INTRODUCING: SWORD TONGUE
- BabyStep Magazine
- Jan 2
- 6 min read
On the strength of their latest two releases – the Bonfire In The Tempest EP and the EDM tribal-inspired Diamonds To Dust (Anthony H. Remix) – we spoke to the Oakland alt-rock trio Sword Tongue, made up of vocalist Jennifer Wilde, guitarist Gaetano Maleki, and renowned drummer-producer Dan Milligan.
The new Anthony H remix of your track “Diamonds To Dust” takes your original version into more tribal-inspired EDM territory. What motivated you to explore this electronic, hypnotic reinterpretation of ‘Diamonds To Rust’?
Jennifer: Coming of age in the 90s in San Francisco is a huge part of who I am as a person and an artist. I went to raves where they broke the lock off a warehouse, I’ve danced to tribal drumming in the basement of Club Six, and was surrounded by industrial dance music at Bondage A Go-Go. There is something so raw and beautiful about that style of music, the way it brings everyone together in movement. That’s not our main genre, but I feel this song really lends itself to that treatment, when you think about the lyrics. It’s about time marching on inexorably, and we are just swept up in it.
Gaetano: This is the direction Anthony H took, we trusted him and his artistic vision. We knew he would be the perfect person to bring this version to light.
Your music spans a range of styles, including the heavier rock influences on Bonfire In The Tempest. And now there is the dark electricity of this remix. How do you balance these contrasting sounds while keeping a cohesive identity as Sword Tongue?
Dan: Ever since we first began, there has just been a very distinct sound that happens when the three of us write music together. It just…happens. And as someone who works with a LOT of bands, I can tell you that is not always the case. For us, a cohesive sound just seems to emerge, no matter what the instrumentation.
I think a large portion of that has to do with Jennifer’s voice, which is very distinctive. But, I also think that Gaetano’s guitar playing is very unique, and since he writes the majority of the music, it automatically creates the sound of Sword Tongue.
Jennifer: For me, it’s all about our tagline: dark music for dark times. It feels very natural to me to weave together elements from different genres, but we didn’t set out to consciously make an EP that was “more rock” - that’s just what the songs called for. There have been times when we set out to lean into one particular genre for a song - Industrial Alchemy is a good example of that. But we always pay attention to how the song comes together and what it needs to be.
Gaetano: I am the sum of all my parts, as a player. When Jennifer and I sat down to record this EP, there were a lot of feelings of uncertainty and anger just because of the state of things around us. And that’s what you hear represented in this album.
Tell us more about your latest EP. Can you talk about the creative process behind collaborating with Dan Milligan on both the remix and the EP? How does his production influence the final sound?
Jennifer: The remix is purely the creation of Anthony H, the only direction I gave him was that I wanted the song to be a dance floor banger. The first thing I heard from him was the final version and I was blown away! The EP was a totally different process.
Dan: Our creative process is unique, because I live in Chicago, while Gaetano and Jennifer live in Oakland, California. So, from the very beginning, we have created together remotely. I am a professional musician, and so I actually have a lot of experience doing this; thanks in large part to HAVING to operate this way during the pandemic.
Generally Gaetano starts the songwriting process on his guitar. After he comes up with a musical idea that excites him, he will often make a basic recording, and send it my way. Sometimes, Jennifer has even added some initial vocal ideas, which I love!
Expanding Gaetano and Jennifer’s ideas comes extremely easy to me, and it always has. Their writing style just speaks to me, so I am often able to work up some initial drum and production ideas with minimal effort. I then send these ideas back to them, so they can continue to write and arrange the music, using all of our collective ideas.
Once that process is complete, I record final drum and keyboard tracks, and send them all to Oakland, where they finalize the arrangement, and add the vocals. Once the songs are ready, we bring in the incredibly talented BZ Lewis, who does all of the mixing. I cannot possibly say enough positive things about the work he does…he’s simply phenomenal at his job!
Reading this through, it sounds like a complex process, but honestly….it happens quickly and easily. Every song we have done this way simply felt like it was meant to be.
Gaetano: Piggybacking on what Dan said, everything just flows between us, there are no boundaries. I am a big fan of “creation without fear” - I do what I want ,when I feel like it. Generally what comes out first is the correct thing. Being around other talented musicians like Jennifer and Dan, they support what I do and make it even better than what I could come up with on my own.
Your work has been compared to artists like Tool and KMFDM, with the remix now also bringing you closer to Garbage and Aurora, — spanning both electronic and rock spheres, reaching two different audiences. Which of these influences do you feel most present in your new releases, and why? Do you see yourself engaging with more such genre-crossover exploration in future?
Dan: I have spent a large portion of my musical career merging the worlds of electronic and more traditional rock music. For me, combining these two worlds brings me endless joy. So, if I have anything to say about it, we will definitely be exploring the grey areas where these two worlds overlap!
Gaetano: thank you for such a huge compliment! Garbage was one of my biggest musical influences growing up! After the fact, I can hear elements of bands I love in our songs, such as Failure, A Perfect Circle, and Portishead.
Jennifer: I agree with everything Dan and Gaetano said. I rarely set out to do a song in a particular genre - on the last album we deliberately did one trip hop song (Unmoored), and then I wanted to do tribute to Peter Gabriel in another song (In The Undercurrent).
We do start out with a rough theme for each album in our heads, but it’s not like writing a concept album. We really try to be in service to service to each song with the instrumental style .
For fans experiencing Sword Tongue live for the first time, how do you translate the energy of the recordings on your latest EP into a live performance? What about Anthony H - as a DJ, do you think he is playing your new EDM remix in his music sets?
Gaetano: Live performance is more about giving people a show, and we definitely give a good show live - it’s 100% authentic and raw, like our music.
Jennifer: I used to play bass live and sing, but just this year we decided to bring in a live bass player so that I could focus more on my vocal performance. That has really allowed me to be more present and animated on stage. I used to be tied to one spot with my bass, and now I can really roam around and engage with the audience. That’s what I love to do - sing directly to people to feel the energy they give and see how they react to my energy.
I chatted with Anthony H and he was excited to weave the Diamonds To Rust remix into his sets! That is one of the other reasons why we gave him so much leeway - we want him to love the track as much as we do.
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