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August 28, 2012. A two-hour musical frenzy (in association with t2) rocked a packed Nazrul Mancha as the audience joined in the chorus of numbers like Carnival Of Rust and Late Goodbye. Poets Of The Fall vocalist Marko Saaresto still remembers the day: “That was an inspiring event for sure,” he tells t2 as the Finnish rockers drop their sixth studio album, Jealous Gods (Universal Music, Rs 395), containing 11 tracks. Now over to Marko, who with Olli (guitars), Captain (keyboards and production), Jaska (guitars), Jani (bass) and Jari (drums), forms the band.
Congratulations on your new album, Jealous Gods. What were your expectations from the album before its release and how far have they come true?
Hello, thank you very much. We are thrilled to finally have this new album out. We didn’t really know what to expect this time around. So far the album has been really well received. It’s already topped some charts on iTunes and elsewhere, also on the official album chart in our native Finland. It’s also rising on the European billboard list, so we are very excited.
There is a poetic quality to your lyrics. Where do you find your creative inspiration?
Thank you. The inspiration comes from the everyday life we lead. We are constantly on the lookout for material, and most often it appears when we’re not really expecting it. Usually, in our case, the experiences we have get expressed through music. It’s one part reality, one part fantasy and one part some kind of interaction, with music and lyrics and the whole creative process and with each other. We start with a single idea that inspires us and just go from there, let it take its shape without forcing the song. It’s all very intuitive, yet not without structure or reason.
What were your goals, say, five-six years ago?
I think we’ve always wanted to get better at what we do, be more expressive, find more potent ways to communicate. I think this idea still persists to this day.
So, any connecting lines between your last few albums?
Yes, the strongest suggestions are to Twilight Theatre and Revolution Roulette, which together form our second musical trilogy, through lyrical, musical and visual content. And typically we also break this rule.
Who were your early musical influences and who are your musical inspirations now?
Early on, there were the heavy metal artistes and guitar heroes of the Eighties and Seventies. Like Queen, (Steve) Vai, Metallica, and also the first techno, dance acts and the other greats of that era, like ELO or Pink Floyd and Prince. That was long ago though. Nowadays it’s mostly silence that lets us hear the music we have inside us (and) that inspires us.
POTF is known for coming up with creative videos. How closely do you work with directors and what are your plans for Jealous Gods?
We work very closely with the directors. Videos are an important extension of the songs for us. There are some pretty cool plans for Jealous Gods video (check out Daze from the album). I’m really hoping to bring the jester Hamartia (Hounds to Hamartia) in one form or another. So, hopefully we can find the time to do it. Fingers crossed.
Having visited India on three occasions, has the country inspired you?
Naturally, it has. India is such a wild, versatile place and with such a vibrant endogenous culture with all its hues that it would be impossible to travel there and not be affected and inspired by it.
Do your fans in India act any differently than, say, in Finland?
Oh, Indians are so much fire, like by nature… very light, open and warm, and very wild as an audience. Finns can be a bit more introverted at times, though given the right circumstances their qualities do overlap. We’ve had some pretty wild shows in Finland too.
What about India do you cherish the most?
This is very personal, but it’s the feel of the humidity and heat even at night and the sun setting over a hazy jungle that have left a warm fuzzy feeling on me.
Your songs have often been featured in video games. What kind of video games do you enjoy?
I like the sword and sorcery stuff myself. The other guys play a much wider variety of game genres. I think gaming is a great little getaway when you wanna clear your mind from all the work stuff. Not the only way, of course, but one of them.
Old Gods of Asgard from Alan Wake. How is the in-game band different from Poets Of The Fall?
The Old Gods only play Eighties heavy metal, very strictly. Poets Of The Fall do whatever they feel like. :)
Being from Finland, what prompted you to sing in English?
We grew up listening to music that was mostly English, and partly living outside Finland while growing up is what I think prompted this decision. It just seemed natural, and we also wanted to tour the world, not just Finland.
Any advice for young bands in India?
Do your own thing.
POTF pointers
On August 28, 2012 the band tweeted: “Our tour manager, who has worked with many bands during the years, told us after the show: this goes into his top 5 gigs. Calcutta, you rule!”
Some of their songs have been featured in video games –– Late Goodbye in Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne; War, Children of the Elder God and The Poet and the Muse in Alan Wake; Can You Hear Me in Death Rally; Grinder’s Blues in Rochard; and Balance Slays the Demon and The Happy Song in Alan Wake’s American Nightmare.
The band’s videos have had more than 20 million views on YouTube.
They have 541,232 followers on Facebook.
Footloose and fancy free
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Jennifer Lopez is happy to be single and not quite ready to mingle. The 45-year-old told The Mirror on Thursday that her friends have been trying to find a new man since her split from dancer Casper Smart. “My friends are constantly trying to set me up but I’m just not there right now. It’s not something that’s a priority. I have gone from relationship to relationship but, at the end of the day, I am not ashamed of the path I have taken or the lessons I have learned.” The thrice-married (Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony) singer-actress wants her next man to be a good influence on her two kids (Emme and Max). After all, she became footloose and fancy free after Casper reportedly sent flirty messages to a transsexual model.
In Harry’s direction
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Taylor Swift wants October 27 to a big date on your calendar, the day her fifth studio album –– 1989 –– drops. And to pick up steam on social media, she has released a new single –– Out Of The Woods. On her recent appearance on Good Morning America, the 24-year-old said the song is about the “fragility of some relationships”. Some say the song is about her relationship with One Direction’s Harry Styles and though she wouldn’t confirm the connection, in a recent interview with Rolling Stone she talked about a romance “in which every day was a struggle. Forget making plans for life –– we were just trying to make it to next week”.
