1900s adapts story of missing woman

Once upon a time, there was a British woman named Licorice who left her family in search of an adventure and disappeared from the public radar. Now, about 20 years later, her story has become the concept for indie-pop band the 1900s’ latest album, Return of the Century. The 1900s

Brillobox

Today at 9:30 p.m.

Tickets: $8

412-621-4900

Once upon a time, there was a British woman named Licorice who left her family in search of an adventure and disappeared from the public radar. Now, about 20 years later, her story has become the concept for indie-pop band the 1900s’ latest album, Return of the Century.

The 1900s will perform at Brillobox tonight in a show based upon their recent album and the woman who loosely inspired it — Christina ‘Licorice’ McKechnie.

McKechnie’s story grabbed the attention of 1900s vocalist/guitarist Edward Anderson while he was traveling through the Southwest.

“It wasn’t ‘ripped from the headlines’ exactly, but there was this woman, Licorice, from the Incredible String Band. She left the UK for Arizona . . . and disappeared. It was the mystery I gravitated towards,” Anderson said.

The overall message of the album is something many people can relate to — the reconciliation between your past and present selves, something vocalist Jeanine O’Toole says she thinks is a common struggle for most young people.

“A lot of it is about running. It’s a narrative about this woman leaving everything and getting mixed up in some crazy stuff but eventually returning home,” Anderson explained.

Whereas Licorice never did make it home, the safe return of the album’s heroine is something Anderson thinks is important to its story.

This record isn’t the first concept album the band has released. Anderson said some of the things that unite each of the 1900s’ releases are the underlying themes, complimented by the stylings of each band member.

“Every album we do has some kind of theme, but it’s really just there for us. But if you catch it, that’s cool,” Anderson said. “Certain things tie it together that are the same. Our singers have recognizable voices. On this album, we were experimenting with things, doing more what the song dictates. We weren’t worried so much about certain styles. We don’t want to get pigeonholed.”

One of the difficulties the band might encounter would be the number of people involved in recording — at any given time, the 1900s consists of upward of six members — but both Anderson and O’Toole insist that this is not the case.

“We start with one person or instrument and build on that. There are very few times when all of us were there in the studio. It’s pretty mellow,” O’Toole said of the recording process.

Anderson said, “A lot of the times, I’ll come up with an idea, and I’ll record it on my phone or computer. And then we either all come together to work on it, or one or two people at a time. Each person’s personality is well-represented.”

Initially inspired by everything from the soundtracks of ’50s Italian films to Buddy Holly to the flowery rock and pop of the late ’60s and ’70s to Serge Gainsbourg in the ’80s, the 1900s have finally moved into the new millennium with Return of the Century. With this album, the group has added a more modern feel to its sound, which Anderson dubbed as “psychedelic pop.”

“We were more overtly complex, very flowery and Baroque. It was a definite 1960s sound. What we’ve learned is to strip down to the essential elements. It is what it is, nothing more. Not better or worse, just us,” Anderson said.

With the new album, the band tightened up on its songwriting, creating a more “carefully arranged” brand of pop, which led to a more stylistically simple, yet reflective, album.

“It’s really cohesive. Each song makes sense with the rest. Even though they’re different styles, they all belong there. It’s also more concise; none of the songs are too long. Pop songs sound kind of silly when they do that,” O’Toole said.

O’Toole said that the band took its time recording Return of the Century, making sure that everything worked together to achieve that cohesion.

“It took us a long time, almost a year. We would record different people in different places. Maybe it didn’t need to take as long, but you want to take a step back sometimes, let it sit,” she said.

And since the band has undergone some recent changes in the lineup, O’Toole thinks that this has ultimately changed the direction the band is taking for the future.

“We’re minus two original members, and that changed a lot. We’re writing differently, performing different roles. We all have a different outlook.”