William DuVall says he had to take a different approach while weaving his lyrics into Giraffe Tongue Orchestra’s debut album Broken Lines.
The album was released last week and features Alice In Chains man DuVall, Brent Hinds of Mastodon and Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, alongside Dethklok’s Pete Griffin and former The Mars Volta member Thomas Prigden.
And referencing the title track, DuVall says he had to get into a different way of thinking while laying down the lyrics.
He tells Rolling Stone: “What I loved about that is it forced me to throw out the standard-issue Rock 101 songwriting handbook. It forced me to write almost as if I were working on a theatrical production. ‘Here’s a mood swing here, there’s a mood swing there.’
“It’s really rapid-fire. That was part of my mandate. I hoped to provide a lifeline to the listener – to take them through the storm, and navigate them through the waters when it gets choppy. And it does get choppy.
“I put off Broken Lines as long as I could. It was like, ‘What am I going to do? How am I going to get a word in edgewise? How could I possibly fly over this or get down in it?’ Eventually I came up with that chant idea for the opening and I just got very reductive and treated it almost like an SOS or a Telex message from sea-to-shore.”
He reports he tried to reduce the amount of syllables he used and simplify his style on the track, and adds: “That helped me. All these songs were about finding doorways in, and once you find the doorway, you’re good. But finding that doorway can be a challenge.”
Giraffe Tongue Orchestra have released videos for their tracks Blood Moon and Crucifixion and recently announced North American tour dates.
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Giraffe Tongue Orchestra North American tour 2016
Nov 29: Boston Sinclair, MA
Dec 01: New York Gramercy Theatre, NY
Dec 02: Philadelphia Union Transfer, PA
Dec 03: Chicago Bottom Lounge, IL
Dec 06: San Francisco Independent, CA
Dec 07: Los Angeles Teragram Ballroom, CA
Dec 08: Seattle Neoumos, WA
Dec 10: Detroit Magic Stick, MI
