Life and Inspiration: Conrad Keely, Trail of Dead
May 29, 2009Critics darlings Trail of Dead are visiting Australia after more acclaim for new album Century of Self. Chris Murray talked art, music and childhood with lead singer Conrad Keely.
Your music has a sense of grandeur. Where does this come from?
“Music is an ongoing tradition. There’s no chapter in its history without merit. We’re very influenced by the entire history of Western music. I’ve been studying violin and string instruments for seven years. I’m learning fiddle songs, Appalachian music, Celtic tunes. Have you heard the Warsaw Village Band? They mix sampling and electronica with traditional Polish music. When I learnt instruments, we were taught classical music. Also, a love of soundtracks, the cinematic idiom – the idea of music being visual.”
Was there a mission statement with Century of Self?
“This one had an overall concept; several actually. One was to interject things we do live – improvisations – becoming part of the compositions. We’ve always gone for a large suite, a visual experience. Recording is very emotional, stressful; we’ve often done them in relative isolation.”
Lyrically, this album seems more fantastical. What issues most attract
you when writing?
“I’m interested in the question of humanity. We live in amazing times, positive and negative; there’s so much going on. So many advancements – and barbarity – I can’t help but reflect on those things. If someone asks me what a song is about, I can tell them. There’s nothing oblique about writing for me. It’s prosaic and poetic, but also specific. Songs should tell stories. There’s very little trivia I deal with. This record’s more metaphysical:
I was looking back on childhood.”
Was the cover art created after the record, or during – is it related?
“During – the music came as I did the art. The ship diagram on the inside sleeve was done in the studio, inspired by the movie Howl’s Moving Castle. The cover is an allegory of the moment we realise our mortality. The child realises he’s going to grow up, and die. We make that realisation at different times. His room is a recurring theme, based
on my mother’s house, that was always cluttered with knick-knacks
and books. As you get older, childhood themes increase. You watch Salvador
Dali’s paintings develop over his life; he always returns to themes that fascinated him as a child. I love that sense of wonder. I want to evoke that desire to look at a picture for more than a glance. It’s a very exciting time in art, people being free of the doctrine of the last century. There’s
a return to technique.”
Century of Self is available via Inertia.
