Sean MacLeod is back with "Inside Out (Radio Edit)," the third single from his album That's When the Earth Becomes a Star. The song follows a long period of musical and academic development for MacLeod, who recently completed a PhD in Musical Composition. His exploration of alternative tunings and microtonality led him to new musical ideas, and his two new albums were influenced by these concepts.
From indie pop to grunge, synth-pop to folk and classical music, and bigger ideas such as technology, consumerism, freedom, isolation and human connection, That's When the Earth Becomes a Star is a collaboration of all those styles. MacLeod's mission is simple: to create music that is fun to listen to, but is also a bit like how he thinks about the world.
Many of these ideas are covered in “Inside Out”, which examines how technology, consumerism and social systems contribute to the creation of the self and others. Along with his catchy songwriting, MacLeod also dabbles in more experimental sounds on We Don't See That We Don't See, revealing another facet of his artistry.
In this interview, Sean MacLeod discusses inspiration for writing "Inside Out", his PhD experience, his passion for “experimental” sound, and hopes to bring real happiness to listeners through his music.
Listen to Inside Out (Radio Edit)
https://seantmacleod.bandcamp.com/album/thats-when-the-earth-becomes-a-star-2
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Congratulations on the release of “Inside Out (Radio Edit),” the third single from That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star. What inspired the song, and what does “Inside Out” mean to you personally?
Thank you. The song, musically, just arrived as it did. There was no conscious effort to write it in a certain way but I think there seems to be strong influences of grunge and brit-pop in there. Lyrically, the song has a few layers of meaning I think. On one level its asking questions about the effects of consumerism and technology on how we live and how we relate to ourselves and each other but on the other hand it questions our need for institutions and if we can really become ourselves without them. When all the social, political and cultural institutions fall away - "look out" - would we be able to stand on our own
You recently completed a PhD in Musical Composition before returning with two new albums. How did the experience of completing your PhD influence the way you approached songwriting and music-making on this new material?
Yes. I recently completed a PhD on Composition looking at how we tune our instruments and why they are tuned that way and how would alternative tuning influence my own songwriting. It was very interesting, particularly since I feel that there is a strong argument to suggest that how we tune our instruments and how we produce music in general is very much influenced and influences how our social organism develops.
So again these themes of social control or individual freedom come up. It was quite difficult for me to explore new tunings as its a bit like writing in a different language. But I think some interesting results came from it which can be heard on the album We Don't See That We Don't See. I will continue to explore these areas of alternative tunings and microtonality so I think it will exert a bigger influence on the music in the future.
That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star brings together indie pop, grunge, synth-pop, folk and contemporary classical music. How do you balance these different influences while keeping your songwriting accessible and recognisably your own?
Ans: I'm not quite sure I do. I guess all the music I grew up listening to shapes the songs. I like the idea of exploring different musical possibilities, which is why I explored different tunings and tried to write music with them but I also just like to write songs that are enjoyable for people to listen to and that I also like , which means those songs tend to sound like indie pop, grunge, synth-pop, folk and contemporary classical music because that's what I like.
Your music explores themes such as alienation, transformation and the search for spiritual meaning.
I guess all the music I grew up listening to shapes the songs.
What drew you toward these subjects, and how important is it for you to explore deeper ideas through popular songwriting?
Ans: I don't know what drew me to those themes. I am someone who likes to ask questions about the meaning of life who we are and why we are here. The question of where we are going tends to crop up within that discussion. So , where I am going as an individual and where humanity is going are important questions because we need to make choices about which direction we need to go in. If we understand who we are then we can make choices that serves us best.
Do I think songwriting should explore deeper ideas? Yes, I do but it can explore simpler things too. It should explore whatever the songwriter wishes to explore. I think music for me should be enjoyable and uplifting so I try and explore these questions in a way that is still enjoyable musically. The one problem with commercial music today is it doesn't like to ask any questions - which is concerning.
“Inside Out” is being released as a radio edit. When preparing a song for a wider audience, how do you decide what should remain at the heart of the original recording?
I don't decide anything about a wider audience. I just try and write songs that I feel are enjoyable. The one's that I choose to release as singles are just the one's that I feel sound the most accessible. Sometimes the recording of the song makes them like that rather than the song itself. With "Inside Out" I wasn't quite happy with the original mix for the album so I remixed it and then I felt it was worth putting out as a single. I called it a Radio Edit but Radio Mix would probably have been more accurate.
The album also looks at how technology, consumerism and digital culture are shaping the way people understand themselves. Do you think music has a responsibility to question these changes, or should it simply reflect the world around us?
I think music reflects and influences how we perceive the world. There are a lot of musicians that try to challenge musical traditions and change our musical tastes and culture also effects the music we make because it creates a certain feeling for something.
At the moment we live in a very technological world so our music is highly technological - even listening to a symphony orchestra or a gamelan ensemble is technological today because we listen to it on our headphones through digital technology not necessarily in the acoustic environment in which those forms of music were created. So, again I think its a good idea to question these things instead of passively just let them influence us.
But again its entirely down to the musician - they are free to do what they want to. For me what is most important is that people just get something positive from my songs- the rest is secondary.
You explore ideas around individualism and hyper-individualism throughout the album. In a world where people are increasingly connected digitally but can also feel isolated, what do you think happens to our sense of community?
I think it breaks down on a fundamental level. We have everything we need in terms of distraction, entertainment, information but real deep connection with the world and is diminished and when that happens we lose touch with who we are in spirit.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0PYoQyfkI47SQecvr8Z4Gz
Your background spans songwriting, composition and writing. How do these different creative sides of you influence one another, and does working in one form of art ever change the way you approach another?
I think they are similar- I write music usually with words and I write words without music and most of the things I have written about that have been published are about music. So they all seem to inter connect. The books on music have given me the opportunity to explore that music on a level that I might not have done if I didn't write about it and then that level of engagement with the music tends to find its way into my own music both subconsciously and consciously.
I think when I produce or arrange songs there is much more of that conscious influence because I am making conscious choices of how I want it to sound but the song itself comes without my conscious involvement. The songs are gifts. I can not make them come.
Alongside the melodic songwriting of That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star, you have the more experimental We Don’t See That We Don’t See. What made you want to explore these two different musical directions at the same time?
Well both albums more or less are the fruits of the PhD research. It was an arts practice PhD so the idea was to put the research into creating something. That's When the Earth Becomes a Star mostly focuses on the themes I explored in terms of modern culture, the nature of music, how technology impacts on us and on music while We Don't See That We Don't See is more the musical experimentation side.
So its more where you'll find odd tunings and microtonal music. Though both have elements of both on them some songs on That's When the Earth Becomes A Star have microtonal elements for example.
After years of artistic development and completing your PhD, you now have two new albums and “Inside Out” as the latest single. Looking at where you are creatively today, what feels different about Sean MacLeod compared with the artist who began this journey? Fundamentally, I wouldn't say there is much that is different. Ultimately I just like to write a good pop song that people can enjoy but all the research and exploration just gives me more material to write about and interesting avenues to explore and hopefully I can keep writing songs that bring some joy into people's lives if they wish to listen to the music.
