The duo that is Black Narcissus create such epic soundscapes where thought and emotion is given free reign to flow in a in an environment that is unbound from the constraints of genre boundaries. The ability to convey feelings into musical emtion without words is staggering. Combining beautiful melodies, ethereal harmonies and a building of power and conviction, bassist Jesse Massant and drummer Thomas Wuyts have created a new masterwork, the evocatively titled ‘’ There Lingers One Who's Long Forgotten’’
Jesse” About 8 years ago I had this idea of writing a poem ''Beyond the whispers of common men, Where the flowers grant you wishes, There lingers one who's long forgotten. Her name is Black Narcissus'' and make albums about them.
‘’Now 8 years later and I'm on the third chapter. I always had an easier time expressing myself through my bass with melodies then i did with words or vocals. I do however think hard and long about these titles. every title needs to fit a certain song. often times i have a certain melody/ blueprint in my head and a title that goes with it. i write alot of (bad) poetry and have alot of love for titles/ wording that makes you think or dream.
The inspiration for the album? It has such a diverse range of emotions?
‘’This album is by far the most emotional one.. it's also the most personal. after Where the flowers grant you wishes I already had alot of base ideas but had no idea where to go with them.. in the last 3 years alot has happened in my life. alot of bad stuff and these songs have adapted themselfves alot to my surroundings. these songs are always what I need them to be. they are organic and open to change. they are like my personal diary. they also act as the best part of me for sure. a world I love to dissapear in. i try to make them as positive and uplifting as possible exactly for this reason. And i hope this album offers some solace to those who need/ seek it.
It is more epic than its predecessor Where The flowers Grant you Wishes?
‘’i think its the logical and more mature follow up of the previous one. We're more scarse with heavy parts but when they come they hit harder. this time I also added my upright bass with the bow and that has really pushed the music in a more emotional way and sound wise it feels even more organic.
The creative process.
‘’Ever since our first album me and Thomas had have the same creation process. I sit at home and play every night.. without thinking (just impro) and film these sessions.. every night ..at some point during the week or month i listen to these ''thoughts'' .. sometimes an idea catches my ear.. it feels like a vibe I want to explore further.. I play around with this idea and if I feel I can get lost in it and want to dive further into this little world I bring that idea to rehearsal where i just play it freely and see how Thomas likes it (he's way more down to earth then I am and I really need this sometimes) .. we play around with it and improvise around it. We then film it and come back to it on a later date. if we still love it we go on. we keep doing this until we have a bunch of blueprints for songs (we dont set fixed structures or details) then after a long time of playing and coming together like this we have so many ideas and songs that we make a selection.. these become the album. we form them into a more fixed state and plan recordings. in the studio we record these blueprints and go pretty far with the feel of the songs. (where to push and drag).. our clicktrack is a nightmare (microchanges everywhere) because we have this rule that we don't want edits and use one takes as much as possible. the organic timbre of the music is holy to us. i rather have a beautiful mistake on the record or a harsh note then an editted recording. (here goes alot of credit to Bob our soundguy) he really knows what we want and he pushes himself with mic choises and mixing to make every line stand out perfectly.
''After these studio recordings I go home and receive a first mix from bob with all the blueprints.. this is where my favorite part begins. I plugin my bass and press record and close my eyes and just play whatever I feel over these songs. pure impro... sometimes counter melodies, sometimes basslines, sometimes texture based stuff.. whatever feels right..
‘’I don't overthink them and don't listen to them even that often.. i send them to bob and he mixes them in.. what we end up with is an organic record filled with memories of specific moments.. little imperfections and lines that I often not even recall playing myself. i feel like a visitor in my own head when I play this album.
The combination of gentle harmonies and epic soundscapes?
I think because I don't sing on these albums yet I love music that goes somewhere.. i truly feel every song should be a journey. I listen to alot of film music and I love how emotional that music can be and how the structures push a story forward. I try to do as much as possible with just a bass and of course Thomas really helps a lot with his way of drumming. We think in melody, progression and textures. over the years Ive studied alot of music, (mostly theoretical) but i try to forget it all when i compose/play. sometimes after a song is done I analyse it and find it's so simple and I think that's why it works. The beauty about composing full songs on bass is that you can go to the essence of everything. a chord can be as simple as 2 notes. there's no need to double certain notes a bunch of times..
The ethereal beauty of Something Strange and Eternal? Proof of the diversification musically within the new record? Where the music is its own voice?
‘’We chose this song as a single as it really shows the direction this album is going in.. it's still Black Narcissus to it's core.. but it truly captures the vibe and sound of the new album.
These Hands That Build? Is it accomplishment and perseverance?
‘’Sometimes I have to give myself some credit at least.. In general I'm a very negative person with a lot of bad thoughts. I wish it was different but it is what it is. I'm a person who lives to create..
''This is a reminder to why I keep going.
Is it up to the listener to interpret the music and emotions within.
‘’Yes, and I invite everyone who listens to these songs to get lost in them. there's much to be discovered and if this music only gives you a glimpse of the hope and solace it provides me I think it's worth it.
To stand in the light than take solace in the shadows?
‘’Contrast is key, without darkness light has no purpose and vice versa.
‘’Not just this album but the entire project of Black Narcissus is some form of coping mechanism for me. I listen alot of Black metal in my free time but when I play music I try to create these hopeful landscapes to escape to. there's alot of nostalgia in them and in general places of a certain beauty. I am very much a feelings person and lots of people have the ability to write harsh music to get it out of their system.. for me it works the other way.. it's why I avoid writing depressive stuff as much as possible and try to live/ escape in these more beautiful hopeful songs. there is alot of beauty in dark things tho and I'm generally very much drawn to it and you will hear them come through ever so often in these songs as well.
The progression of your music?
‘’I tend not to think about where to go and just let it come naturaly, I still love the first release for what it is and I am very curious to how the next one will sound but I will def not plan it in any way. We have a million more ideas and melodies and soundscapes to discover. i dont really try to push myself too much. in general my playing style changes over the course of the years and i get new kinds of shapes in my hands as well as progressions and rhythms. this in itself is often enough to make every release feel different. but it's still my mind.. and it's the combo of me and thomas together that make these songs feel like Black Narcissus.
Is your music something that could be defined as how much you put yourself and emotions into rather than a genre?
‘’I don't think in genres at all.. everything is emotions. I don't even think of our music as a bass & drum duo or post rock band. It's just music.. and I happen to play bass. The reason I stick with the bass is that I don't have to think about it.. its an extension of who I am.. my voice. It's limited and therein lies the beauty I think. if I would add a guitar or keys that would make me think about the songs, think about what to add and how to do it. that defeats the purpose as to why I do this.
What inspired you to pursue music and its importance to you?
‘’Without music I would not be here... it's everything.
Final thoughts?
‘’I'd just like to thank you and every person out there who has enjoyed our music so far. i hope you all love this new album just as much as we did making it.
Top 6 albums of all time?
this is a tough one..... (I'm gonna try and not overthink this one too much) (these records tend to change over time)
I Forsee the Dark Ahead, If I Stay - The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
ghosteen - Nick Cave
Damp chill of life - None
shadow work - mammal hands
kentucky - panopticon
Ariettes oubliees - Les Discrets
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