Majical Cloudz pushes singing to the fore

Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto are Majical Cloudz

You may have noticed Devon Welsh’s songwriting alias as a featured credit on Grimes’s “Nightmusic” — for which he provided the synth melodies — or perhaps you’re well acquainted with his old band, manic sax ’n’ synth tricksters Pop Winds. Either way, go check out his latest statement-making single, the shockingly gut-wrenching ballad “Turns Turns Turns,” and rest assured that’s how you’ll remember the Arbutus crewmate from now until his next album drops.

Welsh has been releasing music as Majical Cloudz since 2010, although his earlier experiments bear little resemblance to the stark, vocal-driven and emotional music he’s making today. He says the sound was solidified when Majical Cloudz became more of a duo this past February, with the addition of synth and sampler player Matthew Otto.

“I don’t do anything besides sing [on stage] anymore,” says Welsh, who’s finishing up his next record. “I feel the whole process revolves around performance: me holding the mic and keeping the audience’s attention.”

I spoke to Welsh about singing singing singing.

Erik Leijon: Majical Cloudz sounds nothing like Pop Winds. Was that conscious thing?
Devon Welsh: It wasn’t really consciously thought out. I feel Pop Winds was different than what I’m doing now because of the other people involved. It was a very collaborative songwriting experience, so all the different parts of each song would be written by everyone. While I was doing Pop Winds, I was also writing songs on my own, so when Pop Winds was finished, it turned into me working on stuff by myself full-time. I got more serious, and that’s what Majical Cloudz is right now.

EL: Why do previous Majical Cloudz releases sound so different from your new song “Turns Turns Turns”?
DW: The first things I did were mostly using a guitar, just writing really basic stuff because I didn’t know how to record. Then the Majical Cloudz thing was guitar with other noisy parts, and for [the 2011 release] II, I started using synthesizers. What I’m playing now is that, but scaling things down, taking things out, making things simpler and making it more about clarity of expression. II is kinda hazy and a pop approach to songwriting, but now what I think about when I’m making music is totally different. I’m looking for an emotional kernel, and how the song can facilitate the performance of that so it’s not necessarily pop music. It has different aims.

EL: Is “Turns Turns Turns” also your most up-front vocal performance yet?
DW: In terms of the album I’m finishing just now, the vocals on that song are probably a lot more buried than on the other songs.

EL: What’s the album going to be like, then?
DW: “Turns Turns Turns” is a good introduction, but it’s more upbeat, with full songs, compared to the rest. It’s more stark than what you’ve heard before.

What I play live now is essentially the record, but there are at least a few songs where the vocals rest right up front and everything else is pretty much just backing the vocals. There are a lot of songs that don’t have drums, no vocal overdubs or anything like that — just one-track vocals with some basic loops, songs that are super simple.

EL: What do you write about?
DW: Most of the songs are written to three or four people. There are certain people that I think about and write songs that are, like, I’m talking to them. I’m not trying to say something general. I’m trying to say something specific to somebody, so I guess some songs come out as love songs, and other songs end up mostly as conversations, or trying to have a conversation with somebody, or saying things to a person and imagining replies.

EL: Do you ever feel uncomfortable, singing such personal songs?
DW: I get a kick out of making music that’s personal and forcing people to listen to it (laughs). If you have that podium, then having something personal to say allows you to perform with more of an investment. If the words are meaningless while I play, I’m more susceptible to wondering, “Did the song go well?” because people won’t be listening to the lyrics. But when it’s simple and the lyrics are personal, there’s a right way to perform the song. ■

Majical Cloudz performs as part of Pop Montreal, with NOIA, Computer Magic and Beach Day at Rodos en Haut (5581 Parc) on Friday, Sept. 21, 9 p.m., $10