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 ...and you will know us by the trail of dead interview
 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Back from the dead. Since the release of last year’s Worlds Apart album, the most notable thing ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have left in their wake has been a cloud of speculation. Such as that, after the mauling the album received from fans and critics alike, the Texan rockers were splitting up. Then, after they put paid to that by announcing a follow-up, whispers began circulating that their label, Interscope, were unhappy with the results and pushing the release date back. Then that the band themselves were responsible for leaking it early online. However, now that So Divided has arrived, ...Trail Of Dead mainstay Conrad Keely is determined to set the record straight.“There seems to be this desire amongst our fans to create this ‘us vs the label’ scenario,” he says. “But the reason it got held back was because I was being nitpicky with the mixes. And why would we leak the album? That’s just ridiculous. But none of it surprises me.” Indeed, Conrad speaks with a weariness not entirely down to the cold he’s caught on their current American tour. He certainly won’t countenance suggestions that after the lukewarm reception to the bloated prog rock excess of Worlds Apart, So Divided – which combines psychedelic pop experiments with their noise-mongering past – is the sound of a band with a point to prove. “When we made Worlds Apart we had a point to prove, but this time we were just making a record. Which was a liberating feeling, that we weren’t trying to save the world or change music or any of those aspirations that we might pompously aspire to before. I think this is our chance to be playful.” Although “playful” is hardly the word that springs to mind when you hear him holler “I asked a question but the world returned with silence” on Stand In Silence, or the references to “wasted time” in Life.  “I’ve always written for the moment, and the lyrics deal with difficult things that I was undergoing at the time,” Conrad explains. “Someone close to me was struggling with alcoholism when I wrote Life, and the band was having a hard time redefining itself after our bassist (Neil Busch) left. It’s also to do with my outlook on music as well.” Which – he elaborates – is far from optimistic. “I saw just how small a part music really plays these days in things such as social awareness. It’s not like the 60s when music was the actual voice of change. Now it’s strictly entertainment. I’m disappointed by that, but the world is very close to breaking point and if people want to use music to sedate themselves whilst everything is going to hell then far be it from me to dictate what music is supposed to mean to them.” After all, there’ll doubtless be plenty of fans prepared to do that for him.
Paul Clarke
So Divided - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, released 27 November 06 on Interscope.
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