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Brothers of Invention Casey Cooper of the Receiver explains how the Columbus duo crafts complex music that's also infectiously listenable. by David Powers Friday, December 18, 2009  "I never mind being compared to bands that we respect and enjoy," Casey explains. "We get the Radiohead mention a lot, and I honestly don't think we sound much like them. But I love what Radiohead does for me, so if we're doing something similar for other people, I welcome the comparison." The comparisons to old Genesis, Rush, or King Crimson are even more confusing, though, because while Jesse is a fan, Casey—who writes all of the songs—doesn't listen to them, and the output of the Receiver could never be described as jarring in the same way early Genesis grabbed listeners by the ears and shook them awake. Furthermore, Casey hopes the Receiver steers well clear of being thought of as "difficult," the single word that describes most all prog rock to those who dislike the genre. "I think it's fair to say that some of our music has prog rock qualities," Casey considers, agreeing that his songs are complex. "But I think our music is far from true prog. One thing I always try to focus on is making the music listenable, and that usually requires a catchy melody or smooth chord progression. I never want the listener to feel confused or alienated, so even though we may have a lot of layers in the music, the overall presentation is supposed to be smooth for any listener." In fact, far from detracting from the experience, the smooth layering of sounds into music is exactly what gives the Receiver its charm. Songs like "Length of Arms"—the title track of their latest album—skip along dreamlike substructures that swell over a driving rhythm. The effect is instantly hypnotizing and endlessly satisfying. "I'm a fan of orchestral music," Casey explains of the process that creates the layered effect. "Having multiple layers and intersecting lines is a lot of fun for me. It gives the listener a chance to dig deeper into the music with each listen. I've always liked music that does that for me." But it's not all playing in the deep end. Some of the most powerful tracks on Length of Arms are startlingly simple and short. "Dislocation" whirs along a discordant melody and builds to a satisfying crescendo in just 53 seconds, while "Shimmer" basks the listener in sunlight and green fields in one tick over a minute. "It really is an instinctual feeling," Casey says of how he knows when a song is done. "I've spent months on a single song because I didn't know how to end it, or which layers were missing, or what lyrics weren't working. But I never let a song go when I'm not sure if it's finished. I always just know that it's done. And it's a great feeling, because it's very concrete. Everything feels locked into place, and I can move on." Lyrically, the songs are just as moving as the music. The epic orchestrations of "Keep the Desert" can barely contain the hopeful longing of the lyrics, and you're hard pressed to decide which is more important to the final product: words or music. But Casey just sees the lyrics as one more layer. "Lyrics almost always come last in my writing process," he explains. "I usually hum a melody as I write the music, and then I fill it in later with words. Sometimes that's a hard way to do things because once the melody is locked, it's difficult to find the exact words to express what you want." But whatever the process, what's left on Length of Arms is one of the most satisfying albums in years. There's not one note, sound, or word that seems forced, or inserted simply to make some kind of obscure point of music theory. "Everything has it's place," Casey sums up. The problem for us is finding ours again when the music is over. |
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recently featured Bright Lights, Little CityCleveland's Nicholas Megalis talks about his long trip to New York City, and how he realized that where you are doesn't matter nearly as much as what you're doing. Friday, November 20, 2009 Why This Site Stinks
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