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Artist Picks: The Lunchtime Sardine Club
The Lunchtime Sardine Club (aka Oliver Newton) released his lo-fi psych-folk debut album Icecapades on August 12th, via the Sonic Anhedonic Recording Co.. Essentially a collection of short stories set to music, we thought it would be good to get inside the artist's head and ask him which of the tracks he felt was his favourite:
"I was watching a lot of 90’s Strange but True style programs, which was starting to inform some of the subject matter and even production of "Rumours", and one episode in particular really stood out. It was about the disappearance of three lighthouse keepers from an island off Scotland called the Flannan Isles.The mainland noticed that the lighthouse had stopped working, so they assembled a crew to go out to to see what the problem was.They had to wait almost 10 days until they could get there due to bad weather, but once there discovered the lighthouse empty; the only sign of disturbance was two overturned chairs in the dining quarters. In this particular program it was suggested that the lighthouse keepers had been turned into three ‘odd looking black birds’, which I imagine is exactly what happened… That story is kind of like a backdrop for the songs lyrical content, the passing of time/seasons/people and the effects it has.
Like pretty much all of the songs on the record it started out acoustic and pretty clean, but I carried on layering guitars and vocals and distorting them on cassette tape until it was thicker and murkier. Then when it came round to mixing the track I wrestled with phasey flange (from having two of the same bits of audio playing at slightly differing speeds because of unruly cassette), muddy bass nonsense and all sorts of fun that made me hate the song for a good few months. I really like how it turned out though, and whilst it certainly has its flaws production wise, I learned a hell of a lot lot mixing it.
The video for the song is about a beach dweller who thinks he is one of the lighthouse keepers reincarnated and believes he can record the sounds from the night they went missing by setting up walkmans and microphones along the beach. Lovely."
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Artist Picks: Chalk
Hot on the heels of Chalk (aka Steven Stride)'s introspective and minimalist self titled debut album we sat down with Steven to ask him about his favourite track:
"I would say my favourite song off of my album is "Today Is Not That Day". There are a few reasons behind this choice, one of them being the fact that it feels like the underdog. It's the one song no one seems to comment on, and I don't see that as a bad thing. Lyrically it's a hard song to listen to, which brings me to my second reason, the lyrics.
The lyrics to this song were all written about a phone conversation I had with my brother Mike. This conversation went on for hours: we were both struggling a bit with life at the time, had pretty much got to a point where we were like "I don't think I can keep doing this, when is the relief ? When's the point when we can admit that this is as good as it gets?" Pretty depressing thoughts, but weirdly enough it helped. We both felt relieved to realise that we weren't the only ones who felt this way. It was no longer just me. I know it's a bit arrogant to think we were so special that we thought we were the only ones who felt this way, but that was not the case. When you're in a place like that you do feel like you're the only one.
At the end of the conversation, at about 2am, I started writing lyrics and pretty much finished the song by morning. It's close to the bone and out of all the songs on the album means the most to me. That's why it is my favourite song."
Chalk was released on September 2nd via Sonic Anhedonic Recording Co.
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Artist Picks: Matthew Collings
Following the release of his A-side, They Meet On The Subway, we asked Edinburgh composer Matthew Collings to talk us through his favourite track on his album, Splintered Instruments, which was released earlier this year.
"'Routine' is the final track from Splintered Instruments. Like all the tracks on the record it was recorded all over the place, at various studios and at home over a period of a couple of years, although I hope it fits into a giant, seamless epic! It's also the oldest piece of music I still perform; the main refrain started out as a melody on another track I made on Fruityloops about 12 years ago, where I constructed a 'synth' of sorts together from the sound of earthing a cable on my hand (very hi-tech).
That's what you hear when the main melody comes in. I even made a video for the original track when I lived in Iceland, with a blind-folded couple walking on a black beach covered with icebergs:
It was one of those tracks which Ben, who produced the record, urged me to explore more and take further. I love how it turned into a kind of symphonic requiem including everything from bubble-warp popping to brass sections and hungarian zithers from these humble origins. The climatic crescendo with the brass section was recorded live in a bar in Reykjavik, with my laptop literally on the bar and the two players, Helgi and Ari, close behind me. It was completely improvised and was a glorious moment, especially as we'd never played together before, or since... I hope you enjoy it."
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Artist Picks: The Blood Arm
After the release of the critically acclaimed 2011 album Turn And Face Me, The Blood Arm return with their fourth album Infinite Nights on June 17th 2013 via RIP Ben Lee Records.
Keyboardist Dyan talks us through his favourite track of the release, "Bubblegum":
"Nathaniel and I moved to Berlin from Los Angeles in the winter of 2011. L.A. is warm and sunny pretty much year-round, so we were not at all prepared for the dark and bitterly cold German winter. After a few giddy snowball fights the novelty wore off and we retreated back to our respective bedrooms to wait out the winter months.
Since we couldn’t really do much else but sit inside and try to stay warm, we spent our days sending demos for the new album back and forth. “Bubblegum” came out of some of the darkest and coldest days - I think the song’s overwhelmingly sunny vibe came out of an escapist attempt to imagine away the winter.
We were both going stir crazy, and the song took on a bizarre life of its own. For starters, we convinced ourselves that a six-minute-long psychedelic pop song about bubblegum was a good idea in the first place. Then, our additions to the demo got weirder and weirder. How about a surreal spoken word intro? A mellotron and vocal interlude? A bongo solo?
When we went into the studio to properly record all of the songs we had written, our producer Simon urged us not to re-record “Bubblegum.” What you hear on the album is exactly what we recorded into our laptops in our bedrooms during our first winter here in Berlin. It is the only demo that wound up on Infinite Nights, and for that matter, the only demo we have ever put out on an official release."
“Bubblegum” will always have a special place in my heart because of how and when it was written. I’m very proud of it, and every time I hear the song it puts a smile on my face!"
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Artist Highlight: Atlas:Empire
Today we chat with progressive rock band Atlas : Empire. The band returns with their second EP, Somnus, which will be released on August 12th via Cold War Legacy Records.
Let’s begin by having you introduce yourself and declare your onstage weapon of choice...
Steve: Hey, I'm Steve - I sing, play guitar and occasionally hit a floor tom. I'm currently using a couple of Fender Telecasters and J Mascis Squier Jazzmaster that I've had modded with Mojo pickups.
Jamie: Hi, I'm Jamie - I also sing, play guitar and synth/keys. My onstage weapons of choice are my Hagstrom Viking & '71 reissue thinline Fender Telecaster and a multitude of soft synths layered up on a MacBookPro.
Jonny: Hi Im Jonny and I play drums. Im currently using a Mapex Phat Bob Black Panther Snare & Mapex Black Raven Drum Kit, with Zildian K and K Custom cymbals.
Dave Aird: Hey, I'm Dave - I play guitar and all I need is my Fender Jag-Stang.
Dave Stephen: Hey, I'm Dave I play bass & sing. My onstage weapons of choice are my gojira bass fuzz, mxr bass octave deluxe & my Fender Precision Bass.
If you could create a new genre for your music, which one would it be?
All: Post-Electronic-Progressive-Alt-Beard-Rock, pretty much fits...
Steve: It was pretty busy up there - real estate was divided between Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Deftones and Glassjaw
Name the poster was hanging on your bedroom wall when you were fifteen...
Jamie: Lord of the Rings Map
Jonny: The Cinematic Orchestra - Every Day
Dave Aird: Foo Fighters Raygun artwork.
Dave Stephen: My bedroom was full of posters including Led Zeppellin, the Doors, Blur & Super Furry Animals.
Top tracks that been warming your iPod or spinning on Spotify recently.
Steve: I'm currently listening to a lot of Native, Sainthood Reps, 65daysofstatic, Adebisi Shank & O'Brother.
Jamie: The Unwinding Hours -The Unwinding Hours, The Dear Hunter-The Colour Spectrum, Headphones-Headphones, Clue To Kalo-Come Here When You Sleepwalk
Jonny: Arcane Roots, Biffy Clyro, Cloudkicker, QOTSA.
Dave Aird: QOTSA: ...Like Clockwork, Doom: Born Like This and Silverchair: Neon Ballroom have been pleasing my ears lately.
Dave Stephen: QOTSA, Spank Rock, Chilly Gonzales, the Roots & Russian Circles are what I've been listening to lately.
Name one of your musical guilty pleasures.
Steve: Justin Timberlake. Not even guilty, just a pleasure.
Jamie: No Guilty Pleasures - I don't feel guilty about enjoying a good, well produced pop song
Dave Aird: No guilty pleasures for me. A good tune is a good tune.
Dave Stephen: As the rest of the guys said don't have any guilty pleasures, try to listen to as much as possible if I'm into something I'm proud to say I like it.
Pick one album from your youth, that made you think "this is what I am going to do for the rest of my life".
Steve: The first album that totally blew my mind was "Vs" by Pearl Jam...but I think the album that made me want to devote my life to music was "Around the Fur" by Deftones.
Jamie: Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits. I got it on my 13th birthday on cassette and played it so much that there is no longer any high end on it.
Jonny: "Lateralus" by Tool.
Dave Aird: "In Utero" by Nirvana.
Dave Stephen: Buddy Holly's "Greatest Hits"
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