Q&A: Harrison Talks Third Album ‘Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees’
COLORFUL, REMINISCENT, LIMINAL — are all words to describe Toronto-based Harrison’s third album, Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees. The JUNO-nominated producer and composer combines jazz sounds with hip-hop, achieving a distinctive classic quality in the new. Piano propels his latest record along with playful chimes and drums. Four collaborative tracks bring TOBi, MED & Guilty Simpson, Kadhja Bonet, and Nanna.B to the album.
Harrison describes Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees as “the music that [he] dreamed about making as a kid.” Read our conversation with him below.
Portraits by Luis Mora
LUNA: Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees is a very colorful album; it’s coherent in the way a television series is. And I know classic cartoons were a source of inspiration, so that’s fitting. Could you talk about how you landed on that kind of atmosphere for the album?
HARRISON: A big inspiration was Vince Guaraldi. Every Christmas season, we’d listen to A Charlie Brown Christmas. The way he captured that sound and that accessibility to jazz, it just gave [Peanuts and Charlie Brown] so much. I wanted to do something similar. Cartoons were a big inspiration, but it was very specifically older cartoons. Not necessarily storylines and plot, but it was the illustrations. There’s an Instagram called @looneytunesbackgrounds, and that’s really what it is (laughs). It’s background illustrations. I just thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. I tried to make music that reflects that feeling that I had.
LUNA: The sky is a motif throughout, whether that be in the lyrics, the cover art, or sky-related actions like floating and flying. What significance does the sky hold for you in this album?
HARRISON: I remember the first time I went on a plane. It was only like a 45-minute flight, but I remember specifically thinking [that] the clouds don’t look real. Not to be corny, but it almost brought me to tears. I wish there was some way to live up there — it was beautiful. I just always … look up and wish I could. What’s interesting is that it’s all blue; all the sky illustrations are very blue and clear. But my favorite days are gray skies. It’s a nicer background than a blue sky — almost a white canvas, as opposed to a blue one.
LUNA: Speaking of the cover art, Kento IIDA’s art is often subtly unsettling, as seen in your album’s cover with the red car descending into a crack in the Earth while being surrounded by the most beautiful landscape. Why this art for the album?
HARRISON: It can be interpreted, but to me it’s being so close to achieving this bliss or this peace, but it’s just not as linear as you ever think. Maybe falling through a crack is a little dramatic (laughs). Who knows, maybe in another illustration he comes out the other side.
LUNA: Other artists such as Elijah Anderson had a role in bringing the album to life, and there are four collab tracks on this record as well. You give off the energy of an artist’s artist: creating to create and inspiring to create. When it comes to collaborations, what’s typically your role in the group? Are you leading as a producer, or are you building on ideas as they come in? What does the room look like when it’s filled with more creative minds?
HARRISON: I don’t think any [of these] collaborations were actually in person. Luckily, I had a really great team. Joe Jenkins introduced me to Kadhja [Bonet] and MED & Guilty Simpson. I just tried my best to provide something that they could work with, but also not give up too much of myself. Collaborations are really important, and it’s something I find myself not doing enough. Artist and directorial collaborations are my favorite because I just want to give them complete freedom to do what they need to do. I think that’s why it’s important to find the right artists. With Elijah, I like all of his work, so he can basically do whatever he wants and I know I’ll like it.
LUNA: You’ve not only produced for and with multiple artists and types of artists, you’ve also composed for companies such as Play-Doh. When it comes to collaboration in that type of space, what changes when it comes to the creation process, if anything?
HARRISON: Personally, I love it. When you’re provided with a deck or a brief, some things they want are really specific. It forces you to jump out of your comfort zone. I love that because I get to make stuff I wouldn’t make in a thousand years. If it’s done quickly and done well, then I actually feel really accomplished. Weirdly, in some cases, more accomplished than working on my own music. Maybe that’s because if they accept it, it’s very fulfilling. Luckily, there’s music supervisors and people who are there to articulate what a client needs. But when you’re directly with the client, it’s a challenge in itself to interpret what they want. You know, not everyone who works in toys went to school for music (laughs). So I find that a fun challenge to try to interpret exactly what they want.
LUNA: You’re a Toronto-based artist. Who are some of your favorite Canadian artists?
HARRISON: I have so many — how much time do you have? TOBi, of course. Absolutely incredible artist. He’s so passionate. Sometimes you meet artists that spark your passion for music again and he’s definitely one of them. DijahSB — we’ve done a lot together, and they just know what they want. They’re also so funny and have been there for me. Big artists like Charlotte Day Wilson, Daniel Caesar, River Tiber, and BADBADNOTGOOD. Someone that I started making music around the same time with was The Kount. There’s so, so many more.
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