Baby Tapir: Bright And Morning Star

Baby Tapir’s “Bright And Morning Star” takes its time, keeping the song open enough for its meaning to stay unsettled. Beck handles the instrumentation, recording and mixing alone, and that solitary process gives the track a sense of something built piece by piece rather than rushed into its final form.

The song does not give a fixed interpretation to hold onto. Its layered sound leaves room for different readings, while the long time spent developing the track can be heard in the care behind each part. Accessible in some places and harder to reach in others, it keeps both sides in the same piece.

“Bright And Morning Star” stays open after the last sound, without explaining what the listener should find in it. Baby Tapir keeps the music close enough to enter, but leaves something just out of reach.

For those who might not know you yet, how would you introduce yourself?

Not really the introduce yourself type of person. I Write music. The kind of music that comes to me. There's no filter. No algorithm. No formula. There's no identifiable genre. For example, this song has been added to rock, pop, indie, and electronica playlists. People generally don't know where to put me. And I don't want to be put anywhere. I just want to continue to get better at being myself.

If you had to bottle up your sound into just three words, which ones would you choose?

Paradox, Contradiction, Incongruity.

Which artists (not only music-related) or moments have left the biggest mark on your music?

There are so many. British music has had a huge influence on me. But in general the whole punk/indie DIY movement really resonates. Morrissey, The Smiths, The Clash, Joy Division, The Jam, Franz Ferdinand, The La's, Arctic Monkeys, The Rifles, Bloc Party. And American bands too like IRS era R.E.M., The Sea And Cake, Minor Threat, They Might Be Giants, Pixies, Lemonheads, Mazzy Star, and so on. I also really like the early recordings of Astrud Gilberto. Something about her voice. And Nat King Cole too. 
Non musical influences would include Alphonse Mucha, Fritz Lang, Martin Scorcese, Wes Anderson, Santiago Calatrava, and on and on...

When you hit play on your songs, what kind of feeling takes over?

I'm usually listening for mistakes, mixing errors, lyrical choices I would like to have back. So for feelings I guess I get the feeling of hope that it will turn out well, with deep accommodations. Like a parent at their child's first recital. 

If you could team up with anyone in the world, no limits, who would be that dream collaborator?

Anyone in the world? That's a tough one. Because you may love someone's work and then find you don't get along with them at all, or that they are difficult people. But the first person that comes to mind is the late great producer Steve Albini. He brought so much to the studio recordings he made. If it were a living person, Stephen Street. His work on Morrissey's VIva Hate was really timeless, lending to some of Morrissey's best songs ever. 

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

Right now I'm writing when I find the appropriate inspiration. Some people recommend to write even if you don't feel it. I disagree. I think that's where a lot of artists' filler material finds its way in. I would say if you don't know what to write, drill down to exactly how you feel at the moment and write from there. Otherwise it's more of a charade than an expression. There's nothing exuberant on the docket. I just keep working on material. When something is good enough I will put it out. For more back catalog you can check my previous project, The Dobermans. I wrote almost 8 albums there. 

Can you walk us through the story or emotion behind “Bright And Morning Star”?

I don't like to explain songs. It's like trying to explain a joke or reveal a magic trick. Once you do, something is lost. I'd prefer to allow listeners to have their own reaction to the music without any influence from me. It took about 10 months to write Bright And Morning Star because the lyrics weren't coming. I like to walk when I come up with lyrics. Realistically, this song probably took about 200 miles to write. Some take 3 miles. Or less. Or more. It depends on the song. Thank you Fernando for these lovely questions.