NESSAholics.com
Vanessa Carlton => General Vanessa Carlton Discussion => Topic started by: KULPDOGG on April 26, 2011, 03:17:36 pm
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"I was very lucky to be offered a lovely piece of property to build a career on," says Vanessa Carlton. "I started building a house on it, but it wasn't necessarily a house I would want to live in. So I ripped down that house, and I worked with these great lumberjacks to build a really cool cabin—a place I want to drink whiskey in and hang out until the sun rises."
For her fourth album, Rabbits on the Run (Razor & Tie), Carlton needed a fresh start. She had been going at full sprint since she was discovered by legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun when she was still a teenager, signed by Jimmy Iovine soon after, and exploded onto the pop scene with the platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated Be Not Nobody in 2002. But as she was nearing thirty, Carlton felt lost.
Ultimately, she made her way to Peter Gabriel's Real World studios in Box, England, where she created something that harks back to a different era of music-making: ten intimate, evocative songs, recorded direct to tape with a close-knit team of collaborators including producer Steve Osborne, drummer Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket, and guitarist Ari Ingber of the Upwelling. It was not, however, an easy road to get there.
"For two years, I went through a very reclusive period," says Carlton. "I was confused by a lot of decisions I had made, heartbroken in a lot of different ways. Once I got through the initial stage of grieving, I started studying everything around me. I became a sponge—listening to a lot of music from the '70s, classical music, reggae, just observing and paying attention."
When she started creating again, she was writing instrumental music, and thought maybe that would be the next chapter of her work. But on a visit to England, she came up with a personal, revelatory song she called "London," and felt her writer's block receding.
As she returned home to New York City and tentatively ventured back into songwriting, though, Carlton knew that things had changed. "I had no one," she says. "I was completely self-contained, I left my label, had no producer. So this was me going back to the demoing process that I was doing when I was 17. In my writing, I didn’t want to waste words anymore. It was a total arts-and-crafts vibe that I was doing all by myself."
During her years of retreat, there were two vastly different books that Carlton found herself returning to over and over, and she started to feel their influence in her new songs. "My brother is in college, and he and I would get into these intense debates about physics and philosophy," she says. "Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time really comforted me and helped me make sense of the chaos that is our lives."
Her other guiding text was a lifetime favorite, Richard Adams's epic tale of rabbit society, Watership Down. "My whole being related to this story," Carlton says. "I realized how lucky I am to be an artist in this world, how I somehow got out of the burrows. So not only did I link into the book in a fundamental way, but it helped me to continue to make the decisions on this project and keep exploring. I carried around Watership Down like a talisman, a bible."
As more songs were coming to Carlton, she was also realizing that she could hear an identifiable sound for them in her head. This concern for sonics was new for the singer: "I never had any interest in that—I love Pink Floyd, I love those sounds, but to me, they just appeared out of thin air." Recognizing that one of her favorite album was Lost Souls, the 2000 debut by post-Britpop band Doves, she made it a mission to locate its co-producer, Steve Osborne.
While continuing to sort out plans for her new music, Carlton visited her friend, singer/songwriter KT Tunstall. Coincidentally, Osborne himself turned up at a bonfire party at Tunstall's house—where, incredibly, he asked Tunstall if she happened to know Vanessa Carlton. Once she got over her shock, Carlton described some of her ideas for a new album, saying that she heard the sound of a "creepy children's choir" on some songs and that she knew she needed to record with analogue equipment. After this auspicious meeting, she began to send Osborne her home demos.
"I had a clear spectrum of sound in my mind for the album, and Steve understood and found the right tones for me," she says. Hallahan and Ingber eventually signed on for the ride, and they headed to England to bring a new and still-evolving batch of songs to life.
“We were trying everything many different ways, because we were so confident of the big picture,” says Carlton. “In the past, I had always been really clingy about my words and arrangements, and that was a sign that I didn’t really think it through. So I tried everything until I thought it was real honest—what it should be.”
The songs that ultimately made up Rabbits on the Run retain Carlton’s impeccable melodic sensibility, but are consistently surprising and unpredictable. “Carousel,” the opening track and first single, sets a lilting and lyrical mood, while “Hear the Bells” creates a feel that’s more ambient and creepy. The structures shift and veer on “London” and “Dear California,” yet never lose their propulsion.
Incorporating the atmospheric sound of the studio, Carlton and Osborne stayed true to her ambition of capturing the vibe of her initial demos. “From the commencement of the sessions, the end goal was how it would sound on vinyl,” she says. “It was always going to be ten songs, no matter what—I wrote all of these songs for this album, I didn't pull from a bucket of tunes.”
With such commitment to the material, of course, some songs came easier than others. “The toughest nut to crack was definitely ‘I Don't Want to Be a Bride,’ because you can’t waste a word in that song,” she says. “I have at least twenty pages of lyrics for that one. The rhythm of the words has to be right, but it can’t be elementary, every line has to move it forward. A song like that deepens my respect for old-school country storytellers like Johnny Cash.”
In tribute to Stephen Hawking, Carlton explains, “In the End,” the final song on Rabbits on the Run, has the album “disintegrating back to nothing.” The haunting track—with a prayer to her brother woven in, addressing the death of a friend—actually uses the music from another song, “Tall Tales for Spring,” with the tape slowed down. It’s a perfect end note to an emotional and creative journey that represents nothing less than the rebirth of an artist.
“I felt like I wasn’t navigating, but the time was navigating me,” says Vanessa Carlton. “I wasn’t manipulating the process at all. I got to that place where you don’t think about how you’re going to do it, you just do it in the way that feels the most clear and right. That shouldn’t be so exotic, but I’d never gone through it before.”
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2 new song titles officially announced..
that makes all of them except for one so far.
loved this, very interesting read, also very cool to learn more about the song "In the End". ;D
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demo days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenous... :)
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Oh god this got me so excited, what a day for nessa news! I am SO intrigued to finally hear this album. I really think this could be a turnaround for V.
also guys, new banner on amazon! :)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BxJQrcAyL._SL8000_.jpg)
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenous... :)
I know, I was the one who originally posted the tracklist.
since then I've been going by the book and not posting the names of the songs unless they were officially announced.
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Wow what a brilliant article :o ;D
Do you have a link to the article, can't seem to find it on amazon, want to make sure to like and share the article on my facebook, to create awareness about the album amongst friends.
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Wow what a brilliant article :o ;D
Do you have a link to the article, can't seem to find it on amazon, want to make sure to like and share the article on my facebook, to create awareness about the album amongst friends.
it's on her amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Vanessa-Carlton/e/B000APU3DO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1303862943&sr=8-2
on the right side under the Artist tab under "Biography"
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenous... :)
I know, I was the one who originally posted the tracklist.
since then I've been going by the book and not posting the names of the songs unless they were officially announced.
Well, I guess I ruined it, then. :( Sorry.
I wonder when they're going to post the 30-second previews for the album? ???
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Wow what a brilliant article :o ;D
Do you have a link to the article, can't seem to find it on amazon, want to make sure to like and share the article on my facebook, to create awareness about the album amongst friends.
it's on her amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Vanessa-Carlton/e/B000APU3DO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1303862943&sr=8-2
on the right side under the Artist tab under "Biography"
Perfect, tks :)
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Thanks for posting this. I've sent the link to my friends who enjoy her music as well.
I love hearing artist describe their songwriting process.
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenous... :)
We share the same concern =\ I hope the Carousel samples are low quality and not the real McCoy, does analog recording sound more tinny than normal recording?
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read this last night! love it..can't wait to hear all the tracks...she's not sticking to her 11 tracks? :( haha
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Aww :) I'm so excited. I like how she described her whole process and the new info on the songs is awesome
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Everything's making me excited for the new album. I'm sort of looking forward to what the main tune of this album will sound like. I hope it's more than just some sentiment and ten songs...Honestly, I don't want it to sound cheap. :-X Nonetheless, I enjoyed the entirety of the last 2 albums [I wasn't a big fan of BNN--at all, really.], and I'm expecting to do the same for the next.
As for her favorite album by the Doves, I'll be honest: I prefer The Last Broadcast better. :P
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Sounds like it's going to be a very interesting album. I'm intrigued specifically by the last track they're talking about.
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Nonetheless, I enjoyed the entirety of the last 2 albums [I wasn't a big fan of BNN--at all, really.]
I didn't really enjoy BNN, either. Ordinary Day, A Thousand Miles, Pretty Baby, and Twilight are the only ones I listen to.
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenious... :)
We share the same concern =\ I hope the Carousel samples are low quality and not the real McCoy, does analog recording sound more tinny than normal recording?
I don't know whether it does or not, but I hope not. :-\ Like that Doves guy said, no one records on that format anymore. Maybe there's a reason for that. :-\
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That's a really interesting article. And I really want to hear In the End now.. that sounds really interesting. The "Tall Tales for Spring" instrunmental slowed down... hmm.
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenious... :)
We share the same concern =\ I hope the Carousel samples are low quality and not the real McCoy, does analog recording sound more tinny than normal recording?
I don't know whether it does or not, but I hope not. :-\ Like that Doves guy said, no one records on that format anymore. Maybe there's a reason for that. :-\
I think you get a whole different sound with the analog. I think that is what she was going for. I'm not sure she would do something "cheap" but if it sounds that way on the album then there is a creative reason for it. I trust that it will sound JUST how she wants it to. So if she wants me to hear it that way, then I embrace that completely.
I was interested about the In the End bit as well.
For me, BNN served it's purpose for me very well at the time. There are only specific moods that I have to be in for me to go back to it. I actually skip over ATM, OD, PB (because the version I have now is the new one) not because they are bad or I don't like them, but because they've been defiled by the general public. Lately I have been in that mood because the other two albums are too produced sounding for what I want these days, that is why I am so excited for this album because it seems like it will be really raw and mostly just V and the piano which I long for. BNN has less percussion and involvement of other instruments not in the string family.
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Whoa. There are 20 pages of lyrics for IDWTBAB. That's.... Long. No wonder it came out beautifully.
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i love that she took her time to make Bride perfect. it sounds effortless, but the words flow so unbelievably well with each other... can't wait for the studio version.
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It won't be long now until we get previews for the songs. xD
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It won't be long now until we get previews for the songs. xD
Really? Do we have any date set for the release of such previews?
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It won't be long now until we get previews for the songs. xD
Really? Do we have any date set for the release of such previews?
I dont think so! it might be leaked before the Cd is released!!
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So, considering Hear The Bells is described as "ambient and creepy" I think it's pretty safe to say that's the song in the beginning and end of the video on V's website. Also, I'm sooooooooo glad Carousel's the album opener and not London!!! I love London but it would not make a good opener, lol.
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I think we already got the complete tracklist. It isn't confirmed, but since management got onto us for posting the list when it was leaked, I assume it was real. "The Marching Line" is another one.
This is a very interesting article. I like the analogue thing, but I hope the whole album doesn't sound "cheap," since she said she was going back to her demon days (those songs definitely sounded cheap). And the instrumental for "In the End" is the "Tall Tales For Spring" instrumental slowed down? How ingenious... :)
We share the same concern =\ I hope the Carousel samples are low quality and not the real McCoy, does analog recording sound more tinny than normal recording?
I don't know whether it does or not, but I hope not. :-\ Like that Doves guy said, no one records on that format anymore. Maybe there's a reason for that. :-\
I think you get a whole different sound with the analog. I think that is what she was going for. I'm not sure she would do something "cheap" but if it sounds that way on the album then there is a creative reason for it. I trust that it will sound JUST how she wants it to. So if she wants me to hear it that way, then I embrace that completely.
I was interested about the In the End bit as well.
For me, BNN served it's purpose for me very well at the time. There are only specific moods that I have to be in for me to go back to it. I actually skip over ATM, OD, PB (because the version I have now is the new one) not because they are bad or I don't like them, but because they've been defiled by the general public. Lately I have been in that mood because the other two albums are too produced sounding for what I want these days, that is why I am so excited for this album because it seems like it will be really raw and mostly just V and the piano which I long for. BNN has less percussion and involvement of other instruments not in the string family.
I KNOW you get a different sound with analog(in this case, it's 2" wide tape) because I've done tons of recording on 2" analog, and mixed down both to 1/2' wide analog tape as well as to digital formats. The reason that people record to analog tape is that there is a certain warmth there that's missing from Pro Tools and Cubase and Nuendo, etc. There's also no Autotune, no Beat Detective, no miraculous digital splicing, nothing. No bullshit. You can either play well or you can't. And tape is several times more expensive than hard drives, so if anything digital is cheaper. In terms of a tinny sound, digital is known more for that than analog. Long story short, an album is recording, mixing, and mastering, and more often than it ought to, an overzealous engineer will master with a ton of high end and compression and really make an album sound like shite. That is where "tinny" comes from 9 times out of 10.
So yes, people stay away from analog because it's expensive and much, much less flexible than digital. AFAIK all of Vanessa's albums were ProTools recordings except for C'est La Vie and Papa, so this will be a departure. It's exciting.
Dan
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"The end goal was how it would sound on vinyl”
I bought myself a vinyl player on friday just so I can play Rabbits on it ;) I also have the promo for White Houses on LP and it sounded wonderfull.
I really hope they can ship Rabbits on vinyl to Sweden. Some of the online stores only ship whitin USA :-\
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Thanks for all that info Dan, I don't know a thing about recording music!
I too may have to get a vinyl player. I don't have any of the albums on vinyl but I think I would like to. It is a completely different sound than cd or cassette.
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Wow that is such as beautiful and informative snippet of biography. V is so eloquent. It just makes me even more excited, particularly the In The End with TTFS.
Thanks for the info on the vinyl, i knew nothing about it and that made it all make sense.
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Thanks for all that info Dan, I don't know a thing about recording music!
I too may have to get a vinyl player. I don't have any of the albums on vinyl but I think I would like to. It is a completely different sound than cd or cassette.
Yes, thanks, Dan. I was confused by the analogue thing, and whether it was better than digital or worse. :)
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I always anticipating the end track. They always came out better than i expected (Twilight, She Floats (denying The Wreckage as it's the hidden track), More Than This). I had goosebumps listening to More Than This for a whole week.
Can't wait to hear Fortune Teller?(Hear the bell) or whatever it is this song is driving me crazy! In a good way though :)
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I just entered the page and I saw the Rabbits on the Run cover!!
http://www.amazon.com/Rabbits-Run-Vanessa-Carlton/dp/B004XIDR0A/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1/185-2851561-3567646
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Thanks for all that info Dan, I don't know a thing about recording music!
I too may have to get a vinyl player. I don't have any of the albums on vinyl but I think I would like to. It is a completely different sound than cd or cassette.
Yes, thanks, Dan. I was confused by the analogue thing, and whether it was better than digital or worse. :)
It's all opinion. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. It's all what you prefer. I prefer analog sound but love working in Pro Tools. But, as I've said before, things like drums, bass, and acoustic piano sound awesome on a good analog rig, so I am VERY psyched.
FWIW no less than Foo Fighters just did a whole album on tape.
I like the album cover!!
Dan/NS
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Thanks for all that info Dan, I don't know a thing about recording music!
I too may have to get a vinyl player. I don't have any of the albums on vinyl but I think I would like to. It is a completely different sound than cd or cassette.
Yes, thanks, Dan. I was confused by the analogue thing, and whether it was better than digital or worse. :)
It's all opinion. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. It's all what you prefer. I prefer analog sound but love working in Pro Tools. But, as I've said before, things like drums, bass, and acoustic piano sound awesome on a good analog rig, so I am VERY psyched.
FWIW no less than Foo Fighters just did a whole album on tape.
I like the album cover!!
Dan/NS
The Foo Fighters album on tape? Thanks, I'll give it a listen.
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“It was always going to be ten songs, no matter what—I wrote all of these songs for this album, I didn't pull from a bucket of tunes.”
It doesn't seem like there will be bonus tracks or a hidden track. If they are bonus, they will be different recordings of the same songs on the album (pretty much what razor and tie had said via tweets) Also pretty sure that BB and AIW will not be making their appearance any time soon. Maybe one day she will do a compilation album of all unreleased songs. I guess that is all we can hope for and maybe we should ask her if she would some time!
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Razor and Tie also posted the bio. When I saved it, it opened in microsoft word, the font on the header, which says "vanessa carlton" is called "calibri (body)" and it looks very similar to the album font.
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Razor and Tie also posted the bio. When I saved it, it opened in microsoft word, the font on the header, which says "vanessa carlton" is called "calibri (body)" and it looks very similar to the album font.
Hum, the header is an image i think, at least in mine. And i checked Calibri and its not it, very diferent font. :)
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Razor and Tie also posted the bio. When I saved it, it opened in microsoft word, the font on the header, which says "vanessa carlton" is called "calibri (body)" and it looks very similar to the album font.
Hum, the header is an image i think, at least in mine. And i checked Calibri and its not it, very diferent font. :)
i copied the header image to the clipboard or what not. Like I said, it was microsoft word, 2007 so it could be different from whatever you have. that was just my experience.
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Razor and Tie also posted the bio. When I saved it, it opened in microsoft word, the font on the header, which says "vanessa carlton" is called "calibri (body)" and it looks very similar to the album font.
Hum, the header is an image i think, at least in mine. And i checked Calibri and its not it, very diferent font. :)
i copied the header image to the clipboard or what not. Like I said, it was microsoft word, 2007 so it could be different from whatever you have. that was just my experience.
I have the same. But what i meant was that it's an image, Word cannot tell you what font it is. Calibri is the default font on Word07, so that's probably what happened.
I'm wondering why did she/they use a "standard" font for the names and not use the awesome callygraphic texts we saw on the intro in the website (as in my sig). That has to be my only little complain about the cover. Would have loved it even more.
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Razor and Tie also posted the bio. When I saved it, it opened in microsoft word, the font on the header, which says "vanessa carlton" is called "calibri (body)" and it looks very similar to the album font.
Hum, the header is an image i think, at least in mine. And i checked Calibri and its not it, very diferent font. :)
i copied the header image to the clipboard or what not. Like I said, it was microsoft word, 2007 so it could be different from whatever you have. that was just my experience.
I have the same. But what i meant was that it's an image, Word cannot tell you what font it is. Calibri is the default font on Word07, so that's probably what happened.
I'm wondering why did she/they use a "standard" font for the names and not use the awesome callygraphic texts we saw on the intro in the website (as in my sig). That has to be my only little complain about the cover. Would have loved it even more.
ahh, I see what you are getting at. Yes, I would have liked to see that as well. Maybe there will be some on the inside!
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When was the last time IDWTBAB was performed? Since there are "20 pages of lyrics", do you guys think she kept modifying it after she performed it live? Or is she the type of person to not play something live until it's 100% done? I have one version on my ipod, but I have no idea when it's from.
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When was the last time IDWTBAB was performed? Since there are "20 pages of lyrics", do you guys think she kept modifying it after she performed it live? Or is she the type of person to not play something live until it's 100% done? I have one version on my ipod, but I have no idea when it's from.
I know I had one from feb 14.
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She performed it at her last gig a few weeks back.
The lyrics have been pretty consistent aside from the odd word being changed about (e.g. "new" to "fresh", "golden ring" to "diamond ring").
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so far we have 6 different live recordings of IDWTBAB.
the only differences are
the first recording she says "Got a new philosophy" instead of "Got a fresh philosophy"
a few times she switches the word "golden" for "diamond" in the line "Don't need no golden ring"
a few times she says the word "love" after the line "Can we keep the ever after"
and of course a couple of the recordings don't feature backing vocals by Ari.
the first recording she sort of clapped along for the beginning of the song.
as time went by the kind of changed the way they sing the backing vocal part. example: in one of the recordings she adds an extra "you and me".
not very big differences.
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Ahh I'm so late in commenting..but really, thank you for the article!! It was really great to get some insight into what V's being doing over the last years when we lost contact with her..V is the best <3
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so far we have 6 different live recordings of IDWTBAB.
the only differences are
the first recording she says "Got a new philosophy" instead of "Got a fresh philosophy"
a few times she switches the word "golden" for "diamond" in the line "Don't need no golden ring"
a few times she says the word "love" after the line "Can we keep the ever after"
and of course a couple of the recordings don't feature backing vocals by Ari.
the first recording she sort of clapped along for the beginning of the song.
as time went by the kind of changed the way they sing the backing vocal part. example: in one of the recordings she adds an extra "you and me".
not very big differences.
What are the six? I think I only have four. :-\
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so far we have 6 different live recordings of IDWTBAB.
the only differences are
the first recording she says "Got a new philosophy" instead of "Got a fresh philosophy"
a few times she switches the word "golden" for "diamond" in the line "Don't need no golden ring"
a few times she says the word "love" after the line "Can we keep the ever after"
and of course a couple of the recordings don't feature backing vocals by Ari.
the first recording she sort of clapped along for the beginning of the song.
as time went by the kind of changed the way they sing the backing vocal part. example: in one of the recordings she adds an extra "you and me".
not very big differences.
What are the six? I think I only have four. :-\
6/19/2010 - Nashville, TN
9/10/2010 - Ann Taylor in NY
10/9/2010 - Union, NJ
2/14/2011 - Western Carolina University
2/19/2011 - Sunset Sessions in CA
4/09/2011 - Springfield, MA
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So interesting to see Watership Down as such an influential piece of literature so long after it was published in 1972. I remember the film as a
notable animated feature in 1978, the feature track 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel going on to be a British Chart-topping #1 single. See Wiki (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down) ;)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gZ0tRQVDL._SS500_.jpg)
Peace
Aaron
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I wonder if Vanessa is a fan of the film Donnie Darko? It had both Watership Down and A Brief History of Time in it.