Track By Track: Lake Jons - 'The Coast'
Helsinki’s Lake Jons have just released their sophomore album ‘The Coast’, they took a moment to talk about the album - track by track.
Up All Night
“With this opener, we emerge from the mist. Think about a mist deep in a forest where someone has been wandering the whole night.
They’ve been on the verge of hallucination, not understanding much about their surroundings other than the fact they’re lost but still trying to hold on tight to their reality, waiting for the mist to clear.”
Tom
“Sometimes you have to remind yourself where you came from. What was the power that drove you to choose your way of living? Asking yourself; am I doing this all the right way? It’s good to not just accept what’s fallen right into your hands, and instead, add a little bit of fantasy to your life – some Indiana “Tom” Jones.”
Stupidity
“Ignorance is among the things I dislike the most. There is so much to treasure out there, so much experience and knowledge but it’s so often forgotten or thrown to waste. Nature is destroyed for the sake of money and there are countless treasures western culture has demolished out of greed. I hope we can put an end to this civilized stupidity. There are still treasures out there to protect…”
Do You Recall?
“Do you recall how you embraced reality in your childhood, when everything was so exciting and new but also almost overwhelming? I believe it’s very important to pursue that idea of adventure and optimism and not let the modern times of society defy an inner-childlike enthusiasm; cynicism is lurking behind every corner.”
I Don’t Care
“The single details soft thought before action. Ruminating is not always the right thing to do. It’s all about surrendering under the pressure of self and going towards what seems right at that moment. Sometimes the answer you’re looking for is just at the bottom of a cup of coffee.”
Circle
“A Circle is such a complete shape. The essence of existence in is so full of intricacies, both delicate and powerful, and the circle of life is among them. It’s something that is maintained, even through humanity’s efforts to break everything. The song tells a small story about a boy who lived by the waters of Lake Jons and one day decided to leave the woods. It’s a letter to a dear friend; life’s a mysterious circle.”
Child
“This one’s like a weird lullaby. It’s about waiting for that deep slumber to wash over you. It’s also a reminder to be patient. Sometimes (mostly) it’s only good to wait and not act impulsively.
This one was one of the first songs to find it’s final form from the album. It’s also the only song that we use autotune. I don’t like to use these kinds of effects too often. I think I can be a bit of a purist in that way. But the bridge really felt like it needed that, I just hope we don’t end up using it too much in future…”
Bad Breath
“This song is about alcoholism. It runs in the veins of my family, dragging everyone down with it. And so does the laid back feeling of this song. So laid back, the chair almost sucks you in. The outro is played by my dad and recorded in my small living room. I might have to write a whole another song around the outro, it reminds me of the Mahavishnu Orchestra which I love.”
Simone
“You know the feeling someone close to you has moved on to another time and space? You’re still feeling these sensations of their presence and wonder if all is not lost after all. Maybe you’re in denial. But you’ll only know if you stop and try reaching out to something that only you sense. From feelings arise experience; that is vital to our feeling of existence.”
Just One Little Moment
“Sometimes there’s just one little moment for which you have the chance to do right or say something. This one is about pondering around that moment.
A brief thought can sometimes be the most important one you’ll ever have.
It was awesome to record this with Mikko and Jaska. We set up a couple of mics and shared some percussion instruments. Mikko was in the middle with drums and some stuff in his hands and me and Jaska were on the sides holding some stuff too. We played on top of the demo track a couple of times and we were all happy with the result.”
Old Boy
“This song started when Mikko sent me a demo of the verse. He said, “here’s a nice feeling, try something out.” I tried something and yeah, it felt good.
I like that it has this beat looping for almost the whole song until it dives underwater for the final push before the beach. It’s intended to be a kind of confession where I admit to mistakes I’ve made in the past. This is one way for me to make amends before moving on.”
Square
“Square is a demo name that never changed. For this I got the intro from Mikko, then changed some chords and voila! I’m still so happy that Erki Pärnoja agreed to feature on this song. I really think his guitar solo completes the track. I still get shivers when I hear that solo, he’s such a nice person and a talented artist.
Be the guide for your own destiny.”
Deluxe:
It’s Too Bright
“It’s a nice thing when you realise life moves on and you move with it. The bassline here is my idea of how time and life move. It jumps here and there but holds no regard to whether one cares or not. I believe we can smoothly move with it only if we are true to ourselves no matter our faults. So as time moves, we can just try doing our best and evolve with it.”
Human
“I’m fond of lyrics that are more like thoughts rather than stories. This one feels like a stroll in the forest for me. Almost a story but not quite. “I wanna turn around” resembles the idea of turning back from the road we once started as humans. Honouring nature more and more. For me it also means dancing in the forest among the trees and animals like a hippie cliché. This song has evolved from two different songs that I felt were at a dead end. Combining them left some good parts unused but made one whole.”
Not Your Fault
“I don’t usually write ballads. Actually, I almost try to avoid them altogether, but still, somehow, I write a lot of these sensitive songs. I wonder why… Anyhow, this song is dedicated to a dear person, I hope will hear this. It’s also an homage to Debussy if that’s even possible.”
Shallow
“I loved old western movies as a little boy. I also love the idea of not having a chorus and instead, just a continuous mood.
In a way, it’s a role-play where I’m both the oppressor and the oppressed, and trying to hold my ground, maintaining an equilibrium between the two.”
Do you Recall? - Unicorn Version
“This one was recorded in my living room as well. We played together with Mikko and it was a kind of straight-forward unicorn version of Do You Recall? No drama here.”