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There's nothing democratic about songwriting or painting or making films or any of it. You have to be able to sit in a room and say, 'That's not good, this is good, that's my opinion.' Those aren't the most pleasant conversation but we have those now. -Jack Antonoff |
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Photo of Steel Train at SXSW 2006 by Dave Vann
As Antonoff discussed the dynamics of the lineup change, and the difficulties that led up to it, the overwhelming pride he seemed to take in the new record couldn't have been more clear. With a visible sense of joy painted across his face, Antonoff says "This album is what we've always aspired to be. We're becoming closer and closer to what we think Steel Train is. This record is the first thing I've ever done that I feel very proud of personally, and I just want people to like it."
Bassist Evan Winiker drove this point home, saying, "We wrote the last album four years ago, and it came out two years ago. So, when it came out it felt old. This album, I want people to hear it because it's what we're doing right now. When the old record came out, I'd be like, 'Don't listen to this. Check out the live show because that's what we're proud of.' We're really proud of the new album. We've been happy with albums we've made but we've never felt like 'This is the one,' and we really feel like this is the one."
Twilight Tales was a multi-layered album that provided the group with a means to articulate their instrumental prowess on extensive jams like "Gypsy Waves," while also incorporating emotive tales like "Better Love." It gave critics a good understanding of the eclecticism the group has championed, and more importantly, helped open up many doors. With all of this in mind, the degree of resentment Winiker and Antonoff express while discussing Twilight Tales seems unfounded and a bit confusing. Asked about the flaws of the album, Antonoff spat, "We have so many regrets about Twilight Tales. We're almost like a battered band in a way, like the way we act. We just did a photo shoot, and there was one photo we kind of didn't like, and I was on the phone with our manager saying, 'That can't get out.' With every little piece of our career - whether it's a photo we don't like or an album - I don't think we realized early on that whatever we put out there will be out there forever. And so, the things that you put out there you have to make sure they're things you can deal with forever. That was the biggest thing going into this [new] record."
 Jack Antonoff by Amanda Ryan Albion |
Antonoff followed up by revealing that "The Band's Music from Big Pink was the complete inspiration for Twilight Tales. When we talked to the label we were like, 'We want to do what The Band did.' But I couldn't be more opposed to that approach at this point in my life," says Antonoff. At this point in the conversation, images of mountain town cabins, copious amounts of whiskey and bearded musicians embracing a flannel wardrobe couldn't be avoided. Antonoff wanted to make his album in an isolated utopia like what he imagined Big Pink to have been. In his young and impressionable ways, Antonoff quickly came to understand that the utopia he pictured can quickly turn into a dystopian drag you want to get as far away from as possible. Gone was the emphasis on isolation and leisure, and in was a ridged work ethic Antonoff has embraced.
"This time around, we put all the emphasis on the songwriting, and the preproduction. With Twilight Tales we kept saying 'We'll figure it out when we get there.' With this record, we recorded it at my house five times before we even went to the studio. In my opinion, after having made this record, the studio should be the last part of the process."
With his new approach came a newfound understanding of himself. Discussing the creative process on Trampoline, Antonoff spoke with a newfound degree of realism and maturity.
"We recognized who we were a lot more on this record," says Antonoff. "I think that Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield, Stephen Stills and Medeski Martin & Wood can go into the studio and just do whatever, which is cool because that's their thing. But that's not our thing. We write songs and want to make cohesive albums. That's what we thought we wanted to do on Twilight Tales, but we ended up going at it in a very loose way."
As the group grew closer to their ideals, the fruits of their progress grew accordingly. This progress is evident in their newer, catchier sound. Warping the sound you've been known for can be a challenging task for any artist and Antonoff feels a certain degree of pride in his musical growth. When Antonoff discusses music, he talks about it more like a fan than an artist. For anyone who's given his music a spin or two, the influence of songwriters like Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan couldn't be more apparent. In fact, as Antonoff shot the shit with friends following Steel Train's opening set for The Format, he found himself discussing the pros and cons of Wilco's new release, Sky Blue Sky, from the perspective of a fan of Jeff Tweedy's pre-Wilco project, Uncle Tupelo.
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