Canadian Musician - January/February 2019 | Page 36

and there being millions of artists
“Especially in the wake of streaming
’s
about how you still retain someone
on Earth, it really makes you think
n
whe
alf
-a-h
tes, let alone an hour-and
attention for three-and-a-half minu
ert.”
you visit their town and play a conc
ons
Pars
ab”
-Jason “Human Keb
Of course, Buchholz has learned to step
There’s really no better way to describe
is – a
than a
back and see the process for what it
Buchholz and Parsons’ musical union
“When
tor.
crea
fic
cliché
crucial step for such a proli
yin-yang. It seems almost too easy a
I tell
ce,
advi
for
me
ion
young songwriters ask
considering both Buchholz ’s recent fixat
dif-
the
learn
to
have
you
,
name
them all the time
on circles and especially that it’s the
gh’
enou
d
goo
not
’s
‘that
een
, yet
ference betw
of their most successful single to date
es.
and ‘you’re not good enough,’” he mus
apt.
ectly
it’s perf
formula
real
no
e’s
ther
its
adm
of
ons
once
Pars
o
Buchholz recalls seeing a phot
“But
for the
to his approach; it’s more of a black art.
a couple from the late 1800s meeting
there
and
ming
iage,
especially in the wake of strea
first time ahead of their arranged marr
y
I
“And
s.
being millions of artists on Earth, it reall
hand
ing
somewhat awkwardly shak
n
retai
still
you
how
t
dic
makes you think abou
realized that Jay and I have had this melo
lf
-a-ha
-and
three
for
tion
knew
someone’s atten
arranged marriage – like, we both just
when
rly
icula
part
minutes, let alone an hour-and-a-half
not
we’re
gh
thou
Even
it worked.
”
ert.
conc
a
play
and
town
their
an
you visit
close on a personal level, we just have
as
rs)”
Lette
(26
Life
“Big
to
ts
poin
and
He
understanding of what we represent
it’s
how
an example of that mentality, and
what we want to do.”
of
s
kind
all
on
constantly changing based
They ’re seemingly perfect foils, cre-
have
ldn’t
wou
we
an
variables. “Two years ago,
atively and socially. An introvert and
“We’d
-
turn
a
attempted a song like that,” he reveals.
and
arist
guit
stic
extrovert. An acou
e
ther
Are
gh?
enou
hop
other
be like, ‘Is that hip-
tablist. One creates the product, the
ys
alwa
e
we’r
Like,
?’
808s
g
intu-
enough rollin
conducts quality control. A master of
but
mindful of what’s going on out there,
ysis.
anal
of
ter
mas
a
ition with
things
take
to
d
afrai
been
r
neve
n
e
whe
we’v
rol
then
“He’s the king of quality cont
in new directions, either.”
it comes to what we call ‘championship
al-
Look no further for proof of that than
e
we’r
kind
melody,’ which is the only
se
their obvious sonic evolution from relea
lowed to deal with,” Buchholz says. “He
d
soun
The
le.
sing
to
le
and
to release and sing
knows the difference between gold
or
anch
that
ents
elem
the
ing
progresses, but
fool’s gold. He’s the filter, where I’m putt
and
,
ugh
it and the “championship melodies” they
thro
on
mati
infor
raw
,
this unbiased
”
not.
t’s
produce do not.
he’s discerning what’s great and wha
Buchholz switches seamlessly be-
tween soaring rock choruses and a hazy
36 • C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N
hip-hop flow – Cobain
to Copywrite – atop im-
pactful beats and bass
and inventive, innovative,
anything-goes electronic
flourishes. And no matter
how hooky the chorus or
slick the production, there’s
an underlying authenticity
that’s hard to ignore. In the
centre of the Venn diagram
of creative substance and
mainstream success is the
prolate spheroid clearly la-
beled “USS.”
“You hear those songs
on the radio, and this is why
the fan base has been so
protective and stuck around
for a decade, is cause when
the band releases [a major
hit] like a ‘Yin-Yang’ or a
‘Work Shoes’ or a ‘Big Life,’
they know that’s coming
from the band; it’s not a manu-
factured hit,” Killeen puts in.
The duo has been inviting co-writers
and other producers into their creative
ing
process, admittedly interested in grow
stray
to
not
n
take
as creators but with care
contin-
from their original vision – even as it
ues to evolve.
“Champions can reframe things in a
sports
snap. That’s an overlapping theme in
he’s
g
psychology,” Buchholz asserts, notin
’t
didn
It
.
an avid student of the discipline
ng
ideri
cons
gh,
really need to be said, thou
out
ugh
thro
ts
spor
to
the constant allusions
Out”
es
“Lac
like
titles
the USS canon – song
and “Prefontaine,” lyrics about extracting
Even
champions and big-wave smash-ups.
-
refer
a
is
ains
Capt
of
Team
e
nam
the band
the
in
g
ence to a Canadian team competin
s in
IIHF World Junior hockey championship
the mid-aughts.
Of course, sporting isn’t the only well
that USS repeatedly draws from for their
ty,
lyrics. There’s also science and spirituali
ch.
scree
d
dlan
foun
New
and
seafaring
More generally, though, they often re-
name
volve around the idea inherent in the
tant
cons
Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker: the
ony.
search for infinite and everlasting harm
-
com
such
uses
iker
It’s ironic that the mon
,
idea
le
simp
er
rath
a
plex diction to relay
yet the lyrics, incredibly dense and often
tongue
cryptically disjointed, just roll off the
from
when being sung or screamed along
the front of the stage.