Currently on tour, Christina Wood and Cicely Goulder, a hypnotic electronica duo, Kaleida, have recently released a deluxe version of their latest album, “In Arms”. Consisting of one previously unreleased track and four stripped down versions of the tracks already known from “In Arms”, they present a different facet of their creativity. Temporarily abandoning synthesisers for pianos, Kaleida transformed their original compositions into acoustically-driven soundscapes, showcasing not only their musical flexibility, but also the multifaceted power hidden in each of the songs. I have recently spoken to Kaleida’s Christina Wood about the band’s journey, their long-distance collaboration, and the influences which led to the creation of “In Arms”.
Bartek: With the release of the deluxe version of “In Arms”, how would you say your message has evolved since the original album’s premiere?
Christina Wood: Doing piano and acoustic versions felt natural to us and worthwhile, in the sense that we wanted to show how the songs are constructed behind the electronic sounds, and expose the feeling. Cicely is an incredible pianist and you get a deeper sense of her musicality on those recordings. We used to practice a lot like that, just voice and piano, and it’s lovely to be in that space, too.
Was it the same in terms of how you deliver your story?
I think the delivery of the message has also evolved. Doing live shows has been really helpful in refining and honing the conviction behind it. If the message is about re-birth and renewed strength after a period of self-doubt, especially as women and mothers, or more broadly remembering to look for the hope and make light in the darkness through art, then the bodily acting out of that is showing up. And being vulnerable in front of a crowd. And giving people a sense of the way music transcends all pain. It has helped me bring the message more clearly into focus anyway. Being on tour and bringing that kind of Zen warrior focus (In Arms) every night to translate that message into sound and movement has also been part of the story.
“Chalong”, the opening track from the deluxe version marks a certain change in your musical direction. Is this something that you would like to explore further in the future?
Yes! We increasingly are into making tracks that you can dance to.
Your songs are conceived as part of a transatlantic collaboration between the UK and the USA where you are located. What would you say is the biggest challenge in such a way of working?
Oh, definitely just the lack of time together. It’s a pain. We’re good at remotely working but it would be helpful for our output rate to be closer.
How does your music project affect your daily lives, and has there ever been a moment when you were ready to call it quits?
I really had never ever thought I would call it quits until after our album “Odyssey”. To be honest, I don’t know if deep down I really was ready to drop it, but I definitely had a bit of a mental break and needed space away from music. It was basically an identity ego struggle. When I had children, I really didn’t want to give up my dream of making music and taking Kaleida to another level, but of course being a mother really slowed me down and made me have to make some difficult choices. For example, to live in the US when I would really rather be in the UK. I also feel really stretched between living this suburban norm-core mom life in a predominantly right-leaning community and my deep desire to be among more ‘bohemian’ types who I feel more myself around, in an urban environment. So anyway, that all played into it. Once I got over the ego thing and the expectation/disappointment cycle that went with the release of our album “Odyssey”, I was able to continue. Thankfully, Cicely was really supportive. She gets it, too. So, it’s great to be in a partnership with another woman and mother. And the power of music will always prevail.
The popularity of your music sky-rocketed when your track, “Think”, was included in the soundtrack of the “John Wick” movie. What impact do you think it had on your career and how would you go about your music if it never happened?
It has sustained us for sure and continues to bring us new fans. It didn’t really influence the music we went on the make, but no doubt it gave us the ability to keep going. Sometimes, we wish we weren’t still so associated with the film, and we’d like to go on to make more of a name for ourselves independently. But we are definitely grateful for it.
Similarly, your cover version of Nena’s “99 Luftballons” appeared on the soundtrack of the “Atomic Blonde” movie. What inspired your approach to this song being so distant from the original?
I guess we just thought about what the song was really about, which is the human fallibilities that lead to the pointless horrors of war. And, of course, we lean into the melancholic vibes naturally! Cicely put a reggae beat underneath the organ sounds, and it all fell into place pretty quickly.
Your largest fan bases are located in Russia and Ukraine…
We still would like to tour in both countries, one day, which we were preparing to finally do when the war broke out. I just feel so much sadness – what a mess and what a tragedy – and that comes through in different ways in the music. How we hope for the conflict to end soon.
Back to “In Arms”, as part of your creative process you were mentioning the story of Joan of Arc. What was her main influence on your music and lyrics?
I suppose we just connected with the idea of her steadfastness and faith in the face of totally unrealistic odds, and of course her inherent feminism. Being an artist feels like that a lot – it’s like blind faith and you don’t know why you have it, but it’s in you and you can’t be anyone else. We don’t have a track explicitly about Joan of Arc, but she seemed to represent a lot of the feelings we were going through. Maybe that’s us just projecting our story onto hers 🙂
With Kaleida’s music style and your vocals, and also since you had toured with Roisin Murphy, have you ever been compared to Moloko, and how do you feel about such comparison?
I don’t think we have, or at least that I know of, but I would be extremely flattered by such a compliment of the highest order. Roisin is a legend – I love her humor so much and wish I had even an ounce of her cheekiness!
If you were to collaborate with one Artist only, who would that be?
Hildegard von Bingen – we would jam! I’d be curious to witness how she tapped into her spirituality while composing.
Where do you see yourselves going next?
More concerts and maybe eventually more music, after a bit of a break!
Photos: ©Benjamin Hampson
Additional links:
Deluxe Version’s Firelink – CLICK
Kaleida’s socials: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Website | SoundCloud | Spotify | YouTube
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