I grew up in Yuma, Arizona- Guinness named it the sunniest place on Earth. It borders California and Mexico, where I spent a lot of time. Dropped out of high school pretty early, drifted around for a while, then moved to Tucson and enrolled at the University of Arizona. I have a degree in 19th century American Lit. Spent a chunk of college loan money on gear and got hooked on recording songs.
While attending, I met Jay Reatard through a mutual friend. Jay liked my stuff and introduced me to the world of professional musicianship. I did some tours with him around the USA, released several CDR’s, a self-titled LP and some singles along the way. I later put out a record on Jay’s label, Shattered, then with Goner, then Fat Possum among others. Jay and I were very close friends and big fans of each other’s music, often covering one another’s songs and sharing insights into recording. My large catalog is, in part, due to trying to keep up with him.
I was in a destructive relationship and tired of Arizona. I relocated to Omaha, Nebraska in 2009 after finishing Warm Brother (Fat Possum) and started an four-month tour with a newly formed lineup. In 2010, after Jay died, I left Fat Possum. It was a pretty difficult point in my life. I decided I needed a change of scene so I seized an opportunity and moved to Berlin. That’s where the inspiration to do Modern Problems first came to me. The demo for “Soup” was recorded there. Berlin had a big impact on me. There is so much culture and life in that city. Spending time there with someone special made it even more amazing. I lived in Berlin just over 3 months, then went on an insane month-long European tour. I flew back to Omaha hoping to work on my album.
Modern Problems is a narrative of the grieving process. I wanted to explore that universal experience with real ambition, so I created a kind of alter-ego to relate the story of a loss, which is where the record starts: When the protagonist has lost a loved one. It’s easier to be truthful when you write as a character I think. At first, he’s in denial. In “Decoys” he wallows over a past he considers a sham. As the record progresses, he battles with despair and anger, vainly seeks hope. The final acceptance in “Door” comes reluctantly, even bitterly. I kept the music itself upbeat and somewhat simple in order to contrast the heavy topics.
For Modern Problems I took my time with the writing and just let life happen. The songs came naturally. I vocalized more on this record than in the past, sometimes to the point of hurting my throat. In songs like “Feeding Frenzy” my voice cracks like a pubescent teenager’s, but instead of covering that up I decided to just let it show- to raise the fader on the vocal tracks, in fact. The album is patchy with flaws- an aesthetic choice on my part. There’s no digital editing on Modern Problems either. I wanted to keep it pure in that sense. Tracks were laid in one or two takes usually. I’d get the sound I wanted out of an instrument and run with it.
Modern Problems was recorded 100% on tape, alone, in my home. I’ve recorded albums in different studios on all kinda of rigs. These songs needed a warm medium and an intimate setting to work. The music was a study in cohesion for me. I wanted a unique, unified sound. Unity has not been my trademark in the past. I think I achieved that here though with a semi-aggressive, bouncy, synthpunk fuzz permeating the tracks. Lyrically, this is personal stuff. I’m letting it all hang out- the beautiful as well as the hideous. I was conscientious about the lyrics, but not to the point of tedium. Like I said, naturalism was key to everything here. You can party to this album, for sure, but I hope it will strike a note with listeners beyond the beats and hooks, tool. _Shawn Foree (Digital Leather) |
