Siberian Express is a Toronto-based band focused on delivering music that resonates with one’s misspent youth. On the band’s new single “Loser,” Siberian Express revel in crunchy ’90s grunge as they try to make sense of it all.
Who are some of your musical influences?
This is a fun question. Despite the fact that our band’s sound is distilled to a pop-rock / post-grunge sound, the answer here would differ drastically based on the band member. Collectively our influences range from the Japanese metal scene (Maximum the Hormone), all the way to emo (Bright Eyes, Sunny Day Real Estate), and even over to country (Nashville soundtrack is surprisingly killer). As we write our songs, we each bring a little piece of our influences over rather than try to confine ourselves to a particular genre.
Explain the title of your single.
At first glance, “Loser” is about a bonafide good for nothing — someone who despite their best attempts is seen as a failure by their peers and society as a whole — the entire song borders on complaining / venting. Once you dig deeper, however, the meaning is really about owning “it.” Instead of feeling broken because you are called a loser, wear it like a badge of honor. In other words, don’t let others define you — define yourself.
Do you start off with the music or lyrics first? Why?
Sometimes we will dig through my backlog of lyrics written over the past few years and try to write music around them.
Most often though, inspiration will strike and we will come up with a great sounding riff / chord progression and build around that; we then freestyle some general lyrics on top, after which the themes are refined and written out in proper longform.
It comes down to the type of writing session we are in: are we swimming in inspiration (in that case music first), or do we need a nudge in the right direction (in that case having a lyrical framework in place is helpful).
What 5 albums are you going to make your kid listen to and why?
Pretty topical for me as my daughter was just born a month or so ago. I am sure my bandmates might have different choices, but what follows are mine. Choosing just five is so hard, as there is so much good music out there, but below are some of the defining albums for me.
Beatles – Abbey Road – It’s the Beatles, need we say more? In all seriousness, the Beatles are pretty much the pioneers of the pop-rock sound and associated songwriting techniques. Great all-around listen.
Nirvana – Nevermind – On the other side of the spectrum we have the album that defined the grunge era. There is just so much raw unadulterated passion contained within. This was my teenage years album.
Zemfira – Zemfira – This one is from a Russian artist. Her album defines the 90’s in Russia for me. Pure poetry and great arrangements.
Nine Inch Nails – Fragile – Trent Reznor is a musical genius. Fragile strikes a nice balance between his earlier industrial sound and more sophisticated orchestration. As one of my favorite albums, I’d love to share this musical journey with my daughter.
Offspring – Smash – So this one bears some nostalgia for me. I remember listening to this over and over again on tape with my brother in the mid-nineties. We’d listen to it, immediately rewind it, and listen to it all over again.
Recent release you cannot stop listening to?
Petals For Armour by Hayley Williams. It’s very different to her work with Paramore, more raw and darker. I am a big fan of her vocals in general, and it’s a great release to really showcase her capabilities. In particular, the track “Simmer” is perfect.
Otherwise, it would probably have to be Billie Eilish’s new album. I am a big fan of her work and production aesthetic. It’s no surprise that she consistently charts high.
Siberian Express — Soundcloud, Instagram