It's hard to know exactly when a band has "arrived." Some wait for major record deals. Others count MySpace hits. There's still no consensus, but one thing is clear: any time your music plays over Michael Cera inexplicably wooing pasty, misunderstood women, you've made it. Such is the case for Bishop Allen, a Brooklyn-based quartet with a knack for making infectiously introspective pop music. Lead singer and guitarist Justin Rice spoke with recess' Jessie Tang about the group's latest work, movie stardom and the message in their music.
Are you guys excited to tour again?
Yeah, especially because we have new songs to play that are really fresh. We've never played them live before. And anytime that happens, it makes touring a million times better.
Is your sound different on the new album?
There are some instruments that we've used a lot on the new album that we've never used before, like the marimba. It's a much more percussive album, the rhythms that we're using are different than anything we've ever use, more varied.
More sunny pop?
There's more you can dance to. There's a lot of tension, but it's not blustery. It's a little bit funnier and a little wryer. The songs don't seem too puffed up like they're taking themselves too seriously.
I know the band had a cameo in Nick and Norah. How was working on the film?
It was awesome. We were only on the set for two days, but it was this huge production, surrounded by all this equipment and all these people. It was a Hollywood production. It was really fun though because despite all that, it felt like we were playing a show. We went to a club and set up all our equipment and played the song. It was both surreal and normal at the same time.
Was it weird to be in such a big budget indie film?
Yeah, when I went to go see it, it was like, 'I almost can't believe that that's us. It doesn't make sense that we're in it.' It's also really exciting, to see yourself up there at the megaplex. Those kinds of things, they never seem real, and it's so incomprehensible.
What would you say your band seeks out to say through your music?
I don't know if there's one particular theme, because it's not a lecture series or self-help session. You're not supposed to come away with a particular idea. Music has a place in the world, and I believe that. Something about the music speaks to people, and that has to do with where they are, what they know, how they're feeling and in a way, music is a reflection of the world that I find myself in. If anything I would hope with music is that it makes me feel connected to other people. It's not to say that the point of the music is to say that we're all connected. Finding music that other people like, sharing it with them, is a really important way to stay connected to the world. At least for me that's part of it: seeking connection and not feeling stranded.
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