Lisa Loeb is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who was the first unsigned artist to have a number one platinum-selling single, her hit “Stay (I missed you),” without a recording contract.
FIRST AID KIT INTERVIEW "Swedish mania continues"
November 19, 2019 8:10 PM
SORRY STOCKHOLM, YOU CAN’T HAVE THESE TWO BACK
Swedish mania continues - be prepare to be awestruck by the folksy sounds of this angelic duo by Gary Canino
A little after 11 p.m. last week, Johanna and Klara Söderberg, the two sisters known collectively as First Aid Kit, come out for their encore at their sold out Webster Hall show. They begin to play “King of the World,” harmoniz- ing perfectly, and the room, a packed house of 1500 fans, erupts. It’s been quite a ride for the Swedish duo, and a surprising one too. Their second studio album, The Lion’s Roar, went to #1 in Sweden in January, a far cry from the sisters’ humble debut on YouTube (their cover of Fleet Foxes’, “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” is what first brought them attention back in 2008). And when I spoke to Klara, the younger of the two sisters, last week, even she remarked that their music isn’t the sort that tops the charts anywhere.
Their last show in NYC wasn’t too far from Webster Hall, but the difference in size was certainly more dramatic. In 2011, the band sold out Mercury Lounge, a club on the Lower East Side with a capacity of only 250. Only a few months later, they’ve increased their audience more than ten-fold, not to mention their recent collaborations with Jack White, James Felice, and Conor Oberst. Klara and I discussed their increasing popularity, the merits of recording in a studio versus a bedroom, and First Aid Kit’s experience recording with one of their idols.
I was lucky enough to be at your Webster Hall show last week. It was unbelievable. What has your experience been playing in NYC?
Thank you! We’ve played New York a couple of times, at the Mercury Lounge twice, and also CMJ in 2010. We’ve had great shows at Mercury Lounge too, but [Webster Hall] was special because it was obviously a lot bigger! But it still felt intimate. I like that.
What is it like touring in a country that’s not your home? Do you have a favorite place to play?
Well, since I’m talking to you, I have to say America (laughs)! No, it’s so hard to say, because so much depends on the day that you’re playing: the day of the week it is, what the weather is like. We’ve had good and bad shows in every country. We always enjoy doing our U.S. tours, though. It’s a good adventure traveling around. [Playing in different countries] isn’t something we really think too much about. Obviously we’re extremely hap- py that we get to travel around and do these amazing tours, but we don’t really look at the shows differently if they’re in Sweden or anywhere else.
I wanted to ask about the recording sessions for The Lion’s Roar with Bright Eyes member, Mike Mogis. It must have been very dif- ferent than creating your first record?
Yes, we produced our first album with our dad in our home, in Johanna’s bedroom, basically. So it was different coming to a big studio, as amazing as [Presto! Recording Studios] is in Omaha. Working with Mike was a big step for us, but because we record- ed at home, we knew how everything worked. We’ve had the time to really figure out everything for ourselves, so even though we were in a big studio, it didn’t feel intimidating. But it was great because we had a lot more freedom to bring in musicians and do what we wanted, whereas when we were recording in a bedroom, we sort of had our limitations.
I was very interested by the role of Conor Oberst’s verse on “King of the World.” His line “Screaming ‘fire!’ in a theater, people tak- ing their seats,” seems to nicely parallel what you and Johanna sing in the first two verses of the song. How did you both go about writing the song?
“King of the World” had three verses originally, and the last verse is about not looking inwards, but outwards. When we decided Conor was going to sing on the song, we decided to take out the third verse and have Conor write his own. It turned out to be a great idea, because although he brought something new [to the song], he also very much shared his own personal view about what we were singing about. He wrote his verse while we were away for one weekend, and I remember coming back and reading his lyrics for the first time, and just being blown away. Bright Eyes were the band that got us into folk and country music. I heard Bright Eyes when I was twelve, and it was just a revelation for me. They have meant so much to us, so working with them was such a dream, and having Conor sing on a song and Mike work on this album...I don’t really know if I have the words to describe it.
I read that you were born in ‘93, and your sister was born in ’90. Do you feel like that decade influenced your music?
I don’t really know. Was there any good music in the ‘90s? (laughs) Well, Elliott Smith is one of our favorites, and we grew up listen- ing to his music. But I was still very young: I was seven in 2000, so it’s still kind of a blur for me. Maybe Johanna would have a better answer; I know I was just watching Jennifer Lopez on MTV then. (laughs)
The theme of this issue is “Love,” and I wanted to ask if any songs on The Lion’s Roar could be viewed as purely love songs?
They often seem to be a bit more complicated than that.I don’t think there are any songs that are pure love songs. The record is, in a lot of ways, about emptiness and loneliness, but there’s defi- nitely a lot of longing and love. I think people would say “Em- mylou” is a song that could work towards that, and people could interpret it as a sad song as well. “To A Poet” is the closest thing to a love song, though there’s definitely a lot of sorrow in that one.
I was reading the lyrics to “The Lion’s Roar” on Songmeanings. net and found people arguing over the specific meaning of the song in the comments section. Are you a fan of ambiguous lyrics?
I’ve read that Thom Yorke prefers to leave the meanings of songs am- biguous so they can mean different things to different people. Definitely! I love that people are arguing about it, because we want our lyrics to be personal and for people to see themselves in our lyrics. I like the fact that it’s not all written out, and you can make your own interpretations. I’m not going to say who is right or wrong. That would just ruin everything!
Photography CHEK WU
related posts
SAINT LAURENT MUSIC PROJECT
For decades music and fashion has been closely intertwined.
TATI ANA X NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB AT BROOKLYN BOWL
TATI ANA and NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB performed last week at the BROOKLYN BOWL. The crowd was everything you would expect from the cool electric bands.
Get the Royal Treatment with Lorde at Coachella for Charity
TWELV readers and Lorde lovers listen up, here’s a chance to snag VIP passes for you and a friend.
Holding onto a Little Daylight
Little Daylight is Brooklyn’s newest synth-pop project, bound for glory.
The Ludicrous Impossibility of Writing a Think-Piece on a Kanye West Performance.
[My editors told me I could “go crazy on this one”, they're going to regret that.]
Ariana and The Rose
There was a time when the word 'pop' was deemed a dirty word in the music industry.
SLEEPY KITTY
TWELV got the chance to chat with Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult of the band "Sleepy Kitty" to discuss muses, life in their favorite cities, Robert Rauschenberg, and welding.
The Chainsmokers
NYC-based DJs Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall from "The Chainsmokers" recently let TWELV dress them up and pick apart their brains.
Ivy Levan: Queen of Swamp-Hop
TWELV recently had the opportunity to chat with up-and-coming singer/songwriter Ivy Levan, who just released her debut EP, “Introducing the Dame,” on Cherry Tree/Interscope records.
Kopecky Family Band
Interview with Gabe Simon
Musical roots hold a bond thicker than blood for this "family."
Daphne Guinness: Fatal Flaw
Fashion icon, Daphne Guinness, has released her first music video, “Fatal Flaw.” The heiress croons on about love while flashes of color dance in and out of focus in a melodic trance.
Exclusive: Neon Trees
TWELV Magazine is pleased to unveil this exclusive track from Neon Trees upcoming Lessons in Love (all day, all night) Remixes with this track by Michel Heyaca.
#STOPANDDANCE: Motive's Latest EP
If we may be so bold as to introduce Motive’s new EP, It’s Illicit.
Crowd Control: The Vaccines at Terminal 5
In no-nonsense rock 'n' roll style The Vaccines ascended the Terminal 5 stage at 10 pm Thursday storming straight into 'No Hope'.
Kitsune x Twelv Present WE ♥ NEW YORK
Join Kitsune Friday night to honor stars of the NYC downtown music scene at Le Bain, The Standard Hotel's penthouse discotheque.
Charlene Kaye: Animal Love
Charlene Kaye is not your typical singer songwriter. Her hit song “Animal Love” crosses more genres than a Girl Talk album.
Twelv Presents: Motive, Computer Magic and Starlight Girls at Webster Hall
Twelv considered hundreds of bands before deciding which to include in issue 2. As a New York based magazine, Twelv is always on the hunt for emerging music talent in the New York area.
CHELSEA WOLFE
The young California native, who currently calls Los Angeles home, said she knew she wanted to be a musician all her life and begun self-teaching at the age of nine.
TWELV Night - Paloma Faith's British Invasion
Her name means nothing to most Americans, but Paloma Faith has the spirit of fame.
TWELV Night – Lemonade, Chairlift, and Washed Out at House of Vans
Five hundred anxious New Yorkers stretched down blocks of Franklin Street last night – and not just for the complimentary booze.
![Washed Out - A Dedication [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://twelvny.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/media-youtube/noS61QN9nag.jpg?itok=BVWEKVVW)
TWELVIDEOS of August - a playlist
Is it really August already? Well we here at TWELV know how fast time flies when you’re having fun. Or when you’re vibing on the coolest new music videos.
Fiona Apple's Deep, Dark Woods
Fiona Apple has been known as many things during her decade-spanning career: Jazzy. Sensual. Sociopathic.
Dirty Projectors trade knots for new on latest LP
It's strange to see the word "accessible" appear again and again in interviews with the notoriously abstract Dirty Projectors.
Midsummer's Daydream: A Video Playlist
Not sure what your summer should look like? Well neither are we, but we've assembled five new music videos filled to the brim with sunny, stylish escapades.
UK’S CRYSTAL FIGHTERS BRING ETHNO-TRANCE CARAVAN TO NORTH AMERICA
The txalaparta, an ancient Basque instrument, is traditionally played through the use of partnership.
Small Black wade in the Hip-Hop water on new Moon Killer mixtape
What if you took your favorite rap beat into the sauna with a bottle of red wine?
DIIV IN
Brooklyn-based band DIIV, brainchild of Beach Fossils guitarist Zachary Cole Smith, was only formed about a year ago and played their first show late July of last year.
Tu Fawning's "Monumental" New Release
“Tu Fawning return this May with their sophomore release, A Monument.
Mystery Jets' New Album is the Culmination of their "Main Street Exile"
1. You guys are playing at Brooklyn Bowl in Brooklyn on 6/11 and at Beacon Theatre in NYC on 6/15. What do you like the most about performing in New York?
Folk Music for a New Generation: Canyon's Fresh Take on a Classic Genre
Hailing from Westport, Connecticut; Canyon Sharits is a self-proclaimed "Song Peddler and Storyteller" who takes a confessional approach to all of her melodically distinctive Indie/Fo
“So Good You Need To Be In My Collection”: Wildstreet Gives Rock & Roll a New Name
“Armed with big choruses, blazing guitar solos, and powerful melodies, WILDSTREET is a sex-fueled rock n roll explosion beckoning the glory days of 80s arena rock.
Blonde Redhead Invades Brooklyn
Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Japanese vocalist and rhythm guitarist Kazu Makino and Milanese twin brothers Simone and Amadeo Pace, who play drums and vocals/lead...