Sweden’s rabble-rousing indie stalwarts Love Is All burst out of the gate with a tremendous attention-grabbing debut album, “Nine Times That Same Song,” in 2006. Released in the U.S. by the highly regarded What’s Your Rupture? label, the album’s fusillade of sonic attacks included jarring guitar stabs, elephant-being-made-love-to-the-wrong-way sax sounds, echoey do-wop choruses, and subterranean drumming. And most importantly: really catchy tunes that you can sing along and dance to. No wonder the album landed on many year-end “best of” lists.

Having set the bar quite high with their debut, I was floored when I recently heard their soon-to-be-released (Nov. 11 to be precise) second album “A Hundred Things That Keep Me Up At Night” The verdict: Love Is All has upped the ante even further, topping their previous songwriting efforts by introducing new sounds, textures and approaches into their trademark ramshackle, yet irresistibly hummable style. In short, the new album was well worth the two-year wait and you absolutely need to get a copy.

Lucky for us, the band recently kicked off a U.S. tour in support of said album and will be playing the (sold out) 9:30 Club with Of Montreal on Thursday. Love Is All singer Josephine Olausson was kind enough to speak with BYT about the band’s new album, their tour and why numbers keep popping up in their album titles…

BYT: Hi Josephine! Thanks for taking the time to speak with BYT! Are you calling from Gothenburg?
Josephine: Yeah, yeah.

BYT: What’s the weather like over there?
Josephine: Well, it’s been kinda windy lately and it’s a little cold right now.

BYT: I was fortunate enough to hear the new album over the weekend and it sounds fantastic—congratulations! You must feel very proud and excited about its impeding release…
Josephine: Yeah, yeah. Finally! (giggles)



BYT: I read that the band had finished the album back in February—why the long wait to release it?
Josephine: Um, I’m not sure it was finished in February. We thought it was finished a long time ago but those were different mixes and then we had another guy mix them. And then eventually the band realized that maybe this isn’t really sounding the way we wanted it to. So we decided to start over from scratch with the recordings we had. And Wyatt (Cusick, ex-Aislers Set guitarist) helped us mix it again.

BYT: So was Wyatt brought on in the middle of the process after you had some mixes you weren’t happy with?
Josephine: Yeah, yeah. I mean, he was there the whole time when we recorded it. But then we handed it to this guy thinking maybe we should move in another direction (laughs).

BYT: What were some of the issues you had with the earlier mixes—were they a little too polished?
Josephine: The ones that the other guy did? I’m sure they’re great but we didn’t really recognize ourselves in them. And we wanted to capture some of that kind of live feeling on the record, like you’re really there. And so we ended up making it more chaotic again (laugh).

BYT: I was curious to know how the band ended up working with Wyatt? I wasn’t familiar with any other production work he’d done. I know he played guitar for The Aislers Set…
Josephine: Well, um…he happens to be my husband (giggles).

BYT: Oh! (laughs) Well, that explains it then. (laughs).
Josephine: Yeah. (laugh)

BYT: So obviously, Wyatt is interested in the behind-the-scenes, production aspect of making music then…
Josephine: Definitely. We never really used to think about those issues so much.

BYT: I know you’re probably loaded with compliments for Wyatt but what do you see as his biggest contribution from a production standpoint?
Josephine: Um…maybe patience (laughs)…because we’re a terrible band to work with (laughs). We keep changing our opinions. We were very much involved in the whole process. So we would just sit there and be like, ‘No, that should be louder’ and ‘No, wait, this should be more like this’ (laughs). You know, Wyatt is also very meticulous. I think having outside ears always helps in deciding what really matters.

BYT: One thing I really loved about your new album––and I must say I’m a big fan of “Nine Times That Same Song”––is that you didn’t just repeat the same album again. You built on the sort of skronky, edgy sound that you’re known for. Some of the arrangements have become more unpredictable and varied. For example, “Last Choice” closes with this sort of surprising Georgio Morodish disco flourish…
Josephine: Yeah (giggles).

BYT: So is that something you were thinking about—experimenting more with the arrangements and different sounds?
Josephine: It’s so hard to answer that question…I don’t know if we were thinking about it. I think it was something that just happened naturally. When you play together for a long time it’s inevitable that you’re going to try different things. Like…we didn’t have a clear idea at all when we started what it was going to sound like. We weren’t thinking, ‘Okay, let’s go this way.’ It just sort of…I don’t know.

BYT: It sounds like a very organic process.
Josephine: Yeah, it really is, and I think more so now than it ever was before. I think a lot of bands might have a songwriter who brings an idea that everyone just plays along to but…it doesn’t work that way when we make songs. Maybe that’s why it takes so long and we sometimes can’t stand each other (laughs) because people have different ideas.

BYT: Another BYT contributor, William Alberque, pointed out to me that one of your songs, “Used Goods,” features a rather Stockholm Monsters-ish keyboard line. When I heard your new single “Wishing Well” I thought the keyboard line sounded a little familiar and was wondering if that was another nod to the Stockholm Monsters?
Josephine: Um, I think so…but also with “Wishing Well” I think a lot of people have noticed that it’s a complete ripoff of The Clean (laughs). “Tally Ho.”

BYT: Oh yeah! Of course! Yeah, I love The Clean.
Josephine: Yeah, they’re amazing. So we had this song and we felt like something was missing and we’re like, ‘How can we steal this and make it ours?’ (laughs). I don’t think we managed to hide it so well (laughs).

BYT: Yeah, I know I had heard that keyboard line before. It was triggering The Clean but I was thinking it was the Stockholm Monsters.
Josephine: I have that Clean song as my ringtone.

BYT: That’s awesome!
Josephine: And my sisters’ kids love the song “Wishing Well.” They’re like 4 and 6 years old or something. And everytime my phone rings they start singing “Wishing Well.” So that shows you how close it is.

BYT: Speaking of “Wishing Well,” the 7” single comes accompanied with a very interesting b-side: a cover of Faith No More’s classic tune, “Epic.” On the band’s MySpace blog, I read that former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum played on the recording. How did that collaboration come about and what was his reaction to the Love Is All interpretation of the song?
Josephine: I don’t know how he felt about our interpretation. Roddy now plays in a band called Imperial Teen and so Wyatt knew him through that. And we decided to cover that song and asked Roddy if he’d be willing to play on it. And so I wrote him and he did want to. He’s a very nice guy.

BYT: That’s awesome.
Josephine: Yeah, I know. I used to listen to that song all the time as a child (laughs).

BYT: Love Is All has also done a few music videos that are very interesting. I really like “Ageing Had Never Been His Friend” in particular. I was wondering what you think of your videos and the experience of making them?
Josephine: Well, I think we’ve only really done two (not including the new one for “Wishing Well”).

BYT: Just two? I saw some live clips on YouTube and I wasn’t sure if they counted as sort of “live” official video clips or not.
Josephine: For “Busy Doing Nothing” I sort of put a video together with just stuff that friends had filmed from shows and tour diary things. And the other day we posted the video for “Wishing Well” that we also shot for fun. But those two that were like real videos? I think we had a good time filming them. But we’re really bad at having our photos taken.

BYT: (laughs)
Josephine: We haven’t really been trained so well (laughs).

BYT: (laughs) Well, I think a lot of bands today rely on poses and it just comes across as what it is: contrived. And I think Love Is All has nothing to do with that.
Josephine: No, (giggle) we couldn’t even if we tried. We would look so foolish trying to pose.

BYT: And speaking of being sort of outsiders in the independent music scene, your label, What’s Your Rupture?, was dubbed by Pitchfork as “possibly the indiest indie label in the U.S.” (laugh). I have to say I love the label and have yet to be disappointed by anything What’s Your Rupture? has put out.
Josephine: Yeah I know!

BYT: What has it been like working with them?
Josephine: Well, Kevin (Pedersen, who runs What’s Your Rupture?) is an old friend of ours from like way before Love Is All. He was the one who brought Girlfriendo, our old band, over to America for the first time. So when we started Love Is All, he instantly said, ‘You should put out a 7 inch with me’ and he’s always been really enthusiastic in that way. Just knowing that someone is there and has that enthusiasm is a great thing to have.

BYT: Yeah, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Kevin Pedersen from the bands on his label and other musicians who know him. That’s always a good sign for a label when the person who runs it is spoken about so highly.
Josephine: Yeah (giggles).

BYT: What are your thoughts on touring? Do you enjoy that? Sometimes I hear about these bands that don’t like to tour…
Josephine: Yeah, I love it. The thing is our guitar player, Nicky, has three kids so he’s obviously going to miss them a lot. I get to bring Wyatt so for me I could tour all year round. (laughs) But um…I think it’s so fun. Especially when you make an effort to see some stuff around the places where you go. And just playing to people—you can never get those reactions anywhere else.

BYT: I was at your show at the Black Cat in Washington DC earlier this summer and I just find your live show to be an exhilarating experience. And as much as I love the band’s recorded output, I really see you guys as a live band. Your songs come to life in a live environment in a way that’s hard to describe. Music fans just need to experience it to know what I’m talking about.
Josephine: Thank you. Yeah, I think we feel a little bit that way ourselves. It’s always hard to translate that onto a record. It’s like…playing live it’s…connecting with the audience. You look people in the eyes and you see that there’s excitement there. I mean, it’s kind of ridiculous that one gets to experience those things. I wish that everyone could know what that feels like (giggles).

BYT: There’s also a lot of audience participation. I see people not just bopping their heads and dancing and moving but they’re singing along to your songs and shouting out the choruses. It’s such an awesome experience.
Josephine: It really is. I think it’s more awesome for us (laughs). And when people sing along to songs that they never could have possibly heard before—like making up words to sing along—that’s my favorite thing.

BYT: I bet you’ve got tons of favorite touring stories. Are you up for sharing any with BYT readers?
Josephine: Hmm…that’s tricky. There’s so many! When we went to Australia that was incredible but that was more like vacation with a few shows in-between (laughs). That was really nice. But then we had the complete opposite experience just two weeks ago when we toured Germany, Switzerland and Italy—we ended up with 4 or 5 vans in 8 or 9 days—they just broke down. It wasn’t a favorite experience but it’s kind of become a favorite story because it was so insane (laughs). Sitting on the autobahn waiting for help (laughs). We didn’t miss one show either but there was only one day where we didn’t have car trouble.

BYT: Speaking of your touring, the last time you came through town, you were selling your “Love Is All Plays 5 Covers” EP. And I noticed something about your first album title, your new album title and the title of the EP—they all feature a number. I was wondering if that was a coincidence or does the band have a fascination with numbers?
Josephine: I think maybe there is a slight fascination with numbers. Umm…I think it just sounds good. And like, when I was thinking of a title for the new album, I kind of did that knowing that the old one had a number in it. And so I thought “100 things” is a good way of like…continuing on from the first album.

BYT: I like it. I think it’s…I don’t know, I just think there’s something interesting about numbers.
Josephine: Yeah, yeah. (giggles)

BYT: Well, hey, thanks very much for taking the time to call me and chat.
Josephine: Sure. Thank you.

BYT: I’m really excited about your show at the 9:30 Club.
Josephine: Me too.

BYT: I’ll see you then.
Josephine: Okay. Thank you!

want more:
http://www.myspace.com/loveisall8
http://www.myspace.com/whatsyourrupture
and if you’re lucky to have tickets, make sure to come early tomorrow and see them open for Of Montreal at 930 club.

Special pre-order album deal:

Anyone who pre-orders A HUNDRED THINGS KEEP ME UP A NIGHT through Insound gets more tracks, more vinyl and ‘Epic’ bragging rights. Album pre-orders will receive the first 7″ single “Wishing Well” b/w a cover of Faith No More’s “Epic” shipped to them free of charge on 10/10 and the MP3s delivered immediately! When the album ships on 11/11, MP3 will be emailed out to everyone who ordered the album!

CD:
at insound


LP:
at insound