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Jenny Lewis The Voyager When I am asked to describe my
personal goals when making records, I frequently say that I’m
looking to make classic, timeless works of art. I want to make
albums that can be listened to for many years to come, without
sounding tied to an era in any way. When I think of a scene where
the recording process melded well with the art being created,
surprisingly L.A. in the mid- to late ‘70s comes to mind. Stick with
me on this. Recall the sound of productions like Fleetwood Mac’s
self-titled breakthrough LP (1975) and the top-selling Rumours
(1977), as well as the lesser-known LPs like Warren Zevon’s
Excitable Boy (1978). Even Jackson Browne’s semi-live Running on
Empty is a solid sounding release. Studio equipment had hit a
certain level of quality, and L.A. was full of engineers and
producers pushing that level through the roof. It might not be
your cup of tea stylistically, but you’d be hard-pressed to slight
the straightforward quality of these recordings.
Jenny Lewis, formerly of indie darlings Rilo Kiley, returns on her
third solo album with a batch of songs that feel very personal,
yet draw the listener in. But what struck me about The Voyager
was the similarity in presentation to these classic albums from
the L.A. era described above. Solid players, distinct parts, and
a real sense of timeless purpose inform this album, and my
guess is that it will easily withstand any test of time. A big part
of the puzzle is the production input of respected songwriter
Ryan Adams.
Jenny says, “Ryan and I didn’t know each other very well before
this album – we had hardly even listened to one another’s music,
to be honest. But I’d heard he built Pax Am Studio at Sunset
Sound, so I hit him up and asked if I could come in and record
something. We put together a band – Ryan on guitar, Griffin
Goldsmith from Dawes on drums, Gus Seyffert on bass, and [coproducer]
Mike Viola on guitar and piano.” These sessions were
recorded by Charlie Stavish and David LaBrel. Jenny continues,
“Every time I wanted to put a harmony on a song, Ryan would
ask me, ‘Do you come from a musical theater background?’ His
argument was that great songs, with great stories, don’t need
background vocals. I trusted the vision, and Ryan ended up being
the person to get me over the fear of finishing something I’d
been working on for so long.”
The multi-talented Beck Hansen produced the single “Just One of
the Guys,” which has a starlet-studded video to accompany it.
Engineered by Cole Marsden, Greif Neill, and David “Elevator”
Greenbaum, Jenny says it was, “One of the tunes I’d tried a few
different ways before I finally recorded it with Beck, at his home
studio in Malibu [The Library]. He ended up producing the song,
as well as contributing backing vocals.”
Jenny’s longtime foil and partner, Johnathan Rice, helps out coproducing
and playing on several songs. Former Rilo Kiley bassist
Pierre de Reeder performed various overdubs (see an interview I
recently did in an upcoming Tape Op) at Kingsize North. Guest
musicians include Benmont Tench (of The Heartbreakers), Lou
Barlow (Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh), The Watson Twins, First Aid Kit,
Lili Haydn, and many others.
The final touches for this great album include mixing by Rich
Costey at Eldorado Studios, Burbank, CA, and mastered by
Howie Weinberg [Tape Op #30] at Howie Weinberg Mastering,
Los Angeles, CA.
Jenny says, “This record was the hardest one I’ve ever made. I
truly thought I was never going to finish it, but I did. The Voyager
tells that story: the longest night of my life, and the journey to
finally getting some rest.”
As a listener and a fan, I’m so glad it’s completed and is part of
my listening rotation.
-LC