Amelia’s Magazine | Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. An interview with Kenny Anderson.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Rosemary Cunningham
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Rosemary Cunningham.

In the second part of my attempt to delve into the creation of the amazing collaborative album Diamond Mine, physician Kenny Anderson (aka King Creosote) answers my questions with a frankness and candour that matches the genius of his songwriting. Thanks so much for your wonderful answers Kenny! And if you haven’t heard it yet, viagra you must get a copy of Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote, out now on Domino Records.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Sarah Alfarhan
Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Sarah Alfarhan.

How did Jon first approach you and what were your first thoughts about his proposal?

Diamond Mine is the latest instalment of many years of different sorts of collaborations between JH and KC. In 2004 (I think) Jon approached me at a Fence Collective show in Pittenweem and asked if I’d re-record a version of a track called Your Own Spell with him. He’d heard the original on an old KC album, but he asked in a way that didn’t make me question the quality of my version, and I thought ‘what a clever, tactful chap’. 

YouTube Preview ImageYour Own Spell

He remixed a track called A Sad Ha Ha that I recorded with Magnetophone for 4AD, and that made me all teary at the end of a Homegame when I heard it.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Vice-like Gist of It

Next up he remixed The Vice-like Gist of It as a B-side which stopped Janice Forsyth in her tracks, and at the end of 2006′s Green Man Festival he played me And the Racket They Made. I shed real tears and instantly agreed to play at a stranger’s wedding because of it. 

YouTube Preview ImageAnd the Racket They Made

We started on a collaboration album proper late in 2006, and the initial efforts were drafted into Bombshell for 679 once we’d secured the producer’s job for Jon, and in 2008 he worked on a couple of the Flick the Vs songs.  

Even with all that under our collaborative belt, I think Jon felt he hadn’t quite made a true and genuine collaboration with my voice very much to the fore, band and record label concessions very much to the aft. Two years ago he called me back to London – this time there’d be no siphoning off of our labours.

King Creosote. Photo by Steve Gullick
King Creosote. Photo by Steve Gullick.

How well do you think you have both managed to evoke “space, longevity and timelessness”?

As a collection of songs spanning my entire songwriting history, sung in what is undoubtedly my best recorded singing voice to date, for my part I hope that was enough to push the record away from just the period leading up to a 2011 release. There’s everything from the naive views of an impatient student right through to the cynical musings of an impatient middle aged grump. Jon’ll tell you the in & outs of the music content, but most of what you hear is acoustic guitar, accordion, piano and voices – all of them timeless instruments I’d say. Jon’s given the whole thing a fairly light and airy touch.

Longevity … Well, I should be quite a few dozen listens ahead of our most ardent fans, and I still hear brand new sounds with every listen. The tracklisting still surprises me from time to time, and the album can take an hour to pass, sometimes just a few seconds. In brief, we’ve nailed it on all three counts :)

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Sam Parr
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Sam Parr.

How is middle age treating you? I like the way that you say you intend to make the most your “thinning hair and diet of white flour and sugar” but it can’t be all bad?

I’m enjoying middle age immensely. I’ve resigned myself to most of the physical wear and tear, but in my head it’s not as bad as when I actually see my ageing mush in a mirror. I only have to look at an Ampeg bass rig and my back starts to hurt, and so as a rule I avoid reflective surfaces and load ins.

YouTube Preview ImageJohn Taylor’s Month Away

What’s the best part about growing older?

There’s a certain smugness comes with the realisation that I was incredibly lucky to grow up in the 70s & 80s – not only had national service long ended, but we enjoyed immense freedoms. Being young in the 2010s with all these mobile phones, digital cameras, youtube, facebook and twitter sites tracking your every move has absolutely no appeal. Hahahahahahahaha! And we TREASURED records, making live gigs and the latest album releases real moments of excitement and joy.    

YouTube Preview ImageBubble

Some of these songs were written as long ago as 20 years and more. What did it feel like to dredge them up again? Did you experience lots of weird emotions?

I’ve re-recorded many of my songs for lots of different albums, so I’m used to it. It’s difficult to explain now just what Your Own Spell from 1988 is truly about, so I just say it’s a banal ‘be careful what you wish for’ type tale. I’ve got a better, more emotionally believable voice now than I did back then, so not so hard to get the mindset right. Thankfully there are no real happy songs on Diamond Mine – that’s the one emotion I haven’t cracked yet.

King Creosote by Victoria Haynes
King Creosote by Victoria Haynes.

How do you feel about modern technology?  

On one hand a genius from the modern age can come along and make something that sounds as good as Diamond Mine, but in general I find it a real drag and best avoided whenever possible. If technology results in a machine that drops one back into a pre-technological era, than I’m all for it. I’d punch 1974 into the dial and would probably expire in time for the millenium celebrations. 

YouTube Preview ImageBats in the Attic

You say that “being a dad lights the way out”. How do your family fit into the musical world? Do they join you, and do they take part in your projects in any way?   

My dad, uncle, brothers and cousins are all musical, but quite different in their approach, so it doesn’t feel like competition in any way. My daughter has an incredible ear for melody and a limitless memory for lyrics – she wants to do medicine, so she didn’t get my squeamish gene. I used to play with one of my brothers – Iain – in a bluegrass outfit yonks ago, and I’ve backed up the other brother Gordon on many live sets, but as we get older, the brothers and I tend to avoid interaction with each other’s music as much as possible, and stick to comedy impersonations of our dad, clicking heels and all. I’m a bigger fan of their music than they are of mine, so that helps!

YouTube Preview ImageYour Young Voice

My dad recently organised an Anderson showcase for charity. It was an incredibly surreal afternoon of many different musical styles played in front of a white haired audience, so not a chance of any of it landing up on youtube. 
And relax.

Thankyou so much for your wonderful answers Kenny!

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Laura Warecki
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Laura Warecki.

Diamond Mine is intended to be listened to in one sitting, so once you’ve had a chance to sample the tracks above make sure you grab a copy of the whole thing. Jon Hopkins and King Creosote will be back on tour in September. Full Diamond Mine tour listing information here. Don’t forget to also check out my interview with Jon Hopkins here.

Categories ,4ad, ,679 Recordings, ,A Sad Ha Ha, ,album, ,And the Racket They Made, ,Bats in the Attic, ,Bombshell, ,Bubble, ,Diamond Mine, ,Domino Records, ,Fence Records, ,Fife, ,Flick the Vs, ,interview, ,Janice Forsyth, ,John Taylor’s Month Away, ,Jon Hopkins, ,Kenny Anderson, ,King Creosote, ,Laura Warecki, ,Magnetophone, ,Pittenweem, ,review, ,Rosemary Cunningham, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarah Alfarhan, ,Steve Gullick, ,The Vice-like Gist of It, ,Victoria Haynes, ,Your Own Spell, ,Your Young Voice

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Amelia’s Magazine | Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. A review and interview with Jon Hopkins.

Jon Hopkins King Creosote cover
Diamond Mine was released in the UK a few months ago and came out in the US only recently, for sale so I hope that some of my readers will already have heard it for it is without doubt one of the most wonderful pieces of music I have heard in many years. And I don’t say that lightly. The album is a collaboration between Fife based folk singer songwriter King Creosote and Royal College of Music graduate Jon Hopkins, viagra approved who specialises in electronica.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Gareth A Hopkins
Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Gareth A Hopkins.

King Creosote is the driving force behind the fabulous Fence Records collective and runs HomeGame Festival in Fife, viagra buy a cult destination for many a muso. Jon Hopkins collaborates with the likes of Coldplay and Brian Eno. Together they really have made something exceptionally special, a sprawling re-imagining of King Creosote songs from across the years, bittersweet lyrics offset with a lushly atmospheric backdrop that includes the sounds of real life. I caught up with both Kenny ‘King Creosote’ Anderson and Jon Hopkins to find out how this unique partnership came about, and what the process of making Diamond Mine was like. First up here’s Jon:

When and where did you first hear King Creosote’s music? Did you fall in love immediately or was it a slow gradual thing?
A friend of mine kept putting Kenny And Beth’s Musakal Boat Rides on at parties and stuff. It took me a while to get into, it had such a different sound to the more polished things I was used to. It grew on me quickly but it was when I first heard his much harder-to-find album Psalm Clerk that I became a massive fan.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Felice
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Felice Perkins.

This album was produced over a number of years… how has that process worked in reality? How many times have you managed to meet up, and are there any memorable moments from those meetings?
The album probably took about 6 or 7 weeks in total, but hugely spread out. We recorded most of the vocals in one go, then collected sounds from all over the place to build up the backdrops. We’re friends predominantly so we meet a fair few times a year, sometimes we record, sometimes we sit around talking nonsense and consuming fruit beers. 

You talk about the songs tapping into the “sweet sadness” of everyday life, and I think this is the first album in so long that has made me almost want to cry. Why do you think that Kenny’s voice is so evocative? And how have you done your best to encourage those emotions he defines so well?
For me it’s something in the accent, the phrasing, the lyrics, and the fact that there aren’t any singers that sound like him. On this record I wanted to kind of build these sonic worlds for that voice to live in, if you can forgive the pretentiousness of that sentence. The crucial thing was never to add any parts that would detract from the voice.

Jon Hopkins. Photo by Steve Gullick
Jon Hopkins. Photo by Steve Gullick.

Where does your female choir come from?
It is just one voice layered many times, that of Lisa Elle, who harmonises with Kenny throughout the record. I liked the idea of making her sound like a choir of sirens, in keeping with the whole seafaring thing – that is what the end section of John Taylor’s Month Away is supposed to be.

Some of the tracks feature a backdrop of normal daytime noises against which Kenny’s vocals are overlaid. Why did you decide to do this? And where were these recorded?
I liked the idea of dropping the listener into the reality of the world that these songs come from. All the field recordings are from the fishing villages in Fife around the place Kenny has spent his life. It’s a big part of the record, and is a technique I’ve been using on my own stuff for a while too.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Lorna Scobie
Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Lorna Scobie.

What was the best part of visiting Kenny in Fife?
I’ve been visiting that part of the world regularly for 7 years now; Kenny and his friends organise an incredible music festival there every year, which attracts some amazing artists. Too many amazing memories to list, plus most are unprintable.

Will you and Kenny be working again, and if so what have you got planned?
We have been thinking about a follow-up, yes. No definite ideas or plans yet though. This is not a project we tend to move quickly on.

Listen to a taster of the album here:

Next up, my interview with the equally fabulous King Creosote

Categories ,album, ,brian eno, ,Coldplay, ,Diamond Mine, ,electronica, ,Felice Perkins, ,Fence Records, ,festival, ,Fife, ,folk, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,HomeGame, ,interview, ,Jon Hopkins, ,Kenny And Beth’s Musakal Boat Rides, ,Kenny Anderson, ,King Creosote, ,Lorna Scobie, ,Psalm Clerk, ,review, ,Royal College of Music, ,scotland, ,Sirens, ,Steve Gullick

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Amelia’s Magazine | Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote. An interview with Kenny Anderson.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Rosemary Cunningham
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Rosemary Cunningham.

In the second part of my attempt to delve into the creation of the amazing collaborative album Diamond Mine, Kenny Anderson (aka King Creosote) answers my questions with a frankness and candour that matches the genius of his songwriting. Thanks so much for your wonderful answers Kenny! And if you haven’t heard it yet, you must get a copy of Diamond Mine by Jon Hopkins and King Creosote, out now on Domino Records.

Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Sarah Alfarhan
Jon Hopkins and King Creosote by Sarah Alfarhan.

How did Jon first approach you and what were your first thoughts about his proposal?

Diamond Mine is the latest instalment of many years of different sorts of collaborations between JH and KC. In 2004 (I think) Jon approached me at a Fence Collective show in Pittenweem and asked if I’d re-record a version of a track called Your Own Spell with him. He’d heard the original on an old KC album, but he asked in a way that didn’t make me question the quality of my version, and I thought ‘what a clever, tactful chap’. 

YouTube Preview ImageYour Own Spell

He remixed a track called A Sad Ha Ha that I recorded with Magnetophone for 4AD, and that made me all teary at the end of a Homegame when I heard it.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Vice-like Gist of It

Next up he remixed The Vice-like Gist of It as a B-side which stopped Janice Forsyth in her tracks, and at the end of 2006’s Green Man Festival he played me And the Racket They Made. I shed real tears and instantly agreed to play at a stranger’s wedding because of it. 

YouTube Preview ImageAnd the Racket They Made

We started on a collaboration album proper late in 2006, and the initial efforts were drafted into Bombshell for 679 once we’d secured the producer’s job for Jon, and in 2008 he worked on a couple of the Flick the Vs songs.  

Even with all that under our collaborative belt, I think Jon felt he hadn’t quite made a true and genuine collaboration with my voice very much to the fore, band and record label concessions very much to the aft. Two years ago he called me back to London – this time there’d be no siphoning off of our labours.

King Creosote. Photo by Steve Gullick
King Creosote. Photo by Steve Gullick.

How well do you think you have both managed to evoke “space, longevity and timelessness”?

As a collection of songs spanning my entire songwriting history, sung in what is undoubtedly my best recorded singing voice to date, for my part I hope that was enough to push the record away from just the period leading up to a 2011 release. There’s everything from the naive views of an impatient student right through to the cynical musings of an impatient middle aged grump. Jon’ll tell you the in & outs of the music content, but most of what you hear is acoustic guitar, accordion, piano and voices – all of them timeless instruments I’d say. Jon’s given the whole thing a fairly light and airy touch.

Longevity … Well, I should be quite a few dozen listens ahead of our most ardent fans, and I still hear brand new sounds with every listen. The tracklisting still surprises me from time to time, and the album can take an hour to pass, sometimes just a few seconds. In brief, we’ve nailed it on all three counts :)

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Sam Parr
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Sam Parr.

How is middle age treating you? I like the way that you say you intend to make the most your “thinning hair and diet of white flour and sugar” but it can’t be all bad?

I’m enjoying middle age immensely. I’ve resigned myself to most of the physical wear and tear, but in my head it’s not as bad as when I actually see my ageing mush in a mirror. I only have to look at an Ampeg bass rig and my back starts to hurt, and so as a rule I avoid reflective surfaces and load ins.

YouTube Preview ImageJohn Taylor’s Month Away

What’s the best part about growing older?

There’s a certain smugness comes with the realisation that I was incredibly lucky to grow up in the 70s & 80s – not only had national service long ended, but we enjoyed immense freedoms. Being young in the 2010s with all these mobile phones, digital cameras, youtube, facebook and twitter sites tracking your every move has absolutely no appeal. Hahahahahahahaha! And we TREASURED records, making live gigs and the latest album releases real moments of excitement and joy.    

YouTube Preview ImageBubble

Some of these songs were written as long ago as 20 years and more. What did it feel like to dredge them up again? Did you experience lots of weird emotions?

I’ve re-recorded many of my songs for lots of different albums, so I’m used to it. It’s difficult to explain now just what Your Own Spell from 1988 is truly about, so I just say it’s a banal ‘be careful what you wish for’ type tale. I’ve got a better, more emotionally believable voice now than I did back then, so not so hard to get the mindset right. Thankfully there are no real happy songs on Diamond Mine – that’s the one emotion I haven’t cracked yet.

King Creosote by Victoria Haynes
King Creosote by Victoria Haynes.

How do you feel about modern technology?  

On one hand a genius from the modern age can come along and make something that sounds as good as Diamond Mine, but in general I find it a real drag and best avoided whenever possible. If technology results in a machine that drops one back into a pre-technological era, than I’m all for it. I’d punch 1974 into the dial and would probably expire in time for the millenium celebrations. 

YouTube Preview ImageBats in the Attic

You say that “being a dad lights the way out”. How do your family fit into the musical world? Do they join you, and do they take part in your projects in any way?   

My dad, uncle, brothers and cousins are all musical, but quite different in their approach, so it doesn’t feel like competition in any way. My daughter has an incredible ear for melody and a limitless memory for lyrics – she wants to do medicine, so she didn’t get my squeamish gene. I used to play with one of my brothers – Iain – in a bluegrass outfit yonks ago, and I’ve backed up the other brother Gordon on many live sets, but as we get older, the brothers and I tend to avoid interaction with each other’s music as much as possible, and stick to comedy impersonations of our dad, clicking heels and all. I’m a bigger fan of their music than they are of mine, so that helps!

YouTube Preview ImageYour Young Voice

My dad recently organised an Anderson showcase for charity. It was an incredibly surreal afternoon of many different musical styles played in front of a white haired audience, so not a chance of any of it landing up on youtube. 
And relax.

Thankyou so much for your wonderful answers Kenny!

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Laura Warecki
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins by Laura Warecki.

Diamond Mine is intended to be listened to in one sitting, so once you’ve had a chance to sample the tracks above make sure you grab a copy of the whole thing. Jon Hopkins and King Creosote will be back on tour in September. Full Diamond Mine tour listing information here. Don’t forget to also check out my interview with Jon Hopkins here.

Categories ,4ad, ,679 Recordings, ,A Sad Ha Ha, ,album, ,And the Racket They Made, ,Bats in the Attic, ,Bombshell, ,Bubble, ,Diamond Mine, ,Domino Records, ,Fence Records, ,Fife, ,Flick the Vs, ,interview, ,Janice Forsyth, ,John Taylor’s Month Away, ,Jon Hopkins, ,Kenny Anderson, ,King Creosote, ,Laura Warecki, ,Magnetophone, ,Pittenweem, ,review, ,Rosemary Cunningham, ,Sam Parr, ,Sarah Alfarhan, ,Steve Gullick, ,The Vice-like Gist of It, ,Victoria Haynes, ,Your Own Spell, ,Your Young Voice

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Amelia’s Magazine | Music Review: Francois and The Atlas Mountains

Frànçois and the Atlas Mountains by Jenny Lloyd

Francois Marry by Jenny Lloyd

It’s not just because my cat is called Francois. This French musician is très bon. Francois Marry, tadalafil aka Francois and The Atlas Mountains, viagra buy is a songwriter, this musician, animator and artist from Saintes, which is a small town off the west coast of France. Lighthearted and friendly, Francois is extremely pleasant to listen to when you’re driving somewhere alone. Or indeed, when you’re cooking. Not that I’d ever dictate to you!

francois

Image Source

Francois moved to the UK at 19. To Bristol in-fact. Ever the artiste, he drew a picture and put a note up in a window, both announcing his arrival, and asking people to make music with him. Trawling the car boot sales, he found his instruments and started to play small shows. His endearing personality and actions got him quickly involved in the Bristol scene and he assembled a group of players; The Atlas Mountains. They include Rozi Plain, who I saw play with and support This Is The Kit, and possesses a gorgeously wholesome, free spirited voice. Since Francois’s local loving and successes, he has been traveling around… playing, drawing and singing.

F&A

Francois and Rozi PlainPicture Source

As his animations stand next to and hold trees, moving the background of the myspace page, and Be Water (je suis de l’eau) streams out, you get a sense of French humour. As seen in many of the country’s films, such as The Girl Cut in Two, Priceless and The Beat That My Heart Skipped. A little bit of a slapstick chuckle.

However that’s not to say Francois doesn’t hold the other famous French attribute of sensitive LOVE – of course like in the aforementioned films. Night Lights and Remind displays this delicacy perfectly. With two voices singing, it is so tender. Tour de France too, although I don’t understand French (oh how I wish I did), to me, is a scene set in Paris, with a French lover driving from the city to the countryside of chateau’s etc. In a tiny car.

Francois

Francois and The Atlas Mountains have a total lack of pretentiousness, their guitars simply strumming and Francois’ tone, trustworthy in its lack of change. Sometimes the words don’t seem to fit the notes, but it comes off as beautifully haphazard. Their latest album Plaine Inondable, released in 2009 by Fence Records, follows the faithful, friendly vibe. The recordings took place partly in Charente-Maritime and partly in the Basques Country and includes a whole track of vocal harmony, Nights = Days. Although a mixture of English and French, the entire album sounds distinctly like an ambling along Frenchman with the jumpy, instruments like backing singers, and his revealing accent. Moitiee is so beautiful, thoughtful and melodramatic. And guitar focused French and English mixed Pic-nic is honest and sad; “and we’ll never go out for picnic anymore”, whilst the chorus style singing Do You Do, is splendid. So incredibly cute.

francois-front-cover-LST068305

Francois And The Atlas Mountains album, Plaine Inondable is out now on Fence Records are playing on May 5 at Anstruther Easter Town Hall, Ansturther, Scotland

Categories ,bristol, ,Cat, ,Fence Records, ,france, ,Francois and The Atlas Mountains, ,Francois Marry, ,Helen Martin, ,Jenny Lloyd, ,Rozi Plain, ,The Beat That My Heart Skipped, ,The Girl Cut In Two, ,This Is The Kit

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Amelia’s Magazine | Music Review: Francois and The Atlas Mountains

Frànçois and the Atlas Mountains by Jenny Lloyd

Francois Marry by Jenny Lloyd

It’s not just because my cat is called Francois. This French musician is très bon. Francois Marry, tadalafil aka Francois and The Atlas Mountains, viagra buy is a songwriter, this musician, animator and artist from Saintes, which is a small town off the west coast of France. Lighthearted and friendly, Francois is extremely pleasant to listen to when you’re driving somewhere alone. Or indeed, when you’re cooking. Not that I’d ever dictate to you!

francois

Image Source

Francois moved to the UK at 19. To Bristol in-fact. Ever the artiste, he drew a picture and put a note up in a window, both announcing his arrival, and asking people to make music with him. Trawling the car boot sales, he found his instruments and started to play small shows. His endearing personality and actions got him quickly involved in the Bristol scene and he assembled a group of players; The Atlas Mountains. They include Rozi Plain, who I saw play with and support This Is The Kit, and possesses a gorgeously wholesome, free spirited voice. Since Francois’s local loving and successes, he has been traveling around… playing, drawing and singing.

F&A

Francois and Rozi PlainPicture Source

As his animations stand next to and hold trees, moving the background of the myspace page, and Be Water (je suis de l’eau) streams out, you get a sense of French humour. As seen in many of the country’s films, such as The Girl Cut in Two, Priceless and The Beat That My Heart Skipped. A little bit of a slapstick chuckle.

However that’s not to say Francois doesn’t hold the other famous French attribute of sensitive LOVE – of course like in the aforementioned films. Night Lights and Remind displays this delicacy perfectly. With two voices singing, it is so tender. Tour de France too, although I don’t understand French (oh how I wish I did), to me, is a scene set in Paris, with a French lover driving from the city to the countryside of chateau’s etc. In a tiny car.

Francois

Francois and The Atlas Mountains have a total lack of pretentiousness, their guitars simply strumming and Francois’ tone, trustworthy in its lack of change. Sometimes the words don’t seem to fit the notes, but it comes off as beautifully haphazard. Their latest album Plaine Inondable, released in 2009 by Fence Records, follows the faithful, friendly vibe. The recordings took place partly in Charente-Maritime and partly in the Basques Country and includes a whole track of vocal harmony, Nights = Days. Although a mixture of English and French, the entire album sounds distinctly like an ambling along Frenchman with the jumpy, instruments like backing singers, and his revealing accent. Moitiee is so beautiful, thoughtful and melodramatic. And guitar focused French and English mixed Pic-nic is honest and sad; “and we’ll never go out for picnic anymore”, whilst the chorus style singing Do You Do, is splendid. So incredibly cute.

francois-front-cover-LST068305

Francois And The Atlas Mountains album, Plaine Inondable is out now on Fence Records are playing on May 5 at Anstruther Easter Town Hall, Ansturther, Scotland

Categories ,bristol, ,Cat, ,Fence Records, ,france, ,Francois and The Atlas Mountains, ,Francois Marry, ,Helen Martin, ,Jenny Lloyd, ,Rozi Plain, ,The Beat That My Heart Skipped, ,The Girl Cut In Two, ,This Is The Kit

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Brighton based indie band Foxes!

Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett
Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett.

Foxes! are husband and wife team Adam Bell and Kayla Bell, joined by Al Grice and Matthew Thwaites. Together they create beguiling indie music accompanied by some great lo-fi visuals. Dance along to the sing along likes of Who Killed Rob? or exhilarate in the rolling rock of Oh Rosie. From the creation of their own record label, Big Salad Records, to their fun homemade videos, here’s a band doing it their way… Adam answered my questions.

foxes album artwork
Your new album was launched earlier this month, what has been the response so far?
Yes, it has been exciting and the response has been really interesting, we’ve had some very detailed reviews and writers seem to have found nice words to say and things that have made us think about our music and what we are doing. Releasing an album in January is quite a difficult task, as the press and retail outlets tend to be quiet in the new year. In that sense, I feel that we’ve started 2012 with something that will grow, I’m hoping the album will be heard by the right people and settle into something that is appreciated on a wider scale than we’ve known before, having existed as a DIY band for some time. I suppose what we are doing isn’t necessarily in line with the big popular sounds of today and so we do rely on keen eared enthusiasts to get the ball rolling and tell everyone to love us! Saying that, there’s good signs of progress already, with great press and some old fans coming out of the woodwork to show support, which has been lovely.

Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell
Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell.

Your music is a beguiling mix of twee indie and rockier vibes, what are your influences and would you say this is fair description? if not what would you prefer?
Well, the twee influence and tag which seems heavily associated with the band is an interesting one because none of us would say that we are big fans of that genre. Personally, the bands that influence me the most would be Elephant 6 Collective acts like The Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as Yo La Tengo, Weezer, The La’s, The Unicorns, The Flaming Lips and so on. I like the lo-fi aesthetic and the idea of writing a melody or phrase that catches in your mind and goes round and round, that’s an important thing to try to grasp and a great challenge, which I always find very rewarding. I like to think of us as a rock band who write pop songs that don’t necessarily follow the most expected path. I think there’s space to be both strange and popular, if you have good pop ideas, there’s so much you can do beyond the basic presentation of a song. As we tend to write communally, there’s four minds for each idea to pass through, which gives each song a chance to pick up a variety of styles before its finished.
 
YouTube Preview Image
The video for Oh Rosie feature some great animation, who did you work with for this, and what was the inspiration?
Kayla made the video with Gareth Harwood. They have a little animation and design company so making music videos for relevant bands always seems like a fun idea. Kayla’s artwork in general is focused around day-to-day life and it is the things she experiences in her immediate environment that she finds most inspiring (see www.mundaneappreciation.com for more of Kayla’s artwork). The video for Oh Rosie is filled with things from her bedroom. Dresses, stationery, things in her handbag, her hamster (Flash) etc., combined with direct references to other tracks on the album.
 
Foxes!
Photography by Emily Mary Barnett.

You recently relocated to Brighton, what was the lure?
We started as a three piece in Oxford back in 2005 and moved to Brighton after the summer of 2007. Kayla and our original bass player Dan were studying in Oxford and finished their courses that summer. We were drawn to Brighton by the past to some extent, as I had lived in Brighton during my teenage years, and Kayla had immediately loved it when she first moved over from Canada in 2001. It felt like coming home when we moved back, although Oxford was very good to us and we did love it there as well.
 
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick.

You’ve also set up your own label Big Salad Records, what prompted this move?
It’s a combination of factors – ever since we played with the folks behind Fence Records when Kayla and I lived in St Andrews, I’ve been inspired by how strong the inspiration is when a group of people work together in a kind of collective. In Brighton, we know some very talented musicians and all of us seem to be involved in lots of projects, most of which never see the light of day and end up stuck on hard drives in people’s bedrooms.
 
Foxes
Big Salad Records was created as a way to encourage friends to get their music into the public domain and hopefully to build a similar collective to, say, the Elephant Six or Anticon labels in America. For Foxes!, we had worked with a few different labels, releasing singles and EPs but I think we reached the point where we just wanted the album out and felt we had enough contacts and experience to do that with the new label. I’m really excited about it and there’s some great things in the pipeline for Big Salad Records.
 
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon.

What is it like working as a husband and wife team?
Well it can be intense at times, but usually it’s great fun. Recently Matt and Alan seem to bicker more than we do. I’ll always believe there’s something magical between us when we work together and it’s overwhelming sometimes to think what a great creative partnership we have managed to uncover. A lot of the new songs are more directly written about our marriage and the crazy times we have been through. We are going to record the second record later this year and try to bring it all together into one piece of writing, set to the backdrop of an aquatic drama. It could make or break us!
 
YouTube Preview ImageWho Killed Rob?

Where can fans catch you in 2012?
We currently have three gigs scheduled. The first is a headline show at Pavilion Theatre in Brighton on 16th February. Then we are back in Oxford for the first time in a while at The Cellar on 10th March. We are also playing a London show for Odd Box Promotions at The Wilmington Arms on 16th March.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Panda Bear Song

Foxes! by Foxes! is out now on Big Salad Records.

Categories ,Adam Bell, ,Al Grice, ,album, ,Big Salad Records, ,Elephant 6 Collective, ,Emily Mary Barnett, ,Fence Records, ,Foxes, ,Gareth Harwood, ,Gemma Cotterell, ,interview, ,Kathryn Corlett, ,Kayla Bell, ,Lottie Pencheon, ,Matthew Thwaites, ,Neutral Milk Hotel, ,Odd Box Promotions, ,Of Montreal, ,Oh Rosie, ,Pavilion Theatre, ,review, ,The Apples In Stereo, ,The Cellar, ,the flaming lips, ,The La’s, ,The Panda Bear Song, ,The Unicorns, ,The Wilmington Arms, ,Weezer, ,Who Killed Rob?, ,Yo La Tengo, ,Zoey Hardwick

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Brighton based indie band Foxes!

Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett
Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett.

Foxes! are husband and wife team Adam Bell and Kayla Bell, joined by Al Grice and Matthew Thwaites. Together they create beguiling indie music accompanied by some great lo-fi visuals. Dance along to the sing along likes of Who Killed Rob? or exhilarate in the rolling rock of Oh Rosie. From the creation of their own record label, Big Salad Records, to their fun homemade videos, here’s a band doing it their way… Adam answered my questions.

foxes album artwork
Your new album was launched earlier this month, what has been the response so far?
Yes, it has been exciting and the response has been really interesting, we’ve had some very detailed reviews and writers seem to have found nice words to say and things that have made us think about our music and what we are doing. Releasing an album in January is quite a difficult task, as the press and retail outlets tend to be quiet in the new year. In that sense, I feel that we’ve started 2012 with something that will grow, I’m hoping the album will be heard by the right people and settle into something that is appreciated on a wider scale than we’ve known before, having existed as a DIY band for some time. I suppose what we are doing isn’t necessarily in line with the big popular sounds of today and so we do rely on keen eared enthusiasts to get the ball rolling and tell everyone to love us! Saying that, there’s good signs of progress already, with great press and some old fans coming out of the woodwork to show support, which has been lovely.

Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell
Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell.

Your music is a beguiling mix of twee indie and rockier vibes, what are your influences and would you say this is fair description? if not what would you prefer?
Well, the twee influence and tag which seems heavily associated with the band is an interesting one because none of us would say that we are big fans of that genre. Personally, the bands that influence me the most would be Elephant 6 Collective acts like The Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as Yo La Tengo, Weezer, The La’s, The Unicorns, The Flaming Lips and so on. I like the lo-fi aesthetic and the idea of writing a melody or phrase that catches in your mind and goes round and round, that’s an important thing to try to grasp and a great challenge, which I always find very rewarding. I like to think of us as a rock band who write pop songs that don’t necessarily follow the most expected path. I think there’s space to be both strange and popular, if you have good pop ideas, there’s so much you can do beyond the basic presentation of a song. As we tend to write communally, there’s four minds for each idea to pass through, which gives each song a chance to pick up a variety of styles before its finished.
 
YouTube Preview Image
The video for Oh Rosie feature some great animation, who did you work with for this, and what was the inspiration?
Kayla made the video with Gareth Harwood. They have a little animation and design company so making music videos for relevant bands always seems like a fun idea. Kayla’s artwork in general is focused around day-to-day life and it is the things she experiences in her immediate environment that she finds most inspiring (see www.mundaneappreciation.com for more of Kayla’s artwork). The video for Oh Rosie is filled with things from her bedroom. Dresses, stationery, things in her handbag, her hamster (Flash) etc., combined with direct references to other tracks on the album.
 
Foxes!
Photography by Emily Mary Barnett.

You recently relocated to Brighton, what was the lure?
We started as a three piece in Oxford back in 2005 and moved to Brighton after the summer of 2007. Kayla and our original bass player Dan were studying in Oxford and finished their courses that summer. We were drawn to Brighton by the past to some extent, as I had lived in Brighton during my teenage years, and Kayla had immediately loved it when she first moved over from Canada in 2001. It felt like coming home when we moved back, although Oxford was very good to us and we did love it there as well.
 
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick.

You’ve also set up your own label Big Salad Records, what prompted this move?
It’s a combination of factors – ever since we played with the folks behind Fence Records when Kayla and I lived in St Andrews, I’ve been inspired by how strong the inspiration is when a group of people work together in a kind of collective. In Brighton, we know some very talented musicians and all of us seem to be involved in lots of projects, most of which never see the light of day and end up stuck on hard drives in people’s bedrooms.
 
Foxes
Big Salad Records was created as a way to encourage friends to get their music into the public domain and hopefully to build a similar collective to, say, the Elephant Six or Anticon labels in America. For Foxes!, we had worked with a few different labels, releasing singles and EPs but I think we reached the point where we just wanted the album out and felt we had enough contacts and experience to do that with the new label. I’m really excited about it and there’s some great things in the pipeline for Big Salad Records.
 
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon.

What is it like working as a husband and wife team?
Well it can be intense at times, but usually it’s great fun. Recently Matt and Alan seem to bicker more than we do. I’ll always believe there’s something magical between us when we work together and it’s overwhelming sometimes to think what a great creative partnership we have managed to uncover. A lot of the new songs are more directly written about our marriage and the crazy times we have been through. We are going to record the second record later this year and try to bring it all together into one piece of writing, set to the backdrop of an aquatic drama. It could make or break us!
 
YouTube Preview ImageWho Killed Rob?

Where can fans catch you in 2012?
We currently have three gigs scheduled. The first is a headline show at Pavilion Theatre in Brighton on 16th February. Then we are back in Oxford for the first time in a while at The Cellar on 10th March. We are also playing a London show for Odd Box Promotions at The Wilmington Arms on 16th March.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Panda Bear Song

Foxes! by Foxes! is out now on Big Salad Records.

Categories ,Adam Bell, ,Al Grice, ,album, ,Big Salad Records, ,Elephant 6 Collective, ,Emily Mary Barnett, ,Fence Records, ,Foxes, ,Gareth Harwood, ,Gemma Cotterell, ,interview, ,Kathryn Corlett, ,Kayla Bell, ,Lottie Pencheon, ,Matthew Thwaites, ,Neutral Milk Hotel, ,Odd Box Promotions, ,Of Montreal, ,Oh Rosie, ,Pavilion Theatre, ,review, ,The Apples In Stereo, ,The Cellar, ,the flaming lips, ,The La’s, ,The Panda Bear Song, ,The Unicorns, ,The Wilmington Arms, ,Weezer, ,Who Killed Rob?, ,Yo La Tengo, ,Zoey Hardwick

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