Exclusive Interview with 'SOLEMN GOLEM'

Pyry Urhonen, a Finnish singer-songwriter, is entirely responsible for the music and visuals in Solemn Golem. The goal is to express the songs as completely and intimately as possible, not to demonstrate multi-instrumentalism. Although the music is obviously song-based, the entire album has a compelling narrative and musical framework.
The most genre-related parallels can be drawn between post-rock and art rock from the 1970s as well as prog rock.
The primary goal of Solemn Golem’s music is to transport you somewhere unfamiliar yet familiar while evoking feelings. Check out his latest album and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
SOLEMN GOLEM: I’ve been writing and playing music ever since I was just a kid. I started with metal and learned my chops doing that, but fortunately my dad’s record collection opened my mind to all the progressive classics. Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, King Crimson, Wigwam and Camel were soon my favourites.

I’ve played in many bands, but there’ve always been these songs in my head I haven’t had the outlet for. Solemn Golem is just that. All the music and sounds I’ve grown to love molded into songs of my own.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
SOLEMN GOLEM: I don’t have a degree in music. I did some minor studies at the university and I have a vocal coach, but mostly it’s just been me and my musical peers. Same goes for engineering and production.

For me learning is easiest when I want to do or know something, not when it happens to come up in a curriculum. If I can’t do something I want to do, I’ll learn it. I’m sure it’s seldom the best or easiest way, but it works for me. That means I look at many things about playing and composition quite differently than my friends that have gone through the whole formal path of musical education.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘SOLEMN GOLEM’?

SOLEMN GOLEM: Growing up in our house we listened to a great variety of music. My dad was always writing for music journals or listening to new stuff for the radio station he was working at.

There were many Finnish rock artists I liked and I remember Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal was a big thing for me. The concerts and recordings I remember having the biggest impact on me, before peer-influence got me into Guns ‘n’ Roses and Metallica, were classical music. I remember hearing Edvard Grieg’s Peer Günt played by the local philharmonic orchestra. I was hooked. I also loved Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Jean Sibelius.

The name Solemn Golem is ofcourse a bit of a pun, but not just that. I have this sculpture that I made in art school and that’s been following me from apartment to apartment. It looks calm and reassuring but also very sad. It has this powerful presence I really wish for my music to have as well.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
SOLEMN GOLEM: I always want to have a strong song to work on. Whether it will be an epic 12-minute journey of sound-exploration, a small instrumental piece or a simple folk song, there has to be a strong song to build on.

I like to move slowly and focus on making music in the long form. I want to give the listener time to go somewhere with the music. To keep the big picture clear I like to work on narrative and musical concepts that span the whole album.

Many of my songs are based on very simple harmonic ideas of two or three chords. I think it gives them a comforting undertone. Composition-wise I love layering complex harmonies on top of the simple foundations. It makes the songs interesting and touching without slipping into being over-complicated.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as ROCK?
SOLEMN GOLEM:
Learning to play and sing has always been about playing songs I like. Trying to mimic not what I see on the sheet but what I hear and feel is how I’ve always studied my favourite songs. I think that’s what’s had the biggest influence on my own sound as well.
Playing in different groups, making our own music with most, has shaped me as a musician to this day. But in a way I feel like the style of Solemn Golem has been with me for decades. I’m glad I’m only doing this now, because ten years ago I wouldn’t have had the patience, skills and resources to make it sound the way I want.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
SOLEMN GOLEM:

I often notice artists who are open about their views being attacked by the self-proclaimed neutral critics of the internet. Of Course it’s apparent the latter also have an agenda – silencing their opposition. I wish people would be fair and admit that not saying anything is a political stance as well.

It would be really naive to think it’s possible to make meaningful art with no connection to the societies and world we live in. Although CLIMBO for instance is very personal and kind of introverted, it’s also apparently political.

I’m really happy that one of my all-time favourite bands Rage Against The Machine have made their way back to the stage. It’s been hilarious but horrendous seeing some folks shocked by all the strong statements the band is making. They’re the most apparently political band I’ve ever seen in the main-stream. How could anybody listening to their music have missed that.

Art has always been a mirror for societies. It reveals things that would otherwise be left unseen.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
SOLEMN GOLEM:

In this relationship I’ve always been on the winning end, but especially now. Every time I’ve finished a song I’m happy with, all the hard work pays off ten-fold. Of course the dream would be to make a steady living making music while maintaining complete artistic freedom, but I’m very happy with just making music in my freetime and working a day-job. I really hope Solemn Golem’s music finds the people who would be moved by it.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

SOLEMN GOLEM: Solemn Golem is solely made by me from the initial idea to the final recording. I start by collecting ideas for songs in my notebook and recording potential musical ideas. After a while of seemingly pointless musical wandering a general concept will emerge. After that the songs come quite easily. It seems having a general framework limits and motivates in just the right balance.

As I said earlier, I always want to have the song in my head before I begin arranging and producing it further. That way I won’t just end up creating interesting studies of sound, but there’s always substance carrying the form and vice-versa.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
SOLEMN GOLEM: It’s always kind of a bummer to not be popular. I love making music, but of course I want it to be heard by as many people as possible. On the other hand, I’m in it for the long run and happy of every new listener.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

SOLEMN GOLEM: It might seem small, but the times I’ve felt myself the most appreciated have been when someone has listened to my songs and been genuinely moved. In those moments it doesn’t matter if I have one or a million streams. When my music touches someone, I’ve accomplished what’s most important.