Mutual Benefit, the “laser-folk” brainchild of Jordan Lee, has had a career defining year, between the critically-acclaimed debut album Love’s Crushing Diamond, a re-release of the EP The Cowboy’s Prayer, and a slew of festivals and tours, including stops at Pitchfork, Green Man, and Way Out West. His sweeping take on folk blends synth with string arrangements, banjo with tinkling piano, and always there’s a tender melody peeking through it all, rounding out the rich, atmospheric mix. It’s this crafty, whatever/whoever’s on hand approach — along with a startling musical prowess and lyrical vulnerability — that has garnered him attention from all across the blogosphere, ourselves included.
In anticipation of their upcoming Halloween show at Glasslands Gallery, we reached out to Lee to gain some insight into how he’s been handling this whirlwind of a year. Check out his his views on CMJ, Brooklyn, and what it means to say goodbye.
With a little over a year between now and the release of your critically acclaimed debut album Love’s Crushing Diamond, I’m curious as to how your relationship to those songs has evolved, or stayed the same. Did you have any expectations or concerns before pushing them out into the world?
Playing the same group of songs for a whole year can definitely change your relationship to them! Before the record came out I had pretty much no big expectations for the album. I had been making and self-releasing music for a lot of years and had gotten pretty realistic about what happens when you upload an album to bandcamp and email a couple blogs about it, so all the extra attention was really jarring.
When we first started trying to play the songs from Love’s Crushing Diamond live I didn’t want to ever perform “That Light That’s Blinding,” it was too personal and emotional, but as time has passed I feel as if the tense of the words has gone from present to past — like I’m recounting an old story instead of trying to process some unresolved feelings. Its been a very strange transformation and one that probably means it is time to put these songs to rest for a while and make new ones.
You’ve got a reputation for being a bit of a nomad, but I’ve heard that you’ve recently setup shop in Brooklyn. How do you like it here?
Well, I like it a lot when I’m there but we’ve been on the road for close to 75% of the year so it is still a bit of a novelty to be there. I feel like Brooklyn has the ability to amplify whatever headspace you are currently in, I’ve some of my highest highs and lowest lows there. I’m not quite sure why. I find myself missing trees and watering holes but I definitely appreciate the high concentration of hugely inspiring people around.
We had a blast covering CMJ last year, and I’m sure you’re aware of how important these showcases can be for bringing new audiences to up-and-coming artists. What was your experience like there last year?
For the most part, I feel like things like CMJ and SXSW are a bit of a scam. I think there are big labels and brands that already know which bands they want to blow up each year, I honestly feel bad for bands that travel across the country hoping to get discovered at one of these things. It is fun to see a lot of out-of-town friends come through though, even if they are playing in a five story Doritos bag. I guess whenever so many musicians gather in one spot there’s bound to be amazing unofficial stuff going on and life-long friendships getting made but I just wish it could happen apart from the spectacle.
I read in your interview with Pitchfork that you’ve got roots in pop-punk, and then, more recently, you told The Aquarian that you’re looking to dial down the seriousness for a little while before your next full length collection. So, if you could cover only one Blink-182 song, which would it be and why?
I was more of a MxPx guy in middle school.
Tell me about your last memorable good bye, be it silly or somber, to a person, object, idea, facet of yourself, etc.
I am writing this on the last week of a two month tour, after this we will all move back to our respective states, focus on different projects and try to re-figure out our lives after a year of touring. I think it has just started to hit us the last couple days. It is adding a layer of bittersweet poignancy underneath everything the way that goodbyes seem to do. I’m not sure if that quite answers the question but you happened to catch me right as one of the weirdest chapters of my life seems to be coming to an end.
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Interview by Justin Davis. Find him online @yeahjustindavis.
