I cannot stop writing about Mastodon's Once More Around the Sun, at least until June when they release it. So in the while we patiently wait, Metal Insider did a great interview with the band's drummer Brann Dailor and got some super awesome information regarding the record. First off, it's not a concept record.
"If it comes up again that we want to do another concept album, it’s there for us. We have the capabilities but, yeah I guess maybe we sort of felt like we were becoming a band that was predictable almost. Like ‘oh yeah it's that band that does crazy concept albums and 15 minute long songs, that’s what those guys do.’ We don’t want to be that band that everyone figured out."
Dailor also talked about the fabled "double release" from the band this year where they'd release the album in the summer and then something else this winter. Along with what he says below, Dailor also said the label just let's Mastodon do their own thing (I'm paraphrasing).
"Well we knew going in that we were going to have too much material, but liked all of it. We put it all together and listened to it as we were starting to finish and it was a little bit exhausting. It was like 1 hour and 15-20 minutes. And it was just really 2 separate feels going on. It seemed to me that it be a cool idea to, because we have this small group of songs that were a little more moody, a little more slow and chill. And since this record is coming out in the summer, it a mover and shaker."
Oh, and that the album will make 15-year olds excited and should be played at 15-year old parties. Not sure what that means, but hooray I think.