Sean MacLeod On the Making Of “Beautiful Star”
Punk Head: “Beautiful Star” leans into a 70s prog-rock palette while staying rooted in classic pop. What made this sonic direction feel right for the song?
Sean MacLeod: I didn't make any conscious effort to do that. The song pretty much came out full-formed when I wrote it on the piano. Actually, I didn't really think that much of the song in that form but once I started to layer the guitars and other elements onto it, it started to become more interesting to me. For me it has a kind of early Bowie feel to it and I guess I've always been a big fan of Bowie's work from the early 70s, so I suppose it’s had an influence.
Punk Head: “Beautiful Star” has a shimmering, uplifting quality. Is there a personal story or moment that sparked its creation?
Sean MacLeod: The song was written after a friend of mine's child was still born and I suppose it was a way of trying to make sense of such things. The lyric of the chorus - "We don't even know your name but we're glad you came along we're heading from a Beautiful star" came instantly I sat down to the piano. So I feel it was an intuitive answer to my question. Personally, I don't think we are on this planet for a short period of time and then that's it, it's all over and the end. I think we are on a spiritual journey moving in and out of the world of spirit. So the song was trying to reassure my friend that their unborn child has returned to spirit.
Punk Head: You’ve been part of Ireland’s musical fabric for decades. How has your relationship with songwriting evolved from your days with Cisco to your solo work now?
Sean MacLeod: I started writing songs when I was only about 13 and mostly just putting together chords that I learned from Beatle's music books and then singing something over the top of them. I have really changed my approach that much I still look for interesting chord relationships and then work melodies and other aspects of the song into that. It hasn't really changed much except that I usually let the ideas come themselves whereas before I had to work on it more, it was maybe a little more laboured. I think I have become better at arranging the songs and now a days I tend to record on my own where as before I really need other musicians to play their parts.
Punk Head: Your upcoming album That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star has a striking title. What themes or ideas are guiding that project?
Sean MacLeod: Well the title refers to the idea that in the future the Earth will be transformed into something of a star like quality - I suppose that is an image of its spiritual transformation in some ways one might see the internet and the development of a purely virtual world as a similar thing - except I would say this is an illusionary mirror of that process- possibly - not to get to heavy about it- its a struggle that the human being is currently faced with and I suppose our concern with AI is a manifestation of that. So, the album deals with themes of that nature really. Again, I like to use the pop song to deal with these bigger questions as well as the everyday experiences we encounter in our daily lives.
Punk Head: You’re also releasing an experimental record, We Don’t See What We Don’t See. What creative freedoms does experimental music give you that traditional pop doesn’t?
Sean MacLeod: I think the experimental record is a way of focusing on those bigger question I just mentioned but through the music itself and not just through the lyrical content. We Don’t See What We Don’t See particularly explores the nature of tuning systems and using alternative tunings to allow me to explore new musical avenues and see how that might move the listener in different ways- maybe.
