Washed Out

Have you ever tried to explain a dream to someone and felt like you failed in grasping the emotions or adjectives that were so palpable only a few hours ago?

It’s as if this hidden world exists on a different realm with its own rules. Yet, we are so eager to share this “reality” with others because we believe they’d understand us. Perhaps that’s what Jack Kerouac was getting at when he penned the now ubiquitous statement taken from his 1960 novel, Book of Dreams: “All human beings are also dream beings. Dreaming ties all mankind together.” The idea that an alternate reality binds us together is fascinating. If there was a soundtrack to help unravel this notion, Washed Out’s sophomore LP, Paracosm, just might be what we need. As a continuing narrative to their previous work, this new album continues in the vein of blurring genres and creating otherworldly atmospheric melodies and textures.

During our interview, I asked Ernest Greene (singer-songwriter, producer and main entity of Washed Out) about the evolving aesthetic of this new album. “First off, musically, I try not to think too much about how I’m putting the record together. I follow whatever my inspiration is at the time.” He continues: “So, for this new record, Paracosm, I was most concerned with writing an album that could be performed well. That meant using a lot more live performances and instrumentation on the album. A lot of the earlier records were sequenced on the computer and there was very little playing happening.”

When artists release their creation into the wild, it is our tendency to want to categorize what we hear. I asked Greene how he felt about this tendency. “Out of the gate I was called ‘chillwave’,” he confesses. “I definitely didn’t go out to create a genre or anything. I’ve always had that which is both good and bad. It’s great that I’m set apart from a lot of other bands. On the flipside, I don’t want to make the same record every time.” Although there is a less obvious electronic influence on this album, there is still enough to satisfy long-time fans while keeping things warmly inventive through a myriad of instruments and a surprising rock nuance.

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Out of the gate I was called “chillwave”.

I definitely didn’t go out to create a genre or anything.

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If you’re familiar with Greene’s story, you’ll remember that everything started in the bedroom studio he created while living with his parents in Georgia. Like a dream beyond any of his craziest expectations, he garnered the attention of internet taste-makers and from there catapulted towards touring and eventually signed in 2011 with legendary Seattle-based label Sub Pop. His debut album had him performing live shows behind keys and synthesizers. So how has Greene adapted to being more prominent on stage? With his friendly Georgian drawl he admits, “I’ll never say it’s super natural really for me to do that. It’s just been a progression that’s happened along the course of four or five years of doing this and playing in front of crowds. I’m actually a pretty shy person. But I guess I’ve developed. I can deal with it now.” With a laugh, he adds, “I have to will it to happen. It [also] helps having a great band [because] they’re doing most of the work!”

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Greene does not exude any sense of entitlement or the “let’s get on with the interview” attitude that you’d expect from someone who had just gotten up from a tiring tour to answer questions from a stranger. Instead, he was focused, deliberate and friendly during our talk. I was curious to know, despite his meteoric rise, what fame has taught him. “I guess the one thing that jumps out is just to be humble. Every single day to remind myself that it’s like a crazy dream to be doing what I’m doing, ‘cause you know, it’s easy. We’ll be on the road having shitty days where I’m not getting sleep and it’d be easy to bitch about it. But when it’s all said and done, not only am I getting to travel all over the world and see these amazing places [but] I’m getting to make money playing music. It’s pretty insane!” This attitude is not surprising considering how hard Greene works at creating a live show that engages his audience and allows him to meet with fans after almost every concert.

Yet, the stuff of dreams doesn’t always come easy. Greene reveals that after the initial wave of success from his first album,Within and Without,it took time to adjust to the recognition he was receiving and the pressure of meeting those expectations. “After the attention it was really hard to just even start working because immediately everything felt like it wasn’t good enough.” Yet, his outlook changed when he decided to adjust his attitude and not overthink it. Which, in my opinion, is part of what’s compelling about the landscapes Washed Out creates with every album. We are invited to escape our current reality for a few moments and enter our own little paracosm – that is, our imaginary places of whim and freedom.

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