Arcana - part II

As we are closing in on the winter solstice, Inner Pale Sun arrives at the perfect time to do us company in the cold winter nights. Melancholic string arrangements, sorrowful vocals and beautiful melodies once again unite in a regal oddysey in sombre art. Drawing inspiration from nature, grief and romance, Peter Pettersson has once again created a masterpiece of sentimental Neoclassical music. As the previous interview with Arcana is quite outdated by now, I felt it necessary to contact Peter to get an update on Arcana's current state. Thus here follows a couple of questions answered by Peter Pettersson, contemporary to the release of the new album.

ECTONAUT: It has been a while since ...the Last Embrace was released and at last, the new Arcana album has arrived. Could you give some information on the album in your own words?

PETER: I wasn't totally sure that there would be another album, as I felt that the whole concept had been put in the hands of the critics, I mean that I didn't feel that I could to what I felt for with Arcana. I felt that I had to work within certain borders. So I decided either to just put the whole thing to sleep or to take the sound in my own direction, and then I started recording, which resulted in the Body of Sin single, and now when I look back at it I was sort of testing how long I could take the sound. But when I had recorded for a while and had the album ready I noticed that I hadn't changed the sound too much, and I felt really pleased with the fact that I had ,without thinking, written music that was abvious to be the music of Arcana, but without beeing bored because of the "borders" I told you about, and without taking the sound too far from the Arcana sound.

ECTONAUT: Inner Pale Sun sounds far more acoustic than anything released by Arcana before and surely this takes the music to higher levels. How have you been working with recording all instruments? Have you been doing them all by yourself or have once again chosen to invite session musicians to your studio?

PETER: This time I worked with Stefan Eriksson and Ann-Mari Thim. Stefan, which is an old friend of mine,played some percussive parts and some dulcimer, and he did some midi programming too. Ann-Mari contacted me as she knew that I was looking for people to work with in the studio. Of course I could do all the instruments my self but in the end it makes the whole sound and the time in the studio alot more interesting.

ECTONAUT: Besides the more bombastic tracks Song of the Dead Sun and My Cold Sea, my general impression tells me that this album is your calmest one to date. Why is it so? Do you perhaps wish to make the contrasts between Sophia and Arcana even more stark?

PETER: Yes, sort of, I think that as with Sophia I can take out my extremer urges more than with Arcana I have diveided the two project more and more. And as ...the Last Embrace was quite bombastic with timpani and snares I had grew out of that sound with Arcana. As I feel now I will continue in that calm and melodic vein I am in right now.

ECTONAUT: Like Body of Sin, the track Song of the Dead Sun seems to drawing elements from Eastern music. Most of your old tracks however have sounded more 'European'. Is perhaps Arcana developing towards a more 'Ethnic/Eclectic' direction?

PETER: No I don't think so, at least not on purpose. I have always been a little bit interessed in the "ethnic" sound, but I don't think it has been a big influence on my sound. I think that the songs I have been planning to record the next months are more close to the sound of Innocent Child and Lovelorn.

ECTONAUT: The female choirs on the new album sound great, yet I feel that they have gotten a smaller role on the new album than on your old ones. There are just choirs, no sung parts by Ann-Mari Thim. This was the only negative thing I could think of concerning this album. I sort of longed for something new in the vein of Love Eternal where everything is centered around the female vocals. Is there perhaps a reason for this omission of female solo-parts?

PETER: Well, the songs I have written were written with me singing the vocal parts so I guess that it set the rules to how to record the vocals. But it's also a decision I made , I guess after ...the Last Embrace, that  I wanted the sound to be less angelic and classical, which resulted in less female choir and so on. But Ann-Mari sings some lyrical parts on the album. I also think that I have been doing the Love Eternal type of songs for a long time, it's time to move on.

ECTONAUT: You recently became a father. For understandable reasons, fatherhood can demand very much time and effort. Do you think this is going to slow down your musical productivity in the future? Or do you perhaps find even more inspiration these days after having given birth to a child?

PETER: I'm quite sure it will both inspire me and take alot of time. But we are moving close to my studio so I will be able to record alot more than now, so from what my plans are right now I will record alot during next year! I have big plans for both Arcana and Sophia, which will take place during next year!

ECTONAUT: What about live-shows? You have taken a break at the moment as far as I know but for how long?

PETER: Probably not for too long, as I am already been in contact with people about playing live around europe. I'm also hopefull that I will be able to reach outside of europe too. Time will tell, it's to early to give dates right now.

ECTONAUT: I get the impression that the lyric to the track Innocent Child is very personal. The lyric beautifully envelopes the paradox of 'the gift of life' and it's twofolded nature of grief and joy. I suspect that this song perhaps is more or less dedicated to your daughter? Am I right?

PETER: Yes, it was a song I wrote about the feeling of despair due to putting a new life into a very sick and twisted world, that is built only upon greed and violence. But I hope that I can give her another point of view when she grows up, that I can help her find a good purpose in this morbid system.

ECTONAUT: What about We Rise Above? Is it maybe a protest to this often suffocating society that we live in? Or perhaps an ode to 'love' as a force for surviving this world? What inspired you to write this song?

PETER: It was a song that showed two parts of my life, it's more or less a love song to Ia (my fiancè). I write about me beeing cornered by bureaucracy and rules, resulting in not wanting to take part in the big machine. But then I write about people that are close to me and gives me sanctuary and peace. I think alot of people can find it hard to survive in this cold and demanding place, and many people do not survive.

ECTONAUT: In my previous interview with you, it seemed like Sophia was going to have to take a rest in order to give more space to Arcana. Yet we know this  wasn't the case with two new Sophia items released this year as well as a LP  announced to be released by Cyclic Law next year. What happened? Did you find problems 'restraining' this side of your musical creativity?

PETER: Haha, that has been a "problem" the last three years.  I always feel, after the finishing of an album, that I must rest for some time and then I find myself in the studio recording a lot of songs. I have been writing lately for the Cyclic Law release for a little time now, and as it sounds now it's going to be the darkest thing I have ever recorded with Sophia till now! It's turning out really great!

ECTONAUT: What about Victoria? When can we except a follow-up to the brilliant Homo Rattus?

PETER: Haha, yes I innerly hope so! We are always talking about recording new songs but as both me and Tomas [Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio] are busy people we just can't find the time for it, I hope this will change becase we have great plans for Victoria!

 Arcana
Sophia
Erebus Odora
Cold Meat Industry

Contact

Peter Pettersson