Music Interviews

Anaïs Mitchell interview – “Bonny Light Horseman songs are collective musical exploration, part archaeological and part psychedelic”

by Steven Johnson

The background to the trio’s new album Rolling Golden Holy, how their songs differ from her solo work, the concept of ‘cowriting with the traditional’ and some ideal future collaborations


Bruce Hornsby: “Most people in the pop world want to live a white note life. I’...

by Ben Hogwood
The Way It Is singer on scoring for Spike Lee, guarding against chromaticism, his latest album ‘Flicted, and the continued resonance of his best known hit
Bruce Hornsby: “Most people in the pop world want to live a white note life. I’...

Kristin Hersh: “I wanted it to sound like you’re waking up on someone’s floor. Th...

by Steven Johnson
The Throwing Muses icon on the ‘trippiness’ of new 50 Foot Wave release Black Pearl, the dynamics of her different musical outlets, label experiences and the frustration of being misrepresented
Kristin Hersh: “I wanted it to sound like you’re waking up on someone’s floor. Th...

Calexico’s Joey Burns: “This album represents the things I love most, a mix of cult...

by Steven Johnson
The veteran Tex-Mex outfit’s frontman talks new album El Mirador, musical identity, human connections and ‘finding a way in’ to music
Calexico’s Joey Burns: “This album represents the things I love most, a mix of cult...

Midlake’s Eric Pulido: “We had a desire to embrace the gift of each other, and ...

by Steven Johnson
The Texas folk-rock ensemble’s frontman on new album For The Sake Of Bethel Woods, being inspired by the theme of family, band dynamics and finding purpose in loss
Midlake’s Eric Pulido: “We had a desire to embrace the gift of each other, and ...

Aimee Mann: “There’s something in the zeitgeist where people are ready to talk abou...

by Steven Johnson
The LA-based songwriter on the theatrical origins of her new album Queens Of The Summer Hotel, writing in character, and the changing nature of how women are seen
Aimee Mann: “There’s something in the zeitgeist where people are ready to talk abou...

Ladyhawke: “Everyone’s having to navigate this together at the same time. T...

by Ben Hogwood
Pip Brown on comeback album Time Flies, pandemical collaborations, anxiety and depression, motherhood and video games
Ladyhawke: “Everyone’s having to navigate this together at the same time. T...

Black Monument Ensemble’s Damon Locks: “I’m ravenously looking for inspiratio...

by Steven Johnson
The Black Monument Ensemble founder on creating community through music, conflict in American race relations, the Chicago music scene and his work teaching art in a men’s maximum security prison
Black Monument Ensemble’s Damon Locks: “I’m ravenously looking for inspiratio...

La Luz: “I want all of our albums to feel like you are going on a journey” – ...

by Steven Johnson
Shana Cleveland on the background to their fourth album, how living remotely has influenced her writing, being challenged in the studio, and their live plans
La Luz: “I want all of our albums to feel like you are going on a journey” – ...

Roxanne de Bastion: “Music is the best tool for empathy. It’s such a good w...

by Ben Hogwood
With two US tours, a Glastonbury appearance, over 500 gigs and a self-released debut album behind her, the Berlin-via-West-Midlands songwriter returns with a “cathartic” second work, produced by Bernard Butler
Roxanne de Bastion: “Music is the best tool for empathy. It’s such a good w...

Yann Tiersen: “I became more about seeing what’s around me, living stuff and or...

by Ben Hogwood
The Breton on his new album Kerber and its accompanying film, his island home of Ushant, and rekindling his love of electronic music
Yann Tiersen: “I became more about seeing what’s around me, living stuff and or...

Arab Strap: “Our music’s intimate points have changed from being about dirty be...

by Steven Johnson
Aidan Moffat on the forthcoming Arab Strap UK tour, the lead up to new album As Days Get Dark, and how his approach to writing lyrics has evolved
Arab Strap: “Our music’s intimate points have changed from being about dirty be...

Teenage Fanclub: “We’ve always resisted becoming a heritage band” – Interview

by Steven Johnson
Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley on how new album Endless Arcade fell into place, their creative processes, and their forthcoming UK tour plans
Teenage Fanclub: “We’ve always resisted becoming a heritage band” – Interview

Lucy Gooch: “I wanted to make something more experimental with a dissonance and eerin...

by Steven Johnson
The Bristol-based artist on her new Rain’s Break EP, taking inspiration from 1940s films, the lasting impressions of singing in choirs and moving away from looping to more organic arrangements
Lucy Gooch: “I wanted to make something more experimental with a dissonance and eerin...

Roddy Woomble: “I’ve spent 20 years making guitar music, but this new album involve...

by Steven Johnson
The Idlewild frontman on the ‘dystopian pop’ of new solo record Lo! Soul, experimenting with sounds, being guided by other musicians and how the pandemic changed working methods
Roddy Woomble: “I’ve spent 20 years making guitar music, but this new album involve...

Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner: “I was looking for something less structured, something I h...

by Steven Johnson
On the background to new album Showtunes, converting guitar into piano sounds, continuing to embrace technology and broadening his range of collaborators
Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner: “I was looking for something less structured, something I h...

Murcof: “I feel attracted to music and sounds that evoke a sense of mystery or otherw...

by Steven Johnson
Fernando Corona on his new double album, operating on intellectual and emotional levels, music in response to art and the importance of silence
Murcof: “I feel attracted to music and sounds that evoke a sense of mystery or otherw...

Man On Man: “Take away all the venues and queers would still find a way to get to...

by Matt Cotsell
Indie-rock distortion and gay pop confidence meet in a new project from Faith No More’s Roddy Bottum and partner Joey Holman. Now they’re ready to take it on the road
Man On Man: “Take away all the venues and queers would still find a way to get to...

Peggy Seeger: “Humans are a warlike species. The world is being run on a male dyn...

by Daniel Paton
The folk royal on new album First Farewell, the hell of mornings and her ‘drop in the bucket’ theory
Peggy Seeger: “Humans are a warlike species. The world is being run on a male dyn...

Tom Jones: “I make the songs my own, and it’s as if I wrote them” –...

by Ben Hogwood
The Welsh legend on his new album Surrounded By Time, the challenges faced by The Voice contestants and treating Mother Earth with dignity
Tom Jones: “I make the songs my own, and it’s as if I wrote them” –...

Flock Of Dimes: “Music is the only way I know to process my feelings fully” –...

by Steven Johnson
Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner discusses her new solo album Head Of Roses, and reveals how heartbreak led to her finding comfort and purpose in music
Flock Of Dimes: “Music is the only way I know to process my feelings fully” –...