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Picking a ghost's brain

By Nick Schwab

"In between limbo you can definitely call it purgatory. It is not quite heaven, not quite hell," stated One For The Team's Ian Anderson when speaking about relationships and being single. According to Anderson, a relationship can carry the same birth-life-death motions as life does. It often just goes quicker.

"Ghosts," the fourth release by these indie-poppers band, is a sort of concept album about Anderson befriending a ghost and learning about the ghost's past life and why it has not moved into the afterlife. It then begins to cultivate into a murder stemming from infidelity.

This indie-pop band might at first seem polite from their hook-heavy sound, but Anderson said that his band has gotten much darker as the years have progressed. "I write songs how they happen. Songs reveal themselves to me during the writing," Anderson said. "When I started the band, the idea behind it was more-or-less a Beatles-esque vocal melody relationship between a guy and a girl, instead ... Content wise it is darker, and the music if far more aggressive than it has been in the past," he said. "We're still the same band, but the sugary appearance has disappeared a little bit."

Citing growing older and maturing as a songwriter as to why his band's vibe and lyrics have grown more ominous, Anderson added that there is no real formula for One For The Team's high energy and drive, that it's just what comes out. "Whatever feels natural," he said. "If something feels forced, we try to fix that as much as possible."

One For The Team's sound has the melody of pop music and the power of rock. The musical influences Anderson cited range from Black Sabbath to Weezer and Megadeath, as well as a lot of pop music. The albums also have an abundant amount of energy to them, amid the messages of loss and heartache.

This is apparent as Anderson talked about the single "Hard For You" and its place in the rest of the album. "Breakups suck," he said. "Some breakups are amicable, but that song is about a breakup that is very emotional and intense, which is very similar to what I believe what death would be like, moving from this life to the next."

When asked if the album had a religious aspect to its themes, Anderson stated, "Surprisingly, I am actually not a very religious person," he said. "I went to Catholic school my whole life, and I'm well versed in religious doctrine simply because I studied it, but I don't identify with any one particular religion."

And though he isn't particularly religious, Anderson considers himself a spiritual person. "The spiritual side of me is something I confront on this record," he said while also mentioning that he sees a connection to it with One For The Team. "I think more often than not, spirituality and artistry are very connected."

Anderson then talked about his mindset when writing emotional material. "Emotion drives creativity," he said. "The most creative I am is when I am sad. The least creative I am is when I am happy." He then continued about how he went about writing "Ghosts."

"The songs on 'Ghosts' are a story, and drawing from a different aspect and moment in time. Being in the moment is very important when you are writing songs," he described. "You can think, remember and reflect on things that happened. On this new record, I did more of that. I thought and focused on recent and past events that really responded to me and tried to reflect them."

Anderson added, "Lyrics sometimes come as a diary entry. I am a 20-something male. Emotions are difficult."

One for the Team's new album, "Ghosts," is available on March 16. They will also play in on March 12 at the Summit.

Originally Published: March 3, 2010

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