11. Joni MitchellCourt And Spark
I have a complicated relationship with Joni Mitchell. I don’t love her the way everyone else does or even the way everyone thinks I do because I do sound like her inadvertently. I have a lot of trouble with her lyrics, maybe I think it’s too close to how I write. I often actively dislike her lyrics which is such a not cool perspective because you’re not allowed to say that.
I’ve had a hard time with Joni’s music and self because she’s said some not great things in the past.Court And Spark is unbelievable, though. I heard it around the time I was making Loyalty. I was completely blown away by the ambition and the complexities of the arrangements, melodies and chords. It’s so complex, yet still so easy to listen to.
She produces her records, so it’s entirely her vision. That inspired me to be more ambitious with my music. The impact and influence of that record has stuck with me in terms of being unafraid of things like hi-fi. I didn’t put that into practice until I was recording Ignorance. For the first time I felt like I didn’t need to cling to scrappy recording techniques. Court and Spark is the most perfect sounding record and that’s one of its greatest attributes.
As well, knowing how young she was when she made it really impressed me. She was around 30 and I was a little younger than that when I heard it first so I remember being like, ‘When I get to 30 I have to be making something that’s this good.’ I wasn’t, but it was a nice high bar to reach towards.
