Options
Auf der Maur promises deeper album
AxlUlrich
Posts: 12,652
It's not that Melissa Auf Der Maur isn't proud of 2004's Auf Der Maur, the former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist's first stab at solo rock, which has sold around 35,000 copies. She's just spending a bit more time working on her sophomore offering, with the kind of dedication she couldn't devote to her debut.
"It's definitely better, that's all I can say," Auf Der Maur said. "I'm a bass player who wrote my entire first record on a guitar. I didn't have a band, so I couldn't write with a drummer. And bass alone is something you can only go so far [with].
"I just want to expand and make it deeper on every level," she continued. "On my last record, I didn't even work as hard as a bass player as I did on [Hole's 1998 LP] Celebrity Skin, because I was sort of doing it quickly. This time around, I feel like I need to honor the bass side of me more."
For her second album, Auf Der Maur isn't going it alone. She wrote most of the songs last winter in New England, and after returning to her native Montreal she refined the material with guitarists Jordon Zadorozny and Steve Durand, both of whom had contributed to her debut and had rocked with her during the 1990s in the band Tinker. Vince Nudo, drummer for Canadian stoner-rock upstarts Priestess, also helped out. She wrote one track with producer Gavin Brown (Thornley, the Tea Party) and another, "Took Me Apart," with her old pal Billy Corgan.
"It was the first time I had ever written with Billy after years of him being involved in so many areas of my musical life," she said. "It probably doesn't sound like any of the other songs on my record, but it's a very interesting reflection of three days, of two Pisces putting their thoughts together and making a very eclectic pop song. We just let it happen. It was a real process and had a lot of truth to it."
As she sculpted the still-untitled album, Auf Der Maur said, she spent more time focusing on the lyrics as well, a process that helped her find her voice.
"Last time around, I kind of wished I didn't have to have lyrics," she said. "I just used random parts of my diary, and I was so embarrassed that I didn't even review them. I'm trying to have the confidence to reflect on why I'm making music, and there's a responsibility to have an invested thought process of what you're trying to say to people.
"Last time I wanted to prove myself as a bass player and guitar player, but not as a songwriter," she added. "This time, I'm really putting a lot more weight on [the lyrical aspects]. And I'm finding my voice lyrically, as well as literally finding the range of my voice."
There's no word yet on when Auf Der Maur's disc will surface, but chances are good the album will hit shelves this year. In the summer, the bassist hopes she can hit the road to preview some of the material for fans. The one thing that'll keep her from the road, she said, is if Corgan needs her for his reborn Smashing Pumpkins.
In addition to the Corgan tune, Auf Der Maur expects "Mother's Red Box" and "A Thousand Years," songs she says she opens up on, to make the cut.
"There were only certain moments on my last record where [I could] look at any member of the audience and say, 'I f---ing mean this,' " Auf Der Maur explained. "I was just starting. I barely knew where I was coming from in terms of songwriting. ... It's not that I was faking it before — I was literally very naive."
"It's definitely better, that's all I can say," Auf Der Maur said. "I'm a bass player who wrote my entire first record on a guitar. I didn't have a band, so I couldn't write with a drummer. And bass alone is something you can only go so far [with].
"I just want to expand and make it deeper on every level," she continued. "On my last record, I didn't even work as hard as a bass player as I did on [Hole's 1998 LP] Celebrity Skin, because I was sort of doing it quickly. This time around, I feel like I need to honor the bass side of me more."
For her second album, Auf Der Maur isn't going it alone. She wrote most of the songs last winter in New England, and after returning to her native Montreal she refined the material with guitarists Jordon Zadorozny and Steve Durand, both of whom had contributed to her debut and had rocked with her during the 1990s in the band Tinker. Vince Nudo, drummer for Canadian stoner-rock upstarts Priestess, also helped out. She wrote one track with producer Gavin Brown (Thornley, the Tea Party) and another, "Took Me Apart," with her old pal Billy Corgan.
"It was the first time I had ever written with Billy after years of him being involved in so many areas of my musical life," she said. "It probably doesn't sound like any of the other songs on my record, but it's a very interesting reflection of three days, of two Pisces putting their thoughts together and making a very eclectic pop song. We just let it happen. It was a real process and had a lot of truth to it."
As she sculpted the still-untitled album, Auf Der Maur said, she spent more time focusing on the lyrics as well, a process that helped her find her voice.
"Last time around, I kind of wished I didn't have to have lyrics," she said. "I just used random parts of my diary, and I was so embarrassed that I didn't even review them. I'm trying to have the confidence to reflect on why I'm making music, and there's a responsibility to have an invested thought process of what you're trying to say to people.
"Last time I wanted to prove myself as a bass player and guitar player, but not as a songwriter," she added. "This time, I'm really putting a lot more weight on [the lyrical aspects]. And I'm finding my voice lyrically, as well as literally finding the range of my voice."
There's no word yet on when Auf Der Maur's disc will surface, but chances are good the album will hit shelves this year. In the summer, the bassist hopes she can hit the road to preview some of the material for fans. The one thing that'll keep her from the road, she said, is if Corgan needs her for his reborn Smashing Pumpkins.
In addition to the Corgan tune, Auf Der Maur expects "Mother's Red Box" and "A Thousand Years," songs she says she opens up on, to make the cut.
"There were only certain moments on my last record where [I could] look at any member of the audience and say, 'I f---ing mean this,' " Auf Der Maur explained. "I was just starting. I barely knew where I was coming from in terms of songwriting. ... It's not that I was faking it before — I was literally very naive."
LIVERPOOL FC -18 time League Champions-15 time Charity Shield Holders-7 time League Cup Winners-7 time FA Cup Winners-5 time European Champions-4 time UEFA Cup Winners-3 time European Super Cup Winners-1 time World Super Cup Winners
Walk on with hope in your heart
YNWA
Walk on with hope in your heart
YNWA
0