Covenant


ragazzi: "Your single "Call the Ships to Port" has been number 1 in the German Alternative Charts (DAC) for several weeks now. Is it the most successful song you have ever made?"
Joakim: "We did not expect such a success of this single. Quite a while ago we have had a similar success with "Der Leiermann". Of course it is cool to be number 1 although it is not very important to me. It is more important that people listen to our songs. They don't have to like it but they should react to it somehow."
ragazzi: "You have released two vinyl packages of the single. Why?"
Joakim: "It was the idea of our record company. They wanted to put all the remixes on vinyl."
ragazzi: "Recently you have been to Berlin to make a video clip for "Bullet". Did you choose Berlin for a certain reason?"
Joakim: "The video-company "Doro" found a fantastic location there. It's an old factory building which has been out of use for 50 years. It looked like a retro-science fiction. And there was a real tree, which has grown up inside the house. It was just unbelievable..."
ragazzi: "What is the story of the clip?"
Joakim: "It is about scientists, a robot, past and present. VIVA and MTV will get it, but you know it's not certain that they will show it. However it will be available on a special edition of the album."
ragazzi: "History and technology, past and future these are not only subjects in the video. You are often talking about these things. Is it because you do not like living in the present?"
Joakim: "I would love to. You are right, it's one of my biggest problems. As long as I remember, even as a child I have made plans for the future or have dreamt of the past. I became a historian because of this. And I have always been a science fiction fan and I like thinking about possibilities in the future. I've come to realize that I do it because I can't really handle with the present."
ragazzi: "From your point of view what are problems of our time?"
Joakim: "The mistrust between cultures and the nationalism. It is artificial since the only barrier between people is language. The lines on the map are just an excuse for the people in power to do nasty things to neighbours: "We are we and they are them and therefore they are bad and we are good". This "stone-age-caveman-mentality" creates so many problems. We have to think much more globally."
ragazzi: "If you would have the choice what time would you prefer for living?"
Joakim: "It is very difficult. Rather in the future than in the past because we know at least something about history but the future is totally unknown."
ragazzi: "Do you see any differences in your audience, e.g. in Sweden, Germany and America?"
Joakim: "It's more or less the same like in every subculture, I mean the dress-code and the general attitude are the same. Of course there are small differences. In the US it is more of a anti-society and punky attitude. In Germany people know more because they see more bands and have a better access to new things. In Sweden the scene is very small but also very open-minded."
ragazzi: "You have just mentioned the dress-code. Covenant are always wearing suits in their shows. Is there a special intention behind it?"
Joakim: "It looks elegant and smart and we like it. Years ago we have worn suits only in private life. After a while we said why wearing different clothes on stage? So we stick to it..."
ragazzi: "Do you have relations to other bands of the scene?"
Joakim: "Of course. We have been in the scene for quite a long time now and played lots of festivals. We know everybody basically. Some more, some less. VNV Nation e.g. are very good friends of us."
ragazzi: "You have written just one German song, "Der Leiermann". It is a poem. How did you find it?"
Joakim: "It is part of Franz Schubert's "Die Winterreise". The plan for a song has existed for quite a long time. One day Eskil came with the lyrics of "Der Leiermann" and said "Let's try it". It was amazing how his composition fitted to the lyrics. All in all it was more like an experiment or a joke. In the first place we have not even thought of releasing it."
ragazzi: "Will there ever be more songs by Covenant in German?"
Joakim: "I would not say never. But our "song-language" is English. It is the most useful language to reach many people in the world. Although I like the sound of German it's quite unlikely that we will have another German song."
ragazzi: "It seems to me that the lyrics are quite important for Covenant. Are they based on own experiences or more fictional?"
Joakim: "The three of us write them. And they are a bit of both, fictional and non-fictional. On "Northern Light" the lyrics are very personal, I guess 95 per tell from personal experiences and emotions, dreams and fears. To me writing lyrics is a way of treating problems, it's therapeutic."
ragazzi: ""Northern Light" was produced by Jacob Hellner. He definitely works professionally, but the bands he produced before (Rammstein, Clawfinger etc.) do not play exactly your kind of music. Why this choice?"
Joakim: "A guy who is able to make as different and strange things as Fleshquartet (their music is a mix of violine, cello and DJ), Rammstein and Clawfinger has to be a very open-minded person. We had a meeting with him. And he had been dreaming of making an electronic album for along time. So he was really happy about the idea. It was a very lucky combination."
ragazzi: "In how far has he influenced the album?"
Joakim: "On a smaller scale. He hasn't put anything into it since all the ingredients of the album were more or less there. He had the charity of mind and an objective view. We would have made a good album, but Jacob made us producing an exceptional one."
ragazzi: "After listening to "Northern Light" I got the impression of a well-balanced album: on the one hand dance-floor songs, on the other hand melancholic, dreaming ones. Before you start working on an album, do you think about the mixture of songs?"
Joakim: "It depends and is different on each album. "United States of Mind" had a strong concept, whereas the new release is very emotional. We didn't plan it, just wrote down all the feelings and frustrations we had. In the end we had twenty songs and picked out 11. In this sense we thought of it."
ragazzi: "Covenant is supposed to be influenced intensely by bands like Kraftwerk. In which song does this influence becomes most obvious?"
Joakim: "There is no song like that on the album. We are influenced by Kraftwerk in so far as they are kind of inventors of the electronic music. It is more the attitude we deal with the songs."
ragazzi: "There is one song on the album called "We want revolution". What kind of revolution did you have in mind when you wrote it?"
Joakim: "We do not refer to big revolutions in society. It is more on a personal level. My philosophy is: I wake up every morning and decide what little revolution I could make this day. It can be as simple as jogging before breakfast or moving to Barcelona which is a very big revolution. In this sense: Everyday at least one revolution has to take place."
ragazzi: "You will be on tour this autumn. Do you plan a special show for this?"
Joakim: "We are planning pretty wild stuff. We want to create optical illusions (like a tunnel e.g.) on stage which are made by a new high tech system. It is technically quite difficult, so we are not quite sure whether it is possible to do.
ragazzi: "I'm looking forward to it. It was a pleasure to talk to you. Thanks and bye bye."

Stefan



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