By Mary Chang on Monday, 21st May 2012 at 11:00 am
We’re sure you’ll be hearing more about Melbourne band Husky a lot in the coming months and years, and it was my good luck that I was able to chat with frontman Husky Gawenda and keyboardist Gideon Preiss. We did the interview in the lobby of the Jubilee Library right off Jubilee Square, just steps from where the band had performed as part of the Sounds of Australia afternoon showcase on Thursday 10 May. Many thanks to the library for letting us film this!
By Martin Sharman on Thursday, 17th May 2012 at 12:00 pm
Emmy The Great’s album ‘Virtue’ has been out for nearly a year now; she’s decided not enough people have heard it, so a deluxe version is on its way in order to tempt those who haven’t yet made a purchase. With the usual ‘deluxe’ trimmings, and more rare tracks and remixes, this is a release both for the Emmy completist, and for those who are just falling under the spell of the jewel-voiced Ms Moss for the first time.
To announce the new release, ‘God Of Loneliness’ is being released as a single. Given that the album documents a particularly sudden breakup, this song fits right in, documenting as it does a one-sided conversation between Emmy and her projected demons. Or in this case the demons are reimagined as a god, although a bittersweet one that appears on the death of a relationship, rather than an omnipotent being who looks after you in times of need. The instrumentation is gentle, and features sufficient melodic undulations and harp sweeps to make it quite a summery background ditty, if we ever get a summer in this glum, rainy country. As inoffensive as a chilled glass of sparkling rosé wine on a grassy slope, and possibly more of a ladies’ favourite; men might like something a bit chewier to go with their post-breakup blues.
B-side ‘Fade Into You’ is a cover of Mazzy Star’s most famous song, and adds just a bit more vim to the original. Whether or not the song needed more vim, or struck just the right languorous tone the first time around is not clear. What is clear is that the song is a lovely, dreamy waltz with distant guitars and deserves another hearing. Just the soundtrack if you’re sharing that glass of sparkling rosé with a special someone.
Intriguingly, the single is accompanied by a ‘horror rom-com’ short film set in Emmy’s favourite brutalist tower block, Erno Goldfinger’s Trellick Tower, which inspired a track on ‘Virtue’. As a connoisseur of brutalism, it’s great news every time an example pops up in pop culture. This particular building has led a charmed, media friendly existence, having appeared in several music videos including Blur’s ‘For Tomorrow’, and benefits from residing in the well-off Kensington and Chelsea borough of London. Certainly modernist, but due to the softening of its concrete expanses with numerous windows and walkways, maybe less brutal than impolite. Due to its location, fame, and listed status, Trellick Tower is to be spared the ignominy of demolition which is befalling so many of its contemporary brethren. The song gets an extra point for bringing up the topic of brutalism.
7/10
The deluxe version of ‘Virtue’ is out now. ‘God of Loneliness’ was released as a single last week (the 7th of May) on Close Harbour. Grab the Dems remix of the song on this previous MP3 of the Day post.
By Luke Morton on Thursday, 17th May 2012 at 11:00 am
After the release of their debut album and successful European tour, London proto-rockers Antlered Man are gearing up for festival season with a performance at this year’s Camden Crawl. I caught up with Danny Fury (guitar) and Sam Ray (bass) for a chat about Camden, UK music and masturbation.
The last time TGTF saw you guys was supporting Lower Than Atlantis… Danny: Yeah, that gig was tough for me. As soon as we got to sound-check, the sound guy wanted a bit of vocals from me, and I went ‘[croaky cough]‘ and my voice just wasn’t there. And I said ‘I can’t sing’ but everyone was like ‘Oh go on, sing you cunt!’. But there was no singing voice there, if I did it would have been like a William Shatner vocal. Spoken word alternative rock. Sam: Shatner being the word. Danny: Shat. It was a horrible gig for me, but everyone said it was all right.
What have you been up to since then? Danny: We did an EP – that was some guy’s bright idea, because apparently people don’t do albums any more(!) [laughs]. It’s like fucking is going out of style. And that didn’t really work out, but on the back of that we got a tour with And So I Watch You From Afar around Germany. All round Europe, actually, and it was unbelievable. We forged a really good bond with those guys and they gave us a lot of advice. We became to realise there’s a lot more outside in the alternative/underground – there is a subculture. We were always pompous enough, but you could afford us that because we locked ourselves away when we first wrote the album, and the only bands we knew were shit ones. Then when we came out we met bands like Exit International, Palehorse, And So I Watch You From Afar, all these cool bands it was like, “Sweet, we’re a part of something”. Sam: We’ve got quite a bit of touring in the next few months. We’ll be back over in Europe in July, we’ve got a couple of festivals. A few festivals in England around June. But it’s quite sparse so we’ve got a lot of time to do the album, which is good because during festival season you’ve got one gig then a week off, then another gig, so we’ve got time to get some new tracks down. Danny: The German thing is really exciting, in fact all round Europe. In Poland, we came out of the backstage area onto the stage, and there were three kids moshing at the front to no music. I knew it was going to be good [laughs]. We got offered so much cool stuff from that. To tour Europe is unbelievable because in this country it can be a little bit unforgiving for bands – there aren’t even places to park outside the venues, let alone a rider so you can smash up a fridge up in the backstage area if someone ‘dissed your chorus’.
What do festivals like Camden Crawl say about UK music? Sam: I think these type of festivals are becoming more popular, rather than the standard music festival thing where people play in a massive field. It’s become more of a thing for journalists and bands to come down to and check out other bands. There’s a massive musical scene happening in one weekend and it gives you the opportunity to go find other bands. Danny: It gives people the opportunity to see their favourite band, or bands that they’re checking out. I checked out Hawk Eyes like 6 months ago and they were unbelievable. Everyone wants the opportunity to not see those guys in a fucking sterile, big place, they want to go to a little club and see it. I’ve looked at the photos of Camden Crawl from the past 2 years, and I thought there was no fucking way I wanted to go there. I’m just a bit agoraphobic and I don’t really like too many people round me. Ordinarily this place on a Friday or Saturday is fucking nightmare. Sam: We were going to drive down here but there’s no chance we were going to get anywhere to park and we would probably have been stuck in traffic for hours. Danny: I’m not sure what it says about the music scene. The scene around Camden has always been thriving, but without wanting to be bitchy, not a lot of it is very good. But there’s the odd gem out there and I think they’ve got a really good line-up this year. I think there is a heavy resurgence that’s definitely occurring with Pulled Apart By Horses, Hawk Eyes, Exit International, all these guys are on the up, and there seems to be a place for it.
There are a lot of heavier bands playing this year… Danny: I think that’s probably why it seemed like kryptonite to Superman with me for the last 2 years. It was just any old shit and we never really put ourselves forward for it. So when they floated the idea to us, we checked the listings and thought ‘fuck yeah, that looks good’.
What is it you love about Camden then? Danny: I bitch and moan about the crowds round here, but if ever I am going for a drink I tend to do it round here. I like that there’s more of a laid-back vibe and they’re a little bit more tolerant round here. There’s the young people who come to the gigs who are enthusiastic about everything, and 90% of gigging – if you’re a London band – is done around here. It never used to be like that, about 5 years ago there used to be places in Islington but now it’s primarily here. It’s always good to bop around and sometimes be recognised.
Have you got a favourite venue in Camden? Danny: The Barfly is cool, especially since they put the new PA in. Never played here [The Black Heart] before but I’ve heard good things about it. But I’d have to say, as far as sound and everything goes, it was always Koko. Then it started getting infiltrated by 15 year olds who are eating off their faces and freaking out, so I stopped going there. So I’d probably say the Barfly. Sam: I like the size of the Barfly, as it’s good for an intimate crowd as well. Danny: I would say Proud for the sound but there’s nowhere to park out there and we’ve got about four parking tickets from there and the bar staff just shrug their shoulders when you tell them.
The name of the festival is Camden Crawl, what would you crawl the length of Camden for? Sam: Hair of the Dog at the moment, I think. It was our drummer’s birthday yesterday so we had quite a few beers. Danny: We don’t drink before we go on, but we get hammered after. The talent to be able to play arsehole drunk – just to alleviate the hangovers – I would definitely crawl the length of Camden for. Sam: We got drunk yesterday and tried to play the set but it wasn’t happening. Danny: That speaks volumes for the intricacies of our parts… we went a bit prog.
You mentioned you’re playing a lot of festivals in Europe, have you got any UK festivals lined up? Danny: The Great Escape, 2000 Trees… The Great Escape should be really fun.
TGTF’s Editor will be at The Great Escape… Danny: I remember when we were over in Germany, staying in some fucking rural farmhouse surrounded by deer we read a really good review on There Goes The Fear of our EP. So thanks for that!
That wasn’t long after your Lower Than Atlantis gig TGTF reviewed… Danny: I remember there being three morbidly obese kids sat outside there drinking from 2 o’clock in the afternoon. And they didn’t have any finesse to their drinking, they had a bottle of blue WKD, a bottle of Bailey’s, and about six cans of Stella. Then a mate would come along with a bottle of [Jamesons] and pour it down his throat and it got to the point where I knew they were going to get nicked, but it was a matter of when. In between playing and losing my voice, I was running outside to see the drama unfold. Then I finally saw the fat little cunt get nicked. Sam: Hopefully they’ll read this and reassess their life.
Finally, have you heard the world is going to end at the end of the year? Danny: No.
You missed the Mayan calendar saying the world’s going to end? Danny: I love reading but it’s such a commitment. One book at a time. And I just don’t have time for the Mayan calendar. I’m too occupied with which badass is going to die next – MCA, man. The world can end as far as I’m concerned, as long as we finish the second album… then fire it into space, so one day we’ll get a demographic.
Well the question is, what’s the last thing you’re going to do before the world ends? Sam: Record this album because I’d hate to think… wait, no-one would know, would they? Scrap that, it wouldn’t even matter. Danny: I can’t think of anything quirky. For me it would be something really normal like logging onto violent anal porn and whacking off as much as possible. I’ve got nowhere to be. Might as well watch some poor girl gag for money. I’m not going to come across well, am I?
By Luke Morton on Thursday, 17th May 2012 at 9:00 am
Winner the Grass Roots Festival award at 2010′s UK Festival Awards, 2000 Trees (12-14 July) has quickly become a staple part of the boutique festival scene. Since its early beginnings in 2007 with just a 1000-person capacity, this year 4500 people will don their wellies and head on down to Upcote Farm, Gloucestershire. And what a line-up they have to offer.
Headlining the 2-day extravaganza are the post-rock favourites 65DaysOfStatic and Brummy indie cohorts Guillemots (pictured at top). But it’s not just the Main Stage bill-toppers to excite the crowd, TGTF faves Dry the River are also making an appearance as well as the new-found-folkies The Futureheads. But the biggest coup of the weekend is the booking of Hundred Reasons who 2000 Trees have tried to snap up for the past four years, and it’s finally happened. They’ll be performing their 2002 Top 10 album ‘Ideas Above Our Station’ in its entirety.
To keep the festival especially green, all of the bands are from the UK to cut down on fuel costs and emissions. And this summer weekend truly does showcase some of the best new music that Britain has to offer, from varying ends of the spectrum. And there’s a brilliant new-age hippy vibe, what’s not to love?
Unfortunately 2000 Trees is sold out this year, but there may still be competitions running to win tickets or you could hassle your friends with tickets into selling it to you. Because one thing’s for certain, it’s going to be a special weekend for British music.
By Cheryl Demas on Wednesday, 16th May 2012 at 11:00 am
In the halcyon days of my youth, there was little music that my parents and I could agree on. One artist that managed to bridge the gap was Paul Simon. While they reflected fondly on the folky days of Simon and Garfunkel, I identified him as a pop singer with songs like ‘Slip Sliding Away’ and ’50 Ways to Leave Your Lover’. But when ‘Graceland’ came out in 1986, it was an album that truly brought us together – the cool African beats, discovering Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Chevy Chase in the video! I felt hip and my parents did too. Believe it or not though, I wasn’t the one to ‘discover’ Ladysmith Black Mambazo in my family. After bringing home the record (yes…vinyl!) and waxing global about the amazing sounds of this African band, my father casually pulled out one of their albums from the storage in his hi-fi and trumped me forever.
It was no surprise to me then that my parents decided to accompany me when I wanted to see the ‘Graceland’ tour. The event was on 1 July 1987 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland and even my little sister joined us. It was a family affair. It is also still the only rock concert I have ever been to with my father. It rained that day and we had managed to secure only one pavilion seat and three lawn seats. We rotated who got to sit out of the rain. So in addition to it being a seminal musical event for my family, it was a crazy good time as well. I still remember watching Ladysmith Black Mambazo dance and sing. They were compelling and unique and like nothing else before them.
Graceland was an album that broke new ground for both Simon and the rest of the music buying public. Initially considered a flagrant violation of the boycott of South Africa and their apartheid policies, Graceland brought black South Africans in to the forefront of the world music scene. Simon was led down this path by a cassette tape of ‘Accordion Jive Hits’ from an unknown band called the Boyoyo Boys. He used those riffs (yes, accordion riffs!) to create the song ‘Gumboots’ with them. Simon was only in South Africa for a week and a half, but he managed to record enough there to change the face of world music forever. Not only was it the first time Ladysmith Black Mambazo had ever sung with musical accompaniment, but soon other artists went to South Africa to take advantage of the rich musical heritage it had to offer. And although the end of apartheid wasn’t to be seen for another eight years after the album’s release, it helped bring the sounds of South Africa to people who may not have been aware of them before.
The album was universally praised winning a Grammy in both 1987 and 1988, and making the Best Albums lists for a wide variety of publications from the New York Times to Pitchfork, from Rolling Stone to The Guardian. Even today it still garners enthusiastic accolades. In honor of the 25th anniversary of its release, a documentary ‘Under African Skies’, chronicling the creation and lasting influence of ‘Graceland’, will have a US television premiere and will screen at several summer festivals. Legacy Recordings will also be offering several 25th anniversary versions the album on 4th June including a Box Set, CD/DVD, Vinyl, and more. And with three dates in Dublin and London in July, you very well may be able to catch some of these legendary songs live this summer. You can watch a trailer for the documentary below.
So now I am the next generation of parent looking to find some musical crossover to share with my kids. I’m not confident that I will find anything as good or as enduring as ‘Graceland’. I was lucky.
By Mary Chang on Tuesday, 15th May 2012 at 11:00 am
Ahead of their appearance at TGTF’s stage at the Liverpool Academy of Arts this Friday night (18/5), the man behind the lead guitar for the Temper Trap, Lorenzo Sillitto, was kind enough to answer my questions about their hotly anticipated second album ‘The Temper Trap’, which will be released in the UK on the 4th of June on Infectious Records. We also talk about the interesting production team they used on this go-around and how they feel about playing in the city of the Beatles.
The phrase “difficult second album” comes up a lot when bands with really outstanding debut albums with related outstanding sales and touring success try and come out with their second efforts. How did you approach writing ‘The Temper Trap’? And why did you choose to self title it? I guess the approach was to go in and just start to write what came naturally. It had been a long time since we had been in that type of environment and with the inclusion of Joseph the dynamic was obviously going to be a little different since the last writing process. It was pretty amazing after the first week we had a few songs written and everything just seem natural and that pretty much set up the rest of our time writing. We tried not over think what we were doing and treated the writing process as a new chapter and think about what had happened with the last record. The name basically came from us not being able to agree on one. There where a few ideas floating around but none that we could all agree on. It’s funny because some people have asked if its making the statement that we have arrived as a band but really it was us not arriving on a name.
I’ve read that ‘The Temper Trap’ was produced by Beck, as well as Phoenix collaborator Tony Hoffer (Phoenix being your American labelmates on Glassnote). How did this partnering up come about? When I think of the Temper Trap, I don’t immediately associate your music with the anti-folk of Beck. Had you been fans of his for years? Tony’s name had been appearing over the years in conversations and it wasn’t until the very end of the process that it appeared again. He had been to our one our first SXSW shows way back in 2009 and we had met him at our last L.A. show. He was a fan of the band and when we had the conversation about recording he said some things that just resonated with us. We were fans of things that he had done in the past but it was really just some of the things he said to us that made it clear that he would be the right person to record with. He has a love of music and is also a musician, which was very helpful once we were in the studio. Not only that he is a big kid and likes to joke around, which was a great attribute. The recording process can sometimes be quite stressful and it’s good to inject some humour.
Going on with the album, you recorded ‘The Temper Trap’ in America. Do you think it has an obvious “American sound” and has been affected by the surroundings and recording conditions? Arctic Monkeys and Noah and the Whale were much maligned last year for making albums that sounded too “American”. I don’t think that it is obvious, but having been recorded in America by an American you can’t help but think that it is going to have that kind of vibe. I like to think that there is a little bit of sunshine that was sprinkled over top of the record. The songs were predominately written in a dark cold environment (the London winter) and some of them needed a little light. As for the Monkeys and the Whale, music is so universal thee days with the internet that I don’t think we can really say that there is as bigger distinction in sound like there was in the ’60s and ’70s.
You’ve added on Joseph Greer, known to those of us who have been seeing you live the last couple years as your fab touring keyboardist and guitarist, as a full member of the band. How did his input as the fifth member of Temper Trap influence the new album? It was really great having another person to come with ideas and a different kind of writing style. I think that one of the unique things with our band is that all five of us have very varying taste and influences and when we come together that is how we create our sound. By adding Joseph, we where able to explore more keyboard driven songs which is a path that we all have been keen to explore and he has the skill that enabled us to venture down that path. He also is a very quirky person and is probably the funniest person in the band, which makes for some great interband banter.
Similarly, is there a different ethos to the band now that you’ve expanded to a five-piece? Do you approach songwriting any differently? Dougy was quoted in an Rolling Stone article as saying: “Joseph is our secret weapon. He’s a really good piano player, so any sappy piano ballad that we may potentially write from this point on will totally be his fault.” Yep, this is true as I mentioned previously, he has the skills that we don’t possess. Well, yet that is! LOL. The song writing process has basically stayed the same as it always has. we may try some different approaches on the next record but as they say, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”.
In this NME interview, Lorenzo talked about the conscious decision to add more synths to this record compared to the amount present on ‘Conditions’, and how you used ‘80s synths on ‘The Temper Trap’. Were you fans of ‘80s new wave, of certain bands? And if so, which would you say have influenced this album the most? The main influences for the record was the acquiring of some synths and not necessarily the music. We used them as substitutes, for maybe once we would try and play them on the guitar or what not, we either tried the same idea on the synths or used them to reinforce the sound and add another dimension to say the guitar to make it sound fresh.
What do you think about this new album will be most surprising to your fans? Which song(s) are your favourite(s) and why? I think one of the most exciting things about this record is Dougy’s vocals. The record shows off a lot more of his range and ability and has I think a more soul vibe to it. My stand out tracks are ‘Trembling Hands’ (new single stream below), ‘Miracle’, and ‘Leaving Heartbreak Hotel’.
Flipping through the SXSW schedule, I noticed your city of origin was listed as London and not Melbourne. Do you consider yourself full Londoners now? What are the pros and cons of living in London Town? What does Melbourne offer that London doesn’t / that you miss most? Well, that must have been a typo and probably why I could find us in the program. In terms of being Londoners, I think I am personally still a Melbournian at heart, but I have really embraced living in London, and at this point in my life, it is nice to live in a different environment to the one that you grew up in and had all your formative experiances in. Melbourne’s pros is that it is a very artistic city and it is very accommodating to the artistic community. From music to architecture, there is a lot of outlets for creative expression. Another advantage is food and coffee, it is quite amazing the standard that they have and is probably the main thing that I miss the most. And AFL of course.
What did you think of SXSW this year? Which of your performances stood out (Stubb’s, the Parish, etc.), and why? Were you apprehensive “returning to the stage” in America? In terms of SXSW, I think that it has become to big for the town and it seems to have turned into a festival where labels showcase their new acts rather than new bands being found. That being said, playing Stubb’s would have to be the highlight, I remember the first time we went to SX the band went to Stubb’s to watch Metalica, and that was followed by a DJ Shadow greatest hits set, which was ace. So playing there and the second show back from a lengthy break was nerve-racking and exciting at the same time.
Did you see any other bands in Austin you particularly enjoyed and/or that impressed you? And if so, how so? I saw Blood Orange (Dev Hynes) for the first time, and that was on the first day we got there. He is an amazing performer and guitarist, so was a great way to be welcomed. I saw another Melbourne band called Twerps whose album I am obsessed with, and they are old friends. Toby [their drummer] saw Chet Faker who I missed and said he was really great.
You’ll be playing our stage at Liverpool Sound City on the Friday night. Have you played in Liverpool before? If yes, what has been your experience with Liverpool crowds? I think we have played Liverpool. I believe it was on our last UK tour at an 02 but to be honest I can’t remember. It was at time where all the shows moulded into one for me. but I am excited to go back to the home of the Beatles.
“Advertise” / “plead your case” to our readers why they should come and see you play Friday at the Arts Academy. If you want to see thee most amazing laser light show and a bass player who plays it like it owes him money, then come down to our show because it will have one of the two.
The Temper Trap headline the TGTF stage at this year’s Liverpool Sound City this Friday night (18 May) at the Liverpool Academy of Arts. They are scheduled to appear at 22.00.
There Goes The Fear is where we tell you about the latest tours, gigs, and music we love and think you should too.
We love music that has its heart on its sleeve, tells a story, swims around our head all day or makes us dance like idiots.
The blog is edited by Mary Chang, who is based in Washington DC. She is joined by writers in the UK and America. It was started up by Phil Singer in Bristol, UK.
All MP3s are posted with the permission of the artists or their representatives and are for sampling only. Like the music? Buy it. If you want a track removed, email us and we'll sort it ASAP.
