[Editor's note: This song premiere previews Burning Down the Villager's concert at Duffy's Tavern this Friday with The Seen and A Ferocious Jungle Cat. The donations-only show starts at 7 p.m. with a Hear Nebraska concert photo print show, and bands will play at 9 p.m. More info here.]
A plucked harmonic rings out, and the sound of electricity through an amp resonates like mechanical cicadas.
In these first few seconds of Burning Down The Villager's "Bedroom Door," you can almost feel the humidity, or lack thereof. Then you hear the heartbeat of the song, as drummer and engineer Vince Ruhl calls it. This main guitar riff on paper might even resemble a sort of upside-down EKG, starting with the root note, before falling, rising and returning to home.
When the rhythm section enters into the mix, the drums and bass guitar sit closer to the listener than the front row parts. The idea is to plant the perspective behind the band, backstage and staring out into the darkness where the audience stands, says Eric Medley, executive producer and owner of Tremulant Records, which is releasing the band's album In Time.
The lovesick and airy climate that Burning Down The Villager conjures up on "Bedroom Door" will fill Duffy's Tavern this Friday. The Lincoln band will open an HN Presents concert with The Seen and A Ferocious Jungle Cat, bringing with them their batch of soon-to-be-released songs, which were recorded at StudioPH and engineered by studio owner Chris Steffen.
The concert on Friday at Duffy's starts at 7 p.m. with a First Friday photo print show. Hear Nebraska will sell 10 total prints of concert photos taken by interns and contributors for $15 each.
As for Burning Down the Villager, they hope to bring USB drives loaded with music on Friday, and on them, along with the 12 original tracks, would be a set of 12 remixes by SOLO. Hear the premiere of SOLO's "Bedroom Door" remix below as well. Also read more about the band's take on the song after the jump with a Q&A including Ruhl, Medley and brothers Grady and Will McGuire:
STREAM: "Bedroom Door" by Burning Down the Villager
Hear Nebraska: From the tremolo on the second guitar to the reverb on drums, the song fills a definite sonic space. How would you describe the "feel" and how do you create that?
Eric Medley: When I first heard the song, I really felt it needed to pivot the record. Hence its placement in the song order. Sonically, I was really looking for a Chris Isaak feel. I love the dreariness and love-sick feel of that production style.
The first guitar is meant to be the current that everything else rides upon. I deliberately turned the band around in the mix almost like you were standing backstage looking out at the black space of the audience. The rhythm section is closer to the listener than the front row parts.
Grady McGuire (guitar and vocal): To me, "Bedroom Door" has a very distinct sound on this album. The airy feel created by the reverb makes it sound like you're by yourself in an echoing room, like, surrounded by the main riff and rhythm. We create this feeling by using reverb, of course, the main riff and a melody that can be echoed throughout the entire song.
Will McGuire (guitar and vocal): I think the feel that is created by the reverb and tremolo is airy. It gives the song its dynamic, going from the soft verses to the fuzz-driven guitar solo. Having the airy feeling really helps the listener focus on the lyrics.
HN: I'm curious how the lyricist honed in on the "bedroom door" image, and how addressing the object instead of the person changes the meaning.
GM: By using the actual bedroom door as an image, it gives the listener a feeling of wanting someone to come through that door, the feeling of missing someone. The bedroom door itself is like a symbol of conflict between the listener and the person they're missing. The door can only be opened by resolving the issue between the two involved. That's what was on my mind when I wrote those lyrics.
HN: Talk about the main guitar part that continues through most of the song. What about it allows for the repetition?
Vince Ruhl: The main guitar part allows the band to build off of one another, allowing us to gain momentum and take it away, while still have consistency throughout the song. The repetition of the main guitar allows the song to flow from part to part with a sort of "pulse," almost as if the main guitar riff is the heartbeat of the song itself.
GM: By repeating the riff over and over again, it allows for the vocals and solos to really stand out. The repetition of the main riff allows a story to be told over the top of it.
HN: What is the significance of the album title?
GM: The album title, In Time, is about, you guessed it, time. The songs on this album are all about reflection and learning from past experiences. I think using time and experiences as a means to better oneself has been a recurring theme in everyone's lives, so it translates well to music. The title is also about looking to the future when things in life go south. It's about believing that, in time, things will turn out for the better.
Michael Todd is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. He doesn't know what the villager did, but he hopes he knew to have a fire extinguisher handy. Reach Michael at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org.