Nova entrevista com o Nikolai para o Time Out NY.
Uma ótima entrevista em que o Niko fala sobre como anda a comunicação entre os integrantes da banda e seus próprios planos futuros musicalmente falando. Tentaremos postá-la traduzida posteriormente, mas infelizmente não podemos prometer nada imediato. É um entrevista que vale muito à pena ser lida visto a qualidade das perguntas feitas. Para ler a entrevista completa, clique em “mais”.
Por Hank Shteamer
Fonte: newyork.timeout.com
Interview: The Strokes’ Nikolai Fraiture
By now you’ve probably read that the Strokes’ new fourth LP, Angles, was recorded in piecemeal fashion due to interband friction. That’s only half the story, though: The end product is quite impressive, offering proof that the local quintet has moved far beyond the garage chic that marked its early efforts. Check out our review of the record, and read on for a Q&A with Strokes bassist Nikolai Fraiture.
“…With the Internet and with the influx of so much music, I think people are so quick to judge. People have become very flippant about receiving music.”
Where am I reaching you?
I’m in Las Vegas.
What’s going on there?
We’re doing a show.
I heard the recording process of this new album has been fragmented, with members making their contributions separately. How do you feel about that way of working?
Well, I think that it is slightly misrepresented. We did spend quite a lot of time writing the album together and working on ideas and drawing things back and forth. I think that people just focused on the fact that Julian wasn’t there for much of the recording of it. But that was only for that period of time that he wasn’t there. it was a different process that we had to adapt to.
This is the first time that others besides Julian have contributed to the writing?
I guess, yes—this is the first significant time. There are other things here and there. But this is the first extremely collaborative situation.
How does it work? Does someone bring in a demo and others add elements to it? Or do you actually put the songs together collaboratively?
We’ve always had a collaborative way of working on Julian’s parts. A long time ago, he’d always bring in melodies and guitar parts and we’d build around that. We still use that format. Everybody has a different process. Somebody can bring a small part or bring in an actual demo of a part or a whole song. During the writing period, when we were all together, that’s when we were choosing what was working and what wasn’t.
There are songs on the record that have an electronic sound with the use of drum machines and things like that. Were these originally played with the full band in a more rock vein?
There is one song that is pretty electronic that was brought in as a rock song. And then little by little, it turned into what it became. It’s such as long process. Things change. Things disappear and reappear. You cut this and take that out. It’s just a really long process. There is never a point where someone says, “Let’s make an electronic song or a rock song.” As time goes by, with the feel of the album, the other songs and how everything works together—it slowly becomes what it is.
I wanted to talk about “Under Cover of Darkness,” which I think is a really great song. As far as the intricate guitar-and-bass orchestration, is that the kind of thing that would be there in the original song, or does that come out during recording?
The bulk is there. We kind of cut in a lot of stuff. There is also the guitar harmonies—those came out from playing in the studio and trying different things out on each part. It’s a mix of everything. It’s a process of trying everything out before eliminating anything.
As a player, do you enjoy those tiny details and flourishes in your music?
Definitely. It’s amazing how hard it is to make something sound simple. We cut out a lot of things and we try to present something that’s cool and somewhat complicated in a palatable form.
There’s a great extended instrumental interlude in “Two Kinds of Happiness.” Do you ever feel like you’re chafing against the format of three- or four-minute pop songs with sections like that? Do you ever want to experiment with, like, a ten-minute song and take it as far as it could go?
Up until now, we haven’t experimented with the longer, ten-minute songs. It’s not something that we’ve even thought about yet. It might happen. But we play pop-rock. That’s what we like doing. That’s what we’ve been pretty good at up until now. It seems so menial for critics and fans, but things like that are usually a pretty big change. It might happen. But it’ll probably take time.
Are there artists you admire that are outside that pop-rock format?
Definitely, I grew up listening to a lot of Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd is a band that did it the best, I think.
You used the word menial. Do you think people undersell the work that goes into making these really concise songs?
I think so. Especially with the Internet and with the influx of so much music, I think people are so quick to judge. People have become very flippant about receiving music. For us, we always have spent a lot of time working on our music. Sometimes it comes across as very simple, and some people may not like it. But it is hard to spend even more time trying to please those people.
In this day and age are you committed to making full-length albums? Is it still a valid art form?
I think it is. I enjoy doing it. With the five of us there [are] a lot of ideas. It’s an enjoyable process. Once you’re done and finished, it feels good to finish an album. But it is a new age and people’s attention spans are pretty small. There are people who still listen to entire albums, but it has kind of turned into something different.
The band is just coming off a long hiatus. How do you guys decide when it’s time to start making music again? Who makes that call?
I think at some point everyone in the band tried, but at those points, someone else wasn’t ready yet. After about three years, we got back in the studio and started writing and forging ahead to finish the album. But there was a lot of starting and stopping. At first it was Fabrizio and Nick, our drummer and guitarist, and me in the studio. And then Julian came in at some point. Eventually we realized after that amount of time we all had to confront the decision of whether this was going to continue or not. And after that much time, you kind of become a reunion band and we didn’t want to become a reunion band.
Do you like like having that extended time off?
For me, I was hoping to get back sooner. But I think we all needed time to rest and recuperate and really just find ourselves as individuals and musicians again. I’ve known Julian since the first grade, and we met the other members when were in our teens. We’ve been living on top of each other for so many years. At that point, for the sake of longevity, we just kind of needed to take a break and explore different avenues.
Are solo projects healthy safety valves for the band?
Speaking for myself, as long as the Strokes is the priority, that’s the main idea. I think once that line is blurred is when communication breaks down and things get weird and you don’t know how to act or how to talk. And that is detrimental to the band. But if you have an outlet of stuff, that’s good. That’s what my side project was. It was an outlet for music that was not Strokes music. So, I kept it to myself. It was not going to be on a Strokes album. As long as that line was clear. I know that the Strokes is a priority and I know what kind of music I write for that.
What’s it like going from your solo project to playing big venues with the Strokes again?
In terms of the band, musically it wasn’t very difficult. The biggest challenge was readapting to how we’ve all changed as individuals. And we are working to get to an ideal point.
Can you elaborate? You said you’ve known Julian since first grade. What has it been like to go on this journey with him, and how it has affected your relationship?
Yeah, it is amazing. I very proud to have shared this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with someone I grew up with and other friends I grew up with. Whether it’s the band or anything else in life, you grow, you have families, and you change. That’s great. It makes it more exciting and more interesting in the long run. Like anything in life that changes, you have to adapt to it. And sometimes it’s hard.
You guys are playing MSG. Do you approach a show like that differently?
When you put it that way, it is kind of nerve-racking. But we are really grateful. I am super-excited. We don’t want to give an arena crowd a small-club show. So we’re trying to think of ways to make it apt for the situation, and we are really super-psyched about playing MSG.
What are some of the ways you can take this streamlined music and amplify the presentation for an arena crowd?
We have more albums now, so we have more time to play. It’s not the days of the Beatles at Shea Stadium, where they played 20 minutes and walked off stage. And also our light show, we’re working on that.
Do you and Fab ever work together just a rhythm section to perfect the feel and the groove of the music?
Yeah, absolutely. It’s funny, no one has ever asked that. We spend a lot of time usually before rehearsals. We’ll take a couple of hours just to work on the songs together. Then the guitars will come in, Nick and Albert, and we’ll work on the songs with them. Then finally Julian will come and we’ll run through a set list or two.
What’s it like to play with a drummer who is so committed to time and feel opposed to fills?
Absolutely, when we lock in together it kind of gives the music that driving force that we’ve worked on so hard. That’s when the guitars can really lag a little behind or in front. And Julian can have his freedom to do whatever he wants when we play live, with Fab and I locking in as tight as possible.
Do you have any favorite rhythm sections?
The Wailers always had an amazing rhythm section. A lot of bands… Led Zeppelin had a pretty powerhouse rhythm section.
When people work on their solo projects, do you still bounce ideas off each other?
For the initial period, we kind of did it on our own just to feel like we [could do] it, and it was just a very strange time. But now the vibe in the band is a lot more open. It’s a lot easier to say, “Hey, I’m working on this part—do you want to check this out?” The other day Fab writes me and says, “Hey, next time you make any new music I’d love to be your drummer.” So, I think now that everything is said and done, everyone is a lot more accepting of each other’s stuff.
Do you think you’ll move into the next record in a different way?
Yeah, I think now a lot of the groundwork has been established. Its a lot less confusing as to what’s going on. The goal is much more clear. We want to make music together, and if you want a song on the album you have to bring it in and work on everybody else’s songs just as hard.
Where is the Strokes’ home base?
Most of us are in New York. Our guitarist Nick is in Los Angles. But we are based in New York. If we work on anything, Nick flies out to New York. And we set aside time to write, rehearse, record and whatever we have to do.
When you talk about these changes and the way you relate to one another, it strikes me that it’s a major feat that a five-person band is able to stay together for even four albums. Do you think that if one member changed, it would not be this band?
Yeah, it has always felt that way. I think that’s why it took so long to regroup. Every time there was one member missing, it was hard for us to work on music. That’s why the process took such a long time. If it’s not the five of us, it just doesn’t feel right.
Do you have more plans to continue your solo project?
At the time, it was kind of filling time and trying to stay on top of myself musically and explore different things. Right now, for me, the Strokes is the No. 1 priority. I always work on that kind of music for fun on the side. I have material, but the Strokes is the priority.
You ran the marathon last year. Are you going to run another?
Yeah, definitely. The marathon was an amazing challenge. It kind of becomes addictive. You want to beat your time every time you do it. It was during our break. The training kept me on the straight and narrow and kept me healthy.
I wanted to ask a Time Out New York–related question. I read that Steve Ralbovsky, who had a big hand in signing you guys, learned about the band through an article in this magazine.
Yeah, I remember Time Out used a picture of us in a pool. When we were starting out in New York it was like every little thing we were so excited about. And when Time Out, which is of course a respected publication, caught wind of us it was really exciting.
Do you keep up with the press about the band?
You keep up with what’s written at first; that usually sets the tone for the entire campaign. Unfortunately, the earlier stuff is not how we feel now. Everybody is really excited and happy to do this and be in the band. Now, I try not to read it at first. You come out sounding really weird and you wish you hadn’t said certain things. And it all gets very confusing. I just try to focus on the band and on the music and not that stuff.
Do you guys get together and put thought into presenting a united front on for the press?
It’s not as calculated as that. We had so much miscommunication for so long. A lot of things you found out, you found that out through the press. You’d find out a band member felt that way through a sensationalist story, and it’s really difficult to block that out and not think about it. At this point, right before the album comes out, we understand a lot more of that. The way we are now, we’re a lot more communicative and talk a lot more. We try to all be on the same page, and not use the press as a vent.
(Publicado em 28 de março de 2011)