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Written by Matt Carter
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Wednesday, 05 September 2007 |
 Poison The Well ‘Versions’
If to be content is the death of desire, then the three members of Poison The Well have no idea of the word complacent.
Instrumental lines up changes have always plagued the band, and now with a new album out it seems the remaining members have found a renewing trust in reinvention of their sound. Eagerly awaiting. PTW devotees have been waiting over three years for the follow up to ‘You Come Before You’, and not to mention through subsequent doubts of the bands future. On ‘Versions’ the band doesn’t entirely depart from the heavy melodic sound ingrained with the southern twinge and draw of Ryan Pimack’s guitar on past albums. Rather, this is chapter the band chose to elaborate on new ways of using elements not always chosen to complete the feel of each song.
This includes broad stylistic instrumentation and even more withdrawn and gloomy song tempos that rely more on the melodies of Jeff Moreira’s voice. As for introducing new instruments and disconsolate themes to the bands already bleak and grey outlook, it is one of the most inspired transitions they have ever made.
Guitarist Ryan Primack was kind enough to answer a few questions about ‘Versions’.
 HZ: Give me an idea of the motivation you had for the elaboration of background instruments on this album.
Ryan Primack: A lot of the motivation for adding more instrumentation was for broadness in sound. I wanted to stay away from using guitar, bass, and drums exclusively. I wanted to record to have as many different
HZ: One thing I always noticed about your band was that you always selected your chords very carefully for each individual song. What was the writing process like for this album in doing the guitar tracks? Were they composed collectively or individually?
RP: When writing the record we all looked at the harmony within the chords. I've always gotten bored of root and 5th pretty easily. We always wanted there to be relationships between chords and harmonies within. As far as composition we all get together and discuss the sounds and how they work together.
HZ: Do you think that sometimes in aggressive music there is a feeling of reluctance to experiment with instruments that don’t commonly have a place in the band because it may work adversely towards a bands reputation?
RP: I don't know if there is an overall reluctance. I'm not reluctant. I think in general there is too much worry over people’s opinions in music in general. I think a lot bands get bogged down in riding the fence between what they want and what they think the people that liked their last record want. I think that's a shame.
HZ: Would you say Versions finds new opportunities for the band to find its heaviness rather than relying on past methods?
RP: I think one of the most important parts of making this record for us was we could find a new way to be heavy. We've never been a band to rest on its previous effort. I think with Versions we had a great opportunity to push it farther than we ever have.
HZ: 'Prematurito El Baby' seems to be the only track resembling anything close to a breakdown, while a lot of songs seem to maintain a fast tempo rather than particular developed heavy parts. Was this intentional; or merely how the songs took shape?
RP: On Versions we tried real hard to just let the songs come through however they were going to. There weren't many attempts to try and steer a song anywhere. We wanted things to be very free.
HZ: Ultimately what would you like your fans to derive from your music? Are the lyrics intended to be personal to you as a band or are they something that each fan will find their own meaning for?
RP: Ultimately I hope they get some sore of feeling from the songs. I hope that it affects them somehow. The lyrics are meant to be interpreted not taken as just what they say. Finding your own meaning in songs is something that I think makes the song complete. Communication is the goal of music right?
HZ: Tell me about how you think the climate has changed for your music in between albums; do you think Versions is an album that will appeal to older fans as much as new ones?
RP: I think the climate of music has reached the plateau of being homogenized. I think so much is forced and made to be so digestible. As far as who our record will appeal to old or new. I didn't think about that much. I try to just make sure were happy and we believe in it. That way I know it’s honest.
myspace.com/poisonthewell
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