, and despite her advice went on tour with Broken Social Scene as opening band and as singer/guitarist. Sure enough, my polyp bled out, engorging the surrounding tissue and thus basically paralyzing my vocal chords. They couldn't vibrate, so we canceled all tours for 6 months. I wrote in a note pad for 2 weeks instead of speaking. With a ton of effort, I quit most of my bad habits. I started singing lessons with super rehabilitative vocal coach, Marcin Brzezinzki. In-ear monitors, acupuncture, good night's sleep, eating well, learning how to calm my brain and relax, following the great advice of hardworking, great singers—Basia Bhulat, Leslie Feist, Lisa "Cowbella" Iwanycky. I am very grateful for their care, concern and help. I'm sure I will slip into old singing habits and go through vocal problems in the future, but will be able to identify and deal with the issue instead of pretending it's not happening and then subsequently freaking out and feeling helpless.


So after all of that, did you purposely set out to do something different with the new tracks on Fun and Laughter?


Nope, it's just the way it came about. The vocal injury had a lot to do with it. I guess I was just working the best way I knew how under the circumstances.


The new EP boasts 4 new songs and 3 videos. What inspired the mix?


While I convalesced I began recording ideas on garageband. I would record vocal sketches super softly in my closet—I don't know why there. My voice sounded so weak and terrified so I would drench them in guitar effects plug-ins like "British Invasion", "Dreamy Shimmer", "New Nashville", etc—in an attempt to boost the guts of my voice. All of these songs ended up on Fun and Laughter and the new album we just finished recording, but Jace stripped the layers of muck and pushed my voice into the light, as I see it.


Your tour kicked off a few days ago. How is it going so far?


We're having a blast. Because we weren't sure how far I could push my voice we booked very little press and we added more days off. So this is actually the most relaxed I've ever been on the road.


So are your performances faithful to the original recordings? Or do you prefer to change things or introduce new elements in a live setting?


Arrangement wise, mostly faithful. But I'll make subtle tweaks here and there depending on how I'm feeling on any given day.


After the tour, what's next for the band? You mentioned a new album, yes?


We just recorded the full length at Breakglass Studios in Montreal with Jace Lasek from Besnard Lakes. We have recorded everything but Some Are Lakes in that studio. It's a great place to make music and Jace is one of the few people I can actually work with in a creative capacity as well. We keep touring until the holidays and then we put finishing touches on the album and head back out on the road next March.


You have a new band member. I read that the new videos for "Troubled" and "The Man Who Breaks Things" were directed by your new bassist, Joseph Yarmush, while the animation piece "It's Okay" comes from WeWereMonkeys. Each video has a very different aesthetic. Could you talk about this a little? How did Joseph come to be involved in the video-making process for these songs?


Joe figured out a way to do both videos for a price we could actually afford we jumped at the chance. He's the band's visualist. It started with him taking photos of the band before he was even a member. When Chris left the band, Joe was the first person I thought of. He also plays in a Montreal band called ZEROES whom I love so it seemed like a great fit, and it turned out to be just that. He just knows how to marry audio with visual. I like the way he sees things—shapes, light, color. We share a lot of the same reference points and inclinations. You should see the projection show he has put together for the set. Rad and magical is all I'll say. He works with an editor named Petros Kolyvas mostly and they also just did the new Young Galaxy video.


Looking forward to seeing it! Okay, one final question: Do you know if Broken Social Scene is working on anything? Any plans to contribute to the next album? I hope so!


I know they recorded a ton of tracks in Chicago and are continuing to record in Toronto, and that there is a song waiting for me if I can carve out a window in my tour schedule this fall—I hope so too.


Lizzie, I saw you perform with BSS at the Outside Lands Festival over a year ago. It was a wonderful performance and San Francisco is elated to have you back! I'm sure you'll love Cafe du Nord. It's cozy and exquisite—one of the best spots in the city. See you soon.

Thanks so much and see you at the show hopefully!

 May You Never - Land Of Talk    |  website

Tour Dates
Monday, 11/2, San Francisco, CA, Cafe Du Nord: Tickets!
Wednesday, 11/4, Portland, OR, Doug Fir Lounge
Thursday, 11/5, Seattle, WA, High Dive
Friday, 11/6, Bellingham, WA, Nightlight
Saturday, 11/7, Vancouver, BC, Biltmore Cabaret
Thursday, 11/12, Montreal, QC, Segal Centre
Wednesday, 11/18, Cambridge, MA, Middle East
Friday, 11/19, Burlington, VT, Club Metronome
Saturday, 11/20, Northampton, MA, Iron Horse
Sunday, 11/21, New York, NY, Mercury Lounge
Thursday, 12/3, Washington, DC, Rock And Roll Hotel
Friday, 12/4, Philadelphia, PA, Kung Fu Necktie
Saturday, 12/5, Chapel Hill, NC, Local 506
Tuesday, 12/8, Atlanta, GA, The Earl
Wednesday, 12/9, Nashville, TN, Exit/In
Friday, 12/11, Indianapolis, IN, Radio Radio
Saturday, 12/12, Chicago, IL, Empty Bottle

(graphic by matt sundstrom)

Comments

[Brendan]

Jealous!

Liz Powell is awesome. Love Land of Talk.

[A. Parker]

I'm really liking this track, about to check out the rest of the album and the videos. You do find the best music, lady. Thanks again for sharing!

PS: Great interview! Yay, BSS!