Chamber Pop, Phil Collins and The Dentist: Seattlest Interviews Clare and The Reasons
Headed by husband and wife team Clare and Olivier Manchon, Brooklyn-based chamber pop group Clare and The Reasons recently released their sophomore album, Arrow to widespread critical acclaim. And with good reason - the album is replete with bounding melodies and pitch-perfect harmonies that fall just shy of twee - it's music that induces a smile rather than a smirk. Currently touring with noted musician and legendary producer Van Dyke Parks, Clare and The Reasons will take the stage at Seattle's Triple Door tomorrow night. Seattlest was lucky enough to catch Clare on her way back from a dental exam and exchange a few words about the new album, cover songs, David Bowie and the importance of good oral hygiene.
What were some of the things you were influenced by on Arrow, and what would you like people to take away from the album?
I think there were a lot of layers of things. We did a lot of touring for The Movie and from that experience and musical atmosphere, we wanted to make something slightly more interchangeable. The Movie really calls or asks for for grandiose orchestration live. It's not as forgiving of a stripped down thing. And one thing that I'm really excited about on Arrow is I feel that we were able to take the really important aspects of the arrangements of these songs and yank them out, and do a tour in trio like we just did, or a quartet, which we're doing for the West Coast, and the songs feel very complete.
In more basic terms, I feel like we wanted to make a little bit more of an up album, like maybe you're cleaning your house while you're listening to it, rather than drinking your tea. One guy even told me he jogs to it, and that makes me feel good. That's not to say that it's an up up record, but for us it's more up. I also tried to hang onto letting there be more space when it called for it. For example on the first track, All The Wine, that's just a string quartet strumming their instruments like ukeleles. And of course I could have put down 50 more ideas on that song, but I kind of appreciate that on that song, we just let it be, with a lot of space and a lot of air, and I think I learned that from not doing that. I crave both worlds - the more minimalist leaving space, and the very big, orchestral, thick wall of sound that we lean towards as well.
If you had your choice, what would be the perfect activity for listening to Arrow?
Getting your teeth cleaned and listening to it on your iPod.
Do you really want people to connect your music with dental work?
I hope it takes them away so they feel no pain!... I listen to vinyl at home, and I love it for many reasons. It's a real physical experience, and it can make me just sit down on my couch and look at my speakers and listen. I feel like our music can pull that from a listener, but maybe this one can be something you listen to while going through the motions of your day... What I'm trying to say is you should get this record on vinyl because it sounds good... I feel like it can pass through a little more, and every time you listen to it, your ear will grab on to something new.
You're on tour with Van Dyke Parks?
Our first spectacular is in Seattle, and we are just really really excited about it. We do lots of touring and collaboration, but for us, it's just such a high level of excitement us, musically and artistically. We love him as a friend, we love him as a musical mentor... If you look at the last 40 years of great touches he's put on music, and how unknown and under-appreciated his own music is, it's kind of horrifying. We were just on tour this last couple weeks with Nouvelle Vague, and we were listening to a CD we burned of songs that [Parks] will be doing... and we were just freaking out at how good it is... Real music geeks absolutely know Van Dyke, but it's amazing how beautiful and accessible his songs are, having been a little bit under-promoted. We're just excited to be a part of us doing his thing 100% and him doing his thing 100%.
Now in addition to your own tunes, you've got a couple of really great covers out there. What's the attraction for you in doing cover songs, and what are some other songs you'd like to offer your own take on?
I think the two songs we have done cover versions of [Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule the World and Genesis' That's All] are really, really really great pop songs. We find no point in doing a cover of a song if you're going to do it similarly to the original, because the original is usually great, and why would you try to mimic that? So we kind of Reasonify everything we do...It's fun, too, when we're performing live, because even though these songs aren't metal songs or polkas, they're a little out of the realm of what people think we would do, so whenever we bring a new one out, there's a nice sense of surprise and enthusiasm. We like to think outside of our box, whatever that box is... When I was 4 years old, [That's All] was my version of rebellion. I think I heard it on the radio a while ago and I was like "Tuba! We need tuba! We have to do this song!" And now we're on this exciting quest of touring and picking up a new tuba player in every town... and we've been having such a blast.
You've also collaborated with artists like Sufjan Stevens and Shara Worden - if you had your pick, who would you like to work with in the future?
I don't know... most of them are probably dead... I love David Bowie, but that's not attainable. I don't really think that way - I have my people that I love that I don't really put in my head that I'd ever get to collaborate with, and Van Dyke is definitely on that list, which is why it's so wonderful and so surreal.
Clare and The Reasons play Tuesday, February 9 at The Triple Door with Josh Mease and Van Dyke Parks. To listen to tracks from their latest album, Arrow, visit their website at www.claremuldaur.com/.
