With his first posthumous album having dropped on Friday with Circles, Mac Miller's memory has once again returned to the fore. Yesterday, Zane Lowe sat down with the album's producer Jon Brion, who played an integral role in honoring Mac's vision. "He was really wonderful in the studio," praises Brion. "He comes in, and he plays five or six things the first night and I was floored. It was stuff that ended up on both albums. There was more hip-hop leaning stuff and it was great and funny and personal. After a couple of those, he said 'I've got these other things' I'm not sure what to do with.' When he said something like that I was all ears." On the topic of the thematic connection between Circles and Swimming, Brion explains that Mac enjoyed the idea of having "connective tissue."
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Speaking on his own involvement in arranging "Good News," Brion provides an interesting insight into the behind-the-scenes layer of songwriting. "The track was meandering," says Brion. "I thought the lyrics were incredible. It didn't have a chorus yet. I just said 'I love what you're saying.' I've done with him what I've done with a bunch of directors. I watched the body language. We started going to town with a basic structure. He came into the control room and he was really excited, like 'great, I love this.' He started singing in the control room, he sang the chorus of "Good News." I look up and go, that's great, run on to the mic!"
He reveals that Mac was initially uncertain, and while Brion is generally one for collaboration, he felt compelled to lay down the law. "I went 'No, you're wrong,'" he tells Zane. "That's the chorus, go sing it. He was doing it and I was only asking him to recognize that it was great." For much more from Brion, who makes for a compelling interview subject, check out the video below. Have you listened to Circles yet?
