Artist Of The Week #325 - Francis of Delirium
This week's Band of the Week is Francis of Delirium, the project of Luxembourg-based musician Jana Bahrich - who has just released their sophomore album 'Run, Run Pure Beauty' via Dalliance Recordings.
As well as looking outward at the state of the world across Run, Run Pure Beauty, Jana also retreats into introspection, notably on focus track “Higher”, which focuses on her personal journey recovering from neck surgery in between album releases. The dreamy richness of the Laurel Canyon sound gives the track an almost transcendent, spiritual quality. Its hazy, warm acoustic textures allow vulnerability and resilience to coexist in a way that feels both intimate and uplifting.
She took a moment to talk to talk to us about how the album came together.
Hey there Francis of Delirium, how are you? So your album is out now – how does it feel to have it out there?
Hello, I am good. My cat is blocking my access to my keyboard so I have to type with one hand. My left hand. It’s a good thing it is my left hand because that hand makes chord shapes on the guitar so it is easy for it to stretch and hit all the keys. If it is true what you say, that my album is out now, then I would say I’m feeling excited to play these new songs live.
It is called 'Run, Run Pure Beauty' – what is the meaning behind that?
‘Run, Run Pure Beauty’ is meant to be read as a warning or a wish. The title track is this re-imagining of the world after humans have left and nature takes over with a kind of violent beauty. So ‘Run, Run Pure Beauty’ can be read as a desire for beauty to hide and protect itself or to be be wild, free and set loose.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are willing to share with us?
The album was cobbled together in a few different places. The songs often began at Chris my collaborators place, in a small vocal booth. They then migrated to my room. Then finally finishing touches were done in a studio in the north of Luxembourg.
I wanted to have string players and I wanted to have a choir on the album. String players for the title track, choir for the song Higher. We had studio time booked and I was behind the eight ball reaching out to people. We had two recording sessions. One in the summer, one in the fall. Both were after tours. I worked with a speech therapist for a lot of last year and she sings in a choir. In the end I just asked her to sing on Higher and to affect her voice to sound like different people and blended our voices. In the end our voices sounded pretty similar. It’s the first time someone else has sang on one of our songs. I’m glad it was her. I ended up recording the strings myself in my room. I have an old violin. I put auto-tune on the violin to get it a bit more in tune. Away we went. Sometimes you don’t have to look too far.
What are the key influences behind the album?
Nature and rock ‘n’ roll.
If the album could be a soundtrack to any film – which one and why?
This is a good question and maybe one I will ask myself next time I’m halfway through an album. I’m having a hard time deciding. I haven’t seen it in a long time so to be honest I can barely remember what it’s about, but I’m feeling like RRPB could soundtrack ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’. We went on a roadtrip when I was a kid, went out of our way to see the Devil’s Tower at my fathers request. Widescreen. A little sci-fi and americana. Let’s go with that.
Do you have a favourite lyric on the album? If so, which one and why?
Undo the buttons, unzip the dress, impermanent bliss, incomprehensible death.
The consonants
Now the album is out there – what next for you?
We have a lot of touring coming up. Big headline tour in Sept/Oct in the EU/UK and then off to North America in Oct/Nov. Super excited to get these new songs on the road and to sweat it out with people. I suspect Damned in particular will be fun to play.
