SPILL FEATURE: CRY LIGHTLY, TWILIGHTLY, DIE BRIGHTLY – A CONVERSATION WITH NAD SYLVAN

CRY LIGHTLY, TWILIGHTLY, DIE BRIGHTLY

A CONVERSATION WITH NAD SYLVAN

Nad Sylvan has been making music professionally for four decades, and has released numerous solo albums, while also working with other artists, most notably Steve Hackett. Sylvan tours and records with Hackett but also maintains his own solo career. The Swedish American  progressive rock vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter has also been a key member of Agents of Mercy with Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings).

Sylvan has a new album out, Monumentata, which is his best album yet. It is an album which Sylvan has been wanting to make for years. It is an open, honest account of his life, while at the same time allows him to show just how talented he is as a musician/writer. I had the chance to sit down and talk with him about his incredible career, Steve Hackett, and his new album.

The album came about while he was touring with Steve Hackett. In his downtime, between shows, he had chances to create new music which evolved into the album Monumentata. “Well, in between all that heavy touring with Steve Hackett, I did find some time and space to start writing again. Eventually, I had to buy a new laptop and soundcard and finish it on the road, well the writing process. I was lagging behind. But, it is the same as usual, I just write a lot of songs and I pick out the ones that work the best. The whole idea of a new album, to me, is to surprise people. Be progressive, in a sense that I don’t stay with the cliches, I try to avoid that as we have all heard that to death. I want to evolve as a songwriter and take people to a place where they haven’t heard me before. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail. That is why this album is unusual, a bit patchy, because of the different styles, because there is something there that links them together. I don’t know if it is my ability of storytelling or linear songwriting, but there is a sense of logic to my songs that I can’t hear anyone else doing what I do, we will put it like that. I also try to integrate some funky soul music in my prog rock. I was always into funk and soul ever since I can remember, that has to be in there somehow.

“So how the album came about, is that it is just me exploring and trying to make the best album possible. This also means that I had to delete a couple of tracks that I didn’t think were as good or good enough. Those songs may have been in the same vein of the heavy stuff. I thought, who would want to listen to 50 minutes of just hard music in our age group? They want a breather, so I gave them some breathers. Some pop music too. I am very self-critical, but I can be a big fan too, when I  succeed with  something. ‘Wow Nad, this was a step further.’ And I do believe this album is a step further, maybe not so patchy but if you listen to a Queen album, there are a variety of styles. Of course there were four writers. There was vaudeville, heavy metal, there was all kinds of stuff crammed in there. “Sheer Heart Attack” is a wonderful example of that. But you can still hear it is Queen, it sounds like them in a big universe. And I am trying to expand my universe as much as possible.”

MONUMENTATA ALBUM REVIEW

“I usually try to put an album out every other year. This time, it has been four years since I came out with Spiritus Mundi, but because after COVID, we had to make up the shows we couldn’t do, so we were touring like mad starting in 2021. It was crazy how much we were touring, which didn’t leave me a lot of time for writing, but I am happy. I thought, I had given my fans four albums, let them bloody wait for this one,” Sylvan laughed.

Monumentata, especially the title track, is a very personal album for Sylvan. “Yeah, because prior, I was working with this vampirate character, for the Vampirate Trilogy because I like to play around with a character. But now, I felt there is so much happening in my life. My father passed away, my mother has been gone for years. I just thought it was time to wear my heart on my sleeve a bit and be myself. It felt really really good. I am turning 66 tomorrow, and when you have almost become ancient, you have quite a story to tell too.”

“You have to have a free mind to be a songwriter, you can’t be limited as a person, when you try to come up with something new. You have to have a very open mind. I have always been like that, even as a child. I knew how I wanted to dress, the music I liked. That didn’t always go down with my grandparents, who were born in the early 1900s. I was wearing my mother’s jacket, for instance, going out on the town. I was wearing a female jacket, back in the ‘60s. That was a big no no. I did whatever came to my mind, I was the black sheep of the family. But I can’t be the black sheep anymore, because I am the oldest.”

The new album opens with a very aggressive song, “Secret Lover”, which is a departure for Sylvan. “It is like a primal scream at the beginning. ‘I’m going out of my mind!’ I am so fucking pissed! What it is is a very angry song, and it showcases a new side of me again. And it is me being open about my sexuality. I just figured people knew, but now it is out in the open. At 66, you really don’t give a fuck what people think. The song is very aggressive, it is basically a punch in the face to all those guys who let me down, betrayed me.”

The album is out now, and what does Sylvan hope people will get from Monumentata? “I hope they go straight back to the record player and play it again. I just hope they can’t get enough of the album. First of all, I make the music for myself, so I am happy with it, and if others can join me, that is great. I don’t do anything for anyone else but myself, initially. I have to like it myself. If I am touched by this album, I know it will touch other people. I can’t be the only one. Like the song “Monumentata”, it is a very vulnerable song. Especially for people in our age group. Many of us have lost at least one parent. It is good to come up with something that people can relate to, not a fantasy. I like that I have taken it a step towards a new direction and being more open about who I am. I have a solid fan base, I have the most wonderful fans. They are very attached to me and I am to them.”

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Photo Credit: Diana Seifert