Replay - ANNA MEREDITH
Photos by Gem Harris
This interview was originally published January 20, 2020
Anna Meredith is a composer, producer and performer of both acoustic and electronic music. Her sound is frequently described as “genre-defying” and straddles the different worlds of contemporary classical, art pop, techno, ambient and experimental rock.
In this interview, she talks about her latest album FIBS, taking listeners to unexpected places, and the challenges of making a music video with a temperamental model train.
Interview by Tyler Nesler
You have worked with an ensemble of musicians on both your 2016 album Varmints and your recently released album FIBS. What have been some challenges or surprises for you when working on these projects with a consistent group of people?
I’ve been so lucky to work with my band — not only are they all disgustingly talented players but we get on amazingly (to the extent of even going on an annual holiday together outside of touring) — knowing their playing, imagining their voices and getting their input on FIBS was incredibly useful. It meant I could push things in ways I might not have otherwise. Challenges might be that because they’re all so talented they’re all very in-demand as instrumentalists, so trying to keep some time free for the booking schedule can be tricky.
Could you speculate on how your musical direction and career may have been different if you'd had no formal classical music training — if instead you'd taken a more immediate songwriting approach and had gone straight into making music with a band at a young age, touring in clubs, etc.? Do you think that may have been more limiting or more freeing for you in some ways?
Hmmm, good question. I guess I’ve never really thought about it as I can’t see how it could be any other way! I suppose as I see it, I use my “limits” — i.e. skills and rules and training — to make music which is definitely bolder and stronger than anything I could come up with just improvising or jamming. As I’m ancient, maybe by now I would’ve figured out a way to do what I wanted but I’m glad I learned notation and all that discipline when I did, as now I can make it work for me (*evil cackle*).
What do you view as some essential conceptual and compositional links between Varmints and FIBS? Do you see the two albums complimenting each other in some fundamental ways? How might they also stand in contrast to one another?
There are lots of links in that they’re both filled with the kind of things I like to write! Fast and slow instrumental music, “pop” songs and not-pop songs! And within the tracks things that cut across a lot of my writing (albums or orchestra, etc.): big builds, switches in feel, cross-rhythms, distinct layers, etc. — but I feel I’ve pushed each of the areas further in FIBS. I felt more confident, especially with the songwriting, so I was seeing FIBS as an evolution. I think the writing is better!
FIBS (Moshi Moshi / Black Prince Fury, 2019)
Varmints (Moshi Moshi, 2016)
Your lead single from FIBS, "Inhale Exhale" has many aspects of an electronic dance track, yet it also has an uneasy and off-kilter cadence to it both musically and lyrically ("You say you're dancing in the deep end / But to me, it looks like drowning / All this talk of saving, but I'm out of my depth").
What are some elements (if any) to this song that touch directly on your own creative struggles or perceptions of identity as an artist?
I've tried to be both more open and reflective with the lyrics for FIBS and absolutely draw on my own experience. The idea of that track is one of detachment — feeling cautious and boring and anxious while surrounded by people proclaiming to be properly “living every moment” — I’ve definitely been there!
Is there any sort of conscious intent on your part to play around with the more seductive elements of electronic or pop music, while also taking the listener into unexpected and maybe even some uncomfortable places?
I really like being quite transparent while writing so that if the music is building up, or falling apart then those kind of evolutions are clear to the listener and they can come along with the track. It then means that when you decide to whip the rug out from under the listener and go somewhere unexpected, it's more of a shock because you might have (even subconsciously) been anticipating what you think was going to happen.
Equally, sometimes I think the best pay-offs are the ones that do give you what you are hoping for so that's a balance I like to really think about when planning a track. Spending a lot of compositional time on pacing means I can really plot out how to make the most of moments (or even the relationship of tracks to each other). For example, a moment can sound even sweeter if you’ve been through something thorny and gnarly to get there!
A video was produced for the FIBS track "Paramour" which was shot from the point of view of a model train running around an elaborate set. It's quite an astonishing and charming feat of production and coordination.
How closely did you work with the director Ewan Jones Morris on developing this concept? How much rehearsal went into coordinating yourself and your bandmates into the shots, and how many takes were there to get it right?
I’m really lucky to work with Ewan on lots of my videos. We work in the same studio space (which is also where we filmed “Paramour”) so it's great to drop in for a cup of tea and chat about plans for our videos. He’d had this idea for this video a while ago but we both felt this track would be perfect for it. There was a lot of planning (working with a LEGO “master builder” and sourcing props, etc.) but the actual filming had to be done incredibly quickly and with no time to watch our takes. For many of them, the train was running at the wrong speed. It was hitting the wrong moments even with fresh batteries each time, so it was sort of amazing that we managed to get two or maybe three takes that worked all the way through!
Who are some contemporaries that you admire and who inspire you? A few musicians that a new Anna Meredith fan might also like to check out?
Hmm — I deliberately don’t listen to a lot of music (it doesn’t help me when writing) so I listen to a lot of audio books! Not sure if that counts? (I really enjoyed The Heart’s Invisible Furies this year). But musically I’ve loved what I’ve heard from the new releases by Jenny Hval and FKA Twigs…I’m also always super inspired by what my composer pals are up to — so great to see so many of us figuring out our own paths! Check out: Emily Hall, The Blood Moon Project, Oliver Coates, Andrew Hamilton…
Any plans to come back to the U.S. for performances in 2020?
Yes!!! We’re on the cusp of announcing the dates — I’m super super excited to be coming back! It's a really great (if I do say so myself) live show so please (oh please) come along and hear us so I can remotely justify the ruinous amount I’m currently spending on visas to get there!
Anna’s U.S. tour dates will be announced the week of February 3
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Tyler Nesler is a New York City-based freelance writer and the Founder and Managing Editor of INTERLOCUTOR Magazine.
