Regular janglepophub readers will know of my absolute adoration for Swedish Brit/Janglepop act In Deed and their October 2017 release Everest (Link to album review here).
As such I got all sorts of 'fanboy delighted' when vocalist Linda Karlsberg kindly agreed to a Q&A in which she reveals information about her melancholic persona, badger loving guitarists, a love of the Wedding Present, humble mail order beginnings and the best summation of the digital/vinyl conundrum I have heard yet.
Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to present to you the lovely unassuming, Linda Karlsberg (below):
Lots of folk ‘people watch’ (i.e. speculate on the lives and personalities of strangers they see passing by). I have ‘photo watched’ your band pic above…How close am I with these?
Richard really pushed for In Deed to get back together after a 16 years hiatus. In fact much of the band energy is created by him?
Richard has so much good energy but for us it´s a team work, all of us have lots of energy. In Deed have been, and always will be a perfect mix of ambition, passion and energy. In Deed are a match made in heaven!
You smile more than any member of the band but are not necessarily happier?
I see that you have a sense for details and are interested in people! That makes me a bit nervous… I tend to smile, but for sure I´m not happier.
People that know me well, as well as strangers, sense a stroke of melancholy in me as a person. With that said I am a born optimist and see the good side in almost everything.
Marcus is your husband and the maverick musical genius of the band (the one who it all comes naturally to)?
Marcus is indeed my husband. With that said he is not the only genius of the band (laughter) since we all are genius. That’s In Deed!
Richard would be the one most likely to pull his car over to try and assist an injured badger?
Yes, spot on!
How did In Deed form?
The band started during our student years in Uppsala, Sweden. I came across a guitar, a cheaper model, which I bought via mail order.
I quickly realized that it was quite difficult to pick out the chords to other people´s songs, so instead I started writing my own. I got about ten songs together and decided to scan interest within Uppsala´s music scene. I probably had like an ounce of luck that a note in the student library was read and that I got a call from a guy, who later came to play Hammond organ with In Deed for several years.
How did you decide on the band name?
I came up with the name just “playing with words”. In Deed, rather than Indeed, was at the time a clever choice, I thought. Since then we have to say: We are In Deed (two words) (laughter).
Why the 16 year hiatus between the debut in 2001 and Everest’s release in 2017?
Life, I guess. I think you know what I mean (smile). We really had some busy years the first time around. Touring… recording… We had In Deed for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And we loved it! It came natural for us to have a break, but we never broke up, we stayed in touch over the years.
What are the main changes you have experienced between the late 1990’s/early 2000’s musical landscape and the present one?
Well… to keep it simple… the tunes you hear on the radio (at least in Sweden) are more electronic, more made in a mould, more made to make money for the industry (not always the artist).
Swedish national radio is a mess! As an upcoming indie artist, you don´t have a chance (perhaps I need to eat my hat for saying that (laughter)). In the late 1990´s you had the strong indie thing going on in Sweden. People were more genuinely interested in music, all sorts.
Your debut ‘At 4000 meters’ was all things Britpop…where did the huge doses of jangle-pop in Everest come from?
We have always focused on strong melodies. A good song is a good song. We never tried to make “At 4000 meters” or “Everest” into a concept album. That’s too boring. With that said, the jangle pop has always been a great influence for us. Both then and now.
What were the last three albums you purchased or downloaded?
The Swedish band KENT “Best of”, KENT “Då som nu för alltid”, The Wedding Present “George Best, re-recorded”.
You are getting a lot of airplay of numerous British indie radio stations…what do you think appeals to them about your sound?
Swedish Britpop! I think our sound is right down that alley, the sweet spot of the british indie pop scene. We’re all longing back to the nineties, aren’t we?
Should Donald Trump bother us?
I don´t think Mr Trump enjoys jangle indie pop that much (smile).
I give you the famous Janglepophub time machine…you can travel back to any musical decade and be very successful with In Deed. Which decade would you choose and what would be ‘very successful’ to you?
Lovely question! A tricky one! If you would ask Richard, the sixties for sure (smile). If you would ask Marcus, the nineties for sure (smile).
But since you ask me I would absolutely say London, during the early nineties. To be very successful to me is to be recognised as an artist, get great reviews, be in the right spots, doing the right gigs. Money? Yes, thank you!
Linda the tracks you write tend to be the ones that have a Britpop bias …which Britpop bands influenced you?
Lovely question! There are so many: The Wedding Present (the reason for me being in a band in the first place), The Smiths (of course), The Cure, The McCarthy, Suede (the early years), My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, PJ Harvey.
Physical artefact music or digital downloads…what are the disadvantages of both to the artist and consumer?
Vinyl LP is to prefer if you ask me. Digital download I guess is more convenient. Fast food, in a nice package. Digital is easier, and you can listen to it whenever you want to. At the same time you can reach the whole world being digital. Fantastic!
Vinyl is for longing. You have to wait for it. Which is good! As an artist you have to rely on the digital streaming. People don´t buy music in the same way as before. Sad but true.
What were the last three gigs you went to?
KENT, KENT and KENT (Laughter). KENT were Sweden’s finest rock band and they had their last ever tour a year ago. You should check them out.
How has the recording process changed in the last 16 years?
For us, not that much. In Deed prefer the analogy way to record. If you would ask another artist? Digital.
Which two tracks are you personally the most proud of from Everest and why?
Can you really choose between your “children” (smile) ?
Heart Attack. It was written in a flow, just a few seconds, it seems like. Music making with no pressure, just passion and joy.
According To You (see bottom of article). At first I didn´t find the flow in the vocals. I had to struggle to get the right feeling for some reason. But when I found it, it turned out good enough (smile).
Explain from a lyrical perspective what two of the tracks on Everest are about?
Heart Attack (again). It´s all about the shining music industry with the doorkeepers that won’t let you in. The frustration in waiting! Being bored and impatience.
Don´t Need, Don´t Care (see bottom of article). Simple, straight forward, no messing about. Say it as it is. Sometimes is so good saying what has to be said. No trying to say it nice. Love, to perform it live!
What is the song writing process for In Deed?
All three of us write our own songs, somewhere with no one around (smile). We bring it to the rehearsal studio, play it live and then we just fill it in from our different angles. We hate to jam. Jamming is so not In Deed.
Richard and Marcus are superb musicians. Has anything changed in their playing styles since the 2001?
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Linda, many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions and be sure to keep us updated about any further releases in progress so I can get all fanboy again !!!
Linda's favourite tracks from Everest
Artist Links
Bandcamp (Buy it here)
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