In Conversation With #245 - Heather Woods Broderick
Heather Woods Broderick has just released her stunning new album ‘Labyrinth’ via Western Vinyl.
Across Labyrinth, Broderick serves as our reflective host, subverting expectations of conventional songcraft with impressionistic language and quietly relentless explorations of the human experience that’s at once light and dark, more circular and less linear. “Many of us yearn for stillness and peace, as an escape from the movement all around us,” she explains when asked about the themes of the album. “Yet movement is perpetual, happening all the time on some level. It’s as wild as the wind, yet eternally predictable in its inevitability. It is linear in part, but infinite in its circuitry. Our lives just punctuate it.” The album is a collection of beautifully-sung tone poems that pulse with elements of trip hop, true-to-life songcraft, and occasional peaks of electro-pop grandeur. The songs are also among her most spare to date, reflecting a natural, conscious progression towards being more exposed in her music, with her honeyed vocals upfront and the songs’ essence immediate to listeners.
Broderick began crafting Labyrinth in March 2020, when most forms of movement were brought to a screeching halt. The Maine-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter — who, in addition to her work as a solo musician, built a life playing and touring with acts such as Sharon Van Etten, Beth Orton, Damien Jurado, and Efterklang — was suddenly forced off the road for the first time in her career. She used this disruption as an opportunity to pare down her creation process and construct the scaffolding for Labyrinth in her apartment. Employing only the most crucial tools at her disposal, Broderick found herself opening different artistic doors as she focused on sharpening her recording skills, capturing the majority of the album on her own before finishing the remainder with Goodwin.
She took a moment to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Heather - how are you? So your album is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hi there! It feels so good to finally get to share this record! It always feels like you’re waiting a long time between finishing a record and putting it out, but this time it felt extra long with all the delays in the music industry over the last few years. It’s been really fun to interact with people around this new collection of songs since I started putting the singles out.
It is called ‘Labyrinth’ - what is the meaning behind that?
Labyrinth felt like the perfect word to encompass what these songs are about. Curiosity, imagination, perception, density, the beauty and wonder that lies between the cracks. I also like how a Labyrinth represents a path, and how it’s not about choosing the ‘right one,’ but more about what you’ll learn along the way.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
I began writing and recording these songs from my house in the spring of 2020. In a way, the world as we knew it shutting down for a while gave me the time and space to work on new music. I was very lucky in that regard. I only had few instruments (a digital keyboard, a little Yamaha synth, a guitar, and a cello) and an old computer with and old version of Protools on it. So I sort of used these limitations as my toolkit, and as an opportunity to get better at recording myself. I recorded all the songs initially at home, but knew there were some parts that I’d want to re-record, or flush out more before the record was done. Once I had everything in a good place, I took what I had recorded to D. James Goodwin in Kingston, NY. We worked together on a previous record, and I knew he was the guy to help me get the recordings where they needed to be. At the time, his studio (Isokon) was in an old, mostly vacant IBM building. It was so cool to take advantage of the natural reverbs in that huge weird building. Also, funny fact, the bathroom was so far away in the building, that there was a little electric scooter in the building to zip to and fro. :)
What are the key themes and influences on the album?
Thematically it’s based in exploration and curiosity - lyrically and sonically. I was delving deeper into my imagination and acute awareness while writing the lyrics for these songs. This was partially due to the circumstances of not being about to go anywhere through the heavy lockdown years. I had to find things directly around me or within me that inspired me to write. Sonically I was exploring new palates by using different instruments and programming beats, and drawing influence from different types of music -everything from Peter Gabriel and Cindy Lauper, to 90’s hiphop, trip hop, drum and bass. A lot of the musical inspiration came from music that was rooted in beats and bass.
If the album could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
This is an impossibly difficult question! I just saw Davy Chau’s ‘Return to Soeul.’ I really loved the pacing, the long shots and space in scenes, and there was a nice sense of journey throughout the film which feels in line with the themes on Labyrinth. So I’ll go with that one, or better yet, Davy Chau’s next film because I loved the actual soundtrack for ‘Return to Soeul! ;) Such a beautiful film.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the album - if so, which one and why?
‘It’s all about love and what does love care? Nothing’s changed for it, it’s always been there.’ This is from the last track on the record ‘What Does Love Care.’ I suppose love is the inspiration for most things - the desire for, the experience of, the lack of, etc. But in and of itself, love seems to be unwavering and constant. It’s nice to know this, and think of it as something that’s always out there.
Now the album is out there - what next?
I would love to play these songs live with a band, so I hope to be able to do that in some capacity! Otherwise, I just want to continue to make more music and grow as a musician and human.
