The Amanda Emblem Experiment
The Amanda Emblem Experiment revisits beloved songs from The Wood with fresh energy while introducing the heartfelt new track “Old Romantic.” Amanda Emblem discusses remixing, audience connection, creative evolution, and the inspirations behind her music.
1. “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” and “Calm Seas” were originally featured on The Wood. What inspired you to revisit these songs and give them a new life through remixing and restructuring?
“The Wood” was a very atmospheric collection of tunes, I wanted the album to be a complete and true representation of the music I was creating at the time. Long days by the beach, soul searching, trying to understand nature and my place in it, respectful yet playful at times. I achieved this. It wasn’t driven by commercial goals or the need to prove myself. Post release I kept getting the same feedback from my music industry peers that the song lengths were holding back opportunity. Six months later, the streaming numbers also told another story of what songs were the most popular with listeners. “Lazy Sunday” was one of those songs.
2. You mentioned that streaming numbers and fan feedback played a big role in choosing these tracks. How important is audience response when deciding which songs deserve a second chapter?
It made sense to look at what the listeners reacted to. I’ve lived with the album for much longer than it’s release time. When it came time to chose singles, I was at a loss after “Storm in My Life” (The first single).
Everyone I asked had a different “favourite’ track. Looking at the figures now my favourite song (from the album) wasn’t even on the radar, which proved to me that I was too immersed in the music to make a good decision. The fact that the most popular track with listeners (Lazy Sunday Aftenoon) was lighthearted and a bit of fun made sense too. The world is very serious at the moment.
3. The new version of “Lazy Sunday” is much shorter and more focused than the original album cut. What were the biggest challenges and rewards of transforming a long, immersive jam into a concise single?
“Lazy Sunday” is undoubtedly transformed by its remix and edit, it hits like “Wow”! I wasn’t expecting it to be so immediate. Note also that it’s title (for the remix) also got trimmed down. My producer was horrified when I went to him and said I needed it under 3 minutes and I did have to talk him round being totally brutal with the arrangement.
To my ear the album version, “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” is a simple one chord jam with a cool baseline… It’s meanderings were part of it’s charm. Because it’s a one chord song, we had worked very hard on making the ebb and flow perfect. But I was exhilarated editing the track. It came tougher easily in a couple of hours. After that we stripped it back to bare bones and added back only what was needed. We called on the ghost of J.J. Cale to guide us and added cheesy drum machine as a tribute to him.
4. “Old Romantic” is the brand-new track on this release and a tribute to your partner, Jimmy. Could you tell us more about the story behind the song and how your life together in rural Queensland influences your songwriting?
A lot of the album was written jamming around a wooden table at our beach escape, up on the Sandy Strait, where we enjoy the company of our mates Tim and Rach, who also love a jam. It was where “Lazy Sunday Afternoon’ was created, but as jams go, often they blend into other songs and that’s exactly what happened to create “Old Romantic”. Again it’s a one chord song. I like to play simple arrangements for jamming because my partner Jimmy is a budding harmonica player. The harmonica in his hand at the time limits what chords you can play you see.
Jimmy just loves a jam, probably as much as he loves a red wine (and me xoxo… feeling’s mutual) When we played the jam back on the following day “Old Romantic” stood out. Special. So next jam we tried it again, and again, and it just evolved into something gentle and fabulous in it’s own. We both needed to see if it would work in the studio. I think Jimmy prefers the live version, and that is because he is an Old Romantic.
Living here with Jimmy is the biggest blessing. I don’t go a day without gratitude for my safe and tranquil surroundings, living in a place of love and understanding. I know it has strongly influenced my songwriting.
5. There seems to be a strong sense of space, simplicity, and relaxation throughout these three tracks. Was creating that easygoing atmosphere a conscious artistic goal for this release?
Not consciously, but they all work great together, that’s very true. I’m sure if you experienced where the tracks were created, and the studio where they were recorded, and if you met the very laid back and talented producer, Andy Tainsh you would see why.
6. With Lazy Sunday introducing both refreshed versions of fan favorites and a new song, does this release signal a new creative direction for The Amanda Emblem Experiment, or is it more of a bridge between past and future projects?
I always expected to work with the album for a while, and remixes were in the back of my mind when some of the tracks exceeded 5 minutes. But I never stop writing, there are a slay of new tunes since then, so there is a massive backlog of ideas in waiting. Thing is, I enjoy the writing and recording process far far more than the releasing process, so albums work best for me. All the BS about releasing something every 5 minutes, I don’t get caught up in that so much. I do it when I’m ready. Having been in the music industry all my life (20+ years) I’m probably equally blessed by having music in my life to being traumatised by the ups and downs of a long music career. That said, I won’t stop releasing new music. My next drop is likely to be quite different. I don’t want to give anything away yet, but in the future the Experiment is set to spread it’s wings and evolve.