Alda: "Breathing room" is actually a pretty good way to describe the crucial difference in the writing process between Passage and Tahoma, and the main substance of that difference is the time elapsed relative to the creation of the two records. Tahoma was written within the span of a year and a half (albeit a pretty wild one though), and Passage took us about three years to compose and a good year to record. So we had a lot of time to reflect on what it was we were creating during that period, and we definitely conceived the album as more of a unified narrative rather than just a collection of songs. That's not to say it was a relaxed or easy process though. A lot was going on in our lives and it actually was a real struggle to make it happen at times.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: Aside from other forms of music, where do you draw your inspiration from? What are the main themes discussed in Alda's music?
Alda: The raw vitality of the Wilderness and the natural world is our biggest inspiration, to put it briefly. We wouldn't be making the music we're making without our interaction with that world and the time we spend away from mechanized civilization. But that's not where it stops. We don't write music about the Wilderness without considering the condition of our lives and the relationship between humanity, modernity and ecology. What happened and why is everything so fucked up? How did we get to where we are, and what aren't we showing ourselves? These are the kinds of questions that are inseparable from the subject of the Wilderness, from our point of view. We've come to a kind of set of beliefs or opinions about life as a result of this quest. We write about death and uncertainty, and about how the common human fear of these unknowns is a driving motivation to insulate ourselves from the Natural world. Some of our songs are reflections on history of the land, of our ancestors, of colonial catastrophes. Some of our songs are written within a mythic or mystic context. But ultimately it's all tied together. We're telling one story and there's something kind of simple at the core, but it just takes a lot of songs to tell it.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: Bindrune recordings is one of those labels that have become synonymous with releasing quality products like Panopticon and Falls of Rauros. Alda seems to be a band with the listener in mind, creating sonic landscapes with sweeping dynamics. I've always appreciate bands that provide an experience rather than simply releasing an album. And, that seems to be a running theme with the Bindrune label. Is that a fair description of Bindrune and how has it been working with Bindrune thus far? Was it important to choose a label that was just as interested in the artistic vision as the band?
Alda: We've always liked Bindrune and their releases, and have been in contact with them off and on since our first album was released back in 2009. When they offered to release our follow-up to Tahoma we naturally accepted and it's been great so far. Bindrune has a cool set of bands that work with them and a cohesive aesthetic that they've slowly built over the years and continue to deepen. There is definitely attention and intention going into what is released by that label, and that kind of thing is important to us. It helps extract the relationship between the band and label out of one that would be purely aesthetic or commercial and gives a dimension of "realness" to the relationship.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: How does your location influence the music that you write?
Alda: You could say its inseparable from us. Our time spent out in the forests and mountains and on the waters of our home have a direct influence on the music we write. And all of those places have their own distinct character, a set of bio-regional attributes if you will. Opening your awareness to the nuances of the environment you live in will shape your state of mind, regardless of where it is you live.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: Alda appears to be a band that is very in touch with their environmental surroundings. To say that the earth we inhabit isn't in danger is simple neglect or obvious stupidity. My opinion is that something drastic needs to happen in a very quick manner in order to save our planet. The earth is already sending warning signals of its eventual demise. Do you follow the work of Derrick Jensen and do you subscribe to the theory of "Visualize vast wilderness, Actualize industrial collapse"?
Alda: We're familiar with that philosophy. Industrial modernity and the billions of people who accompany it are without doubt fucking everything up on a level that can be difficult to comprehend, one that has some truly miserable consequences. But we don't see industrial collapse coming soon. The co-dependency of humanity and modernity runs pretty deep and it seems pretty questionable to assume the "re-wilding" of billions of human beings is very probable without some kind of major catastrophic population die-off (and consider the implications of what would require that!). For a modern human being, this is a pretty serious undertaking that has to be motivated on a personal level. And it gets harder and harder any kind of pristine way the more poisoned the world becomes. Industrial civilization is probably going to hold on until its last gasp, and until then it will squeeze and suck the vitality out of everything within its reach. But things will balance out in the long term regardless of whether or not they include human beings. Although this may seem fatalistic, we don't write this as some kind of apathetic excuse. There is something to be said for living in accordance with your deepest feelings and values regardless of how hopeless the cause seems. We care about what is happening to our world and we strive to place ourselves in direct interface with it, but we don't live primitivist lifestyles and we're still plugged into the industrial world, and this doesn't necessarily have to be a contradiction. But who knows what's really coming? No theory or dogma has yet provided an infallible model of the reality we occupy, they merely map the tendencies.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: I commented about this very subject to my wife today that it doesn't seem like human beings were meant to save the earth in any capacity. With the rise of industrial selfishness and fast food cultures, it appears like we were sent to destroy the earth. And, not enough people open their eyes long enough to see the misery they create. They just walk blindly and ignore the footprints they create. How important is it for bands and human beings in general to develop a social conscience? Without preaching (because people don't respond well to that method. It generally turns them off), how can we address the problem?
Alda: It's important to us at least. Communication and art are powerful tools but they only have so much power in and of themselves. What's the point of communicating something important if your actions are not in accordance with your words? All change begins with the individual. Many things can be catalysts for this on the grand scale, but it still comes down to individual choices, and what choices can be made within the constraints of the necessities of survival. Our music is intended to speak to deeper level of consciousness. But we have no allusions nor expectations of what the effects of this are supposed to be. We primarily create it because we have a need to say it. And when you speak truly from your center, you're always going to find beings who have a common resonance with what you're saying, and there are always those who are looking to find it.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: One of my reasons for creating this is to investigate the nature of creation. I've always found it so fascinating that we pull something out of the ether that has never been created before. Our ideas are set into motion by some unseen force that I've never fully been able to comprehend (maybe I'm not supposed to). Perhaps, it's nothing and it's just a simple cleansing of the neural pathways. It's a cool thing to be able to share our unique visions with one another and technology has made it far easier for us to connect. Attempting to view the positive aspects the digital age, underneath the coldness of technology, do you think there is an ultimate unifying aspect to all of this and can this be viewed as positive?
Alda: This isn't the easiest question to answer, and there might not really be an answer to it. The unifying potential of the internet is the point of connectivity that is permitting this conversation to take place, and that certainly doesn't seem negative. We certainly use this power regularly and it has profoundly shaped the habits of our lives, for better or worse. Maybe the best questions to ask oneself about this power could be something like these: How am I using this connective power? Does it truly connect me in a positive way or is there an isolating element to it? At what cost does this power find its way into my hands?
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: Getting back to nature is something that doesn't seem to happen these days. People are glued to their digital devices and can't appreciate nature and just living in the moment for what it is. They have to record their whereabouts for the world to see. Aside from a sick level of vanity and narcissism, what do you think the ultimate social ramifications will be from this?
Alda: Probably widespread near-nearsightedness, both physiologically and consciously. That's part of the paradox of this kind of technology. You might have the opportunity these days to carry a computer in your pocket with seemingly limitless access to knowledge, communication and stimulation, but spend too much of your time gazing into that vast and yet narrow little window and your perception will acquire some blind spots. And this isn't a far off consequence, you can see it at work everywhere you turn in the "developed" world. It's got to be a particular challenge for the youngsters growing up with these kinds of tools as the baseline-norm. It seems like a heavy Karmic-hand to be dealt with lots of potential ramifications, not all of them completely negative by necessity. We'll just have to see what happens.
The Fleeting Nature of Forms: Last, are there are any tour plans for Alda in the near future? What are the overall goals for Alda?
Alda: None currently aside from some festival-type appearances coming up. Our overall goal is to keep our embers glowing, live our lives and grow in experience, and continue to write music and love what we do. Thanks!
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