Finnish rock band Grus Paridae recently released new single Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence. Since the band’s previous release they have been very lucky and have been part of the half year long Rock Exhibition at the Finnish Vantaa City Museum and have had their music video played on the biggest music video festival held in Finland. Grus Paridae have also took part to Prog-Sphere’s compilation record and got several very nice reviews as well. You can check out Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence from the band below!
We managed to catch up with the band about their latest release,
How proud are you of the release of Forthcoming Nonintellectual Decadence?
Jarno: At the moment, when the new song has just been released, I guess all of us are quite happy and relieved that it’s finally out. Forthcoming is one big step to the right direction.
Petteri: I don’t think we’d released the song if we haven’t been very proud of it. For me as an engineer and mixer it surely was the biggest challenge yet, but I think we pulled it off quite nicely. As to the music, I think it really has some substance.
Rami: Obviously you tend to be proud of every new release you’re willing to let go and be public. But particularly in this case I’m very proud of the final result since we put so much effort on every detailed aspect of the song.
Is this different to your previous releases?
Jarno: I got more responsibility with this one, so for me it was quite different.
Petteri: The production size surely got bigger with this one. With a nearly hundred tracks in the project it was a bit of a mess to handle sometimes. Jarno surely had much more input with this one and it was always interesting to hear what he’d come up with.
Rami: Well, the song itself is of course much longer than the previous releases, but the main topic is it has even more dramatic flow and the amount of sound and atmospheric layers included are making the whole song much wider.
Tell us about the song, what is it about?
Jarno: Musically, it’s divided in two. First part is very melancholic and the second half is like stepping into the light. I was more responsible for the light side and wanted it to be rewarding to the listener.
Petteri: Rami’s lyrics… I have absolutely no clue what they’re about, really! But that’s the sign of good text. You need to get your head around it somehow and form your own vision from it.
Rami: Even being a part time music journalist myself I have to admit I´m not very good of explaining my own lyrics and not even want to open them up too much since I find it intriguing you can interpret the text as you feel like. But hey, let’s try anyway!
The text consists of fragmented pieces of examples, visions and metaphors concerning the aesthetic and art philosophical theories from the early 18th century to this day and also periodic changes in art. There are also references to some specific pieces of art during that period. The phrase “Cutting eye” for example is a taken from the famous and most disturbing scene of Luis Buñuel’s Andalusian Dog.
So the kind of coherent narrative in this text is even looser than in my other not-so-narrative lyrics. You may say the only clear narrative existing here is the “chronological line inside the anti-chronological line”. Could my answer be even more complex than my lyrics? I do apologize!
What was it like being part of of the Rock Exhibition at the Finnish Vantaa City Museum?
Jarno: It was a great honour.
Petteri: I was very honoured as well. I hope someone heard something new or different there.
Rami: First of all it surely was a great honor as Jarno and Petteri stated. The exhibition included big names such as Amorphis and Eicca Toppinen from Apocalyptica for example. So, of course you can imagine it felt pretty absurd to stand beside of those world known artists. Secondly the exhibition’s opening was almost at the same day when we released our previous release, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect for us. And last but not least, it was of course a pure fun. Jarno’s old prog band Relayer was also part of the exhibition and they also made a comeback gig there. Also couple of our old metal bands from early nineties in which Jarno and I used to play were included.
Will there be a EP or album soon?
Jarno: At least we have enough material for album or two. So it´s all about the time we spend on it.
Petteri: There are a lot of tunes in the drawer… I wish we had some time to put them together.
Rami: Eventually at some point. There has also been preliminary interest towards us from couple of labels. Due to limited time issues and due to the fact we’re doing everything from the bottom to the top by ourselves and furthermore our will to release the best possible results we can get, we have decided to go ahead single by single and EP by EP basis at the moment. As Jarno mentioned, we have semi-ready material for at least one and a half album already, so let’s see how things will develop in future.
How much do your fans mean to you guys?
Jarno: After actual making process, fans are most important. I wouldn’t write anything that I wouldn’t like to listen myself.
Petteri: I like the idea of someone else liking our music. I hope this music brings something more to their lives, no matter how little thing it may be. To be honest, though, I must say I mostly write for myself. If I’m pleased, that’s already enough. If someone else likes it as well, it’s a nice bonus!
Rami: Well, it has been a bit of a learning process to realize there are at least few people around the globe who seem to be interested in the music we are making. And of course that’s the best thank you can get. Especially for us being pretty much a studio-oriented project and not doing live performances, the feedback we get around the globe is every time very touching.
If you could work with any artist or band, who would it be and why?
Jarno: To work with Grus Paridae feels very fresh and rewarding.
So, no other artists necessarily needed.
When we finally run out of ideas in 2064, maybe then…
Petteri: I can’t say, really. It’s really hard to tell if I could even hit it off with someone, would have to know them personally first. I have my heroes, but I can’t imagine working with any of them in any way on any level, unless making coffee and ordering pizza is considered working with somebody…
Rami: Wow! That’s a tricky one! Guys just answered with more down to earth level, so maybe I throw some big name here, if that’s what the original question was about?
So, maybe for me, if I have to choose only one option, it may have been the late David Bowie. He absorbed so many influences and always cooked something very original and unique from those seeds and did so little compromises it would have been very stimulating to work with just a remarkable artist. But really, you couldn’t name only one. And like Petteri said it’s two totally different things, one to have a idealistic vision of the artist you respect and two to actually work with this person. I like Jarno’s idea though!
Where you see yourselves in five years time?
Jarno: I guess I´m still doing exactly same things: playing violin and hopefully joining many interesting projects. I have couple of new tunes waiting, which I would like to do with Grus Paridae asap.
Petteri: I expect to have gotten more songs finished. At this pace it’s excruciatingly slow, even though the will is there. I’d like to write some songs I wouldn’t have guessed I could come up with.
Rami: Hopefully making and releasing new music with same enthusiasm as we are doing now and to develop to be even better in every part of the process. And maybe one day there could be some organization helping and taking care of some of the administrative and non-musical tasks I´m taking care of now with our project.
What inspires you to make music?
Jarno: I play music with friends, go to concerts or listen music at home, so it´s mostly interaction or internet that inspires me.
Petteri: I love and need to hear good melodies, harmonies and rhythms. It’s exciting to come up with something you really like and didn’t know you had it in you. It’s probably hard to really invent something new in music, but at times it feels that we can…
Rami: You may say it’s almost something you just have to do since it’s so huge part of your identity. Every part of the process is so stimulating and the magic of music itself is so strong you may say it’s something you couldn’t even express fully with words. I think every musician knows the fact that even how stressed or bored you are or whatever negative feelings you may have, will all be gone at the very same moment as you take your instrument and start to play. Like I said, something so contemplative happens you cannot even tell what it is.