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Interview: The New Pornographers – “We’ve never had a precise sound”

The New Pornographers Cinema shot

ENGLISH VERSION OF INTERVIEW WITH CARL NEWMAN PUBLISHED AT GAFFA

Written by Tommy Juto

Despite the fact that gusts of wind hints at autumn it’s early summer in Stockholm as I sit down in a sunny corner lounge outside of Debaser Strand for a talk with Carl Newman. He’s here with The New Pornographers to brighten up an average Thursday with some glorious pop melodies.

You went to Oslo last night, right? How was that?

– Yes. It was really good. Oslo has always been one of our best places. When our first record came out we sold a lot in Norway, for whatever reason. We sold more in Norway than in many other countries.

Per capita?

– Even in record sales, we sold a lot of records.

But you still have a quite an audience here as well, although you play a rather small, but great, venue.

– I think this place is too big for us! No, but it’s always nice. Wherever we can play where there’s a few hundred people to come and see us, it’s worth doing. It’s always fun.

How long can you tour an album? Brill Bruisers came out about nine months ago, so are you now more in-between projects?

– Well, I’ve already started working on other things musically, but it’s hard to know how long to tour a record. When you’re a new band you tour for longer, when your album is gaining attraction you do a lot more touring. You keep going back to the same places, you go back to New York to try and play bigger and bigger venues. We’ve been around for a long time, so you sort of know where you sit. You go to a city and you play where you should play, so these days we really don’t go back unless it’s for a festival or something like that.

So you’re in a position where you can pick or choose as you like?

– I don’t know if it’s pick or choose, just knowing how much we should play. Knowing we shouldn’t play too much.

In 2007 you were in Stockholm and played Debaser Slussen…

– Oh, that’s the place that’s right by the water?

Yes, but it’s closed now due to the city rebuilding that area. I remember early that night I was sitting at a table and you were sitting at the table behind me, although it wasn’t until you got up to prepare for your show I realized it was you. Do you still go unrecognized and blend in as anybody?

– Yeah, definitely. I mean, I get recognized sometimes, but not that much.

Also, when The New Pornographers started out, you said that Neko was the only of you that people knew.

– I think people recognize Dan(Bejar) a lot more these days because of his very unique look.

Neither Neko nor Dan are with you on tour…

– This tour is actually the first we’re doing without Dan during the last year.

But not usually, though?

– Well, with Brill Bruisers he’s been doing almost everything with us since July last year. Only in the last few shows he’s not been there and that’s mainly because he’s getting ready for his next record.

Do you ever get in conflict with them because of this?

– Do we ever get mad at them? (Laughs) No, it’s always been the case. Dan plays with us when he can, or when he wants to. It’s just how it’s always been, and I’ll try to convince him to do things. Sometimes he agrees, sometimes he don’t, sometimes you bribe him. You say “hey, if you do this you’ll get so much money…”. He’s got a mortgage, a wife and a daughter, so he has to think about the bottom line… But it’s just how it’s always been.

You’ve got a son yourself, and I understand you’re singing to him?

– I’ve only started singing to him recently, because he’s taken an interest in singing so I thought now’s the time to sing to him when he goes to bed. The big one I’m singing to him now is “All Together Now” by The Beatles, because it’s such a kids song.

That album has got a few kids songs on it.

– Yeah, “Yellow Submarine” is another one I also sing. “Octopus’s Garden”.

People always use references when describing someone’s sound, but I rarely see anyone referring to The New Pornographers. My theory is that it’s because your sound is pretty unique, no bands really sound like you.

– If a band ever is loud and has a lot of harmonies we’ll get compared to them. But we’ve never had a precise sound. Like Spoon, they always sound like Spoon. The National always sound like The National. There’s a group of bands that have a precise sound, but we don’t. The song “Brill Bruisers” compared to the song “Challengers”, it’s very, very different. Different lead singers, different style. So I think we’re maybe a bit more all over the place. It’s like The Shins, I love them, but are there many bands that get compared to The Shins?

Well, if you ask me I think I see them being referenced to from time to time, but never yourselves. Still it must be a good thing, maybe it shows how you stand out?

 – Yeah, I hope we have a style but I don’t know what it is.

What’s it like playing Dan’s songs when he’s not with you on tour?

– This time we’re only doing one, “Testament To Youth In Verse”, but there are other songs that we just can’t. That’s what bums me out. When Neko’s not there, Kathryn sings Neko’s songs and it’s not a big deal, but there are Dan songs that I can’t sing. The songs are so uniquely “Dan”, so when he’s not there we don’t sing them and that’s why I’m always happy when Dan’s there. Then we get to do “Myriad Harbour” or “War On The East Coast” or others like that. But luckily we have enough albums and songs even if we remove the Dan songs.

Kathryn’s got a new soloalbum out just a few weeks ago and Neko also is a gifted songwriter. Is there a possibility that they will get songs of theirs on your next album?

– I don’t think so. It’s just the nature of the band. It’s always been me writing almost all of it and then Dan contributes three songs, and that just seems like the way it should be. Neko has occasionally talked to me about writing with her on her records and I think “no, I shouldn’t be a part of your records”. I feel like “that’s your thing”.

Well, I don’t think you’d spoil anything…

– No, I wouldn’t spoil anything, it would just change it. Plus, I like the weird control. Even if I don’t know what I do in The New Pornographers, even though I’m always grasping, I don’t know… Maybe if somebody contributed a song I’d see that. As long as I could tear it apart!

I was thinking about Belle & Sebastian, on the Fold Your Hands Child… album Stuart Murdoch let his bandmates contribute more than earlier, and as much as I love them that album didn’t stand up quite as well as their other releases. Even if it had some great songs it somehow changed them a bit.

– Yeah, yeah, that’s true. There were some songs on it that were very cool, but they didn’t sound like Belle & Sebastian.

Would it do the same for you, if you tried something different?

– Yes. I mean, some people would argue we’ve already done that. By the time we got to Challengers there was an effort made to become a different band. I like we’re we are now, ‘cause I feel like we made the first three records and at that point I thought “I don’t wanna do the same record again”. Or like I wanted to get away from that style. I feel like Brill Bruisers was the album where I thought we’d veered away from the sound enough. I thought “let’s go back and not be afraid to make a record like our first couple of records”, but at the same time adding new elements. So now it’s fun to be in that place, where I feel like I’m looking forward to doing the next record. It’s nice to have that momentum. Brill Bruisers was a fun record to make and now I’m thinking I want to make another one like that.

Your lyrics are often regarded as difficult to interpret. Are they?

– Well, sometimes I write lyrics that are personal and sometimes I don’t.

Can other people tell when it’s personal or not?

– I think the quieter songs you can tell are more personal, like “Challengers” and “Adventures In Solitude”. But a lot of the time I’m just playing around, not overly worried if anybody can understand what I’m talking about, and sometimes I’m just playing with words. But it’s what a lot of my favourite lyricists do. Like Dylan did, he just played around, or going in another direction like David Byrne. Talking Heads songs don’t make much literal sense, they even had a movie called Stop Making Sense. But it’s all about the music. I’ve always felt that it’s way more about the song.

But if you look at it the other way, it’s more important to not write a bad lyric.

– Well, that’s the game, yeah. I’m not trying to be the best, all I’m trying to do is not suck!

I’m also talking to Dan Bejar tomorrow, is there anything you want me to pass on to him?

– (Laughs) I don’t know… I haven’t talked to him in a few weeks or maybe a couple of months. Well, I heard he’s gonna be in Porto the same time as us. I hear he’s doing press at Primavera in Porto. So tell him if he doesn’t come do some songs with us I’m gonna be really, really insulted and angry.

 

Interview: Unknown Mortal Orchestra – “Where does life end and music begin?”

UMO (1)

ENGLISH VERSION OF AN INTERVIEW WITH RUBAN NIELSON PUBLISHED AT KULTURBLOGGEN

Written by Tommy Juto

So, have you just started working the album in Europe?

– This is the first tour, though I came over earlier in the year to do some press in different countries. But I think things started to pick up here enough for us to do a day here. So I came a day early before the rest of the band to stop here before we meet up in England.

The cover of your new album Multi-Love is a photo of your home studio, and I noticed that your two previous albums are framed on the wall. Was that for inspiration, or why?

– I think it was to remind me that I was making a third part of something, ‘cause I knew I was going to try and do things a bit different, but I didn’t want to change it so much that it would seem disorienting to people that liked the other albums. I didn’t listen to the albums a lot, but halfway through the making of the new one I was playing what I was making back to back with the other and kind of reminding myself of where I head. Because I think that it was something I did when I had no money and when I didn’t think that anybody cared about it. There was a purity and a feeling to it that something worked, and I was trying to not leave that behind. Like upgrading without losing anything. I think some artists, when they get a chance to move out of being lo-fi or making records with no money, sometimes they lose some of the spark that made their lo-fi or original home-made stuff great and I didn’t want to fall victim of that. Just make it as good as the other stuff without cleaning it up. Having the records there worked as a reminder that I’d already made two records.

Was the album going to be titled III at any point? That would have been the most logical, wouldn’t it?

– Yeah, originally it was gonna be called III, but for some reason way before I’d started the album I had this phrase pop into my head, Multi-Love. I don’t know, these things just appear out of nowhere and I’m getting better at recognizing when it’s something and I write it down. Then as soon as I’d written it down I wrote next to it “album title?”. So thought it maybe was the album title. I really wanted it to be called III, but the album had other plans, it wanted to be called Multi-Love! It just felt like that was it really should be called.

When you start recording an album, do you have a clear idea of what it’s going to sound like, or do the songs create that as you go along?

– For this, I had these two separate ideas. I wanted this more colourful, extroverted sound with lots of different textures and I wanted it to feel like a mixture of old and new. I was thinking about David Bowie’s Station To Station, but I was also thinking about Jesus(by Blu), channel ORANGE(by Frank Ocean), like a modern hip-hop/R&B-album, but I was also thinking about how I could make sense of that, the old and new music without making it feel wrong and instead like a logical step. I wanted to make me feel excited in a certain way and the songs just a separate thing. I had a folder in my computer that was just full of acoustic guitar, chords and melodies. I was just taking these and when I made songs they had to have all these elements and ideas behind them. Because songs can be any texture, you can record them in different ways. But I also had Multi-Love floating around, so I thought “there’s something important about this phrase!”. I asked myself why it was important, so I started with the words and figured out what it meant later on.

The album is not overly produced, yet it’s got a perhaps “poppier” sound to it than the previous one. Did you hold back just so it wouldn’t sound like a too big step into glossiness?

– The thing I think was the problem was that I didn’t set out in the beginning to make it “glossy”, but I think as I got into it I was getting different technique and better equipment. So there was always the danger that it could go that way ‘cause I had the possibility to. I didn’t have that option before because I didn’t have any nice equipment. That was not the problem. I was never gonna go too far, ‘cause it was always gonna sound cheaply made. It was what kind of cheap sound was it gonna be, a good cheap sound or a bad cheap sound, whereas with this one I bought this thing called the Chandler Minimixer, which is what Tony Maserati uses, you know the guy who mixes Beyoncé singles, so I had this serious pop equipment and I was suddenly faced with the potential to go in a certain direction. Things would become really glossy, so I had to figure out how to make it more aggressive, to make it feel right. It was like trying to dial in exactly where it was gonna go.

– Actually, Bob Ludwig mastering was a big part of it. I wanted to have the vinyl mastered by the team that did Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd. I had this idea that I would then have really nice vinyl. So I had the record and it was as far as I could take it, then I sent it to Bob and he really liked it which is awesome. The assistant said he had a great time mastering it, he did something to it as well because I think he heard it and what the last touch it needed was. Often mastering makes it sound nicer, but he took what I did and made it sound more blown out or aggressive, so when I got the master I was really excited.

– I wasn’t overly concerned about the album sounding slick, but I wanted it to sound less lo-fi and more punchy, have some more high-end to it. My other records didn’t have any top-end.

In the middle of “Stage Or Screen”, the song cuts abruptly into something completely different.

– Right, the Brian Eno thing?

How did that happen, was it by accident and you just left it there?

– Yeah, you can actually hear me hit stop on the tape and then it opens up to this whole other thing, and it was kind of a happy mistake. I’d been working on this ambient thing I’d done with my brother and it was kind of separate and it was on that same tape. So when I was recording, for some reason I felt “I’ll hit stop now” and it was on the tape straight after it. So I just recorded the tape as it was and it sounded like that. Sometimes I felt that the song didn’t end right, and that way it all just kinda fixed itself. A lot of that happens when I made the record. I didn’t have the answers for sections of it and then I made a mistake and that solved it for me. Leave problems to solve themselves.

– Often when stuff like that happens I just think it’s supposed to be. I have so much control of what I’m doing in the production and mixing, so I don’t want to turn my back on happy accidents like that. And it’s funny, ‘cause I think it’s something that Brian Eno would condone, like he’d say “no, it’s supposed to happen like that”. To me, it reminds me of him.

Your father plays saxophone on “Extreme Wealth And Casual Cruelty”. Is that an underrated instrument in popular music?   

– I don’t know. It became uncool in indie rock at some stage and I grew up thinking it was the coolest thing you could have, like John Coltrane. And Bowie’s records had sax on them because he plays it, so I always think of it as being cool. Sometimes I just do things because it’s uncool enough that I should do it just to see what happens. But yeah, I think it’s a little underrated, you don’t see it enough. It’s quite hard to play horns. You need to play every day in order to keep it up, whereas guitar you can put it down for a week and then pick it up again a week later and keep playing. So horns are more difficult.

I read the interview in Pitchfork where you mentioned this woman who came to live with you and your wife. Could you elaborate on that?

– I guess what happened was that it became a polyamorous-like, romantic relationship between three people. The problem is now I feel like people think that that’s what the song “Multi-Love” is about, but the weird part was that 80% of the song was written before any of that happened, so I feel like the song changed my life rather than my life changed the song. But as the year went on, I had different experiences to draw on, I had certain lines in the song that I hadn’t been able to finish and that certainly became a lot easier. It was very weird the way thing unfolded!

Do you even think that you perhaps subconsciously get drawn to a situation like that because you want to get food for songs?

– I think that’s what he was writing about in the article. I mean, I’ve been trying to figure it out, I re-read it last night to try and see if I could get anything else out of it. I’ve been really struggling with that idea, where does life end and music begin? I think sometimes I let situations happen knowing I can make sense of it and use in music. I think I’ve always been like that in a way, I’ve started wondering what the limits are of that. I was actually texting Bevan, the guy who wrote the article, last night: “What part of the human being makes the judgement, is it the aesthetic judgement or your ethical judgement? Is it better to write a good song that endangers the dignity of you or somebody you love, or is it better to write a bad song that saves your dignity?”. He was like “well, it’s better to write a good song, but unfortunately for you, you have to deal with whatever the outcome of that is”. But then I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about people around me.

But when writing songs, I assume you can’t sit there trying to foresee what implications a song will have?

– No, it’s impossible to do that. And also, it sounds monstrous if someone tried to, like “it’s my art that is most important, I don’t care who gets hurt in the process”. I don’t believe in that, I’ve been having some issues with how to go about the process of living and writing in the future, you know. Does that mean that every time I become friends with everybody I have to say “just a disclaimer before we begin our friendship, anything that happens to me with you around me might turn into music” or something? Once I get to this point I have to start thinking about these things, but sometimes it’s not easy to figure out what the best thing to do is. Because I want to make good work and sometimes that’s all I care about, and I’m not necessarily thinking about everything while I’m doing it. Nobody could.

“Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”. What’s your take on how smart phones hold us in a tight grip?

– It’s not really anti-technology or anything, it’s more about the personal experience of how hard it is to keep waiting for somebody to… It’s kind of cruel, you know, when you keep waiting for somebody to come back to you on your phone. The most extreme example, I guess, would be like a romantic experience, but it could be anything. If somebody you care about is sick, they’re in a hospital… It’s kind of maddening to keep waiting for news of any kind. I think it’s more about that feeling and being far away from people, having limited communication with somebody you care about. There’s no anti- or pro-phone message, it’s neutral, I think of the phone as just being there, it’s neither good nor bad.

Do you have any compulsive habits?

– (Laughs) What, do you mean on my phone?

Well, not necessarily. Anything. Constantly checking your phone is one example, it’s something myself and a lot of other people do.

– A little bit maybe. I always try to relate to people doing it like it’s a normal thing, not particularly something I do all the time. The idea is that I’m putting my phone away. ‘Cause there was a time when I was writing the song. What I did was I shut my phone off and put it away, not looking at it at all, because it was easier to do that than it was to have it next to me while I was working, or in my pocket waiting for the thing to go off, that was driving me crazy. It’s just a painful thing, but a very modern version of a feeling people have always had, I guess.

Tonight, you’re playing a acoustic solo set. A lot of artists are using prerecorded tapes when performing live. It would be just as easy for you to do that in order to play the songs from the record in their true form, wouldn’t it? Or is that a absolute no-no?

– Yeah, I could. But this is much more fun, I think. It’s something about going out there risking to make a fool out of yourself, there’s something good about that. It could go wrong, you know, but I like that I maybe forget the lyrics or something else goes wrong, or maybe I change my mind about how I want to play the song halfway through it. These days it’s hard to make a million dollars out of making music, so it’s not like I’m doing this for the money. I’m doing this for the feeling of having a job that’s unlike any other, and all of those things, click tracks and so on, I don’t know. I like the idea of being out there and just risking it, being on the edge of things. That’s what people do, they just perform. The thing with me is I’m not used to performing acoustic, so it’s always a little bit nerve-wrecking. It’s always a new thing, ‘cause I’m playing the songs as they began, as the started before I did the production on them. For me, as a music fan or anyone in the position of coming to see me, I’d rather have that than a bunch of technology. It’s funny, speaking of OCD, from art school I have this idea of the way things are conceptual. Sometimes when there’s a backing track, at some point I go “well, what if the conclusion is to put your CD on?”. Then it would all be perfect! When there’s tracks, well, what’s the point of having anything live? It’s like some art school part of my brain is asking “if you’re gonna go that far, why don’t you go all the way?”. I think that part of me sees it as much more interesting if I walked into a room and put a CD on, push play, sit down and watch everybody. A John Cage kind of idea. I don’t know if this is valid idea or a hang-up I have.

Inför Paul McCartney i Stockholm: Önskelåtarna han inte lär spela

Låt oss inte krångla till det mer än nödvändigt: när Paul McCartney kommer till Stockholm och Tele 2 Arena kommer han att göra många människor glada genom att framföra låtarna de kommit för att få höra. Men tänk om karln hade gjort en Elvis Costello och ställt upp ett stort lyckohjul från vilket han spelat den låt som nålen landat på? Svindlande tanke, förstås. Liksom osannolik. Fetglöm, typ.

Det hindrar oss dock inte från att sätta ihop en alternativ önskelista med låtarna som borde ingå i hans imaginära lyckohjul. Innan konserten på torsdag kommer en nykomponerad trio bestående av David Myhr(The Merrymakers), Peter Morén(Peter Bjorn and John) och låtskrivaren/producenten Peter Kvint(Andreas Johnson, The Ark m.fl.) att stå på Clarion Hotels terrass och framföra låtarna Sir Paul inte själv lär framföra, och deras idé(jag ska inte framställa det som att den var min) sporrade mig till att välja ut en alternativ setlist baserad på solo- och Wings-åren från första albumet McCartney som kom ut 1970 fram till första halvan av 80-talet. Resten låtsas vi helt enkelt inte om. Och The Beatles avhandlar vi dagen de går att streama, om det nu någonsin kommer att inträffa.

Lika mycket som jag på torsdag kommer att jubla när jag på plats hör introt till “Let Me Roll It”, sjunga med i “Band On The Run” eller få tårar i ögonen när världens bästa kärlekssång “Maybe I’m Amazed” spelas, lika mycket kommer jag att drömma om “Warm And Beautiful”, “Bluebird”, “Big Barn Red” eller “Wanderlust”.

Låt oss drömma tillsammans.

LYSSNA PÅ SIR PAUL WISHLIST VIA TIDAL/WIMP

The Bucket List, Vecka 26, 2015

Medan många av er ränner runt på Bråvalla eller laddar för alla sommarens festivaler har jag suttit och plockat ut en bunt nödvändiga låtar av allehanda slag. Som alltid är spännvidden bred och här finns massor att upptäcka, oavsett preferenser: soul, trip-hop, garageblues, hip-hop, noisepop, powerpop, alt-country, disco, indiefolk, syntpop, deep house, psykedelia, punk, electronica. De översta är de låtar som hann få en lite presentation, men givetvis ska inget skippas, för bara tänk på vad man kan gå miste om!

The Bucket List kommer tillbaka i höst igen, då fullsmockad med det vi missat under semesterveckorna och en massa kommande släpp.

Se till att knyta fast hängmattan ordentligt, häll upp en Gin & Tonic och lyssna noga nu.

Ta hand om varandra. Vi ses på andra sidan.

LYSSNA PÅ THE BUCKET LIST VIA TIDAL/WIMP


The Internet feat. Kaytranada “Girl”(från Ego Death)

Med sångerskan Sydney “Syd Tha Kyd” Bennett i spetsen har The Internet gjort sig ett namn inom Future Soul-genren. För två år sedan kom Feel Good ut, deras andra på Odd Future-etiketten och nu är de tillbaka med ett nytt hypervasst album där Tyler The Creator och Janelle Monáe gästar, för att nämna några. Bennett har tidigare använt sångtexter och videos som ett sätt att visa sin sexuella läggning och agera förebild för många som likt henne själv en gång i tiden har svårt att vara öppna med vem de är, och Ego Death avviker inte från hennes ideologi. Ett album som har stor, stor potential att bli min soulfavorit i år.

kisses

Kisses “A Groove”(från kommande albumet Rest In Paradise)

Duon och livskamraterna Jesse Kivel och Zinzi Edmundson från Los Angeles gör disco på sitt vis.

Albert Hammond, Jr. “Losing Touch”(från kommande albumet Momentary Masters)

Det hörs förstås fortfarande vilket band han kommer ifrån, men The Strokes-gitarristen har något bra på gång igen, nu när han släpper första soloalbumet på sju år.

Ducktails “Surreal Exposure”(från kommande albumet St. Catherine)

Matt Mondaniles andra band utanför Real Estate gjorde ett besök i Stockholm för en månad sedan och vädrade flera låtar från nya albumet inför ett fullsmockat Lilla Hotellbaren.

jazzpurple

Jazz Purple “The Chronicles Of Jazz Purple”(singel)

Äntligen går det att streama Jazz Purple, Londonproducenten som har ett mycket nära samarbete med Bipolar Sunshine. Andra singeln har precis släppts och är en lite ruffigare variant av den sistnämndes alternativsoul.

OverDoz feat. Pharrell “Last Kiss”(från kommande albumet 2008)

Kvartetten från Kalifornien är på väg att albumdebutera och inför detta släpper de en funkig hip-hop-dänga med sång och produktion från Pharrell.

Faråker “Apans Sång”(singel)

Förra året delade jag ut högsta betyg till Olle Blomströms Början Till Slutet, och när han är tillbaka med en ny sommarsingel har inget försämrats.

T. Hardy Morris “My Me”(från Hardy & The Hardknocks: Drownin On A Mountaintop)

Jag har en förkärlek för artister som hittar på egna genrer för sin musik. Hardy Morris från Athens, Georgia kallar sin för “crunge”, en korsning mellan alternativcountry och grunge, vilket kanske för mångas tankar till Neil Young och The Replacements. Åtminstone tänkte Patterson Hood från Drive-By Truckers i de banorna när han skrev liner notes till Morris album, gamla turnékompisar som de båda är.

Baio “Sister Of Pearl”(från kommande albumet The Names)

Chris Baio är förstås mest känd som basist i Vampire Weekend och näst mest känd som DJ och electronicaproducenten Baio. Nu släpper han ett soloalbum som lutar mer åt den eklektiska indiepop han spelar med VW.

Model Village “Back Together”(fån Burger Party)

Ett litet guldkorn till band från Cambridge som fler borde upptäcka, särskilt om man saknar The Beautiful South: kille-tjej-sång och klassiskt låtskrivande.

Thundercat feat. Flying Lotus & Kamasi Washington “Them Changes”(från The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam)

Stephen Bruner är en hejare på att spela bas, somliga skulle rent av säga ekvilibrist. Men driften att vilja komplicera saker kör inte över förmågan att göra rejält groove med snygg falsettsång.

Yukon Blonde “Confused”(från On Blonde)

Kvintetten kommer från Vancouver lastade med New Wave-influerad pop.

Baby Bee “The Daddy”(singel)

New Orleans-duo med garagebluesambitioner och en Bo Diddley-rytm att ta till sitt hjärta.

Du Blonde feat. Samuel T. Herring “Mind Is On My Mind”(från Welcome Back To Milk)

Hon gjorde ett album under eget namn, Beth Jeans Houghton, men nu kallar hon sig Du Blonde. Varning för uttrycksfullt gästspel av den extatiske Sam Herring från Future Islands.

Bilal “Satellites”(från In Another Life)

Philadelphias mycket intressante Bilal väver in både retrosoul och lite nyare R&B i det han gör, och jag är djupt olycklig över att jag är bortrest när han besöker Stockholm och Fasching 31 juli. Men för den skull måste ju inte fler missa det, så ringa in datumet i kalendern nu.

Josh Pyke “Hollering Hearts”(från kommande albumet But For All These Shrinking Hearts)

Sydneybaserade Josh Pyke har under de senaste åren befäst sitt rykte som en av Australiens bästa folkpopartister och det finns ingen anledning att ändra uppfattning efter att ha hört nya singeln “Hollering Hearts”.

Nao “Golden”(från February 15 EP)

Den här Londonsångerskan gör briljant hårdsoul med Neneh Cherry-sting och agerade support åt svenska Little Dragon under deras Englandsturné.

Christopher Owens “Another Loser Fuck Up”(från Chrissybaby Forever)

Det har inte ens gått ett år sedan förra albumet, men Owens slängde på egen hand ihop ett nytt på några dagar. Insup känslan av avslappnad frihet i introt där han med både trummorna och gitarrerna kämpar för att komma in i samma takt.

Dam_Funk_-_Invite_the_Light_-_high_res

DâM-FunK “We Continue”(från kommande albumet Invite The Light)

G-Funkens främste fanbärare vid sidan av Snoop Dogg är på gång med nytt album i höst där han gästas av bl.a. Ariel Pink, Q-Tip, Jody Watley och – aber natürlich – Snoop himself.

Ex Cops “Teenagers”(från Daggers)

Visst. De kan bli lite väl inställsamma i popambitionerna, exempelvis i de inledande “ah-na-na-na-na-nah”. Men ingen kan förneka den fenomenala Haim-refrängen.

Duke Dumont “The Giver(Reprise)”(singel)

Den som inte dansar till den här soulhousedängan dansar inte ens onykter.

Joy Williams “Woman(Oh Mama)”(från Venus)

Det fanns ett liv innan The Civil Wars. Det finns ett liv efter The Civil Wars.

The Muscadettes “I’m In Love”(från Side A EP)

Punkpop att kära ner sig i, inte helt olikt Best Coast och Dum Dum Girls för att nämna några.

The Deslondes “Less Honkin’ More Tonkin'”(från The Deslondes)

Femtiotalssoundet är faktiskt inte ett dugg bakåtsträvande när det låter så här.


Följande låtar bör heller inte, under några omständigheter, missas:

The Bird And The Bee “Recreational Love”(från kommande albumet Recreational Love)

Wolf Alice “Lisbon”(från My Love Is Cool)

Octave One “Jazzo/Lose Myself”(från Burn It Down)

Lou “Forever Green”(singel)

Telekinesis “In A Future World”(från kommande albumet Ad Infinitum)

Yo La Tengo “Automatic Doom”(från kommande albumet Stuff Like That There)

Cinerama “End Credits”(från Valentina)

Teen Men “It’s All Rushing Back”(från Teen Men)

Kid Wave “Honey”(från Wonderlust)

LA Priest “Lady’s In Trouble With The Law”(från kommande albumet Inji)

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats “I Need Never Get Old”(från kommande albumet Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats)

Widowspeak “Girls”(från kommande albumet All Yours)

Family Of The Year “Make You Mine”(singel)

Sweet Baboo “Got To Hang On To You”(från kommande albumet The Boombox Ballads)

Beck “Dreams”(singel)

Dungen “Åkt Dit”(från kommande albumet Allas Sak)

Höga Berget “Hisingen Sunset”(singel)

The Jungle Giants “Kooky Eyes”(singel)

Sauna Youth “Transmitters”(från Distractions)

Antony & Cleopatra “Take Me”(singel)

Lilly Wood & The Prick “Shadows”(singel)

The Mynabirds “Wildfire”(från kommande albumet Lovers Know)

Ralph “Trouble”(singel)

Claudia Brücken “Walk Right In”(från kommande albumet Where Else…)

Institute “Admit I’m Shit”(från Catharsis)

Mercury Rev “The Queen Of Swans”(från kommande albumet The Light In You)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin “Foreign Future”(från The High Country)

Hagaliden “Bli Här”(från Inget Är Vårt)

Cheers Elephant “Airliner”(singel)

Jason Isbell “Something More Than Free”(från kommande albumet Something More Than Free)

Titus Andronicus “Fatal Flaw”(från kommande albumet The Most Lamentable Tradegy)

Dornik “Drive”(från kommande albumet Dornik)

My Heart Is A Metronome “Feel Think”(singel)

Azekel “Chronophobia”(från Raw, Vol. 1)

Desperate Journalist “Hesitate”(från Desperate Journalist)

Low “No Comprende”(från kommande albumet Ones And Sixes)

AM & Shawn Lee “Cold Tears”(från Outlines)

Bob Moses “Talk”(från kommande albumet Days Gone By)

Darwin Deez “Kill Your Attitude”(från kommande albumet Double Down)

Isaac Delusion “How Much You Want Her”(singel)

TV Girl “Natalie Wood”(singel)

Vance Joy “Great Summer”(från Paper Towns Soundtrack)

Bully “Bully”(från Feels Like)

The Catenary Wires “Too Late, I Love You”(från Red Red Skies)

Caviare Days “Like Me”(från Like Me EP)

The Radio Dept. “Occupied”(singel)

Sa’ra Charismata “Mushroom”(singel)

Sean Nicholas Savage “Casablanca”(från kommande albumet Other Death)

The Weeknd “Can’t Feel My Face”(singel)

Bic Runga “I Dreamed A Dream”(singel)

IAMX “Happiness”(från kommande albumet Metanoia)

Czarface feat. Method Man “Nightcrawler”(från Every Hero Needs A Villain)

Eliot Sumner “After Dark”(singel)

Flo Morrissey “Wildflower”(från Tomorrow Will Be Beautiful)

Aero Flynn “Twist”(från Aero Flynn)

Fractures “Reactor”(singel)

Jedi Mind Tricks feat. Dilated Peoples “The Kingdom That Worshipped The Dead”(från The Thief And The Fallen)

The Wild Wild “When We Were Young”(singel)

The Wooden Sky “Maybe It’s No Secret”(från Let’s Be Ready)

Flora Cash “Save Me”(singel)

Roosevelt “Night Moves”(singel)

The Strypes “Now She’s Gone”(från kommande albumet Little Victories)

Disclosure feat. Gregory Porter “Holding On”(från kommande albumet Caracal)

Steven A. Clark “Not You”(från kommande albumet The Lonely Roller)

Lil Jon feat. T-Pain, Problem & Snoop Dogg “My Cutie Pie”(singel)

Ratatat “Abrasive”(från kommande albumet Magnifique)

Sweet John Bloom “New Identity Crisis”(från Weird Prayer)

Ms. Henrik “My Only Vice”(singel)

Mac Demarco “Another One”(från kommande albumet Another One)

Friska Viljor “Danger In Front”(från My Name Is Friska Viljor)

Nocturnal Sunshine “It’s Alright”(från Nocturnal Sunshine)

Fist City “Hey Little Sister”(från Everything Is A Mess)

Nicky William “Future Lover”(singel)

Ben Browning “Don’t Wait Your turn(från Turn)

Until The Ribbon Breaks feat. Homeboy Sand “Perspective”(från A Lesson Unlearnt)

Sorcha Richardson “Petrol Station”(singel)

Vök “Adrift”(från Circles EP)

OMVR “Dawn After The Night”(singel)

Lianne La Havas “What You Don’t Do”(från kommande albumet Blood)

Foxes “Body Talk”(singel)

Elohim “She Talks Too Much”(singel)

Ghost Loft “The Rolling Man”(från Chocolate Haze EP)

Eddie Gomez “Catch Me If You Can(Bad Man)”(singel)

Girls Names “Reticence”(från kommande albumet Arms Around A Vision)

Powers “Beat Of My Drum”(singel)

Superfunk & Fabriqu3 En France “Truth”(singel)

Prefuse 73 feat. Rob Crow “Quiet One”(från Rivington Não Rio)

Farao “Bodies”(från kommande albumet Till It’s All Forgotten)

The Arcs “Stay In My Corner”(från kommande albumet Yours, Dreamily,)

Feral Kizzy “The Way We Are”(från Slick Little Girl)

Sean Bradford feat. Fennec & Wolf, Bellville “Where The Wild Things Are”(singel)

LYSSNA PÅ THE BUCKET LIST VIA TIDAL/WIMP

Intervju: Ninsun Poli – “Allt startade i Botkyrka”

Ninsun Poli press 4 Photo Nina Andersson 2014

Intervjun finns även publicerad på Kulturbloggen.

Av Tommy Juto

Bland flera över genomsnittet begåvade kvinnliga svenska artister och låtskrivare har jag tidigare uppmärksammat Ninsun Poli, då i samband med att hon släppte snärtiga singeln “Hey Lover”. Poli har samarbetat en hel del med Johan T. Karlsson i Familjen och i början av året åkte hon över till Austin för att spela på SXSW. Nyss släppte hon EP:n Great Leap Forward med fem starka låtar i olika skepnader, och därför fanns all anledning att e-posta några frågor till henne.

Lyssna på Great Leap Forward EP via TIDAL HiFi

Under några år mellan For Real och Hey Lover, vilket jag har förstått delvis berodde på prestationsångest?

– Det handlade inte om prestationsångest. Jag var ung och osäker på mig själv och jag lyssnade för mycket på vad alla andra ville och tyckte om min musik. Det ledde in sin tur till att jag aldrig blev nöjd eller klar med något och då var det bäst att låta bli!

Vilket råd skulle du ge någon yngre artist som hamnar i samma situation du var i?

– Ingenting är gratis. Det är en tuff bransch och det krävs hårt jobb och en jävla massa tur. Tro på dig själv och våga gå efter din egna magkänsla. Låt ingen annan påverka dig att vara någon du inte är. Var sann mot sig själv och följ ditt hjärta.

Vad ägnade du dig åt under åren fram till Hey Lover och Breaking Rules?

– Jag slutade aldrig med musiken. Skrev ny musik, jobbade med andra låtskrivare, turnerade med Familjen, jobbade, festade, reste och levde livet liksom.

Du och din bror Nabos karriärer har gått sida vid sida och ni har varit till hjälp för varandra. Berätta lite om er relation och Zamaru.

– Jag och min bror har alltid skrivit och jobbat tillsammans med musiken. Jag vet inte om jag hade hållit på med musik på samma sätt om det inte vore för honom. Zamaru är ett projekt som jag och Nabo har startat tillsammans. Vi har alltid haft en gemensam dröm om att skriva och sjunga på assyriska då vi ursprungligen är Assyrier. Skriva nya låtar och förnya gamla assyriska låtar som inte sjungs längre för att hålla dem vid liv. Målet är att sedan blanda in musik från olika delar av världen.

Stämmer det att du är uppvuxen i Botkyrka? Hur har din uppväxt präglat dig tycker du?

– Jag är uppvuxen i Botkyrka och har bott där större delen av mitt liv. Det har präglat mig på alla möjliga sätt. Jag känner mig lyckligt lottad över att ha fått möjligheten att växa upp med människor från alla olika delar av världen, med alla olika typer av religioner. Det har format mig till den jag är idag. Jag är mest tacksam över mina barndomsvänner som jag har nära mig än idag. Allt startade i Botkyrka.

Kan man höra några influenser från ditt assyriska ursprung på Great Leap Forward? I så fall på vilket sätt?

– Jag vet inte om det hörs sådär direkt men det är en del av mig så jag antar att det finns något där. I videon däremot är det väldigt tydligt, där har vi använt assyrisk skrift på vissa ställen istället för engelska.

Just nu har Sverige ett större antal framgångsrika kvinnliga artister än på länge, kanske någonsin, och du var själv tillsammans med bl.a. Tove Lo och Seinabo Sey i Austin under årets SXSW. Mycket av snacket kring den svenska närvaron har handlat om just att 15 av 19 akter helt eller delvis bestått av kvinnor. Sporrar detta, eller tänker man själv inte alls på det? Tycker du rent av att det inte ens borde handla om det?

– Det är sån pepp att det kommer ut så mycket bra musik och att det är starka, talangfulla kvinnor som står bakom. Det borde absolut uppmärksammas och jag är stolt över att få vara en del av det.

Så sent som för 15 månader sedan skrevs ett öppet brev från ett stort antal kvinnliga musiker och artister med Robyn och Lykke Li i spetsen där man ifrågasatte medias fixering vid deras manliga kollegor. Speglar det den bild du har också? Har du sett någon förändring under åren?

– Ja, jag är förmodligen en av väldigt många som inte har tänkt på att det är så som de beskriver i brevet. Det är ett klart tecken på att man är så formad av hur samhället ser ut idag och varför det är så viktigt att det uppmärksammas och att vi ändrar på det.

Vad tycker du var viktigast och gav mest med din närvaro vid SXSW?

– Att få synas, höras och uppträda framför nya människor varje dag var absolut roligast och viktigast för mig!

Du har samarbetat med Johan T. Karlsson och på nya EP:n medverkar bl.a. Peter Morén från Peter Bjorn and John. Vad är viktigast för dig när du väljer vem du jobbar med?

– Det har skett ganska naturligt oftast, men viktigast är att man klickar med varann. Jag måste känna mig bekväm med personer som jag skriver musik med för att det ska bli bra. När man sitter och fikar och snackar skit första tre timmarna och sedan skriver en fet låt sista timmen, då vet man att det är bra!

Vissa av de fem spåren har medryckande refränger medan andra är lite mer svårmodiga och suggestiva men ändå pop i grunden. Är den variationen medveten?

– Jag vill alltid vara fri i mitt låtskrivande och tycker inte om att begränsa mig när det kommer till sound eller stil på låtarna. Jag följer min känsla och är inte rädd för att visa mina olika musikaliska sidor.

”Great Leap Forward” är en av mina favoriter från skivan. Kan du berätta lite om bakgrunden till hur låten skrevs och spelades in?

– Jag, Peter Ågren och Peter Morén skrev den tillsammans för ett par år sen faktist. Det var ganska länge sen, men jag tror bara att vi började “jamma” och fick fram en schysst melodi och sedan en text som vi skrev tillsammans efter långa samtal om livet och orättvisor. Vi spelade in en snabb slaskversion. Peter Ågren pusslade ihop och utvecklade produktionen med hjälp utav Tommy Spaanheden. Och så vart Great Leap Forward född!

Det verkar som att du satt avtryck internationellt då flera engelskspråkiga musiksajter rapporterar om varje släpp du gör. Hur ser du på närmaste framtiden? Kommer du att turnera både hemma och utomlands?

– Jag siktar alltid högt och hoppas att det forsätter och sprids ännu mer! Det vore en dröm att få turnera över hela världen med min musik!

The Bucket List, Vecka 20, 2015

Det har tagit lite längre än vanligt mellan förra listan och denna. Det blir lätt så. Men istället för att hafsa ihop ett gäng låtar “bara därför att” tyckte jag det var bättre att hinna gå igenom alla nya släpp ordentligt. Och se, blev det inte en riktigt fin samling till slut?

Absorbera nu listan i lugn och ro, precis som den blev sammanställd. Det är så dom ska tas.

LYSSNA PÅ THE BUCKET LIST VIA TIDAL/WIMP


The Legends “Keep Him”(singel)

Ni som följer spellistorna här på Songs for Whoever vet att jag är ett fan av det mesta Johan Angergård företar sig. Club 8 hade en låt med på årsbästalistan 2013 och även Eternal Death har figurerat här. Nu har Angergård bestämt sig för att återuppta The Legends igen efter sex års uppehåll, och givetvis blir det precis så bra man kan förvänta sig: smekande elpianon, lätt tassande trummaskin och den försynta sångrösten med vårvarma vindpustar av reverb.

The Chemical Brothers feat. Q-Tip “Go”(från kommande albumet Born In The Echoes)

Vilken återkomst av Tom Rowlands och Ed Simons. “Go” har en del gemensamt med deras tidigare singel “Do It Again” från 2007, med tillägget att Q-Tip(A Tribe Called Quest) rappar. Dessutom kommer den med en enkel men intelligent video från Michel Gondry.

Morning Harvey “Smith Street Swap Meet”(singel)

Madchester är aldrig längre bort än en tripp till Brisbane.

Novella “Follow”(från Land)

Londonbaserade Novella, en kraut/shoegazekvintett bestående av fyra tjejer och en kille, har precis släppt debutalbumet och är något för fans av Stereolab.

Propeller “Wish I Had Her Picture”(singel)

Om du trodde att Teenage Fanclub var det närmaste man kunde komma himmelriket så tycker jag att du ska ta dig en funderare.

The Tallest Man On Earth “Little Nowhere Towns”(från Dark Bird Is Home)

Kristian Matsson vid pianot. Berättelser om sömniga småstäder flyger ur hans mun. Man hade velat vara i studion.

Christian Tiger School “Cinderella Rocafella”(från kommande albumet Chrome Tapes)

Sydafrikanska duon Luc Veermeer och Sebastian Zanasi gör ambient, trippig electronica med jazzinfluenser, och nya singeln går igenom flera stadier under sina åtta och en halv minuter. Debutalbum i sommar.

Funkerman feat. J.W. “Foolish Game”(singel)

Belgaren med det dansvänliga namnet låg bakom en av mina favoritdanslåtar, “Speed Up” från 2006. Ny favorit på ingång här.

Guantanamo Baywatch “Jungle Bride”(från Darling…It’s Too Late)

Surfrockarna från Portland varvar sångnummer med instrumentala och får det att svänga ordentligt.

Moonbabies “Pink Heart Mother”(från Wizards on The Beach)

Den här bubblande electronicapopen från Malmöduons fjärde album får hela magen att ta glädjeskutt.

Nick Diamonds “The Sting”(från City Of Quartz)

Kanadensiske Nick Thorburn kanske är mest känd som en av medlemmarna i indiebandet Islands, men det är bara ett av alla hans olika plattformar. Som Nick Diamonds gör han spacepop med drag av Air och softrock.

RHODES “Close Your Eyes”(singel)

Powerballad, anno 2015.

Wallace “Vinyl Skip”(singel)

Vems är den här mjuka, hesa och förnämliga soulrösten undrar ni? Jo, hon heter Wallace Gollan, kommer från Nya Zeeland och presenterar sig med den här fina debutsingeln som genererat jämförelser med Erykah Badu och Jill Scott.

Amason “Yellow Moon”(singel)

Ny singel från svenska superdupergruppen som spelar på både Way Out West och Popaganda i augusti.

A Projection “Camera”(från Exit)

Även om influenserna från The Sisters Of Mercy, The Cure och Joy Division ligger väl synliga utanpå stockholmarnas album är låtarna deras egna. Tveklöst bland de bästa debutanterna i år.

Fraser A. Gorman “Shiny Gun”(från kommande albumet Slow Gum)

Kan man spela 70-talsdoftande amerikansk rock och komma från Australien? Ja, det kan man.

Make The Girl Dance feat. Gavin Turek “Woo Hoo”(från Extraball)

Från början var “Woo Hoo” planerad att vara instrumental, men när Parisduon träffade sångerskan Gavin Turek i Los Angeles och hon hörde den frågade hon om hon inte fick prova att sjunga till den. Det fick hon, och resultatet blev ett stycke french house magnifíque. Notera också den “Los Niños Del Parque”-inspirerade basgången.

Mike Viola “Doctor Feel Blue”(från Stairway To Paradise EP)

Ni som kan er pophistoria vet att Viola sjöng den Oscarsnominerade “That Thing You Do” ur Tom Hanks-filmen med samma namn, och senaste året har han producerat både Jenny Lewis The Voyager och Ryan Adams självbetitlade album. Adams har nu återgäldat tjänsten genom att producera Violas nya 4-spårs EP och gett ut den på egna bolaget Pax Am.

Turbo Fruits “Favorite Girl”(från No Control)

Nya albumet från Nashville-baserade garagerockarna innehåller den här biktande stänkaren och är delvis producerat av Patrick Carney från Black Keys.

Everything Everything “Regret”(från Get To Heaven)

För att vara helt ärlig hade jag svårt för deras dunderhit “Cough Cough” för några år sedan, men britternas senaste singel är faktiskt en riktig pärla.

The Hanging Stars “Golden Vanity”(singel)

Baklängesgitarrerna! The Byrds-sången!

SOAK “Blud”(från kommande albumet Before We Forgot How To Dream)

18-åriga Bridie Monds-Watson från nordirländska Derry har som inspiration till “Blud” tagit vad alla barn någon gång i olika grad har behövt uppleva: när man hör ens föräldrar bråka.

The Sweeps “The Last Dream”(singel)

Som gammalt Italo Disco-freak måste man bara älska när någon i dagens tider får för sig att kopiera soundet från mitten av 80-talet och utföra hantverket exakt lika charmigt som en gång Valerie Dore.


Följande låtar bör heller inte, under några omständigheter, missas:

Ben Khan “1000”(från 1000 EP)

Doldrums “We Awake”(från The Air Conditioned Nightmare)

Joywave feat. KOPPS “Tongues”(från How Do You Feel Now?)

My Morning Jacket “Tropics(Erase Traces)”(från The Waterfall)

Andreya Triana “Keep Running”(från Giants)

Hagaliden “Förunderligt Och Märkligt”(singel)

Jaakko Eino Kalevi “Deeper Shadows”(från kommande albumet Jaakko Eino Kalevi)

Superpoze “Ten Lakes”(från Opening)

Cayucas “Moony Eyed Walrus”(från kommande albumet Dancing At The Blue Lagoon)

Landshapes “Fire”(från Heyoon)

Mikal Cronin “iii) Control”(från MCIII)

Daniel Norgren “Lonely Girl”(från Alabursy)

STS x RJD2 “Hold On, Here It Go”(från STS x RJD2)

Surfer Blood “Islands”(från 1000 Palms)

Feivel “Where It Ends”(från Walls)

Ghostpoet feat. Nadine Shah “X Marks The Spot”(från Shedding Skin)

The Kite String Tangle x Dustin Tebbutt “Illuminate”(singel)

Little Boots “Better In The Morning”(från kommande albumet Working Girl)

Pale Blue “Distance To The Waves”(från The Past We Leave Behind)

The Stone Foxes “Eye For Love”(från kommande albumet Twelve Spells)

Thomas Truax “I Was A Teenage Post-Punk”(från Jetstream Sunset)

VÉRITÉ “Colors”(singel)

Black Atlass “Blonde”(från Jade)

Les Big Byrd “The Summer Ends Tonight”(från Liquid Sky EP)

Unknown Mortal Orchestra “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone”(från kommande albumet Multi-Love)

The Weather Station “Like Sisters”(från Loyalty)

Giorgio Moroder feat. Mikky Ekko “Don’t Let Go”(från kommande albumet Déjà Vu)

The Holydrug Couple “Light Or Night”(från Moonlust)

Metric “The Shade”(singel)

Summer Heart “The Cross”(från Thinkin Of U EP)

moodblanc “Over”(singel)

Ninsun Poli “Heartless”(från Great Leap Forward EP)

Westkust “Dishwasher”(från Last Forever)

Aurora “Running With The Wolves”(singel)

Flyying Colours “Running Late”(från ROYGBIV)

Könsförrädare “Blast Beats”(från kommande albumet End Of History)

Little Death Machine “December”(från Pale)

Rainy Milo “‘Bout You”(från This Thing Of Ours)

San Cisco “Too Much Time Together”(från Gracetown)

The Van Jets “Utopia”(från Welcome To Strange Paradise)

Decaparecidos “Bracknell”(från kommande albumet Payola)

Dive In “Eighteen”(från kommande EP:n Eighteen)

Made In Heights “Slow Burn”(från kommande albumet Without My Enemy What Would I Do)

Kathryn Williams “Cuckoo”(från kommande albumet Hypoxia)

Peach Kelli Pop “Bat Wing”(från Peach Kelli Pop III)

Refused “Elektra”(från kommande albumet Freedom)

Ben Lee “The Body Of Love”(från Love Is The Great Rebellion)

Lucy Mason “All You Want”(från All You Want EP)

Metz “Spit You Out”(från II)

Milky Wimpshake “You Don’t Look Twice”(från Encore, Un Effort!)

Blanck Mass “Double Cross”(från Dumb Flesh)

Faith Healer “Until The World Lets Me Go”(från Cosmic Troubles)

Hi-Alerts “I’m On The Run”(från Conjure Time)

Miguel “Coffee”(från kommande albumet Wildheart)

Silences “The Sea”(singel)

Giant Sand “House In Order”(från Heartbreak Pass)

A Grave With No Name “I Will Ride A Horse”(från Feathers Wet, Under The Moon)

Broken Water “Love And Poverty”(från Wrought)

Citizens! “European Girl”(från European Soul)

Empress Of “Water Water”(singel)

Mac McCaughan “Barely There”(från Non-Believers)

Work Drugs “My Billie Jean”(från kommande albumet Louisa)

Big Harp “It’s A Shame”(singel)

Crocodiles “Crybaby Demon”(från Boys)

Joy Wellboy “I’m Waiting For You”(från kommande albumet Wedding)

La Luz “You Disappear”(från kommande albumet Weirdo Shrine)

Mew “The Night Believer”(från +-)

Tame Impala “Disciples”(från kommande albumet Currents)

Vinyl Williams “World Soul”(från kommande albumet Into)

Turboweekend “Disco To Disco”(från Share My Thunder)

Van Hunt “Old Hat”(från The Fun Rises, The Fun Sets)

Frankie & The Heartstrings “Save It For Tonight”(från kommande albumet Decency)

Hælos “Earth Not Above”(singel)

Michael Rault “Lost Something”(från Living Daylight)

Turnover “Diazepam”(från Peripheral Vision)

For BDK “My Tears”(singel)

Swim Deep “One Great Song And I Can Change The World”(singel)

Eternal Summers “Gold And Stone”(från kommande albumet Gold And Stone)

Future Islands “The Chase”(singel)

The Helio Sequence “Upward Mobility”(från The Helio Sequence)

Crystal Castles “Frail”(singel)

Hiatus Kaiyote “Swamp Thing”(från Choose Your Weapon)

Twinsmith “Alligator Years”(från Alligator Years)

Chlöe Howl “Bad Dream”(singel)

Mates Of State “Staring Contest”(från You’re Going To Make It EP)

Active Child “Never Far Away”(från kommande albumet Mercy)

Mideau “Feet To The Sun”(från Mideau)

San Fermin “Reckoning”(från Jackrabbit)

Jackson Scott “Save The World”(från Sunshine Redux)

 

LYSSNA PÅ THE BUCKET LIST VIA TIDAL/WIMP

Interview: Ryley Walker – “I’m pretty into anything far-out”

Written by Tommy Juto

– “Even the dog was good-looking!”

Daniel Bachmann is Ryley Walker’s tour support and best mate. This night the two of them are also roommates as there has been a misunderstanding when making reservations, so now they’re one hotel room short at a fully booked Scandic Grand Central in Stockholm. Bachmann and Walker are getting ready for their show tonight by enjoying a few drinks in the hotel lobby and at the same time asseverating their admiration for the posh appearance of the Swedish people. Earlier during the day they visited a restaurant in town with nothing but fancy, good-looking fellow diners, including one equally posh and well-trained dog. Bachmann makes a sweeping gesture towards the occupants of the lobby’s other lounge suites as to prove his point.

When Walker shortly afterwards returns from the bar, carrying a tall glass containing an unidentified alcoholic beverage with clinking ice cubes, I can’t help but jokingly ask: “Is it a Primrose Green?”, the title of his recently released second album titled after a drink he and his friends made up as teenagers. He smiles wryly and replies: “I should have asked them to do it! But no, it’s whisky and ginger ale.”

Half an hour prior to our profound conversation about looks and booze I’ve sat down in a conference room – ironic as it sounds seeing as he shared some opinions on “corporate bullshit” – for an interview with the twelve string prodigy. One subject I(almost) avoided was referencing all his spiritual ancestors: Tim Buckley, John Martyn, Nick Drake et al. Him carrying the torch is most evident during his gig later in the evening as I spot a man and a woman in their sixties standing in front of the stage nodding their heads in rhythm with Walker’s mantras, grey pony tails dangling compliantly.

It seems like you’re doing a lot of interviews and try to stay accessible to everybody. Is that so?

Yeah, a lot of people ask me to, and I’m quite happy to do so because I’m a big fan of music writing so I think to participate is interesting. So I try to if I can. I just like talking about music, I guess.

What’s your first memory of getting into music?

I remember my mom driving around in Illinois and we’d be listening to AM radio, hearing a lot of oldies, old soul music. We’re not a huge musical family, but I remember hearing Otis Redding as a kid. I looked him up in this encyclopedia of music at school.

Why did you choose playing the guitar?

It was pretty cool. I kind of liked to play drums at first, but some friend gave me this guitar so I got lucky, I didn’t have to save up for it. He just went “I don’t need this anymore”, so I just took it on when someone wanted to trash it and I turned it into a treasure.

You’re often seen as something of a guitar virtuoso, and it’s easy to imagine how you never hung out with your friends but instead you stayed in practicing.

No, I always used to hang out with my friends. I actually think I should have practiced more, to be honest. I always practiced when I got home after school, getting stoned. I always found time for my friends but the guitar came first. I still practice a lot, I do it all the time.

Do you play any other instruments?

No. I’m terrible.

You mentioned the drums, but that hasn’t happened?

No, I’m a fucking awful drummer. The worst drummer in the world. I don’t have the skill in anything else.

Seeing as you played in a lot of punk bands when you were younger, do you sometimes wish that you could go out stage just playing three chord Ramones-type songs instead of your usual stuff?

Yeah. I mean, I like what I do now, but the energy of punk rock always inspired me, the immediacy of it. I’d love to be in a punk band now, so if people need a guitarist I’m up for it. That music is really exciting and the energy carries over to what I do, I think.

Punk rock was always about going against the mainstream, and in a way, that’s what you’re doing now by playing jazzy folkrock. Is that how you feel about it too?

I’m pretty into anything far-out, any music that is against the establishment. Anything that turns it’s back on corporate bullshit. Not bad music, but any music that freaks people out I’m interested in.

What’s the worst thing somebody has said about your music?

I don’t like to google or anything, but drunk people sometimes go “You suck!”. Can’t please ‘em all, you know… Nothing to evil.

Have you ever been asked to go to hell?

Oh yeah, usually in America. Just asshole drunks in the south, but never over here.

Playing this type of retro folk rock, you must have seen all the comparisons with Tim Buckley, John Martyn and the others coming?

Yeah, I’m a big fan of their music. Especially with the instrumentation having a double bass, electric guitar, keys and vibraphones. All those things are a big influence, it’s a big starting point. I think a do a lot of different stuff than that, but yeah, it’s a huge starting point, but absolutely to be expected. These days if you sound like another artist you’re kind of hammered home. But if you sound like Bach or Mozart, it’s just tradition that carries on but you always move forward with things.

You’re from a city background but as a contrast the album cover is quite pastoral. Why did you go for that design?

I live in the city, but being outdoor is just a place I like to go in my mind, I guess. It’s funny, that cover was shot in Chicago in a forest preserve, a sanctioned place in the city which isn’t filled with garbage and shit. Chicago is a really dirty city, but that’s where it actually is. I know it looks pastoral but it’s still a city record, you know. The imagery of outdoor, Chicago is so dense and close together with five million people there, but there’s this one part that feels spacey and really outdoorsy. It’s in Garfield Park, a really, really beautiful place.

Did you get the inspiration for the cover from other albums?

Absolutely. It’s a hodge-podge of record covers I like. I think I want it to age well, you know, get ringwear around it. I like to buy records and those things just transposed into this I guess.

In this digital age, album covers sometimes don’t seem so necessary, but it’s still important to have some sort of trademark, isn’t it?

Albums are really important to me ‘cause I don’t release singles. To have an image and be able to hold it in your hands is really important to me personally.

“Sweet Satisfaction” is one of this year’s greatest songs so far. Could you tell us the story behind it?

Well, thanks. I came up with that in the middle of winter in a desolate Chicago last year, it gets really cold there, way below zero, three feet of snow, dangerous to go outside. I think it’s kind of a cover poet drunk song, a desperate song. You have seven or eight drinks and all of a sudden you think you’re this poet and can reach into a woman’s heart with this poem. It comes from that standing point. A drunk leaning against the wall poet. We had to cut that song down, because originally it was like fifteen minutes long. Maybe in the box set in twenty years! I like that version better but the label thought there was no room left on the record. We had to edit out that jam section in the end. It wen’t on forever, not in a bad way, I thought it was pretty cool with the strings and that bit that sounded like Terry Riley.

What song do you wish you’d written?

Wow, that’s a huge question. Nothing too obscure… Maybe a song like Anne Briggs “Go Your Way”. That’s my favourite song ever, it’s very personal. Or maybe a Tim Hardin song.

Nowadays everybody’s working hard to make a living and some people may perhaps go too far on their quest for success. Have you ever had to tell a lie in order to get somewhere career-wise?

No, I’m just brutally honest, not that I’m mean or anything. I’ve been fortunate enough to have good people around that want to work with me. I don’t really care about that, I just wanna make records and let other people I know do the talking. There’s no reason for me to put myself in the position where I need to lie, I don’t wanna do that. What’s a living? I live on a couch back home in Chicago by choice ‘cause I like it. I live to tour, I live to be in Stockholm and anywhere far from home. I’m comfortable with that.

Have you worked full time as a musician for long?

No. I had a job up until about a year ago.

What did you do?

I was on the phone all day with a computer, selling golf clubs.

Selling golf clubs?

Yeah, it was like a golf website, magazine kind of thing, people calling in to order golf clubs. It was a bit like reading a script on a customer hotline. But I’ve had so many jobs. Dishwasher, yard work, constructions, everything…

Do you play golf?

No. God no! You’d never catch me on a golf course.

Just before us sitting down to chat, you had a quick shot of whisky. Do you think alcohol is a catalyst for creativity or is it inhibiting?

Well, it’s definitely not good for you. I don’t know, I like a taste. It gets me by, I’m fine.

Your new album has had a lot of praise so far in the music press, which must be flattering. Do you get affected by that in any way?

Yeah, it’s nice, maybe not flattering or anything. People come to the gigs, especially in England and tell me they read about me in Uncut. But you know, there’s ten people in an office in London e-mailing about the album all day, so I applaud them, I gotta give them credit. So it’s a lot about their hard work, but of course I appreciate it, it’s really nice.

Have things gotten more hectic since the buzz of the album started?

Yeah, I’m touring a lot more. I used to book my own gigs, e-mailing a lot, but now the gigs come at you which is nice. I always say yes to everything, I like to be the example of working hard, coming from that sort of background. When I’m at home too long I’m going crazy.

What do you do when you’re at home not touring?

Play a lot of guitar, try to write new music. Running around town, hanging out with my girlfriend, trying to not sit around too much.

You never get fed up with music?

Well, yeah, some days are harder than others, but you know, my dad wakes up at five in the morning every day to make car parts. I’d rather be doing this, I get to be in Stockholm. It’s work, you know. Hard work.

Yes, it hasn’t even been a year since your first album came out, which proves your point I guess. Have you got another one lined up within the next year?

I haven’t recorded yet, I think I’m recording in June some time when I’m home for a couple of weeks. It should be out this time next year, hopefully. It’s always about the next album.

You’ve got the songs?

Yeah, I’ve got the songs. Still gotta tweak a few things, but I’ve got all the ideas laid out for it. Hopefully it’s out in a year so I can go out and tour some more. ‘Cause I mean this record it’s good, but it doesn’t have the potential for me to tour it for two years, it’s not that big. Hopefully I’ll just keep releasing and releasing so I can go on.

I know you’ve been practicing a lot on the guitar to get better and better all the time. Was it difficult in the beginning to play fingerstyle and sing at the same time?

No, that was never the problem. It’s not like B.B. King who can only do one thing at a time. I think just getting better and more confident with singing. I don’t think I have the best voice, but when I started it was just like a weak muscle. It’s there, I think I have somewhat of a natural voice. It was already there, but I had to work at it. If you saw me live a year ago you’d see a difference. I see a difference anyway. That was more of a challenge, just getting better at singing.

Have you ever felt that your songs could be sung by somebody else?

I’d love to do that, though I don’t think that tradition exists anymore. You know, like Judee Sill writing “Lady-O” for The Turtles, I’d love that, I wish it was still around but I definitely can’t imagine anybody knocking at my door for a song. I would do it, though, being a singer-songwriter like Randy Newman or somebody.

Yes, Randy Newman. Could you imagine writing for films like him?

Fuck yeah, man! Again, I don’t really see that opportunity anytime soon, but yes. Like a band like Popol Vuh, the german krautrock band in the seventies, they had cool records that were film soundtracks… Even Neil Young, he does amazing soundtracks. So totally, man, anytime.

Closer at hand maybe is letting songs be used in TV series?

Hell yeah, as long as it’s not about supporting republican assholes in America, then sure. As long as I can stand behind it. As long as it’s not funded by right-wing dicks.

Are you into politics?

I’m pretty unabashed liberal, I guess. I like Scandinavia a lot, you don’t occupy countries. I like socialism and progressive politics in America. I’m amongst a huge group of people in America who think like that, especially younger people like myself.

Backtrack of the day #557: Catherine Wheel ”Satellite”(från Adam and Eve, 1997)

LYSSNA VIA WiMP

Bara det faktum att ens kusin heter Bruce Dickinson borde ha öppnat en del dörrar. Därmed inte sagt att Rob Dickinson, frontman i Catherine Wheel, satte det på visitkortet. Hans eget band var ju ändå det största i hemstaden Great Yarmouth. Första åren bakades de in i shoegaze, och visst var det mycket gitarrer i deras sound, men mot slutet av 90-talet visade de en mer polerad sida inriktad på snygga arrangemang och tydligare melodier.

På albumet Adam and Eve lät bandet som en fortsättning på Talk Talk, något som kan tillskrivas en viss gästmusiker. Keyboardisten och producenten Tim Friese-Greene var inofficiell medlem i Talk Talk under många år. Han hade dessutom producerat Catherine Wheel-albumet Ferment 1992. Hela Adam and Eve är en mycket starkare platta än den erkänts vara, och “Satellite” som är ett av de rockigare spåren bjuder på massiva riff och fina vokalharmonier.

The Bucket List, Vecka 14, 2015

Påsken skall inledas på bästa sätt. Därför har jag förberett en finfin spellista till er. Ett påskägg med en massa godis.

Håll till godo.


Seinabo Sey “Pretend”(från For Maudo EP)

Det finns mycket att uppskatta hos vår snart mest lysande soulstjärna. En av dem är att hon har precis samma pondus när hon sjunger hårdfunk som när hon sjunger en tårdrypande ballad. Och jag gillar verkligen den här lite ruffigare låten från nya EP:n som tillägnats hennes bortgångne far Maudo.

Mild High Club “Window Pane”(singel)

Alexander Brettin har spelat med Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore och Silk Rhodes för att nämna några. Han leder även det här psykedeliska funkbandet från Los Angeles. Brian Wilson/High Llamas-tassande “Window Pane” är första singeln från ett ännu ej färdigställt debutalbum på Stones Throw Records.

The Bloakes “Bhagavan”(singel)

Psychrockband från Örebro som härmed är satta under bevakning. För fans av brittiska Temples.

Snoop Dogg feat. Charlie Wilson “Peaches N Cream”(från kommande albumet Bush)

Vet inte hur jag ska beskriva min glädje över att Snoop Dogg är tillbaka i G-Funk igen efter utflykten till reggaeland under pseudonymen Snoop Lion. Men herregud så det svänger igen. Och ändå tror jag inte att all förtjänst ligger hos Pharrell Williams som producerar nya albumet.

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell “The Traveling Kind”(från kommande albumet The Traveling Kind)

Nytt duettalbum på gång i maj.

8:58 feat. Robert Smith & Lianne Hall “Please”(från 8:58)

Nya technoprojektet från Paul Hartnoll(Orbital) inkluderar en rad gästvokalister, däribland Robert Smith, Ed Harcourt, Lisa Knapp och The Unthanks.

Peter Doherty “Flags Of The Old Regime”(singel)

Världens Struligaste Rockstjärna kunde ha gått samma väg som Amy Winehouse. Istället hyllar Libertines-mannen henne i det här finstämda numret och donerar alla intäkter till hennes minnesfond. Hoppet om ett rent liv lever.

Cajsa Siik “State Of Low”(singel)

Världen börjar vakna ordentligt nu. Lovord rivs ner från alla hörn för den svenska elektropopsångerskan som

Kendrick Lamar “King Kunta”(från To Pimp A Butterfly)

Om James Brown hade varit rappare.

Unwed Teenage Mothers “Whose Girl Are You”(från Goodnight Girl)

Kommer man från ett pluttesamhälle i Missouri och lirar 70-tals powerpop i rakt nedåtstigande led från Dwight Twilley Band och The Romantics och dessutom avslutar en låt i bästa cha-cha-cha-stil ska man min själv också vara med på en lista som tipsar om de just nu bästa låtarna.

The Milk Carton Kids “Monterey”(från kommande albumet Monterey)

Simon & Garfunkel-traditionalisterna släpper nytt i maj. Mjuka titelspåret ute nu.

Dorian “Arrecife”(från kommande albumet Diez Años Y Un Día)

Ett av den spansktalande världens populäraste indieband, Barcelonakvintetten Dorian, är på gång med sitt femte album, och inledande “Arrecife” är bland det vackraste, mest längtansfulla och trånande du lär höra i år.

FFS “Piss Off”(från kommande albumet FFS)

Franz Ferdinand + Sparks = FFS = sant! Ett av årets mest emotsedda samarbeten är äntligen här.

The Lucid Dream “Cold Killer”(från The Lucid Dream)

Krautrock, Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3, The Jesus & Mary Chain och The Beach Boys. Där har ni några referensramar till den här spännande Carlisle-kvartetten.

Ane Brun “Directions”(singel)

Tydliga vibbar från Björks tidiga soloår, fast på ett trip-hoppigt Ane Brun-vis.

Friend Within feat. Camden Cox “The Talk”(singel)

Lee Mortimer heter han, house-DJ:n Friend Within från Liverpool, och ni kanske känner igen hans artistnamn från Disclosure-samarbetet “The Mechanism”.

Mika “Talk About You”(singel)

Ingen gick oberörd när Mika Pennimans syster Paloma för fem år sedan föll från ett öppet fönster 16 meter ner och spetsades av ett järnstaket. Mirakulöst nog överlevde hon, och Mika fortsatte göra glad musik. Det är vi väldigt, väldigt glada för. För bägge sakerna.

Robin Guthrie and Mark Gardener “Yesterday’s News”(från Universal Road)

Drömpop möter shoegaze. Cocteau Twins möter Ride. Drömpop drog längsta strået. Blir precis så bra som man kan hoppas.

Ryan Adams “Blue Light”(singel)

Ny låt som trulige Adams spelade live vid sitt besök på Cirkus i Stockholm för några veckor sedan. Väldigt lite country, väldigt mycket powerpop med rifflån från både The Producers “What She Does To Me” och Bryan Adams “Run To You”(jo, på riktigt).

HOLY “Rooftops”(från Stabs)

Umeås, Sveriges och världens just nu bästa 60-tals-psychfolk.

Surf City “Thumbs Up”(från Jekyll Island)

När vi ändå är inne på 60-talsinfluerat kan vi även slå ett slag för nyazeeländska Surf City som gör finfin Nuggets-pop i klass med Donovan Blanc varvat med 80-talsindie av The Go-Betweens-kaliber.

Mavis Staples “Your Good Fortune”(från kommande EP:n Your Good Fortune)

Flera gånger hyllad här på Songs for Whoever, och nu även producent för legendariska Mavis Staples kommande EP. Jag talar förstås om Aaron Earl Livingston aka Son Little. Han har även skrivit “Your Good Fortune”, en av två låtar från honom på EP:n.

Son Little “O Mother”(singel)

Därför måste ni också få smaka på hans egna alster i form av den politiskt laddade “O Mother” som av The New Yorker ansågs “ta över där Marvin Gayes ‘What’s Going On'” slutar.

Azure Blue “Tragedy & Changes”(singel)

Tobias Isaksson har återigen doppat näsan djupt ner i 80-talet och eftersom min favorit-one-hit-wonder är “The Promise” med When In Rome har jag inga som helst problem med att “Tragedy & Changes” har släktband till den.

Eaves “Pylons”(från kommande albumet What Green Feels Like)

Joe Lyons är Leedsbaserade singer/songwritern Eaves riktiga namn. “Pylons” är första singeln från ett kommande debutalbum som han marknadsför bl.a. med spelningar ihop med Nick Mulvey.

Howling “Signs”(från kommande albumet Sacred Ground)

Nya projektet Howling består av rosade electronicaartisten RY X(alias Ry Cuming, även medlem i The Acid) och tyske producenten Frank Wiedemann. “Signs” börjar lite jazzigt men växer efterhand till en atmosfärisk, spöklik sak.

Son Lux “Change Is Everything”(från kommande albumet Bones)

Förra året gjorde Ryan Lott ett spännande samarbete med Serengeti och Sufjan Stevens under namnet Sisyphus, nu är ett eget album i antågande.

Phoebe Ryan “Mine”(singel)

Den Los Angeles-baserade electropopsångerskan har förvisso släppt ytterligare en singel efter “Mine”, men den här vill liksom inte släppa mitt inre.

Kathryn Calder “Take A Little Time”(från kommande albumet Kathryn Calder)

När jag för ett antal år sedan såg The New Pornographers live blev jag besviken över att Neko Case saknades på scen, men när den mörklockiga typen vid keyboarden öppnade munnen gjorde jag det inte längre. Nu släpper hon sitt tredje soloalbum, inspelat i studion hemma på Vancouver Island som hon byggt och äger tillsammans med maken Colin Stewart. Bland gästerna noterar vi singer-songwritern Dan Mangan.

The Minus 5 “In The Ground”(från Dungeon Golds)

Som vanligt janglepop av yppersta Beatles-klass från Peter Buck och Scott McCaughey, den här gången i sällskap med Jeff Tweedy.

Emile Haynie feat. Andrew Wyatt and Colin Blunstone “Nobody Believes You”(från We Fall)

Att få höra två sammetsröster tillsammans(Wyatt från Miike Snow och legenden Blunstone från The Zombies) i en modern phillysoulvariant är en ynnest.

David Myhr “Oh Susie”(b-sida)

Den forne Merrymakers-sångaren har spelat in Elvis Costellos och Paul McCartneys “Veronica” för en hyllningsskiva till nämnde Costello, och när låten nu getts ut som singel finns som baksida/bonusspår/kalladetvadduvill en cover på gamla Secret Service-hiten “Oh Susie” från 1979 också med. Stråkar, tympanis, och mindre disco.

Fickle Friends “Could Be Wrong”(från kommande EP:n Velvet)

Den som kollade in Songs for Whoevers årsbästalista för 2014 vet vilken typ av popmusik det här bandet är kapabla till, så “Could Be Wrong” kommer inte som någon överraskning.

George Maple feat. Grande Marshall “Where You End And I Begin”(singel)

George är inte det vanligaste förnamnet på en kvinna, än mindre på en kvinnlig sångare, men denna australiensiska fyller luckan Jessie Ware lämnar efter sig när hon inte är i etern. Philadelphiarapparen Grande Marshall får vi på köpet.

Oddisee “That’s Love”(från kommande albumet The Good Fight)

Fartfylld alternativ-hip-hop krönt med blås och clavinet.

Gypsy & The Cat “Lost Control”(singel)

Melbourneduon Xavier Bacash och Lionel Towers skäms inte ett dugg för sina franskklingande syntdiscoinfluenser från Daft Punk och Air. Det ska dom inte heller.


Följande låtar bör heller inte, under några omständigheter, missas:

MNEK “The Rhythm”(från Small Talk EP)

East India Youth “Turn Away”(från Culture Of Volume)

Great Lake Swimmers “Don’t Leave Me Hanging”(från kommande albumet A Forest Of Arms)

Handsome Ghost “Steps”(från Steps EP)

Lola Marsh “Sirens”(singel)

Maja Francis “Last Days Of Dancing”(singel)

The Mispers “Weekend”(singel)

Sibirien “Warszawa Amsterdam”(singel)

Will Joseph Cook “Message”(från kommande albumet You Jump I Run)

Beth Hart “Tell Her You Belong To Me”(från Better Than Home)

En Drös Poeter “Kräver Aldrig Något Av STHLM”(singel)

Maribou State “Rituals”(från kommande albumet Portraits)

Miami Horror feat. Cleopold “Love Like Mine”(från kommande albumet All Possible Futures)

Summer Camp “Bad Love”(singel)

Hannah Cohen “I’ll Fake It”(från Pleasure Boy)

Jay-Jay Johansson “Moonshine”(från Moonshine EP)

Lower Dens “Ondine”(från Escape From Evil)

The Soft Moon “Wasting”(från Deeper)

Hudson Mohawke feat. Irfane “Lantern”(singel)

Mini Mansions “Honey, I’m Home”(från The Great Pretenders)

Warpaint “I’ll Start Believing”(singel)

Yumi Zouma “Dodi”(från EP II)

The Bright Light Social Hour “Sweet Madeline”(från Space Is Still The Place)

Ezra Furman “Restless Year”(singel)

Marc Almond “Scar”(från The Velvet Trail)

The Night VI “Turn Your Light On Me”(singel)

Vanbot “Trooper”(singel)

Errors “Slow Rotor”(från Lease Of Life)

Gang Of Youths “Radioface”(från kommande albumet The Positions)

Lisa Alma “Fine”(från kommande albumet Sweater)

Seasick Steve “Sonic Soul Boogie”(från Sonic Soul Surfer)

Twin Limb “Long Shadow”(singel)

Honne “Coastal Love”(singel)

Lady Lamb “Billions Of Eyes”(från After)

The Maccabees “Marks To Prove It”(singel)

Saturday, Monday feat. Newtimers & Ji Nilsson “Late”(från Late EP)

Big Data feat. Twin Shadow “Perfect Holiday”(från 2.0)

Jonathan Johansson “Midsommarkransen Baby”(från Lebensraum)

Laura Marling “Don’t Let Me Bring You Down”(från Short Movie)

The London Souls “When I’m With You”(från Here Come The Girls)

Twin Shadow “Half Life”(från Eclipse)

Yast “When You’re Around”(singel)

Alpine “Foolish”(från kommande albumet Yuck)

Elizabeth Rose “Another Earth”(singel)

Francisco The Man “In The Corners”(från Loose Ends)

Grimes & Bleachers “Entropy”(singel)

Jane Weaver “Don’t Take My Soul”(från The Silver Globe)

The Elwins “So Down Low”(från Play For Keeps)

Little Jinder “Random Folk”(singel)

Sweet Baboo “Sometimes”(från kommande albumet The Boombox Ballads)

Vetiver “Loose Ends”(från Complete Strangers)

Carnival Youth “Traffic Lights”(från No Clouds Allowed)

Julia Vero “Lilac Sky”(singel)

Shamir “Call It Off”(singel)

Sykes “Best Thing”(singel)

Villagers “The Soul Serene”(från kommande albumet Darling Arithmetic)

No Joy “Everything New”(från kommande albumet More Faithful)

Sufjan Stevens “The Only Thing”(från Carrie & Lowell)

James McMurtry “How’m I Gonna Find You Now”(från Complicated Game)

The Slow Show “Paint You Like A Rose”(från White Water)

Great Good Fine OK “Without You”(från 2M2H EP)

Torres “Sprinter”(från kommande albumet Sprinter)

Interview: Tuxedo – “Would Tha Dogg Pound rap on this and would Nate Dogg sing on it? That was really the qualification for a lot of the songs.”

Written by Tommy Juto

Their names are Mayer Hawthorne and Jake One. Their marching orders are to make other people dance and have fun. Their stance is that the best way to do it(pun intended) is by playing the right type of grooves. So they’ve made an album chock full of early eighties sounding funk, disco and boogie, celebrating their heroes like Zapp, Kool & The Gang and Gap Band. On their crusade they passed through Stockholm for a DJ set at the trendy Strandvägen 1 club, so I went down to question them on a few things. No sign of fancy tuxedoes as I enter, nor at the four top at the back end of the bar as Jake is casually wearing a sweater and jeans. The Mayer, however, is another story. No tux there either, but instead, he’s wearing the most outrageously colourful knitted jersey I’ve ever seen in my entire life. On the way home I find myself wishing I at least took a photo of it. Oh well.

Why have you chosen to market the album with a DJ tour?

Jake: The band is a pretty big ordeal, we’ve got like seven people in it.

Mayer: So we’re hoping that this introduction to everybody will get everybody excited enough where we can bring the whole band out and do the proper shows.

Jake: The DJ sets are a whole different kind of fun.

Mayer: I don’t think a lot of folks realize that both of us are really good DJ:s. You know, we were DJ:s first, I DJ:d for ten years before I even picked up a microphone, and I think a lot of people when they come to see us DJ are shocked that we’re actually DJ:s. So it’s a lot of fun for us, we get to do what we originally fell in love with.

When do you think you can have the whole band out on a tour?

Mayer: We just announced the first live band show in Los Angeles and it sold out really fast, so that’s a good sign.

Jake: We’re rehearsing for that, and I think we’re doing some live gigs at SXSW as well. There’ll be some footage of us floating around.

Mayer: We just shot a performance video with the whole band too, which is fun.

Were those musicians part of the album sessions also?

Mayer: Some of them yeah, but the album is mostly Jake and myself.

Who did what?

Mayer: Jake did most of the backing tracks, and I did the melody.

Jake: Then he would come in and rearrange things more to fit the song. He also played a lot of guitar.

There seem to be a lot of real instruments, not only machines?

Mayer: They’re nearly all real instruments, yeah.

Jake, did you do the drumming? They sound really natural.

Jake: I did all the programming of the drums, but the idea was for them to sound natural. We were trying to stay away from the…(makes “unz-unz” sounds).

Mayer: Jake is the drum master, that’s why everybody’s buying copies of Snare Jordan. They’re all trying to get his drum sounds.

Yes, I know you’ve sold quite a few of those. Don’t you think that it in a way could be contraproductive to sell ready-made sounds?

Jake: You know, it took me a while to warm up to the idea of doing it, because I felt that if I let my drums out then everybody’s beats would sound like me. But I think it was when I first did it, I kind of wanted to force myself to move on to something else. So it started as that purpose. Also I hear people that say it doesn’t sound like me at all, which is funny that it can be that way. Maybe it’s just my ear, how I hear things.

I guess maybe it can serve as an inspiration to people who want to start working with music the way you do?

Jake: Yes, I’ve heard how the sounds have popped up on a lot of different projects, which to me feels like they’re advertising for me! It shows that the bedroom producers, which I once was, took Jake One’s sounds and used them on J. Cole’s album or somebody else’s album, and that’s the intent. It feels good.

When making an album, most of the time I assume you’re trying to sound like nothing else. This time maybe it’s the other way round, you’re trying to sound like something else. Is it more difficult to do it this way?

Jake: I think we just kind of used the references as a guide and tried to make it our own. Whenever I would make a beat for this album I thought to myself “would Tha Dogg Pound rap on this, and would Nate Dogg sing on it?”, that was really my baseline for a lot of the songs.

Mayer(laughs): That was the qualification!

Jake: ‘Cause I played it to Battlecat and if he was moving, then yeah… We did other songs that didn’t hit the same way and scrapped them.

Mayer: We recorded a lot of songs that didn’t make the record, yeah.

Will you publish them on Soundcloud or something later on?

Mayer: Maybe, there was a reason why they didn’t make the album, they weren’t as good as the ones we put out. We’re keeping quality over quantity.

Jake: Yeah, we’re not gonna be dropping them… It’s not gonna be Tuxedo’s Tuesdays or some shit like that, it’s not gonna happen.

I suppose you prefer working on new things instead?

Mayer: Yeah, we’re already working on the next album.

Are you working on other things as well?

Jake: Yeah, during this process I was working on different projects, and he put out three albums!

Mayer: The Tuxedo release is my third in a year.

Jake: Some of the things with Tuxedo ended up on his other things.

Mayer: “Designer Drugs” was originally a Tuxedo song that I ended up using for my own project.

One of the songs I like from last year is “Never Take It Away”, the song you did with The Aston Shuffle. You’re often doing guest vocals on other’s songs. How did it happen with that song in particular?

Mayer: I do a lot of guest vocals, yeah. I try to work with different people, anybody I think is dope. They sent me a really good song that I think was great. They reached out to me, I had never heard of them. But the song was great, so I said “yeah, let’s do it”.

You said earlier that you’ve been DJ:ing a lot. Are you dedicated cratediggers?

Jake: That’s another thing we’re trying to do, we’re trying to get to Record Mania right now! That’s a place where I’ve been buying records all my life, so I’m excited to see the store.

Mayer: That was the reason we even became friends in the first place.

Jake: It’s crazy, I’ve been buying records for twenty-something years now, and when you get to a certain point it’s hard to find things that you don’t already have. It’s still fun, though.

Are you buying to collect certain artists or record companies like Stax, or are you hunting for samples?

Jake: I kinda buy for different things, like rare records I could put up on my wall or in my collection, then I buy anything I hear that I can sample.

Mayer: I don’t do any sampling, so for me it’s just about finding records I think are amazing to listen to. Just finding things that are inspiring, that are unique.

In your opinion, what’s the greatest sample ever done, besides your own of course…?

Jake: The greatest sample…? Shit…

Mayer: Wow, that’s a really good question.

Jake: I would say…

Mayer(laughs): Besides Pitbull sampling us?!

Jake(laughs): That was pretty fucking great!

You can pick that one if you like…

Jake: I think you get caught up in rarity after a while, being a collector, and then the first shit on vinyl is still the best. I’d go back to the early days when I heard A Tribe Called Quest sampling Ronnie Foster in “Electric Relaxation.

Mayer: Yeah, that’s a great one! (Starts humming the bassline) I don’t know why, but one that I always come to mind for me is Ronnie Laws

Jake: The Pressure sample?

Mayer: Yeah, the Pressure sample. It’s such an incredible loop in Black Moon’s “Who Got Da Props”. Da Beatminerz had some of the best. The Beatnuts had some too… You know what I was just bumpin’ really superhard the other day was Johnny “Hammond”, the “Big Sur Suite”. (Starts humming the horn intro)

Jake: Aaah, yeah…!

Can you get too snobby sometimes?

Jake: I think I’ve already left that stage, I’m back to listening to Donald Byrd all the time.

Mayer: All the records we just named are like dollar records. The thing that I always come back to is that there’s a reason why all those records end up in the dollar bin. It’s because people loved them so much and they sold that many copies of them. Come on, man, those records are amazing.

African-American music during the sixties and seventies, but also later on, was very political. The period of time you focus on, not so much, it was more about partying and sex.

Jake: I think it was a time when people in our country just wanted to forget about their problems.

Is that why you chose to focus on it?

Jake: No, it’s funny, I don’t even listen to lyrics in music, I just get the groove. If I like that, I don’t care what the fuck they’re talking about.

Mayer: It’s definitely all about the melody, the melody and the groove is everything. I mean, I see people quoting my lyrics on Twitter all the time, and they don’t even get them right, they don’t even know what I’m saying! But it doesn’t matter, it’s all about the melody and the feeling.

But “A Long Time” was a bit political?

Mayer: Yeah, it was a bit political. If you want to go there, for sure there’s a message. But I don’t know, what was part of the fun with this Tuxedo project was that the songs were less allegorical, less deep. It was much more surface level. Forget about your worries and dance. The album is about dancing. Every single song is about dancing and having fun. That was the goal, the idea was to make a record that you didn’t really have to think very much about.

One of my favourite songs from this period of time is “Joystick” by the Dazz Band.

Mayer: Yeah, hell yeah.

That song is not one bit about playing video games. Are there any songs on your album with double meanings that I haven’t spotted?

Mayer: We do that all the time, “Watch U Dance” is not what you think it is…

You didn’t go as far as playing video games, though?

Mayer: No… One of those, though, is…what’s that one…? (Starts singing in falsetto) “Playing video gaaames…”

Jake: C Brand.

Mayer: Yeah, C Brand. You gotta check that one out. “Wired For Games”. That’s a great boogie song.

Jake: We gotta play that tonight! Actually, they might be talking about playing video games.

Mayer: I don’t know, “you don’t need a quarter, I’m already turned on”, that’s like… That’s not about no real video games, it all comes back to that.

Jake: You see, I don’t listen to lyrics.

You’ve been doing music for some years now, and this Tuxedo project doesn’t seem to be that far a step away from what you’re doing normally. But when Daft Punk came out with “Get Lucky” last year, did you feel that they stole your thunder?

Mayer: It was more like a kick in the ass for us.

Jake: I was more thinking like, damn, I don’t wanna make it seem like we heard that and made this all up.

Mayer: We didn’t wanna feel like everybody thought we were biting off of that, ‘cause we had been working on these songs for so long, and that told us that the world was ready for us.

Jake: We put “Do It” out and I went to a club, somebody was DJ:ing and played it and people were still dancing, they didn’t leave.

Mayer(laughs): “They didn’t leave…”! That’s always encouraging!

Jake: Hey, you’ve been places that’ve seen the wrong song come on, and people will leave.

Mayer: They will, yeah. They’re fickle.

The song titles on your album, are they a nod to Prince?

Mayer: A nod to what? Oh, Prince. Um…

Yeah, you know, with words spelled as one single letter.

Mayer: Ah, yeah… I’m thinking it was more of a subconscious thing…

Jake: I’m thinking more like people type on social media.

Mayer: It’s definitely like a funk thing, though.

Prince used that on most of what he did, and your sound is related, especially to his early albums.

Mayer: Definitely, yeah. He also did the eyes for the letter I and so on. I don’t think that was even really something we consciously were thinking about when we did it, but…

Jake: That’s funny.

Mayer: All that stuff is just permanently ingrained in our brains.

Funk songs in general are a lot about getting the groove moving, and often they’re quite long, but yours seem to be more like radio edits?

Jake: I think just in general people’s attention span is so short. Our own attention span is short.

Mayer: Yeah, that’s what kids are like these days… We wanted to make a record that felt new and modern, that got right to it, and I know we had to fight John Morales on that a lot, when he was mixing the album. He really wanted to make ten minute mixes of every song, and we had to kind of wrangle him in on that.

Jake: But it was also like, “wow, he really liked this shit!”.

Do you think the album will really connect to the listeners once it’s out? What kind of reactions have you had?

Mayer: It’s hard to say, so far the reactions have been really good.

Jake: You know, the thing with radio and that kind of success is so much based on payin’-to-play, and we’re just not in that situation. And we also didn’t make the effort to format things for radio, it wasn’t really us.

Mayer: We could’ve done that, but it wasn’t the intention when we made the album. If we get that, it will be a bonus.

Jake: It wasn’t ever the goal to get it on radio. I don’t even listen to the radio anymore.