SPOTLIGHT up listening to the same records,” says Moby. “His background is with bands like Throbbing Gristle and a lot of weird electronic music in the 1980s, and then Massive Attack and Björk.” Moby’s trajectory similarly went from ’80s punk risman rocker to international techno auteur to C highly licensed hit-maker whose song hris C “Extreme Ways” runs over the closing credits of all four of the Bourne films. Andy Another new turn on the moody, K nowles soulful Innocents is its abundance of guest vocalists—the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne, Skylar Grey, Cold Specks, Damien Jurado and Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanegan. “It wasn’t deliberate,” Moby says of the FRANZ FERDINAND star-power recruiting. “The vocalists we used were the ones who could add to the Setting their own pace in the studio pays off emotion of the song.” on their latest effort Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy, Paul Thomson, Alex Kapranos The last thing Moby and Stent wanted tills S to create was a polished pop record. To ISSUE #29 FRANZ FERDINAND CLOSED RANKS claustrophobic toward the end. It’s always each other. You haveMMUSICMAG.COM to say if something’s ISSUE #29 that end they brought in old analogMMUSICMAG.COM gear, leanor for the recording of their fourth album, good to do something completely different not good,” says McCarthy. “When you’re E hissing tape machines, wobbly reverb units Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action. next time around anyway.” in a band, you keep the peace sometimes. and offbeat drum machines. “When Spike The Scottish rock band began work on the They also took a more insular approach, That’s why we recorded for a few days and and I started, he was clear that it had to album a year and a half ago with frontman self-producing the album with input from then left it again. That way you could look have a strong quality of vulnerability,” says Alex Kapranos and guitarist and backing Alexis Taylor and Joe Goddard of Hot Chip, back at things and not get too pressured Moby. “Which seems contrary to the way vocalist Nick McCarthy meeting in each Björn Yttling of Swedish band Peter Bjorn about recording, and just say, ‘OK, let’s all most electronic music is made these days, other’s homes to write songs. “The whole and John, and Norwegian producer Todd listen, see what it’s like, and then everyone which is big and bombastic—and I’m not recording process was off and on,” says Terje. “All in all, we produced it ourselves,” be really honest.’ And it worked.” saying that in a negative way. But I wanted McCarthy. “We recorded four or five, then says McCarthy. “While we invited three Recording in their own spaces also MOBY to make a record that was vulnerable and stopped, maybe wrote another song or tried producers to collaborate, we oversaw the allowed the group to enjoy additional humble. If I was a 22-year-old pop star, I playing some of the others, and then recorded whole record. We invited people along for freedoms, because “then you can just do Old-school techno adds a touch of vulnerability might have felt differently. But I’m 47 and again. It was quite a nice way of doing it.” the ride. We’ve always used a producer, and what the hell you want to do, plug things in to his latest project making a record that likely won’t be played After an intense two years touring it’s good to have an outside opinion. But Alex wherever you want to without having to go on the radio.” behind 2009’s Tonight, the band chose a produced a couple of records with four other through someone else,” says McCarthy. “‘I “I’m an oNLY CHILD WHO LIVES ALONE “I like to work by myself,” he says, “but I lose For Moby, the dodgy equipment was more relaxed approach in the studio. “We bands, and I did a few as well. This time we want to do this really stupid thing like plug and usually works alone,” declares Moby objectivity. The only sounding board I have is an uncontrollable element of imperfection were doing the opposite of what we did thought, ‘We can do this.’” my guitar into the power socket—see what flatly. The techno pioneer isn’t bemoaning his me. I thought it would be interesting to have that became a metaphor for human frailty. on our last record, which we wrote and The band recorded in McCarthy’s and it sounds like.’ When you have to go through lot in life— it’s just his explanation of why, after someone else around to gain their objectivity.” “There’s the recognition that life is short and recorded in the same room,” says McCarthy. Kapranos’ respective studios. But producing someone to do that, you might just say, ‘Oh more than 20 years of producing his own The choice of Stent (Madonna, Lady art is precious,” Moby adds. “So why not “We were in there for a year and a half and themselves posed some communication no, I’m not going to say that.’” records, he brought in Mark “Spike” Stent Gaga, Beyoncé, Muse, U2) was enhanced just make music that moves you?” didn’t really want to do that again. It got a bit challenges. “You have to be very honest with –Amanda Farah to co-produce his 11th album, Innocents. by their shared history. “Spike and I grew –Linda Laban SARAH JAROSZ Her partnership with producer Gary Paczosa (Chris Thile, Central to the album is a sparse version of Bob Dylan’s Crooked Still), who produced Jarosz’s previous albums, was “Simple Twist of Fate,” a song that became a staple of her live shows. No creative avenue is left unexplored for also vital to the process. “Going into the studio for this record, Though she wasn’t planning on returning to Dylan after recording this bluegrass prodigy I had more of an idea of what I wanted to create and how I “Ring Them Bells” for her previous album, its minimalist arrangement wanted to create it. But Gary made sure I didn’t count anything suited the lyric and her dusky alto while providing the variety Jarosz AMERICANA SINGER-SONGWRITER SARAH JAROSZ’S out just because I felt set on an idea. He has a great sense of craves. “The fact that it was just voice and cello was appealing to S third album, Build Me Up From Bones, is her most ambitious project cott musical curiosity and exploration, and we try to challenge me because it’s so stripped down,” she explains. “It’s important to S yet—an achievement the multi-instrumentalist largely credits to her imontacchi each other,” says Jarosz, 22. me to create different textures within one record.” education at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music. “School Jarosz recorded Bones in three Nashville sessions scheduled With school behind her and a move to New York City in the was crucial in pushing me out of my comfort zone,” says the Texas during winter and spring breaks, before wrapping it in May following works, Jarosz is adjusting to life as a full-time touring artist with an native. “It expanded my repertoire and opened my ears to different graduation. Unlike her previous albums, which she tracked alone eye toward pushing her musical boundaries. “I look up to artists who sounds and possibilities.” Painting and poetry classes also had an before overdubbing other parts, most of Bones was tracked live don’t get into the rut of doing the same thing,” she says. “That’s impact. “Doing something nonmusical was inspiring. For me, writing with fiddler Alex Hargreaves and cellist Nathaniel Smith—who’ve something I want to model myself after. I’m focused on the sound I poetry is a completely different process than writing song lyrics, and toured with Jarosz for several years—and occasionally with Jedd want to create, but I also want to be open to new ideas all the time.” it felt good to get freed up with words.” Hughes, one of her co-writers. –Juli Thanki 16 17 M mag 29.indd 16 8/26/13 11:56 PM M mag 29.indd 17 8/26/13 11:56 PM ISSUE #29 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE.