A GOLDEN FUTURE TIME HAS ALMOST DAWNED. CANADIAN SONGWRITER DAVID WARD IS ABOUT TO RELEASE HIS NEW ALBUM, WHICH HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS ‘A PORTAL TO THE SPIRITUAL, THE DIRTY, THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE RAW’.
Following up THE ARRIVAL, his 2012 EP trilogy, Ward has concocted a heady mix of the cosmic and the earthy. GOLDEN FUTURE TIME’s textured sonic explorations journey to art-rock, psychedelia, electronica, R&B, disco, funk and cabaret. Ward’s voice has drawn comparison to Jeff Buckley, and his new album (a two part saga created for the artistic opportunity afforded by vinyl) is likely to find favour amongst lovers of the astral leanings of Pink Floyd or Van Morrison. His star seems to be in the ascendancy.

YOUR MUSIC HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS REMINISCENT OF PINK FLOYD, VAN MORRISON AND STEVIE WONDER. THAT’S QUITE A COMBINATION…
Ha ha! Sure. And that’s kind of exciting that people are pulling so many different flavours from it. Funnily enough, I haven’t listened to much Pink Floyd. Something I’ll have to get on…

… AND YOU’RE OFTEN PRAISED FOR YOUR VOICE, WHICH HAS BEEN COMPARED TO JEFF BUCKLEY. DO THOSE REFERENCES MEAN ANYTHING? DO YOU FIND THEM A HELPFUL ‘PEG’ ..?
If they’re helpful for other people to find a way into my music then I say “by all means”. But, as I’m sure most artists would agree, you don’t want to forever be pegged as someone you are not. And yes, Buckley definitely means something to me. He tugged at so many musical and emotional sensibilities in me…

IS THERE OTHER MUSIC THAT INFLUENCES OR INSPIRES YOU? WHAT RECORDS HAVE MEANT THE MOST?
Of course! Thousands of albums. I’m always looking to pick up material that will expand my knowledge of what music is, the various pathways that can be charted or remain uncharted. I subscribe to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra season over here in Canada. And right now I’m digging deep through a bunch of hip hop. A couple of my warm blanket records are Donny Hathaway’s LIVE album and Stevie Wonder’s MUSIC OF MY MIND.

IS YOUR MUSIC FOR THE HEAD, HEART OR FEET? WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT? 
All of it. Each aspect of creating a song is as equally important as the next.

GOLDEN FUTURE TIME HAS AN IMMERSIVE QUALITY. DID THAT NATURALLY DEVELOP AS YOU WROTE, OR WERE YOU WRITING TOWARDS IT FROM THE START?
A little bit of both. One or two of the songs changed course a little, stylistically, to fit into the overall aesthetic of the record. BIRD IN THE HAND in particular…

HOW DOES THE RECORD MARK YOUR PROGRESSION, IN TERMS OF THE SONGWRITING, AND IN TERMS OF THE SONICS?
We toyed with a lot more synthesizers this time out, and we used a drum machine for the b-side of the record. I’d begun experimenting with a drum machine on my UK and Canada tour for THE ARRIVAL, my last record. And the songwriting… I suppose it was simply more focused in terms of fitting within the scope of this project, both lyrically and musically…

THE ALBUM SEEMS TO HAVE AN OVERARCHING THEME…
The record is about the fear of loss, and the need for ideas that are bigger than us to preserve our hope and innocence. I was reading and experiencing a lot on this subject at the time. Feelings of disenfranchisement, powerlessness (perceived or otherwise), fear that can fracture and distort relationships, the loss of things like innocence and hope that help give life its buoyancy and joy. In some ways you write these songs to tell the stories of yourself and those of others you connect to. And in other ways you’re writing them to find some answers. Or to let go of something…

ARE YOU DRIVEN BY THE NEED TO EXPRESS YOURSELF?
To express myself, to connect and to tell stories.

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BEST MOMENTS IN GETTING FROM OVER THERE (FIRST MAKING MUSIC) TO OVER HERE (PUTTING OUT GOLDEN FUTURE TIME)?
That is a massive question! Ha ha! Here are a few… Building up my musical community and working with so many talented, creative, kind and interesting individuals has been a highlight. My show opening weekend of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival last summer was a big one for me. All of the continuing opportunities I create and receive to learn and grow as an artist. My core supporters at home – they are all highlights for me…

GOLDEN FUTURE TIME is released on 28th January. Download from Bandcamp, here. Pre-order a vinyl edition here.