"We still hate predictability,"
says Tom Berlin, Blue Flux's founding member. "You know, when every
chord change is peeping at you from around the corner. Of course, now
that we're more song-focused, certain structures are a given. But that
doesn't mean it has to be verse/chorus all the way. The thrill of being
surprised by a song's sudden turn is worth the wait. Even though it
might take a second listen to fully get it. And yes, I'm still hunting
for that great lost chord. The one that, ever so briefly, raises
curtains behind your eyes. One of these days..."
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Composing and recording can
sometimes be a slow process for Blue Flux. Working in their own studio
affords the luxury to take as much time as needed. But this isn't
always of benefit to the final outcome.
"It's nice to watch a song's beating heart bubble to the surface,
slowly. But sometimes no bubbles come. All you see is soft ripples, and
reflections. You wait and wait, tweak this, add that - but nothing.
Until you realise the ripples you saw were
the song. We just missed the bubbles. Only by now, we're bored with the
whole idea, are keen to move on with something new. So we let it go.
Yes, of course we resolve to come back to the idea later. But in truth
we rarely do."
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When listening back to some of the
band's earlier albums the long, sweeping arc of their musical journey
becomes glaringly obvious. But lyrics or not, most Blue Flux songs
share a sense of discovery, a longing for something once held dear but
now out of reach, if only ever so slightly.
"Instruments
change," says Tom, "as do the options that are available to us now but
weren't back then. Yet minds rarely change. Especially at that
fundamental level where music is conceived and felt. We've always
striven to imbue our songs with a mind of their own, so that they can
ask questions, not just spout truisms like "I love sunny
days" or "I miss my baby". Of course, questions aren't always what
listeners
want. And it's true - some days, all we
need from a song is any old melodic sound to chase the chill from an
empty room
while our minds are elsewhere, busy writing, working, dusting...
Other times though, when our minds are at home, we may want more than
just
musical fast food. We want the whole full-fat three-course meal. The
more surprising the better." Tom laughs. "Or am I just being too
outrageously non-PC here?"
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On
the
subject
of
music
in
general,
Tom's
eyes slowly drift into mid-focus.
"Music is still the most effective, widely understood and honest means
of communication known to man. It bypasses all worldly filters and
inhibitions and goes straight for the jugular."
"Sing a tune to any intelligent animal, and it will listen. Shout or
gesticulate, and it will get bored. Or worse. Playing just a few notes
on any instrument whilst in a remote location gives a perfect
demonstration of what's always been music's greatest power, long before
TV, radio, or psychiatrists: music makes the fear go away."
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