published: 19 /
3 /
2009
One-time Grammy nominees for best alternative album, Swedish psychedelic rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives have just released to much acclaim their latest record 'Communion'. Singer Ebbot Lundberg talks about it with Lisa Torem
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Grammy-nominated for best alternative album in 2003, ('Behind The Music') and blasted from the remains of punk-band Union Carbide, Swedish psychedelic rockers the Soundtrack of Our Lives have just released their new album, 'Communion'.
Containing 24 tracks that parallel the undulating moods of the 24 hour cycle, 'Communion' belies circadian-rhythm predictability with its smorgasbord of classic-rock, electric guitar and drum virtuosity, stripped-down ballads and lyrical mysticism.
Lead-singer Ebbot Lundberg - once a neighbour to Inger Nilsson who portrayed Pippi Longstocking in film - explains how crafting 'Communion' cemented the Soundtrack of Our Lives often eccentric philosophies with warrior-like riffs and marrow-chilling vocals:
PB : Ebbot, you’ve described the group as the “Swedish Beach Boys.“
EL : I probably said that sometime because Ian (Person, guitar, percussion and vocals-Ed) and I grew up by the west coast and did surf a lot in the old skatepunk days. But I would rather call us a Swedish version of Love or something. But there is no parallel really. To be honest, we’re just a combination of everything we’ve listened to and we liked.
PB : Did you really surf in Sweden ?
EL : We did, yeah. More like wind-surfing. Instead of sticking the thing to the board, you have it in the air. It works when you’re about 15 to 17.
PB : Your musical influences ?
EL : Love, the Who, Black Flag.
PB : Is it hard to write in a second language ?
EL : No, there is a musicality to words and I was just thinking in English. Singing in Swedish sounded ridiculous.
PB : 'Babel On' kicks off 'Communion' with such ferocity. Who wrote it and what’s the world view ?
EL : The music was done by Mattias (Barjed-guitar and vocals) with a little help from the band. I wrote the lyrics which is about the forces behind what we call civilization and the feeding of the corporoctracy that has now put a stranglehold on our planet and the economical enslavement of our society. It’s about an end and a new beginning which is very much what is going on right now.
PB : “A window to the west, a window to the east…” are some of the lyrics from that song. Which window defines the Soundtrack of Our Lives currently ?
EL : We are stuck in the middle between east and west – always have been in the middle. We felt like we’re watching what’s going on –everything’s open. We get a different perspective.
PB : “The only time I breathe is when you put me down…”is a line from the second track, 'Universal Stalker'. There’s an escalating savagery here.
EL : It is basically about physics. A movement causes counterreaction and so on. Or what you sow is what you reap. An entrapment of the dream we live anywhere in the universe if you like a bigger picture.
PB : In 'Second Life Replay', you sing “I killed myself today, I had too many lives.” What will you do differently in your ‘second life replay?”
EL : Do the same – but I would go wherever my mind goes.
PB : “What can we do if we can’t find love anywhere under the sun ?” There is a lot of soul-searching in 'Just A Brother'.
EL : Yes, there is only one of us here, and as long as there are two sides there is always a conflict anywhere you go in the world. Like in Israel, for instance, or in any family tree.
PB : 'Ra' straddles gut-wrenching vocals and boisterous percussion. Still there’s this underlying mysticism.
EL : 'Ra' describes the self-combustion of humanity in this specific era – the backlash of what we call evolution. The self-destructive force in us all. A release of energy to be more precise. Pure action without precaution –just percussion.
PB : Does 'Lost Prophets in Vain' reference the living or dead ?
EL : It is referring to both. And to the living dead as well. The ones who had a vision of something but decided to bail out for some reason versus the ones who never gave up. It’s an ambivalent song for the misunderstood underground heroes.
PB : If you weren’t a rock star, what would you be?
EL : Probably a dog or something.
PB : What is opening for the Stones like?
EL : We had a lot of fun though it was like opening for a museum. I think those guys may be related to the Mayans or some reptilian extraterrestrials. Extremely small people with large heads. And they truly looked like they were made of stone. Talking about living up to a name. Must say I was fascinated. But opening for them made me feel very old physically watching how much Jagger moved on stage.
PB : Who gets credit for the “Swedish Invasion" ?
EL : Some say Union Carbide. Probably it’s Abba (laughs). Every time we come over to the other side of the Atlantic – it is a pretty embracing thing. I guess we’re responsible for recharging the situation, giving it a new angle.
PB : How does 'Communion' stack up against your previous releases ?
EL : It is the most fulfilling so far. If there’s any album that lives up to the band’s name…it is definitely this one. The lyrics are moving towards a more positive direction and to a higher frequency. We recorded about 30 tracks and it all just fell into place.
PB : What is next ?
LT : Another tour in Europe and the rest of the world and possibly some new stuff to record.
PB : Thank you.
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