Keith Carne from indie rock outfit We Are Scientists is headed on a solo venture. His new album Magenta Light illustrates the broad palette of influences he has from across the board. Moody, ethereal, and not quite what you expected from the drummer of WAS are some ways to describe his solo sound. I sat down with the drummer now singer as he makes the leap into his own project.
What prompted this solo project?
I’ve had intensely personal musical ideas knocking around my head for a loooooooong time. Really my whole life. My wife had a vision of magenta light pouring from my face during a psychedelic experience we shared several years ago. Her description of it was a perfect distillation of the way my musical ideas make me feel. I started putting them down the next day.
Magenta Light is quite the departure from We Are Scientists. Was that intentional?
I have a pretty different aesthetic perspective from my WAS bandmates which is what makes our collaboration so interesting. We challenge one another to think a little differently. Of course WAS is also really a project that Keith Murray and Chris Cain direct — they have the best and clearest vision about what makes the best WAS songs. I offer ideas, advice, influences and alternatives along the way — but WAS music begins with them. Magenta Light is a vision entirely my own. So yes I guess it is intentional but I wasn’t actively attempting to do something different — I just always knew that it would be.
This album isn’t going to be released on a label. How important is it for you to be independent on this solo venture?
To be honest I haven’t really thought about that so I guess it’s not that important to me. I’ve been sitting on this album for so long, waiting for a long enough break in touring with other bands to just get it out there and I didn’t want to take up more time sending it around. It’s so hard to do other things while you’re touring and just take care of yourself that juggling yet another thing just seemed impossible. If anybody from a sick indie label — Warp, Leaving Records, Sacred Bones — or hell, a HUGE major is reading this and interested in collaborating please hit me up!
Tell me more about the album’s first single “Look For The Moon”. What is the meaning behind the lyrical content?
As I mentioned I tour a ton with other bands and on the road it can be really difficult to do basic life stuff — like remain in contact with friends and family. Whether it’s the show schedule, the time difference, being in transit from one place to another where you can’t talk (like a van)… so looking for the moon is something my wife Hayley Youngs and I do to remain connected with one another. It’s our moon connection. I miss her a lot when I fly (I’m actually on a flight this very moment as I answer these questions) and so the song is sort of a sky-bound love letter to her about something we share.
Will you be bringing this new music on tour anytime soon?
I’m not sure about tour just yet but I will play a release show on May 2nd at Union Pool in Brooklyn. The advantage of doing a hometown show is that I get to have a large band full of my best friends so we’ll be able to do some really cool things with the music. On tour your musical creativity is bound by logistics — every additional player means another day rate to pay, travel, hotel room, meals, another person asking for a break in the drive etc. So it becomes difficult to have more than a few people in your band.
What is the status of We Are Scientists?
We are on tour in Europe, celebrating the 20th of our first record “With Love and Squalor,” as I write this. After taking a little break for my show and my 40th bday we’ll hit the road in the US opening for the Psychedelic Furs, then immediately back to Spain and the UK for summer shows and festivals.
