Årabrot Name Five Albums that Inspired New Album "Of Darkness And Light"
Årabrot are a tough band to pin down, whether considering their earlier noisy days or within the context of their newest form, which feels like a combination of post-punk and gothic rock, and would even appeal to fans of Ghost. To say that their new album Of Darkness and Light is 'eclectic' is putting it mildly. If I told you that Årabrot are a married couple living in an old church in rural Sweden, then maybe the out there vibes would make some more sense. For a specific example, take recent single “You Cast Long Shadows”: it feels like a modern Queens of the Stone Age song with idiosyncratic, weirdly reverberating vocals. Hand clapping is not only acceptable here, but welcomed.
Årabrot frontman Kjetil Nernes took time out of his busy musical days to give us a list of 5 albums that inspired Of Darkness and Light - while some might be guessable, others are likely not. Read on below to see what it takes to inspire a deep, gothy, and ethereal album unlike much else I have heard in 2023.
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The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle (1981)
For a good while now we have warmed up to every live show by watching live videos by The Cramps. It really does the trick. One of the ultimate rock n’ roll bands. The Cramps was with us in spirit when writing and recording our new album.
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Run The Jewels - 2 (2014)
We’ve been listening closely to these guys for a while now and since we used synth bass exclusively on this record it was a natural point of reference. Also their way of building up a song with clever arpeggios and interesting layers without cluttering the mix was a big inspiration.
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Killing Joke - Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1986)
The same way Captain Beefheart is always there in spirit, Killing Joke has been roving in the periphery on our past three or four albums. The inspiration is maybe more obvious on this album on songs like “Madness” and “Skeletons Trip The Light Fantastic.” A while ago we were asked to write songs for Sebastian Bach. We had no idea what Sebastian Bach would want, so decided to write a couple of Killing Joke-infused rock bangers. They were immediately rejected by the Bach management. Both songs – “You Cast Long Shadows” and “Love Under Will” – ended up on “Of Darkness And Light.” Killing Joke is a huge inspiration both thematically, spiritually and musically.
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Coil - The Ape Of Naples (2005)
Coil’s presence is looming here in our church. Especially the later albums – “Backwards” and “Ape Of Naples” – have been a huge influence. Their mystical, magickal atmospherics are strangely fitting with the vibe here in the church and its pastoral surroundings, and it seeps into our music drop by drop. I guess Coil is in real touch with the elements and this is something of great importance to us.
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PJ Harvey - Let England Shake (2011)
PJ Harvey tapped in to something truly unique on Let England Shake and we’ve been inspired by rhythms and melodies from that record. Also, since our producer Alain Johannes has been working and playing with her, he was able to let us in on some of her working methods, which was inspiring, especially for Karin, throughout the recording process.
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Of Darkness and Light releases this Friday, October 13th, via Pelagic Records.
