Bandits of pop

THEY COME, THEY SEE, THEY HEAR, THEY FEEL. They take bits and pieces from here and there to create something new. They are bandits and they have a dadaist inspiration. This is the way indie quartet Rubik sees itself on its second album, Dada Bandits.

Last summer Rubik faced the task of recording the always difficult second album. After the success of their first full length Bad Conscience Patrol (2007) many, inside and outside Finland, were waiting for new songs. Like modern dadaists of pop, the quartet took a step forward, forgot the established standards and locked itself up in the studio for one month to come up with eleven songs of an appealing complexity and irresistible pop sensibility.

Just after the first date of the tour to present Dada Bandits, we called singer and guitarist Artturi Taira to talk a bit about the new album. And sure he likes to talk. He does it very quickly, even unusually much for a Finn, and his mind seems to be buzzing with ideas. No wonder all the concepts behind Rubik have been very well thought.

How was the first show of the tour in Tampere?

It was great. Being the first one, there was some extra stress, but it was good. It is nice to play now that the album is out and some people have heard it. We can play these songs live now and that is very refreshing for us.

Didn’t you play these songs before?

Some of them, but our current set includes almost every song from Dada Bandits. Now the album is out and some people have heard it, so it is very rewarding seeing them knowing the lyrics and singing along. Well, that always feels a bit odd, but the audience is enjoying a lot and so we do.

Tell us a bit about the recording.

We are used to do things ourselves without any external people, so we did not have any producer or engineer. Because of that, there was a very relaxed atmosphere and the studio was like a playground. This time we did not have all the material ready. We wrote songs in the studio and that was very, very good. We had all the gear around and we could choose what we would use while composing. It was a way to experiment and stretch our boundaries as a band. We did not care about the live show, either, about how we would reproduce the songs in the live set. That’s why I have so good memories of the time in the studio.

Did you feel the pressure of the second album?

Actually, it was quite the opposite. There was no pressure at all. Neither from the record company or ourselves. We just went to the studio with our new songs and we did not think much about how people would react to these songs. That is why the album has a certain relaxed feeling. When I think about the first album, I notice a band that was trying a bit too hard. But this time it was very loose. I even wanted to make the album earlier. We thought we were ready, but it was good that we didn’t. It would have not come out this good, so I’m glad we listened to the people that talked us out of going to the studio. We spent a month in the studio and it was like a playground for us. I’m looking forward to recording the next album!

The songs have many instruments and complex arrangements, is it hard the transition to the live set?

Not much, because we are six or seven people playing live. We don’t want to have anything prerecorded. We want to play every note. What’s the point of having a trombone in a song then just play a prerecorded sound? So when we play live we have a trombone player. Horns are a big part of our live music. With some tracks we had some difficulties, but others that we thought that would be complicated, like Indiana and Fire Age, worked out great when played them live at our rehearsal place. We didn’t have to change the arrangement much and they felt very natural. However other songs that seem fairly simple to play, like Wasteland, became harder because we must keep the intensity of the song.

How do you compare Dada Bandits to your debut album, Bad Conscience Patrol?

The first one is a bit colder. It was done like that on purpose. Also some of the tracks there were a bit heavier than on this second album, where there is more variety and is more colorful. To be honest, I haven’t listened to the first one in ages, but I really enjoy playing those songs live. I like them both, of course. The first one was just the songs we had at the time, but now we had 18 songs so we had the opportunity of choosing among them to make the best full-length album. That’s important because I am an album person. There is something more when listening all the tracks of an album together. I like the idea of an album as a whole.

But nowadays singles seem more important…

Yes, I understand the singles culture, though. Maybe people don’t have much time for listening to a whole album. Or they want more variety. That’s one way of thinking about music. But I have always liked those bands that have very strong albums. For example, The Beatles were probably the best singles band, but then they did such a great albums. It is sad that the single culture is not the same as it used to be years ago. Now it is just an mp3. But a few years ago there were bands doing great singles with amazing B-sides. I am a b-side lover myself. They used to give a different angle of the band and the creative process. But now this is disappearing and it’s sad.

Have you brought new influences to this new album?

We all have been musical explorers. It’s normal for us to find out about new bands, but we don’t try ourselves to make the band sound like anything we are hearing or what is hot at the moment. If you do that, you are always going to be late. The old favourites are always there: Beatles, Broken Social Scene, Flaming Lips. Of course, there are new things too. TV On The Radio is great. I’ve known them from their first album. But while recording the the album, we listened to old marching bands, from the forties. Marching drums and brass instruments. It is interesting the connection between yourself and the music world. Some influences might be there but you probably don’t notice until years later. We have also friends doing very good music and that inspire us much. For example, Underwater Sleeping Society. It is also important what we read and what is happening in the world. That might be the most important thing in the kind of music we are making.

What are the events in the world that inspire you?

What we are going through right now in the world has a strong influence. You cannot ignore it. It would be wrong to take one topic. Politics in Finland, personal relationships… those things always matter a lot.

What is the meaning behind Dada Bandits?

It is about those people who are robbing lines, phrases and words from what they read or listen and then they just re-organize that and put it in a different context to suit their own benefit. It can happen in politics and in the personal life. Those are the people we call Dada Bandits, and you can see them a lot in the world today. At the same time, the title refers to us as artists. That’s why we do ourselves. We listen to different kind of music and unconsciously take some things. We reorganize all that in our songs. So the title refers about the outside world and and about us as artists. We use to talk about these things a lot, so it was natural to name the album. after that.

Do you have plans to play outside Finland?

We are doing some gigs now in spring, but there is something in the works for autumn. The record is coming out in several countries during the coming months, so it will be good to have something in the autumn. There’s nothing confirmed yet, but it’s looking good.