Damien Rice on purevolume™

Alternative / Folk Rock

Quotes and Notes on the making of 9

At the point where youre finishing an album theres a title thats the strongest, thats sitting there and feels like its right. And that just happened to be 9 at the moment of finishing this one. Other options were A Hen Will Sit On An Unfertilized Egg and You Love Her, You Even Love The Shit You Hate About Her. So we went with 9.

The key event that got the record finished was probably the band getting frustrated with waiting around for me. Its one thing somebody on the outside saying, Oh, whens he ever gonna put out another record?. Its another thing when the band members sort of walk away from you with a sense that they dont believe you that you're ever gonna do it. It was in that moment that I had that classic feeling of when someone tells you that you cant do something: I usually take that as a challenge, and I like to prove to the person that I can! That was probably one of the biggest things that actually got this record going. Id say that was the key in a way, 'cause it was after that that I really knuckled down, and it sounds really immature, but then writing songs is immature.

In writing songs you're expressing your emotions, but very often they're immature emotions, although you may write them in a very eloquent way. I think somebody who is very balanced and is sorted out in life doesnt see any issues with the rest of the world. Whereas when you don't have yourself sorted out, and when you've got issues, and when you're turbulent inside and struggling to find a balance, then you see all those issues on the outside, and you get bugged by them and then you write about them because they're frustrating you, and it pours out. But in a sense I feel that... although it may be a beautiful means of expression, writing songs is innately, I think, immature, or young. But its exciting, so fuck it. Who says that being mature and wise is perfect anyway?

We werent really a band when we recorded O, whereas on this record, everybody was pretty much involved from the beginning. From the touring that weve done together everyone has a more intuitive feel as to what we like and what suits the songs.

I started with the notion that this album was going to be a heavier record than the last, and we went to record a load of the heavier tracks, but then we put down Grey Room, listened back and went ooh, we like that. And then we put 9 Crimes down and we really liked that. I find sometimes that when things are a little bit too premeditated then they dont work.

Ive no desire to make any statements. Ive no desire to try to be something other than what I am or to try to make the music something other than what it is. And Ive no desire to sort of break through styles or modes or anything.

Track Listing
1. 9 Crimes
2. The Animals Were Gone
3. Elephant
4. Rootless Tree
5. Dogs
6. Coconut Skins
7. Me, My Yoke And I
8. Grey Room
9. Accidental Babies
10. Sleep Dont Weep
Musicians on 9

Damien Rice (vocals, guitars, piano, Wurlitzer, etc.), Lisa Hannigan (vocals), Vyvienne Long (cello), Tom Osander (drums and percussion), Shane Fitsimons (bass), Joel Shearer (electric guitar on #3, #4) and Cora Venus Lunny (violin and viola on #2).