For her fourth album, Louise Burns looks back — and ahead
Credit to Author: Shawn Conner| Date: Sun, 03 Nov 2019 18:23:01 +0000
When: Nov. 7 (doors at 7 p.m.)
Where: Biltmore Cabaret, 2755 Prince Edward St.
Tickets: $14.99 at eventbrite.ca
Four albums into a solo career, Louise Burns has established herself as one of Vancouver’s most intriguing singer/songwriters. Portraits, her latest record, is, like its predecessors, filled with catchy, atmospheric and occasionally goth-tinged indie-rock — music that is far removed from the glossy pop she played in her early teens as bassist for Cranbrook-based band Lillix. We talked to Burns about being groomed for stardom, digging up old songs, and staying at the Oakwood Apartments.
Q: You started writing this album in Los Angeles, and that brought back memories of when Lillix was whisked away to that city after signing to Maverick (Madonna’s label). How did those memories influence the record?
A: I came of age in Los Angeles, and for better or worse it affected the way I perceived music and how I write music. I spent a lot of my twenties trying to bury that part of my life, and hide all that weird stuff of being a young teen living in L.A. For this record I wanted to face the things that I’d had to deal with head-on and process them and write about them in a little more open way.
Q: Is there one song on the new record in particular you can point to that is about that time?
A: The song Cheers is about being a teenager in this bizarro land of L.A., living in the Oakwood Apartments and having all these amazing people telling you your future is going to be so bright, but then experiencing all of the dark things that come with being in the entertainment industry at a young age.
Q: Are the Oakwood Apartments where burgeoning stars were sent?
A: Sure is. It was such a classic L.A. scene too. Being from Cranbrook we had no idea what to expect. But we were up in these apartments where Burbank meets Hollywood. It’s not very nice but there were a lot of weird child stars around, and a convenience store within the compound. Frankie Muniz and Hilary Duff were staying there. At the time it was like, “What?” And as I look back, it’s even more bizarre.
Q: On their new record Tegan and Sara revisit songs they wrote while they were in their teens. Have you thought about doing that?
A: What an amazing concept. It’s so brave to do that as well considering what they were going through at the time, like identifying who they were, and embracing their sexuality, and being true to themselves. It’s cool they can look back and see that they had such amazing content. I don’t really know what mine would look like from that time of my life.
Q: Are there shoeboxes of cassettes and demos of songs from that time?
A: Definitely. We made a local recording in Cranbrook that is also on cassette tape. Tons of demos, and tons of little clippings of songs we’d written. I have no idea where those tapes are. They’re probably pretty funny.
Q: How do you see this record in relation to your previous three?
A: I think with this record I allowed myself to embrace my pop side, rather than do something a little more experimental. I did a lot of collaborating. I was lucky to work with Damian Taylor (producer, Arcade Fire and many more) on most of the record. He and I produced it together and I co-wrote with him for the first time, I’ve never co-written with anyone before for my own music. It was such a wonderful experience that I ended up co-writing with AJ — his professional name is Stint — and Jasper Leak, an Australian living in L.A. I just wanted to up my game and get better at what I do. I was really bored of my process and wanted to change it up a bit. It was a fun experience. Very, very intense. I think I worked harder on this record than any record. I like that. It feels complete, like I’ve done my best and I’ve learned a ton about my own writing process and writing with other people and about producing.