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" "1‘ "“ This IS far from your average rock Interwew. Tankian
S‘ERJ TANKIAN
ABC. Glasgow‘ Tue 1 Apr talks knowledgeany about politics, art and literature
with a wry intelligence. For instance: ‘Any climate
System of a Down were a singular prospect in metal - scientist will tell you that, based on the accelerated intelligent, intricate and unique. Now vocalist Serj rate of population growth, coupled with the accelerated Tankian has released his first solo album, Elect the rate of destruction of natural resources, our civilisation Dead, and, as you’d expect it’s as distinctive as his is scientifically unsustainable. So that's what I’m really former band. Classical pianos morph into vitriolic rants talking about in a very personal way.‘ against pollution and war. There are longing odes to This is all expressed in his music, particularly current love as musical genres come together to create a single ‘Sky is Over’. ‘I like having songs that go from .. . . . .. . multifaceted whole. the personal to the universal, because everything to :w 'r-gxsr‘ai f" T'w. g: Writing, recording, producing and playing nearly all comes back to micro/macro,‘ he says. ‘A nucleus is our ".iw some ::..':".::~.=:: " stow." t'u- the instruments, Tankian has created a very personal universe, the universe is our nucleus.’ .iix‘oii‘ "gl .utos To.“ "manager is :‘ " record. ‘l’ve never seen it as complex. It‘s just more As well as a writer of poetry and folk music, Tankian \\'7:.:' v .2 as 1w :ml‘l‘fl". .13: efficient to do it myself because I knew in my gut what I is also a fierce activist who, alongside Rage Against the SW v l‘ 1\ ' t s t "v \i six-3‘ wanted,‘ he explains from a hotel room in Salt Lake Machine’s Tom Morello, formed the Axis of Justice, a 3"”95 0' 77 {‘5' CiW- grassroots non-profit organisation fighting for social Ng'fi'. u". ass f":= s .a Tankian wasn’t even sure it was going to be a rock justice. ‘I want to try one of everything; I don‘t Sdfuu‘idx “gr”. ' album when he started the recording process. ‘A lot of necessarily have to keep on doing everything but I want »\r‘.: 3:: CR tromso‘ws .‘ “.20 c the songs were written on piano or acoustic to at least try. That's what life is about.’ to new is” 'Is tXi"3 3".) :‘ instruments and some electronically through this With System of a Down on ‘indefinite hiatus’, ow" Drama 0? 'c «I or system I’ve designed for myself,‘ he says. ‘But I thankfully we still have the prodigious Tankian to plug “or 0 :‘CL‘ .-.".‘:°.o‘.t‘-r We ~ng f realised that the dynamics of the operatic vocals really the gap in the market for intelligent, thought-provoking t'wse mus .' 80.1" \‘.e s" lent themselves to a more layered rock sound.‘ rock. (Henry Northmore)
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