Intervista agli Envelopes!

(Gli Envelopes nel giardino del Covo Club)

Ve ne avevamo parlato come i paladini di uno dei dischi più belli del 2008, e sicuramente come gli autori della nostra canzone per l'estate. Gli Envelopes sono finalmente arrivati in Italia e hanno presentato il loro disco, circuito i nostri collaboratori (si, maschi e femmine), e bevuto Jägermeister.
La redazione di Frigopop! era a Bologna quasi al completo per incontrarli ed intervistarli.
A voi!

We know Audrey is French. How did you guys meet, and decided to form a band?
Henrik: I can say that it’s just happened… there wasn’t a real decision to form the present band. Six years ago, I wrote some songs and I thought they were pretty good; then, I went on summer holiday with Fredrik with all the stuff, and we met someone who liked it. And so… it was a kind of aggregation.

The first thing we've said when we saw the cover of your new album was: "Wow! Why such a strange and gloomy artwork for an indiepop band?" So, can you explain us why did you choose a vessel in a storm as a cover? And which kind of animals are those over the image?!
H: Ahah! I think there are a lion and elephant and some panthers… but I think they also have something of supernatural! For the picture of the cover I don’t exactly remember what’s happened; but I remember that we had got the title of the album (from a line of a song) and we start to look to sea painting. We choose a dramatic painting because I think it is in strong and good contrast with the record.

Is this the first move towards an epic metal album?
H: Aha! I’m sure we would make more money!

"I'd like 2 C U" is definitely our anthem for the summer. Can you tell us how did you come out writing this wonderful song? Is it your favorite from the album?
It’s strange because this song is very difficult to play together… And I don’t like it, it’s not my favourite song at all. We changed I’d like 2 C U for years, music and lyrics, and I don’t like it very much but I think it’s ok, now. I think my favourite songs are Put on hold and What’s the deal?, I think… or maybe… Party.

One of the things we like most about your music, is the lyrics you sing. We couldn't find them anywhere, so can you explain us some lines we didn't understand? For example, when Audrey in "Free Jazz" sings "Ashparashpashpashpashpashpa"…
H: I think it was… Don’t you understand it?

No… I wanted to write it everywhere, but I don’t know how to spell it…
H: From what I … Audrey was going with the bus from France to Sweden and she passed through Denmark and she had listened to Danish people speaking… And she had tried to imitate the sound. But it doesn’t actually exist… it’s just an imitation of Danish…

Swedish pronunciation is so different from Danish pronunciation?
H: Yesss. Yes, Swedish doesn’t sound like “Ashparashparashpa”… And Danish yes.

I remember just a bit of the Danish alphabet: strange letters and sounds like æ!
H: We have those too, but the pronunciation is fortunately different!

We saw your blog on Myspace… We read that you particularly love Spain (when you describe the tour, the word “Spain” is written in a big heart!). Why?
H: It’s because before the gigs in Spain we had some lives in Central Europe, England, France. Then are arrived the concerts in Spain and we have only been there twice (in Italy never before today) and… we just like it, the motivation is ever the same: lovely weather, good food…

Someone has written you hate each other… Is it true?
H: No, it isn’t. But in the period when we live together in a house in York we hadn’t a car for nine months: you know, it’s very difficult to see ever the same faces and it was very difficult to put up this situation.

Last question: what’s in your fridge?
H: A lot of different kinds of cheese like Pecorino and French cheese… And then a lot of fruit, especially oranges and apples!

> Envelopes - tutte le foto del concerto di Bologna