The Bamboos Interview: I Never
The Bamboos join forces with Dan Sultan in a rendition of their track ‘I Never’. The group rearrange their 2012 track, enamouring listeners with their decision to bring strings to the forefront. We chat to frontman Lance on revisiting ‘I Never’ ahead of the release of ‘By Special Arrangement’.
The crux of ‘By Special Arrangement’, the upcoming album, featuring ‘I Never’ revolves around reinventing The Bamboos greatest hits in a never before seen arrangement.
Can you talk about the power of a more extravagant orchestra in adding in layers of emotion and sentiment?
Some of the original versions of these songs already did have string arrangements, but on this record we’re putting the strings right out to the front. Our trumpet player Ross Irwin has been arranging and orchestrating strings since our album ‘Side-Stepper’ in 2008 – but he has been totally let off the leash here. We often talk about string arrangements being the icing on the cake. On ‘By Special Arrangement’ the icing IS the cake.
Did putting songs in a more sombre arrangement evoke a new set of emotions?
I like the whole idea of pathos framed in upbeat settings – and songs like ‘Stranded’ and ‘Lit Up’ (in their original guises) are built on that concept. When they’re stripped back to Ross’ arrangements and incredible vocal performances from Kylie we can wring the songs out even more for those darker emotional points.
What was it like to attach new memories to songs that have had years of past memories associated with them?
It was thrill to hear them unfold in the studio. Ross, John Castle and I had got together beforehand to plan some things out, mainly moods and instrumentation, but I hadn’t heard the full arrangements until the day of the Strings recording. I hope that we get an opportunity to perform them live more than once.
‘I Never’ has been remixed previously, and now it’s being shared in its more organic state.
Can you talk about why you think the song is so fluid in all the forms and arrangements it takes?
I remember having fun making those two remixes of ’I Never’ that came out back in 2013. The Lanu one went down a kind of Dream-Pop/Beach House line, and the Natural Double one was more like something from the ‘Drive’ Soundtrack. The original vocal was nice to work with because it is in a minor key and Daniel Merriweather’s layered-up vocal clusters sound amazing. At the end of the day if a song and it’s elements (lyrics/melody/chords) work well together then hopefully it should stand-up in almost any type of setting/arrangement.
What was the studio atmosphere and energy like when developing a more emotionally driven take of the song?
We had the luxury of having a little more time in the studio when we were recording vocals to get things sitting right. A lot of the melodies I write are pretty rhythm-driven, but when the drums and percussion were taken away sometimes things were sounding a little too clipped and staccato. We had to compensate by smoothing some things out in the vocal delivery. This also helped make the songs a feel little more intimate.
Did you try and approach this music with the same innocence and fresh eye that propelled your careers 20 years ago?
Even though this album (in many ways) looks back, I always like to keep trying to move the music forward. The whole idea with this from the beginning was to make a ‘Best Of…’ – type record but not in a standard fashion – to take some of our most-played music and flip it in a new way for us and our fans. I think we managed to tick both boxes with it.
What have you learnt from collaborators on this project that you look forward to implementing in the next chapter of your artistry?
The four vocalists on the record (Kylie Auldist, Tim Rogers, Dan Sultan & Megan Washington) all have highly distinct sounds, styles and personalities – and I think at the end of the day the main goal for any artist is to have their own distinct style. If it’s one thing I’ve taken from working with strong creative characters like these (and others) it’s to keep on pushing out and developing your own personal sound.
How did revisiting your past music connect the group more and create a greater sense of family?
After nearly 20 years together The Bamboos really is like my second family. Ross Irwin almost feels like a little brother to me. He joined the band when he was not-long out of University and I feel proud and lucky to have watched him grow and flourish musically over all these years. Everyone has families and we don’t travel on the road for long lengths of time, but when we get together it’s always ON!
Was it more important for you to commemorate 20 years of your existence as a group for yourselves or for your supporters? Or both?
I think it’s definitely important for both sides of the coin. Our 20th anniversary is in 2020 – but we’re pre-empting it with this album now as the plan for next year is to celebrate with an album of all-new music.