TRAIL OF DEAD

...And You

Will Know Us By The trail of dead

INTERVIEW WITH MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST CONRAD KEELEY BY NICHOLAS SENIOR Y ou might not know it from their history, or even from poring over their complex yet exquisite art rock, but ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead (henceforth Trail Of Dead) have been and continue to be immensely tied with modern technology. Looking at their thought-provoking artwork, or reading through their relatable yet philosophical lyrics, this connection to technology isn’t obvious. However, the Austin-based art rockers continue to stare into the Black Mirror and search for creative paths forward.

Now, 25 years into their storied career, Trail Of Dead have produced their ultimate mission statement

and best record yet. X: The Godless progression for the second song, and always been close to our music,” KeeVoid and Other Stories, out on Jan. 17 then the theme gets passed around in ley says. “Because our grand expervia Dine Alone, is a gloriously unified different parts of the songs. So, that iment, if you will, is to try to see how work, brimming with new ideas and musical motif is something that is used technology changes the way that we excellently executed story beats. throughout the entire album. I was make art, and in order to do that, we Even those who think the band experimenting with this. I wanted us to use the latest versions of the technolpeaked at Madonna – because it’s experiment with it, because I wanted ogy that is at hand. For this record, I a modern classic – will be surprised to see how I could lend a sense of unithink a lot of the stuff that was done at how assured and breathtaking ty to the piece, and in the same way, on the iPad was a big technical, techthe band’s tenth record turned out. I was kind of inspired by Beethoven's nological revolution. And I'm not just Fifth Symphony.” talking about the music, I also mean The album is propelled by a series of the artwork. So, if you look at the artimpressive musical motifs that swell Not that fans should need a reason work and the cover design, all that and bring a smile to the faces of careto keep poring through a new Trail was drawn using my iPad. It allowed ful listeners. This focused songwriting Of Dead record, but these moments me to have this mobile freedom, a was an intentional experiment, notes meld together to create a truly spemobility, and I guess that's really what multi-instrumentalist Conrad Keeley. cial listen when it all comes together. mobile devices do, they allow us to be mobile and do what we do.” “One thing that was different was the So, to connect to previous interview fact that I developed a musical theme plot points, how exactly does technolIn classic Trail Of Dead style, let’s dig that I wanted to repeat throughout ogy come into play here? a little deeper here. the album,” he says. “This theme is referenced in the first piece, the opening “We were exploring the idea of tech“What do you end up creating,” Keeley crescendos, and then it is the chord nology, and that's something that has ponders. “When you have these opportunities to create in unusual spaces, or at times you wouldn't necessarily think of as a creative time? Hey, you're sitting in a dentist's office, waiting an hour to be seen, what are you going do? You can read a magazine, or you could work on a piece of music or a piece of art. So that, I suppose, was one of these themes that was explored on this record. So, as a result, some of these pieces of music and pieces of art were worked upon when we were in places that were outside of the studio.”

There we are. So, what did all that extra creative time and freedom result in for Keeley and company? If the results of the band’s tenth record are any indication, the next few years are Trail Of Dead’s brightest. That’s no small feat a quarter of a century in. �� �� ��