Q&A: Laney Jones Rises With Cinematic, Sweeping Album ‘Stories up High’
“TAKE ME TO THE MOVIES, BABY” — Stories up High is committed to drama. Its title track starts with a sole organ, evoking an image of dying light through stained glass as midnight mass is wrapping up. The arrangement then strips even sparser to just an acoustic guitar, and the stage is set for Laney Jones’ voice. As she delivers phrase after phrase with increased urgency, her vocals go higher each time until she finally reaches the end, singing, “Do I go torture myself and try to love somebody else?” As the strings swell, you can feel your soul transcend. Although she sings of “dying a little each time,” Stories up High is a rebirth.
Jones had major success from her first three albums, performing at the Kennedy Center, and playing festivals, but Stories up High sounds the most a part of Jones’ self-coined genre, “retro majestic.” It’s a record full of crescendos within her established singer-songwriter style, ending up somewhere between Roy Orbison and Norah Jones. She eschews the country sound for songs that rise and fall through waves and variations, with Jones’ voice as the guiding light.
Different elements of her sound play out over the record’s 11 tracks: “Long Way” is somewhere between Alabama Shakes and Dr. Dog with its wise, nostalgic tone and constant build. “Not Alone” is pure distorted rock joy and would sound great from deep in the pit at a crowded show. “Remember” is the high point with its minute-long guitar and organ intro before the pace picks up, the whole band crashing in as Jones’ vocal riffs sound more emotional than ever.
Stories up High is streaming now and you can catch Jones on tour this summer. Read on below to learn about her thoughts and process.
LUNA: Who were some artists you were listening to while crafting Stories up High?
JONES: Everything from Ann Peebles and Nina Simone to The Kinks and Neil Young to M. Ward and Dr. Dog to Patsy Cline and The Velvet Underground. Stuff with heart in my eyes, anyway. I have a running playlist collection I made for myself here.
LUNA: You’ve previously described your sound as “retro majestic.” Can you explain what this is? Does Stories up High exist in this genre too?
JONES: It absolutely applies. To me, the "retro" part refers to the instruments on the record. Organic loving goodness played by hands, which in today's pop music landscape can sound like from another time. Also, this album was almost entirely recorded to tape at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. So yeah, I like my old-school stuff... I say "majestic" in the sense that it's crafted with care. Though lately, I've been calling it more psych-folk. Songs made by the people, for the people that overall land somewhere between folk and psychedelic rock.
LUNA: The vocals and production in Stories up High are notably more raw, leading to sweeping emotional moments. What led you to want to explore that style versus the studio polish of your early records?
JONES: Truthfully, it's just learning how to articulate what I like, and that happened because I spent much more time and effort on this record. With my previous albums, it'd be a five-day week recording and then edits the next [week]. But with this one, I sat [for] years. My first solid recording session was in late 2018. I had a record after it but my gut told me I didn't want to follow that same pattern again. I told myself, “Don't use your energy pushing something that hasn't ripened.” The record was super close, though. Seven of the 11 tracks that are on the record were from that first session. I simmered on it for a year. Writing more and saving up cash and signing onto a publishing deal for the record I had so far with Mothership Music (home of Tom Waits, Son Little, and Andy Schauff). To be listed among that company felt like a good omen and helped me get back in the studio again to explore more at the beginning of 2020. Of course, we know how that year turned out… so I kept simmering and practicing and writing. I even built up my own basement studio and learned how to produce at my house. The rest of the songs, including the title track, come from my house and one final "masked" session at The Bombshelter that I did at the tail end of 2020.
LUNA: What was the “flow state” you accessed to make the album? What is that process and how did you develop it?
JONES: Flow state is basically freefalling through the universe, and that's kind of how I write. It's releasing the desire and need to control and instead appreciate the moment for what it is and be open to anything that filters and flows out. A professor — one of my first music mentors Dan Flick from Rollins College — once told me, “Silence is the canvas for music.” So, I allowed myself to be bored and quiet. I'd sit in my living room with a guitar in my hand or fingers near the keys and hit record on my voice memos app and see where the music meditation would take me. I love songs so I can't help but think musically in that way. I'd ride the flow wave and at the end of it, if I felt something had promise, I'd save it and keep chiseling away until it felt right, until it really said something to me. The magic of mumbling while writing is what we humans want to make sense of the universe, order, connect the dots. My form of editing for writing is basically organizing my thought trains until they make enough sense for someone else to, hopefully, understand them as well.
LUNA: The press kit for Stories up High describes it as “cinematic.” I’d agree, as it’s an album full of drama, crescendos, and falls. How does cinema and drama influence your music?
JONES: I actually spent most of my childhood at my local community theater. That's where I really learned about the art of storytelling. And the thing is, all art I feel does contain some story or perhaps a nugget of one. The more connections in the art that contribute to the story, the more satisfying it is. Am I being too analytical? I think at the core, I view songs as characters that make up the world in the story of the album. Some songs perhaps sparkle more than others, but when it comes down to it the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. That's the standard for me anyways: a record tells a story. Take me to the movies, baby.
LUNA: You grew up primarily on a farm in Florida with your parents raising exotic animals like kangaroos. How did growing up in a non-traditional setting influence your art now?
JONES: I think it helped me realize sooner rather than later that there is no normal. I got depressed for a little bit, I feel because I couldn't necessarily see what box I fit into with my music. But now I'm truly understanding that I can create my own little world with what I do. Why would I want to jump on a bandwagon when I can build my own jalopy to carry me and my friends to new spaces?
LUNA: What does “stories up high” mean in the context of the title track?
JONES: In the context of the song, “stories” refers to stories of a building. But nothing literal here. It's the perspective of seeing life from afar. Living in memory versus the moment. Sort of like the quote, “Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forwards.” It's a reflection of how life is painful, but without that pain life would never exist at all.
LUNA: What’s your favorite song from the album and why?
JONES: Ehh, I have my reasons for liking them all. It's like picking your favorite child… how can you?! But I do really like “Long Way.” I created it with my best friend in the entire universe, Brian Dowd, and I feel it's got some really good spiritual nuggets. I'm proud of the message because it's about not giving up on the joy of life. And I'm proud of us because it was the first track we ever fully produced at our house.
LUNA: Where was the cover art photo taken? Why was it chosen for this release?
JONES: The album cover is actually me naked surrendering to a wave crashing into the rocky edge of St. John's Point in Donegal, Ireland. For our first anniversary and celebration of making the record (after our first session in 2018), Brian and I went to explore his roots. He did all the planning and one of the places we stayed was this old lighthouse keeper's quarters on the westernmost point of Ireland in a little hamlet inhabited by cattle. The morning after our first night there, we sat on the rocks with my 35mm Canon film camera in hand. As we watched the waves the idea just struck me. I can't explain it, but I knew that was gonna be the album cover. I've been saving it for this because it sums up all the magic, glory, and patience I've had working on this thing. Captured by my bestie.
LUNA: This record took longer to craft than your previous albums. How long were you working on these songs?
JONES: Lordy lord, five years? I was working on other projects as well, as I said, on a low simmer. But I feel like I finally learned the art of cooking up a full-meal record. I'm already scheming for the next.
LUNA: Plans to tour soon?
JONES: Oh, yes. All summer long you can find me and my trio playing these tunes and some new-new ones on the road. We kick off June by opening for Blitzen Trapper (out on a run with their amazing record, Holy Smokes and Future Jokes) for a few weeks and then wander the West and the belly of states through July ending up at Mile of Music Festival in Appleton, WI.
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