Canadian musician Yves Jarvis has launched a deluxe version of his Polaris Prize–profitable album ‘All Cylinders’.
MILES PARKS, HOST:
Canadian musician Yves Jarvis lately launched a deluxe model of his critically acclaimed album “All Cylinders.” The album gained this 12 months’s coveted Polaris Prize, awarded to the most effective Canadian album of the 12 months. Jarvis was the one individual featured on the album. He produced it, wrote it, and he performed each single instrument, and we lately caught up with him.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ALL CYLINDERS”)
YVES JARVIS: (Singing) Moon carry on shining and spreading good tidings.
My journey for this document was, like, making an attempt to write down songs, making an attempt to make preparations, making an attempt to make hooks. However often I am pondering extra symbolically, and, like, I am pondering when it comes to, like, gentle. And that is sort of what began it and what drove it thematically, like, metallic and light-weight on metallic and iridescent high quality that I used to be making an attempt to seize.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ALL CYLINDERS”)
JARVIS: (Singing) I rush to achieve you earlier than its too late, firing all cylinders of this V8.
The music that was attention-grabbing me after I made the document was very a lot about storytelling, and it was very character-driven. And I used to be simply listening to folks that had been, like, taking me on a journey, like, thematically, that was thrilling to me. That was, like, a brand new frontier.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GOLD FILIGREE”)
JARVIS: (Singing) Typically that you must eat. Reserve us the most effective two seats.
“Gold Filigree” – it is one of many first tracks I recorded when the album was actually coming collectively. It got here out of only a patchwork of percussion, as a number of my stuff does. However I really like to start out with percussion.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GOLD FILIGREE”)
JARVIS: (Singing) She had on gold filigree. Ooh, they’ve an ideal routine. Whoa, I guess you’d agree.
I had the phrase gold filigree in my head. Yeah, simply this metalwork. I believe it was simply utterly emblematic of what I am making an attempt to do musically. And so it turned the imagery of the music and I believe broadly the imagery of the document. And simply sonically, it is obtained this sheen.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GOLD FILIGREE”)
JARVIS: (Singing) I would not consider that you may deceive and simply go away with out saying so lengthy.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MAN IN HIS POMP”)
JARVIS: (Singing) My buddies all say, higher go get myself set straight earlier than that clock runs out. Higher cease messing about.
“Man In His Pomp” – I took it out of the Bible. It was someplace in Scripture, and I used to be like, that seems like music. The music is about how degenerate the artwork life is and simply in any respect ranges. It is like, do not let anyone inform you in any other case. And I say it within the music. I say that is me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “MAN IN HIS POMP”)
JARVIS: (Singing) Man in his pomp, man in his pomp, man in his pomp is me.
Play is such a giant a part of artwork. It’s totally very similar to being a baby. I really feel like there’s, you realize, so many nice facets of that. However then additionally it is like, I really feel very indifferent from well mannered society, as an example. And “Man In His Pomp” is actually about that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WITH A GRAIN”)
JARVIS: (Singing) Every little thing I say, take it with the grain. Ever for the reason that begin, I have been pricked in coronary heart.
My favourite one is “With A Grain.” It is, like, the primary and final thing I did for the document. So it is like, the drums had been recorded – I used to be, like, in Montreal, again in Montreal, and I used to be like, I do know that I am making this document. I do not know what I am making. I haven’t got songs, no matter. And I went into my buddy’s studio and simply recorded drums, added some stuff to that and sat on it for, like, principally two years and would simply pile issues on after which erase all of it and began with the bass after which the guitars. I used to be experimenting with my tone, making an attempt to make it sound like violin.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WITH A GRAIN”)
JARVIS: (Singing) By the darkish of night time, you guess your life. Look who tore a gap in your camisole. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Simply all the time working from that drum recording – and the in the future that it clicked was like – it is simply what it is all about for me.
PARKS: That was singer, songwriter and producer Yves Jarvis. His album, “All Cylinders,” is out now. And you’ve got been listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR Information. I am Miles Parks. Thanks a lot for listening, and we’ll do it once more tomorrow.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional data.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts might range. Transcript textual content could also be revised to right errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its unique broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.
