by Eva Dameron
Daily Lobo
Taproot proves you can teach an old dog new tricks.
With their third album, Blue-Sky Research, members of Taproot have learned new ways to expand the possibilities of their instruments and voices. The structures of each song flow together with better skill. Their lyrics have more layers and they write prettier melodies while delivering the same heaviness fans crave.
The album took Taproot 28 months to write, and at the peak members had 80 original songs to choose from.
Guitarist Mike Dewolfe credits their enhanced sounds to working with Billy Corgan, ex-frontman of the Smashing Pumpkins.
"We were stuck in our little pattern," Dewolfe said. "One of the main things I took away is that there are no rules. You shouldn't get stuck in a rut doing the same old thing. Always do something different each day you get up."
He said they would play something for Corgan, who would then tell them to play it again but higher on the scale.
"It felt like we were working with a real genius," Dewolfe said.
Corgan's influence is obvious in the guitar melody and vocal arrangements for the song "Promise."
Now that they've broken out of their regular mode, he said they're feeling confident in what they do.
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Even the music they listen to shows a variety that would perhaps confuse their fans.
Dewolfe listed Cirque du Soleil, Lisa Marie Presley, Beck, Radiohead and Britney Spears as some of the members' current favorites.
"And I listen to tons of indie stuff," he said. "We're all pretty weird."
If you listen to any of the music they like, chances are you're not going to be into Taproot at all.
Taproot's new album will get more attention from the Ozzfest crowd.
"April Suits" is one of the more interesting songs because of the moaning chants that open the song, the weird structure of the bridge and the lyrics.
Singer Stephen Richards said "April Suits" is a mindset.
"It's the gear that you're wearing in April as you prepare to march on," he said.
Their lyrics are angst-ridden and generally negative, but Richards said it's not on purpose.
"It's basically what comes out," he said. "I remember someone once asked Jarrod (the drummer) how he could stand being around me cause they thought the lyrics were so down and dark. He said he doesn't think he knows anyone who smiles as much as me. We're happy-go-lucky - quite the opposite of what people might think."
But none of this matters much because Taproot is more about the energy and putting on a rockin' live show rather than listening to the album and thinking about it.
