Swedish folk singer/songwriter, Julius Frank joins us to share all about his debut album release, ‘Elisnore’.
As you begin to explore the depth of the man that is Julius Frank, one thing is very clear.. his passion for the art, the story and creation that lies behind the music.
Julius’ debut album release, ‘Elisnore’ is a project that has been in the works for many years and having been recorded with a pair of SM57’s amplified through an old tape deck, the sound you hear is authentic, honest and raw.
With songs inspired by poetry and literature, myth and legend, the album has been titled after the location where Kronborg Castle resides in Elisnore.
“I’ve often gazed upon the shores of Elsinore where Kronborg Castle stands proud against the western sky and marvelled at the fact that this place, so known to me (it’s just across the water from where I live), is the very setting in which Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes place. I’ve constructed a whole lot of these songs around literature, myth and legend, and to me that castle across the water is a beacon which tells of these things, a direct connection to the wonders of the page. It’s been there all through the writing of this record, just a glance away, steadfast through the shifting seasons.” Julius Frank
Listening through the album, you will be taken through a lyrically poetic journey through raw vulnerability and fantasy.
You can listen to ‘Elsinore’ below:
Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself?
Well, you should listen to the songs, they tell the truest story.
It’s my playing, my words, my voice, it doesn’t get any more “me” than that.
Even when I sing about Joan of Arc or Sappho, that’s still a truer version of myself than I could portray here, writing about my day-to-day life.
It’s a pure reflection of the mind — sometimes a fantasy tells the more honest truth, it can evoke a more accurate emotion.
What was it that first inspired you to begin a career in music?
Poetry, I guess.
It was the quest for the right words that bridged the gap from just fooling around on the guitar to completing songs.
How would you describe the feel of your music?
You tell me, my judgement is clouded by the process.
You have recently released your album, ‘Elsinore’… what was the inspiration behind the creation of this album?
A swirl of things — the Pre-Raphaelites, white nights, dark nights, Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Francis James Child, Emma Lazarus, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Philip Levine, Robert Burns, Harry Potter, Sandro Botticelli, Kronborg Castle, We Are Who We Are, the moon, owls, horses, a fox, birch sap, an old pump organ, running, mowing the lawn, swimming — to name a few.
What do the songs on the album mean to you?
More than anything, they mean that I can look ahead and focus on the next batch of songs.
What did the creative process look like for ‘Elsinore’?
I was holed away in a little house in the forest for 8 months.
I spent all the time writing and recording, except for the days when I took care of the house.
Scraping peeling paint can be quite meditative — a great deal more physical than puzzling together words.
Fixing up the facade of the house was a welcome distraction.
The nights are beautiful around here during early summer, and I got into the habit of staying up late.
There’s nothing quite like stepping out onto the veranda at around 3am, listening to the birds and watching the tender glow behind the trees.
With that said, it was a tedious process.
Where do you find your inspiration for your music?
I feel like I covered this when answering the question about the inspiration for the album, it hasn’t changed too much.
How has Covid-19 impacted your release?
I had just made my way into the forest when the pandemic started.
I was already planning on being isolated, in order to finish the album.
Given that I was already keeping to myself, I was spared a lot of the struggles other people had to go through.
However, when it came to the actual release, there were, of course, some limitations, but I’m not sure I would have done anything special anyway.
As far as the content of the songs, there’s not a trace of the pandemic in there, the last thing I wanted was to make
some sort of “lockdown album”.
What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?
I’d like to record new songs, that’s what matters the most — and of course, It’d be great to reach new listeners.
However, it’s quite difficult to navigate the marketing aspects when self-releasing — one should be aware, there’s a lot of bullshit going on when it comes to “exposure”.
Many “artists” are chasing numbers instead of emotional impact.
If you head over to YouTube, you’ll find a lot of terrible videos on how to boost your streams.
Not a single video questions the quality of the actual work, it’s not part of their equation.
It’s as if fooling the algorithm becomes the art, instead of the songs themselves. That part makes me sick.
What is one message you would like to share with your fans?
One message? I don’t know.
People should think for themselves.
Where can people find your music?
It’s available pretty much everywhere, just search for Julius Frank.
Karen Harding is a Melbourne, Australia based singer/songwriter, founder of Sounds On The Couch, and founder and operator of boutique music PR service for emerging and independent artists, Rise Indie.