Far Caspian’s second LP Last Remaining Light feels like a reinvention of the melancholia-tinged alternative bands of middle America from the turn of the century. The cathartic, angular melodies akin to Duster, Broken Social Scene and Radio Dept. have made landfall in the north of England to be witnessed by a new generation of listeners. The Mic’s Ross Williams sat down with Joel Johnston, at the tail end of his UK & Ireland tour to discuss the latest release for his Far Caspian project, the live show and how it all came to be.
“I'm just getting more comfortable with not trying to hide behind a wall of sound. I think the songs lend themselves to being stripped back. I also tried my best to write stronger guitar parts that stood by themselves, and the vocals mirroring that. I was also writing with the live show in mind, where I wasn't piling on as many guitars; trying to only record three guitar parts mainly.”
This constraint is a freeing force to the album. Each song sits in place with its own identity, whilst remaining very cohesive to the project. The realised effect is a sonic journey that spans wide cinematic breakdowns, found in songs like Own, Cyril and Answer, alongside the furrowed spaces created in Arbitrary Task and Pet Architect. When asked about the idea of featuring his music in a movie soundtrack Joel says directors “Richard Linklater or Gus Van Sant would be my dream”, which makes a lot of sense as a listener. You can see his music occupy the same dreamy somnambulist world as Mike Waters from My Own Private Idaho or an angsty, Introspective suburban drama by Linklater.
The LP is steeped in a resonant emotional depth that communicates itself sonically within the subtly saturated and considered production from Joel. When finding meaning in the tracks beyond mood and atmosphere Joel said, “What I'm taking from the project is being aware of what's going on around you, how that's affecting you and being able to speak about it. A lot of it is to do with loss and trying to move forward, in order to be more comfortable within myself. My past projects have been very much about, and written, when I was in a struggle of some sort. Most of the time, I write if I'm in a depressed part of my life. I think this is the first project I've done where I'm sort of getting out the other end of that. So, I think Last Remaining Light kind of sounds hopeless but also hopeful at the same time”.
The live show plays on the album’s strengths. Fan favourites from Far Caspian’s earlier releases were woven in-between the new material, with the ambitious extended play heirloom closing off the band’s set, “I went through a phase where I didn't want to play any of the old songs, but we've reimagined them now to sit in with the new stuff. I'm not going to try and emulate that old stuff again. I'm past that; I want to move forward. But at the same time, I'm fine playing a couple of old songs. Last night in Leeds was really good. My friends Ewan and Sadie did a light show where they projected VHS visuals live, that was sweet. I love Brudenell Social Club as a venue, It's the first time that I've actually enjoyed playing Leeds. It's usually a weird one because we live there. Then Dublin was amazing, it's not a hometown show but it feels like going home”.
"When working with other people, especially for other people's projects, I don't have any self-critical thoughts. I can express myself freely to facilitate someone else, it’s great for feeding my creativity”
The city of Leeds, in which Joel and the band is based, has become a huge regional creative hub in recent years. When asked about the music scene and which local contemporaries he’s excited for Joel said, “Everything that I enjoy or like is in there. There are so many different capacity venues, so it’s a good place to be able to work up. You can start somewhere small like Oporto, then go to Hyde Park Book Club, and then Brudenell Social Club etc. Niall Summerton who is supporting the tour is great. Two of the bandmates have their project Green Gardens which is unbelievable. They just put out their first album and it's my favourite thing to listen to right now. Jacob, who plays guitar for us, had a project called Honey Guide and he's just starting up a new project so I'm excited for that. Then there's a band called Bug Teeth; I'm just getting into them”. Having a creative circle is an asset to a producer and songwriter, it helps open creative doors to a project and inspires, “Any time that I work with someone else, I usually end up writing a song the next day. When working with other people, especially for other people's projects, I don't have any self-critical thoughts. I can express myself freely to facilitate someone else, it’s great for feeding my creativity”.
This positive feedback loop and a fraternal synergy between bandmates can remedy the inevitable creative ruts an artist may face. Joel has found a balance between the solitude of the writing process and “trying something different” with allowing external influence into the creation of Last Remaining Light, producing a record that is a rabbit hole of production artefacts and infinitely re-playable.
Ross Williams
Edited by Alice Beard
Featured images courtesy of Far Caspian via Facebook, Video courtesy of Far Caspian via Youtube
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