"It's like being intimate with total strangers." That is how Rachel Stolte of Great Northern describes the feeling of performing live and creating a connection with her audience. The sentiment could be duly applied to the band's latest release, Remind Me Where the Light Is, on which Stolte and co-writer Solon Bixler pour so much of themselves into their highly personal lyrics and wistful melodies.
On their sophomore album, Bixler and Stolte are not afraid to delve into darkness. Taking that risk helped them find beauty in sadness, the uplifting elements in the devastating. "We took a lot more risks by entering uncomfortable territory that wasn't touched on the last record," Bixler says. "We dug deeper into the unpleasant, which helped us to find the beauty."
Experiencing the negative to find the positive is something Bixler and Stolte are familiar with. "Both of us had been heading in unfulfilling directions creatively," Bixler says of their situations prior to coming together. “When we started Great Northern, we finally felt like we were starting something that truly expressed what was in our hearts and minds."
Their first release, Trading Twilight for Daylight (2007), embodied surprisingly catchy hooks, lush keys and breathy vocals. The album made multiple Top 10 lists in magazines (Filter, Under the Radar) and on radio (Nic Harcourt, KCRW in LA; Aaron Axelson of Live 105 in San Francisco). The praise didn’t stop there as NME gave it a “Must Download Now” rating and iTunes dubbed the band “the next big thing.” FM Radio giants like KROQ and cutting edge stations like and Indie 103 added the band to their regular playlists.
Extensive touring behind the album led Great Northern to share the stage with acts like Spoon, Cold War Kids, Silversun Pickups, Fiery Furnaces, Ladytron, The Gutter Twins, and Soulsavers.
Their sophomore release, Remind Me Where the Light Is is the work of a more seasoned group, one that has been on the road for months, missed home, seen the world, and returned not entirely prepared to sit still.
"When we started writing songs for [this album]," Stolte says, "we had just come off a year and a half of touring and didn't really know what was next. So we bought some recording equipment, set up a studio in our house [in LA], and just started writing. Almost immediately it was like the emotional flood gates opened. We would listen to stuff and be like 'Wow! So that's how we've been feeling about that.
"It became very clear to both of us that we were going to do things a little differently this time, and in many ways we were outgrowing something. An old part of ourselves had died."
That passing is shown literally (the use of piano is drastically reduced on Remind Me Where the Light Is) as well as lyrically and melodically, where melancholy becomes determination, and atmospherics are replaced with driving rhythms.
"Story," for example, which started as a much slower piano demo, became a guitar-driven up-tempo rock song with no piano, thanks to the advice of production team Michael Patterson (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Beck, P-Diddy, Ladytron) and Nic Jodoin. The song opens with a lively, driving beat, and Rachel's simultaneously unapologetic and forceful vocals slinging near-vicious lines such as "Tell me your secrets / tell me your story / how 'bout one you can't hide behind." Bixler joins for call-and-response with his hushed vocals pleading "what do you want? What do you see?," and Stolte responding "I should have left it all alone."
On "Houses," the aggressive, thrashing drumbeat gives the melody a visceral quality; the darker side of things is something Stolte says is symbolic to the story of the record. "It's a song about walking through life and choosing to see the truth no matter how painful," Stolte says, "rather than staying in the same place or hiding from it." With over fuzzed and speeding electric guitar, Rachel takes the lead with her warm and commanding vocals, slinging captivating lyrics like "up ahead I see it / I can't find it but I feel alive" and "All this time when I talk it's not real."
"With our music, we try to paint pictures to go along with the words that tell the story," Bixler says, and "Driveway" exemplifies that desire, as the lyrics create a vivid image of one desperate to be the object of another’s affection. It's a more melancholy offering, with muted, poignant keys and Bixler's pleading vocals. "Remember when you wake up / don't forget to turn out the light / 'cause I'm looking out my window for you every night," he sings as a lone piano builds to a fuller mournful melody with nostalgic, almost theatrical strings.
"We are content to be learning as we go," Bixler says, "trying to overcome the fear of changing ourselves, constantly redefining ourselves as artists, and never creating the same thing twice. We hope the people who hear our music will relate to this next chapter or our lives."
Given the ease with which Bixler and Stolte foster an immediate intimacy with their audience, listeners new and old are certain to not only relate but to join in on the journey from the darkness, back to the light.
Solon Bixler – vocals/guitar
Rachel Stolte – vocals/keyboard
Releases:
-Remind Me Where The Light Is is now on iTunes! see it here!
-Gooseberries Book out now!
media links:
Myspace
Purevolume
Virb
This Is a Problem
Great Northern Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is the only one
We had some things
To safely burrow
And here's to the stars
Listen for the sound, let it hold on
All over the sound
Forgets that somehow
You've got to learn
You're not the only one
To tow your tongue
Before you come along
All over the sound
'Til it touch the ground
Fall against it somehow
Never knowing how
Just a sound
All hearts are a little missed
If they don't get enough
False start to the ending
To the ending we've come
All along did you know this?
Did you know this would come?
And if it makes you feel love
And if it makes you feel love (Makes you feel love)
And if it makes you feel love
And if it makes you feel love (Makes you feel love)
And if it makes you feel love (Makes you feel love)
And if it makes you feel love
To hear the sound
The lyrics to Great Northern's song "This Is a Problem" are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about learning to let go of past hurts and enjoying the present moment. The first stanza seems to suggest that the singer and someone else have had some shared experiences that they have put behind them. They are now looking up at the stars and listening to the sounds around them, trying to find some sense of peace. The second stanza shifts the focus to the listener, telling them that they too need to let go of their own issues and be present in the moment.
The chorus, "All over the sound/Til it touch the ground/Fall against it somehow/Never knowing how/Just a sound," is somewhat cryptic but evocative. It seems to suggest that the sound that they are listening to is all around them, and that it has a physical effect on them. They might be feeling the sound in their body, or they might be carried away by it in some other way. The final stanza ties it all back together, talking about the importance of feeling love and warning that if you don't get enough of it, your heart will feel a little missed.
Overall, the song seems to be a call to live in the moment and find joy in the small things in life. It suggests that we all have past hurts that we need to let go of, and that the present moment is worth savoring.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got to learn
There are things that you need to understand
This is the only one
There is only one chance
We had some things
We had possessions that we wanted to protect and preserve
To safely burrow
We needed to find a secure place for those possessions to be hidden away
And here's to the stars
Cheers to our dreams and aspirations
Listen for the sound, let it hold on
Pay close attention and cherish the moments that matter
All over the sound
All through the noise
Til it touch the ground
Until it reaches the earth
Forgets that somehow
Forgetting something along the way
You're not the only one
You're not alone in this experience
To tow your tongue
To be careful with the words you say
Before you come along
Before you join in
Fall against it somehow
Falling against an obstacle without knowing how
Never knowing how
Not being aware of how it happened
Just a sound
A mere noise without any true meaning
All hearts are a little missed
All hearts can feel a sense of longing or loss at times
If they don't get enough
If they don't receive the necessary care or attention
False start to the ending
A beginning that doesn't lead to a true conclusion
To the ending we've come
To the point where we find ourselves at the end
All along did you know this?
Did you have any idea?
Did you know this would come?
Were you aware that this was going to happen?
And if it makes you feel love
If it brings you happiness and joy
Makes you feel love
Brings out feelings of affection and warmth in you
To hear the sound
To listen to the noise
Contributed by Ava P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ashley Chance
I fucking love this song.headphones,loud ,bass=love.
The YouTube Critic
I saw you all in OK years ago, even bought this album. A time I miss.
Alexis Lc
Bones 3x08 ending scene
Nyx Locke
Also why I'm here XD
Joey Ferguson
Was it zack jumping out the closet or was that another apprentice? I can never really tell😕
Deirdre Sullivan
Different apprentice, although it’s hard to tell
Skyyv3n
Yes omfg 😭
carib188
Hell yea, im just watching...😊
Kasia Pilch
Bones
Skye K
Yes