speed of dark

Seattle band Siberian released their first full-length album yesterday, With Me. Siberian have been covered before on Speed of Dark when we discovered their debut EP, and were featured in my first appearance on BlogFresh Radio. The band, which includes members Finn Parnell, Zach Tillman (brother of SoD favorite J. Tillman), Colin Wolberg, and Aaron Benson, produce an album of such lovely music that grows on you with each subsequent listen.

With Me has been on constant repeat since I received it. Many listeners have sampled the tracks "Belgian Beer and Catholic Girls" and "Islands Forever", since these were released to music bloggers for dissemination. These are the first and last tracks on the disc, and are a great representation of the rest of the songs, but a complete album they are not. Just listen to that guitar on "Wolf and Crane" - it's stunning. Hurry up and come to southern California, Siberian!

I was lucky enough to have been sent the CD in advance by lead singer Finn, who was also nice enough to answer a few of our questions:

Speed of Dark: What is the dynamic of personalities between members of the band?

Finn Parnell: A pack of narcissistic assholes straining to have their egos stroked...No, we were all good friends before we started playing music, so it's really just like any group of friends working together. You have your quirks and idiosyncrasies that can sometimes hamper the process, but ultimately we enjoy each other's company and respect each other.

SoD: How do your songs come together? Who writes the lyrics and the music, and/or comes up with the initial idea?

FP: Generally, I write the melody, lyrics and put together the initial
arrangements and then do my best to communicate what I'd like to accomplish with the song. After that, I prefer to let everyone interpret the song themselves and add or make suggestions on parts, the composition, etc. From there it just sort of grows. sometimes into a song, sometimes into a debacle. Although it can be tough writing this way-with so many opinions flying around the room-I think it opens things up so much more, especially for me. Being able to see how everyone interprets the songs is interesting and can often take the songs in different and better directions.

Although, I think next time around I'm going to demo the material myself a lot more. As much as I think it's important to collaborate, it's also very important to clearly illustrate the initial inspiration and direction of a song.

SoD: Did you have a different focus or direction for your new album in
comparison with the first EP?

FP: We had a little more time to flush things out in the studio for With Me. When we were recording the EP, Aaron had just joined the band and we were honestly still building that sort of musical relationship and dynamic with him. We also recorded the EP live in 4 days I think. not recommended. I definitely think that we were jiving much more as a group this time around. However, we are all still learning-especially in the studio.

SoD: Do you prefer playing live instead of putting together a song in the
studio?

FP: I can't really compare the two. I really enjoy playing live. The energy
you get from a live performance and the connections you make with people are really what music is all about. I can certainly say that our best performances have been in front of people, not in the studio. Even though they may not have been as technically sound, there's really nothing like a good show, when it feels like everyone in the room is together in something. I can't really explain it without sounding like a hippy.

On the other hand, I love being in the studio. Having the opportunity to craft and shape all types of sounds is really exciting and interesting. It's sort of scientific in a way. You do so much experimentation with different amplifiers and microphones, which can be distracting at times, but ultimately you're just trying to capture that same feeling you get when you play live.

SoD: How do you feel about getting famous? Do you want to be famous?

FP: I haven't thought about it. Are people in indie rock bands really that
famous? I've seen Ben Gibbard at a bar before and I suppose that'd be weird for him: knowing that a certain demographic of people do recognize him. Sort of creepy really. I'm watching you Ben.

SoD: What is the emotional state of Siberian? Tense and driven, or relaxed
and enjoying the ride?

FP: Both. You have to be driven to accomplish anything, but without the fun
what's the point?

siberian: airship [buy]
siberian: wolf and crane [buy]

official website | myspace | stream entire album | iTunes | Amazon