Sean MacLeod

Sean MacLeod takes listeners on a fascinating journey between the ancient and the modern with I’ve Seen You Around, the first single from his upcoming experimental album We Don’t See that We Don’t See. In this interview, he discusses alternative tunings, the lyre, and the creative discoveries behind his unique musical vision.

1. “I’ve Seen You Around” blends indie pop with the ancient sound of the lyre. What inspired you to combine such a historic instrument with modern computer technology?

I was researching alternative tuning systems as part of a PhD thesis I was working on. While I am not a lyre player and while I’m fairly ignorant of the techniques and approach to playing the lyre I found them much more adaptable to different tunings. I wrote quite a number of pieces on the lyre but the lyre is a very soft instrument which requires a great amount of stillness and quiet to listen to it. I think this is very interesting in that it really makes you have to sit and listen but in terms of fitting such an instrument into the business and noise of modern life I mixed the lyre with modern synthesizers.

2. The song is tuned using the Pythagorean tuning system, which is rarely heard in contemporary music. What drew you to this ancient tuning method, and how did it influence the final sound of the track?

Tuning to the Pythagorean system means the 5th note of the scale remains pure which is something bands like the Velvet Underground had also experimented with. These pure tones mean there is no discordant between the notes as you get with modern music. The notes blend into each other with no internal tension. The pure tones create what feels like a more undisturbed sound like a very calm lake or something. The one thing with this tuning is that it is limited as only certain tones work well together and they can also start to feel a little boring to the modern listener.

3. The track has a remarkably serene and unique atmosphere. Was creating that sense of calm and purity a specific goal from the beginning?

The serene quality was not intentional from the beginning but just a result of using this tuning.

4. “I’ve Seen You Around” is the first glimpse into your upcoming album “We Don’t See that We Don’t See”. How does this single represent the broader themes and musical direction of the record?

I think ‘I’ve Seen You Around’ doesn’t really give much of an indication of the album because it’s still very close to my usual pop song approach which is why I chose it as a single release. Most of the rest of the album is much more experimental and much more ‘out if tune’ in regards to what modern ears hear as being ‘in tune’.

5. Experimental music often challenges both the artist and the listener. What were some of the biggest creative discoveries or challenges you encountered while making this album?

I didn’t plan to make an album as such I was just experimenting with the tuning as part of a PhD thesis but when I had all these pieces I thought I would make an album out of them. As regards the challenges it was 3xtremely challenging working within alternative tuning systems. Firstly, the notes I was used to and expecting are no longer available to me. The second thing is I needed internalize the new tones which I am still trying to do. It’s a lot like learning a new language. In face with a lot of these pieces, I just experimented blindly with sounds and just kept sound combinations that felt interesting to me. Another issue is getting other musicians to play with you as they are usually completely list and also not really sure why I would do something like this, understandably.

6. As listeners prepare for the release of “We Don’t See that We Don’t See” in August 2026, what do you hope they take away from *I’ve Seen You Around* and the album as a whole?”

I think the collection of songs is still in the vein of the pop song format but I think the listener will feel there is something slightly different or unusual about them which might bring some sense of newness to the sound. I think it might be a little like listening to an album of Beatles songs consisting of their more experimental music like Harrison’s Indian influenced pieces or ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ or listening to Nirvana when Kurt decides to play all the wrong notes. It’s just a pop album with a difference and that difference is the alternative tunings.

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