Elleodin-Cadmus
From her background in punk rock, you would be assuming what Elleodin creates now. Her sonic journeys can’t be compared, both are expressions of her soul. In this particular format however, there are other aspects that chisel her songs. Her latest single is a post rock gem called Cadmus. Your particular sub-genre comes from various art forms. How has this impacted your approach to composition? I think what I look for in music and composition is anything that feels emotionally intense in some way, and that can manifest in various genres. Something can be intense in a quiet, unsuspecting way, or in a way that’s overwhelming and energetic. I’m not really paying attention to genre so much as trying to find the feeling I’m after, which often leads to drawing inspiration from a variety of places. For Cadmus, I knew I wanted it to feel dark and fiery, so when I approached the sound design, I leaned into the kind of warm, gritty, dark sounds that I knew I could get from guitar pedals and tape. Overall the way I approach composition and genre changes quit bit depending on the needs of the song. Opening with some ambient winds, you’re still in the middle of dark water. This is the best way to experience her music, not knowing the source of light. The aural frames come in, making clear a silhouette within sound. Elleodin is setting a theme of this fantastical city from mythology. Exploring synth textures with Elleodin A song like Wing Commander Angel has a whole other pulse compared to your latest, Cadmus. How do you test the waters for the structure of these songs? For Wing Commander Angel, I was trying to depict a very different scene than what is presented in Cadmus. The picture I had in mind for it was one of isolation and freedom, kind of like a quiet ecstasy. Cadmus is pretty much the complete opposite - the aim was to depict the feeling of being surrounded by people whilst in the midst of an inner turmoil, or chaotic mindset - and an inability to escape. Because of that, the way I approached making Cadmus vs. Wing Commander Angel was very different, both in what I wanted for them melodically and instrumentally. It tends to be a process of slowly piecing it together while keeping the images I’m aiming for in mind and making sure what I’m doing matches. Themes of an album-Iridiscent The central theme in Iridescent, is it something that comes from a dream? Or experimenting in the studio while thinking out loud? The central theme of Iridescent, for me, was colour. I strongly associate sound with colour, and Iridescent was a bit like putting together five impressionist paintings that depict different, worlds, scenes and characters. There was a lot of experimenting in the studio and going with the flow with that EP and I felt a lot of freedom making it - maybe that’s why it feels dream-like. If you don’t know the premise of this divinity, her single is a good way to get acquainted. The percussion sneaks up, within sight. It resonates with an incredible energy before finally crashing, as though you have arrived. Haunting synth tunes, overlaid like temperature of water with this drumming, makes this song unlike any other you will hear. Even in concept, it sounds strange. Once it hits your eardrums, it is the very sonic escape you needed away from reality. Cadmus-The making of Cadmus has a post rock energy that you have contained with several instrumental interactions. How did you go about creating this song? I made the first draft of Cadmus on my OP-1 during a trip to the south of Spain. I didn’t have a laptop or any other equipment with me, so for a while I worked on it solely within the OP-1. The OP-1 works a bit like a tape machine; you only have four tracks to record on, and although you have various arpeggiators, you don’t have midi. Because of that, It always comes out slightly imperfect, but I think that’s what gives OP-1 songs their character. Once I came home, the idea was to keep the song I had created intact, while expanding it as much as possible. There was a quiet darkness to the original that I wanted to bring through, I knew I wanted it to feel both gritty and ethereal, so I processed the tracks in ways that are somewhat similar to what might be used in post-rock and shoegaze. As it started to transform I started to hear some of the more cinematic qualities like the heavy drums, the choir chants, and what would eventually become my vocals, so I added those in later on. I experimented quite a bit with it before ended up with the form it’s in now. Elleodin-Routes and inspiration Which would you define as your most ambitious project? Is it something you have completed or is still in the pipeline? It’s a concept album that’s very much still in the pipeline - I’ve spent years on it at this point, but hopefully not many more. It’s been fun to take my time and slowly build it into what I want it to be, but it’s also challenged me a lot more than previous projects. If you were to draw inspirations from certain artists and musicians, who would you say are some of the big ones? Kate Bush certainly inspired me early on, I’m not sure I would have ended up making music if not for her. Bat For Lashes is another artist who I still go back to listen to for inspiration. Otherwise, in terms of process and sound design I find KOAN Sound really inspiring - their music is really innovative. For Cadmus, I drew a lot of inspiration from Lorn, and the way he processes sound through tape and re-recording sounds until they feel both dark and organic. You must check out singles from Elleodin like Black Bird and Below Waves among others. The 2019 EP Iridescent is definitely worth checking out, so make sure you head to her Spotify and listen to this number. This song would be perfect in Divergent (2014). The whole film series needs songs like this that dive into the fiction. Follow her for more and listen to the single above!
Not Rated Yet