There And Back Again

Alberta Cross have had a career of highs and lows. If that doesn't sound particularly inspiring, consider some of the examples; they've toured alongside bona fide supergroups like Oasis and Them Crooked Vultures, but they also moved from London to New York (without any specific plan of attack, it must be said) at almost the exact breaking point of the Global Financial Crisis.

Second album Songs Of Patience sits comfortably within that maelstrom. A strong, adventurous record and capable expansion of their acclaimed 2009 debut album Broken Side of Time, Songs Of Patience nevertheless only took shape over approximately 24 months of hardship and struggle. Frontman Petter Stakee likes to jokingly boast of the record enjoying five different producers before completion.

“Well, I don't think there was any doubt that we would put a second record out but, I mean, it was a classic second record,” he laughs. “At one point, it was just like, 'fucking hell – how many producers and how much madness are we going to have to go through to get this album done? It's just fucking music, isn't it?'. I definitely had a lot of moments like that. I think we ended up in a good place, though. Eventually.”

Stakee was more aware of that arc than most. In fact, there's a solid case to be made for him being largely responsible for it. When confronted with the initial recording processes for the band's second album, Stakee was overwhelmed. The frontman effectively spun out; partying until he ran out of money, he flew back to his native Sweden and rejoined the band in New York ready to finish the job.

“We moved to LA from New York, wrote some songs and then hit the studio with new producers that we didn't actually know all that well. The other guys came in from Woodstock. They were there for five weeks and I was there for about a month, and we were staying in this old wooden hotel in the middle of the fucking mountains,” Petter explains of the situation. “It reminded me of the fucking Shining, you know?

“Anyways, coming from that, into the heart of LA to work with new producers, with a band that I didn't get along very well with, that had been touring for the past however many years... It all just got a little bit crazy,” the vocalist reflects. “I love LA but, if you're not in a good place, it's the worst place to be. All of that stuff together, in LA, just really spun me out, basically. It was weird, but ultimately for the best, I think.”

Even then, it wasn't until the band pared itself back down to founding members Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers – ousting their three bandmates in the process – and returned to Brooklyn to rework the album that it was finally done. Still, in true Alberta Cross form, they've managed to seize victory from the jaws of defeat and deliver a fine rock album. What's more, after months of wrangling, it's finally being released in Australia.

“I think we all saw it coming, to be honest,” Stakee reflects on the band's schism. “You know, we toured the last album forever and the vibes just weren't that great between us. I think it was probably my fault – I'm just not the best communicator. I wish them all the best, though. I just think we learnt a lot from this record and, out of all we learned, one of the most important things was that this band works best when it's me and Terry in control… You know, I think it's a good record,” he laughs. “I'm just glad it's finally out there.”