The debut release “Centuries” from Dark Dark Horse could be described with one sentence: it is pleasant anticipation set to music. Their pop influenced electronic sound is romantic in the best sense or as Charles Baudelaire used to say: “Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in the way of feeling.”

And the best thing about feelings, they don’t stick to any rules. Neither does the sound of Dark Dark Horse. Erik Satie like piano tunes meet IDM beats meet spherical synthesizer soundscapes all kept together by James Stafford’s flowery lyrics and his gentle voice.

If you’re a fan of Postal Service, Anderson, The New Wine or American Analog Set you must not miss out Dark Dark Horse. And if not, listen to them anyway!

Unfortunately this dazzling debut is not available in Europe at the moment, but I reckon it will be pretty soon. Check out their myspace site for more infos and have a look at my interview with Jamie Ward.

First of all, who is Dark Dark Horse? Please introduce yourself!

Dark Dark Horse was started by me (Jamie Ward) and James Stafford. I do the music and James writes and sings all the vocals. Joe Norledge who plays guitar and Robin Southby who plays keys have since joined the band.

Describe your musical style in one sentence.

Max Richter meets New Order, and odd fit of styles and sounds that shouldn’t work but hopefully do.

What do we need to know about your debut release “Centuries”?

It’s not out in the UK or Europe yet but we’re working hard on that.

What kind of music inspires you?

Anything with the spark of something new, it doesn’t have to be groundbreaking but just has that special something that sets it apart. I get pretty inspired by music when I can’t grasp who it’s been done. Being a producer I get pretty analytical over music so when something comes along that  can’t over analyse I get pretty excited about it. Clark’s ‘Totems Flare’ is an example of that for me.

Are there any other musical projects in your past, present or future?

I used to play in Kyte, the now Defunct Tired Irie and still play in Maybeshewill. James also plays in Kids in Carsand Robin’s real baby is Maybeshewill.

What is the best thing about being a musician?

Creating something that wasn’t their before.

What is the worst thing about being a musician?

Trying to get people interested in what you’ve created.

Where and when can we see you live?

It’s early days yet so we’re just tentatively stepping into the world of live performance. We’re playing Leicester Firebug on the 11th of Feb and Nottingham Bodega Social on the 16th of February.

What are your plans for 2011?

Push our music to a much wider audience, release centuries or maybe something a little updated in the West, write another album (we have most of the demo’s already) play live a lot more.

After the first time I listened to Silent Devices and their EP “Two Decades“, I was left with two questions. Why haven’t I heard of this band until now? And why are they apparently unsigned?

The most beautiful thing about their music is the way they avoid this miserable apocalyptic atmosphere that often comes along with post rock. Josh, Scott, Alex and Charlie make something you could call “lyric post rock”. Layers of sounds and vocals intertwine and become some sort of a magic carpet. Make yourself comfortable and fly away!

“Two Decades” stands out, because it’s genuine. Silent Devices have a keen sense for their own musical strengths and I guess that’s why they’re not afraid to set priorities. I’m pretty sure we’re going to hear a lot more from the Leicester based band soon. Until then you should check out the interview with Silent Devices’ drummer Alex:

Wherefrom do you know each other?
We’ve known each other for a fairly long time actually. I have known guitarist, Charles since we were like 11/12, and Scott (Bassist) and Josh (Vocals) have known each other since they were a similar age. Then we all met each other at school when we were all 16.
How did the band come off?
The band came about as Josh, Scott, and Charles were playing in a band with a different drummer and extra guitarist, then that band disbanded and I stepped in as drummer, then it’s been us 4 ever since then basically.
How serious do you take your band? Is it a hobby or a profession?
I think we would all like for it to be our profession, however we’re all currently poor students, so for the moment, I guess I would call it a very serious hobby. A lot of our money goes into the band, as we try to travel and record as much as possible.
You’re currently working on new material until the end of april. What can we expect?
Yeah, the writing process is going very well at the moment. In terms of expectations, I feel the material is nowhere near as post-rock driven as our previous EP’s. There’s  certainly a lot more vocals, sometimes vocal harmonies, it’s leaning more towards a pop record than ever before. However, we’re not Gaga. It still has the ‘dream pop’ aspect that we love.
Is there a chance to see you live in 2011?
Yes. For the moment, we’re focusing on finishing the new EP, but we’ve got a few shows lined up for late February/March time. The first 100% confirmed show is March 1st at The Bull and Gate, London.
What are your favourite albums to listen to at the moment?
For me I haven’t stopped listening to the new Delta Spirit album, History From Below, also The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man On Earth, and All We Grow by S. Carey. We’re also all into the Villagers debut and High Violet by The National.
What is your inspiration? Do you have any musical idols?
I guess we don’t necessarily have musical idols, but if we had to put some artists probably; fellow Leicester success story Mark Morrison and Prince, Michael Jackson and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
What’s the unique thing about your music? Is there something that makes a difference to other post rock bands for you?
Probably the main difference between us and other post-rock bands is that our songs are fairly vocally driven, therefore we try to not just stay in the post-rock bubble, particularly with the new material, we take a great deal of influence from non post-rock bands like The National, The Arcade Fire and Frightened Rabbit.
Where do you see yourselves and your band in five years? Are there things you want to achieve?
In the next five years I guess we’ll be looking to get a few tour supports or maybe even a headline tour under our belt, just to really get the music out to as many people as possible really.

Bob Geldof once said: “I don’t like mondays.” I totally disagree with that, I love mondays. And especially if it’s a monday like this: today Mirrors release their new single “Hide and Seek” and they’re first to answer the brand new interview category “Ten Times Top Five” which comes to you once a month from now on. Mirrors are currently touring Europe with OMD, but frontman James and drummer Josef  took the time to think about their top fives. Check it out, enjoy and have a happy monday!

Top Five records

1. Talking heads – 77
2. Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express
3. The Slits – Cut
4. Neu! – ’75
5. Carl Craig and Moritz Von Oswald – Recomposed

Top Five songs

1. Lindstrom – Where you go, I go to
2. Danny Elfman – Hitchhikeq
3. Victor Vaughn - Lickupon
4. Pase Rock – I’m So Fucking Disco
5. Cheree – Suicide

Top Five memorable gigs witnessed by Mirrors

1. Joe Strummer on Hastings Pier (before him and the pier died)
2. Kimmo Pohjonen on a farm in West Sussex playing live with farmyard machinery and live sheep shearing.
3. Killing Joke at Fuji Rock in Japan in 2008. After the show he talked to me. He told I could have one favour and that he would kill anyone I asked but that I would be eternally in his debt. I politely declined.
4. The Horrors on tour in 2007. They are the real deal. Memorable indeed
5. Grace Jones at Latitude. A genuine surprise. Spectacular.

Top Five film soundtracks

1. E.T. – John William
2. Dead Man – Neil Young
3. There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood
4. The Lovely Bones – Brian Eno
5. Star Wars – John Williams

Top Five Depeche Mode songs

Never heard of them

Top Five music videos

1. Mirrors – Hide and Seek
2. Joy Division – Love will tear us apart
3. These New Puritans – We Want War
4. Bjork – All Is Full Of Love
5. Radiohead – Fade Out

Click here to view the embedded video.

Top Five band names

1. Ken Dodd’s Dad’s Dog’s Dead
2. Robot Deniro
3. Screaming Moist Accountants
4. Kiss The Anus Of A Black Cat
5. Psychedelic Horseshit

Top Five cover songs

1. All Along The Watchtower – XTC (originally by Bob Dylan)
2. Across The Universe – Laibach (originally by The Beatles)
3. Song To The Siren –  This Cortal Coil (originally by Tim Buckley)
4. Tugboat – British Sea Power (originally by Galaxie 500)
5. We Love You – Ryuichi Sakamoto (originally by The Rolling Stones)

Top Five insignificant band reunions

1. Magazine
2. The Sex Pistols
3. The Libertines
4. Gang of Four
5. Heaven 17

Top Five most relevant music genres

1. Drill and Bass
2. Hand bag drop beat
3. Minimalist ska core
4. Brutal Prog
5. Wall Noise

Mirrors on tour with OMD:

15/11 Theaterhaus, Stuttgart
16/11 Tonhalle, Munich
18/11 Tempodrom, Berlin
19/11 Docks, Hamburg
21/11 Den Atelier, Luxemburg
22/11 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
23/11 Paradiso, Amsterdam
25/11 Casino de Paris, Paris

School Of Seven Bells recently released their new single “Heart Is Strange” taken from their second album “Disconnect From Desire”. Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza met in 2004 while touring. They decided to end their commitments to their old bands and eventually became School Of Seven Bells by the end of 2006. Considering their history as individual artists, their formation as School Of Seven Bells and their music, it seemed obvious to ask a few questions about relationships.

What do your families think of your music? Do they like it?

Benjamin: Absolutely. I think both of our families are really proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.

I’d like to talk about your musical past. Benjamin, you were playing in ‘Secret Machines‘ with your brother Brandon and left the band to found ‘School Of Seven Bells’. Even if it was just an artistic decision, did it affect your personal relationship?

Benjamin: Of course there is always more to the decision to leave a band than purely artistic ones. Some feelings are always going to be hurt, you know? On the surface, I think there was some awkwardness, and some confusion as to why we couldn’t make it work, but as whole, we have an amazing relationship. We completely trust each other, and probably know each other better than anybody else, so I think he ultimately understood my decision. We’re really close, and there is absolutely no hard feelings at this point.

Claudia and Alejandra, you’ve known each other your whole life, you’re identical twins. What is the best and the worst thing of being surrounded by a family member all day?

Alejandra: The best thing is that there’s no formalities to get through, no moods to decipher, but that in itself can also be the worst thing about it. With that kind of freedom comes a responsibility. You can’t be allowed all sorts of liberties either. Civility is something you work on on a daily basis.

I’ve read that you’re living in a shared place with a home recording studio. So you’re not only a band, but also flat mates. Why did you do this and what are the advantages?

Alejandra: We’re no longer living in the same spot, but for the majority of the recording process for ‘Disconnect From Desire’ we were. Truth is that in New York, unless you’re loaded, living arrangements are purely an economic decision. The advantages are obvious. Three artists living in the same space makes for some crazy creative energy. The only downside I would say that there is, is knowing when to put it down. You have to remember that the people you are living with are people with more than music in their lives. That’s just one part of it. They’re complex and multifaceted human beings. Forgetting that can compromise the relationships that brought you together.

Are you all equal members in your band? Or would you call one of you the bandleader?

Benjamin: I think we all play to our strengths. I love production, instrumentation, and working in the studio, so it seems most of that ends up in my hands. I’ve also had a bit more experience with the business side of things in my previous bands, so it seems I’ve got a little more to do with the band’s business because of that. Alejandra seems to be the most prolific writer out of all of us. She’s constantly scribbling away, and most of our lyrical and conceptual ideas come from thoughts she has had. The band name, all the characters in the songs, and most of the lyrics on ‘Disconnect From Desire’ are hers. As far as creativity is concerned, it’s very much the three of our energies combined, and in that respect I would say “School Of Seven Bells’ is totally Alejandra, Claudia, and I.

How do you come up with your songs? Is there a certain cycle, are there certain responsibilities?

Alejandra: Songs come about in a billion different ways. Benjamin and I are writing all the time individually anyway, so there is always an inevitable merging or I should probably say relieving of the minds. There are no assigned roles. We try to keep it as free as possible. Robert Wyatt writing melodies on the trumpet is one of the most beautiful sounds in music history, so a rearranging of the roles only makes for more exciting music.

The word ‘Shoegaze’ seems to be inevitably associated to your music (if we believe the media). How do you feel about being served as the leading force in ‘Shoegaze-revival’?

Benjamin: I think I’m allergic to the word ‘revival’. We aren’t reviving anything, in my opinion. We are of course influenced by certain sounds, and certain feelings do resonate with us, but all of that gets composted and digested into our personal experiences, and comes out as ‘School of Seven Bells’ music, which I think is something new. I’m sorry if that sounds pompous, but I totally believe it.

I can’t lie, I do love a lot of music that people call ‘Shoegaze’, but, as an artist, I can’t ever endorse any kind of labels. I understand that they do have a function, but it’s best for me to stay out of that stuff. Bands that embrace and represent particular genres never seem to work for me. All the best bands that have transcended and outlasted the particular fads they were associated with all seemed to reject categorization, and we do the same.

On the other hand, I do believe in strength in numbers, and if there are other bands like us out there, and people consider us to be in the forefront of that movement, I could only feel honored.

You did a lot of touring this year to promote your current album ‘Disconnect From Desire’. What kind of people turn up to your gigs, how would you describe your audience?

Alejandra: Our audience is probably one of the most diverse I’ve ever seen. Pretty much every type of person you could imagine comes to our shows.

Let’s pretend you have a day off. Do you also spend your free time together? Or are you happy to have some time on your own

Benjamin: It depends. When we haven’t seen each for a while, I think we do end up missing each other and then try to spend a little more time together. On the other hand, if we’re in the middle of some heavy touring, I think we do our best to find some alone time. That’s one thing you realize when you start touring. It’s really hard to find a moment to be alone, and I think those moments are really necessary for all three of us.

But, when I stop and think about it, we do end up hanging together on our days off, too, so who knows.

School Of Seven Bells are currently touring Europe, so here’s your chance to see them live:

3rd Paris (France), La Boule Noire, Les Inrocks Festival

4th Cologne (Germany), Werkstatt

5th Ghent (Belgium), Vooruit

6th Antwerp( Belgium), De Nachten Festival

8th London (UK), Heaven

10th Madrid (Spain), El Sol

I don’t know how I could ignore the Brighton based sextet Super U and their debut album “We Live In Bazakhstan” for more than six months. This record is like a universal weapon and I mean it in the most irenic sense. It makes you happy, when you’re sad. It makes you happier when you’re already happy. And if you listen to it every day for a few times, you may become the happiest person on this planet. I’m speaking from my own experience, you can call me cheshire cat from now on. Their catchy indie-britpop-rock fired my imagination, so I made up some rumours about them and their music and curiously waited what they had to say…

Download the song “What News From Cornwall” for free!

First rumour: The band is named after a French supermarket ‘Super U’ in Biarritz, where Matt Barr and Ewan Wallace first met during holidays. A fight for the last piece of goat cheese evolved into a profound friendship.

Rumour Score 4/5

The band is indeed named after a French supermarket chain. Founder members Matt Barr and Ewan Wallace met in 1992 at the flagship store situated on the Champs Elysées. Ewan who worked for the store as a trolley boy happened upon a fresh faced Matt trying to park his Bedford C30 panel van in a clearly marked trolley collection point. Ewan, incensed by this highly controversial behaviour, confronted Matt, a struggle ensued and the rest is history. No cheeses were hurt.

Second rumour: The album title ‘We live in Bazakhstan’ is a homage to the time when the band used to live in a little communist parish near Newcastle upon Tyne. Songs like ‘A better way’ and ‘We hang on’ are about this very intense period of their lives.

Rumour Score 2/5

Bazakhstan was the name given to the former residence of the band on Barry Walk in Brighton. Shortly after the boys moved out, the building was razed to the ground and a new one was built in order to celebrate the memory of the original house. What has been achieved there is actually quite touching.

Third rumour: After Damon Albarn first listened to the album ‘We live in Bazakhstan’ it is said that he thought of canceling the Blur reunion. He told fans that if they’re looking for the future of Britpop they should go to a Super U gig instead.

Rumour Score 2/5

The comments were actually made by Chava Haza, lead singer of top Israeli Blur tribute band ‘Murgh’. Damon has never been one for heaping praise on his rivals.

Fourth rumour: When Liam Gallagher asked Super U to produce their album the band refused for fear of assaults. Asking Liam about the circumstances he just told the press, he doesn’t want to work with ‘unsigned gaybos from Hove’.

Rumour Score 1/5

Liam apparently loves the pink pound, and sources allege having spotted him frequenting some of Brighton’s classier nightspots while on prolonged Super U watching sojourns in the town.

Fifth rumour: Super U successfully sued a multinational electronic commerce company after they wanted to classify their music as Folk. ‘Everybody should have the right for an individual genre. We play Northern Shanty Rock, nothing else. If they don’t know what it is, it’s not our fault.’

Rumour Score 1/5

No multinational electronic companies were hurt. Someone from Ipswich lost an eye in a fight but its not clear if Super u were involved.

Sixth rumour: Singer Matt Barr has a portrait of bank robber John Dillinger tattooed on his left upper arm. ‘It’s just a reminder for me that making a fast buck is possible, but mostly illegal and you might get killed. Cheers me up from time to time.’

Rumour Score 4/5

Drummer Russ actually has the letter ‘M’ tattooed on each of his buttocks as a touching tribute to his mother.

Seventh rumour: The album was recorded in various living rooms. ‘It’s good to have musicians as friends, they already have all the stuff you need to make recordings. And on top you save lots of money to spend it on girls and booze after the sessions.’

Rumour Score 5/5

This album would not have been possible without the industrious help of many kind and talented Brighton-ites. Cash was saved but, unfortunately, not enough to lure a girl in to the back of a Bedford C30 panel van.

Eighth rumor: Super U are planning a tour through Europe this autumn.

Rumour Score 5/5

Autumn……? Cripes, we better get a move on!

Ninth rumour: Super U are already working on their next album ‘Fernsehturm’. The combination of experimental minimal techno and traditional folk tunes will be released early next year.

Rumour Score 0/5

Our collective wad has been shot for now, although a new EP is in the offing. Quick cuppa and a fag before we talk shop please!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I guess Ben Eshmade and his Arctic Circle gave me some of the best musical experiences in my life. Whether the Daylight concerts at the Union Chapel in Islington, the Bubbly Blue and Green Festival at Kings Place or the Explorer’s Club compilation, it has always been and will always be something unique and absolutely brilliant. So when I had the chance to join one of his weekly radio shows at Resonance FM in London with Arch Garrison as a show guest, not even the TFL could have held me off getting there.

Not a promoter, not a record label, not a radio station…what exactly is the Arctic Circle and who is/are the face(s) behind?

Arctic Circle seems to be an ever-evolving entity that has taken the best parts of being a promoter, label and radio station. It’s a community of like-minded musicians and music lovers who I try and bring together to create new and wonderful projects. I suppose it is easiest to think of me (as in a play) as the director of Arctic Circle with an alternating cast of supporting musicians and friends.

What would you say is THE one exceptional thing about Arctic Circle?

I would say our penguin identity. Being a fan of animation and in particular Studio Ghibli films such as Spirited Away to have something that so identifiable as the Arctic Circle penguin is really important. This was designed originally by Miho Ashima of Pika Pika. It is also great to see how this has developed over time. Damian O’Harais taking the artwork to a whole new ‘3D’ level this year. He’s even building Tate Britain out of paper at the moment.

Tell us a bit about the beginnings of Arctic Circle. Was there something like an initial spark? Where did the idea come from?

Well that’s a long story. The idea evolved out of my experiences of producing a radio show called the Chiller Cabinet on Classic FM and from having a strong desire to see the artists I was playing perform live. I also suppose I was trying at this stage in my life to find a niche, something I could pour my heart and soul into.

Arctic Circle recently celebrated its fourth birthday. It all started in 2006 with a debut event at the Hayward Gallery. I reckon a lot of things have changed since then. So where did you start and where are you now?

Alongside the initial Hayward Gallery show, we were running monthly nights at the Notting Hill Arts Club even at this stage. The NHAC is where we learnt all the hard lessons on how to attract an audience, how much we could pay an artist (without going bankrupt) and how sweets can make people happy!

What is Arctic Circle’s musical vision?

To put together once in a lifetime concerts and promote music which helps to inspire and to make people dream of wonderful things.

Would you say there is something that unifies all of your artists in a musical sense?

A sense of fun or a huge amount of musical talent.

In December 2007 the first compilation named “That Fuzzy Feeling” in collaboration with Loaf Recordings was released. Would you say this was bound to happen?

I suppose most people have the secret desire to release a record and I am not any different. It meant that the Arctic Circle could say  – we are very serious about what we’re doing. And it also meant that we could shout ‘THIS IS AMAZING MUSIC’ and you should listen to it.

Your latest coup is the “Explorer’s Club”, also a collaboration with Loaf Recordings. With a subscription you get the Explorer’s Club Survival Bag with a cotton tote bag, calendar, poster and some other bits and bobs plus a monthly e-mail with songs and a digital booklet. I think it’s a brilliant and forward-looking idea.

Do you think it’s necessary to think of alternative ways and special offers to make people spending money on music?

The Explorer’s Club is a project that I’ve been working on with Loaf records for a few years. We both liked the idea of doing something that was a bit different to the usual way records are released. It is our spin on an idea that has been done before with 7inch records. It’s a great way of bringing some of the great artists we have worked with from around the world. Above all it’s about the music, we just try and make the delivery as fun and exciting as possible.

And the Arctic Circle Radio. Tell us a bit about it!

Well as a radio producer I decided that what I can bring to Arctic Circle and make it more unique is a real wealth of audio. I’m determined to build a massive archive of audio which people can explore. We already have interviews and live sessions and soon we will even have recordings of whole concerts. This also allows us to move beyond our mostly London based promoting activities to share this music around the world.

You’ve done a lot of things so far, so the obvious question: what’s coming next? Any ideas buzzing in your head?

It’s our 5th anniversary next year. I have far too many ideas for what I’d like to do next year. I’d like to expand upon what people expect from us – moving maybe into more theatrical areas for our performances. A performance of Faure Requiem and a postmodern Christmas Symphony are also ideas I’ve been trying to make happen…

Apart from ideas, what are the concrete upcoming events, releases an so on?

We’re at the Tate Britain on Friday 6 August with a free event (as part of Late at Tate) called ‘The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me’. It will be involve more exploring with a musical journey into a lost world. Look out for dinosaurs, rainbows, mountains and rivers as a cast of musicians, puppeteers and artists bring the galleries to life.

Then we have two sets of concerts which are part of the Kings Place September Festival. On Saturday 11 September  Outer Circle Bristol – with Rozi Plain, Eyebrow and Francois & The Atlas Mountains. On Sunday 12 September Outer Circle Manchester – with Nancy Elizabeth, Homelife and Denis Jones. These concerts feature some of Manchester and Bristol’s most exciting and genre defining contemporary musicians.

Finally there’s one thing I’d like to know: without any restrictions, what would be your ideal event?

I love the idea of taking over an old theatre. Pretentious scenesters or anyone trying to be cool will be turned away at the door. This would be where all my friends (a lot of which are in the Arctic Circle) would come together. We’d have the most amazing cakes in London and strange flavoured milkshakes. And we’d have all of the best musicians who have come through Arctic Circle doors playing, from Nils Frahm to Adrian Crowley, from Emily Barker to the Notwist. Oh and I’d love to do a Penguin-themed festival. But that’s another story…

photos: (c) Rosie Reed Gold

If you’re a regular guest on this blog you might have noticed that I’m a huge Miserable Rich fan… to be honest: I’m addicted to their music. 12 Ways To Count still is one of my favorite records and when they released Of Flight And Fury a few months ago, I wasn’t able to listen to anything else for several weeks. If a song likeOliver, The Mouth Of The Wolf or Somerhill doesn’t knock you off your feet, I’d presume something is seriously wrong with you. No offence, just my personal opinion. And you may think something was seriously wrong with me when I had the chance to do an interview and decided not to ask a single question. But frontman and songwriter James de Malplaquet actually exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect anything less.

“I felt Brighton was a perfect ending to a really interesting career.” Harold Budd

Ah, this must be from 2005, when the Buddster played his last concert before retiring at Brighton’s Dome. It’s always been a nice link that a man described as the Godfather of Ambient music has a surname synonymous with fine marijuana – of which there is plenty in our little seaside town. This quote makes me think he must have had a nice, er, trip to Brighton.

I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s alleged that Daniels Lanois recorded Budd playing, unaware, and put the recording out as ‘La Bella Vista’. I’d love to believe that one – what a lovely way to record?

As for ending your career in Brighton – maybe, but not just yet, eh?

“On your way to wonderful, you’re gonna have to pass through alright. And when you get to alright, take a good look around and get use to it, because that may be a far as you’re gonna go.”Bill Withers

Bill Withers knew a thing or two about life. Anyone fitting toilets into jumbo jets while trying to make it as a musician – two of the most demeaning jobs in two of the most glamorous industries – must have had a fair deal of grounding.

I like Withers – and not just because of the duck in a microwave jokes. These simple, easy going pop songs everyone can sing have an undercurrent of pain and honesty to cut against the saccharine. Just have a listen to ‘Use me’ and ‘Who is he and what is he to you’. I even love the simple stuff like ‘Grandma’s hands’.

Not necessarily the most fashionable guy on the block, what with all the coffee adverts in his legacy, but he certainly made it through the hard times to Wonderful.

I hope we’re travelling in the right direction, but only time will tell.

“I don‘t want to change the world, I‘m not looking for a new England. I‘m just looking for another girl.” Billy Bragg

Never really been into Bragg, though he seems a totally genuine bloke, and he’s closer than most pop stars to my politics. I really like what he has to say about the magical hyphen in Anglo-Saxon. Could do with a bit more melody for me though.

I guess we’re not trying to change the world either – nor looking for another girl either.

We’re just trying to document the lives we lead – and keep it interesting through the descriptive passages.

“Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is ‘elephant’.“ Charlie Chaplin

Wow. That truly is a mammoth statement.

He must’ve had a whale of a time seeing it in print.

“It is commercial pop that the majority of people understand. A working man’s daughter would not understand blues.” Barry Gibb

Hmmn, I’m not really sure Barry Gibb qualifies as the voice of the people - and it’s not usually such a great idea for artists in mansions to be saying what it is people in council houses do and do not like.

That said, when times are tough, a bit of glamour and escapism is often what people want. That’s what the Bee Gees gave us in Saturday Night Fever, and Roxy Music gave us throughout the seventies.

Not sure Bryan Ferry really qualifies as the voice of the people either, though.

For the record, i quite like foxes.

“I’m not here for your amusement. You’re here for mine.” Johnny Rotten

The beautiful arrogance of youth.

Well, Johnny, when we see you in those butter commercials and reality programmes, taking yourself so seriously, i’m really not sure who’s the more amused.

“Never be ashamed to write a melody that people remember.” Burt Bacharach

Who can argue with that?

‘San Jose’, ‘Say A Little Prayer’, ‘Something Big’ – so many favourites played by so many artists, always sounding great.

I am musically the weakest member in a band of great, proper musicians.

I guess i’m not really a musician, not even a songwriter really – just a kind of wordy melodist.

But if someone remembers and hums one of my tunes, i’m happy.

“I’ve never intended to be controversial but it’s very easy to be controversial in pop music because nobody ever is.” Morrissey

Paradoxically, since Morrissey lost his sense of humour – some time ago – it’s been very difficult to take anything he says seriously.

“Pop stars should not eat.” Lady Gaga

It is certainly true that pop stars should not eat Lady Gaga.

Even in the most barbaric countries, there should be a law against that type of thing.

Not much meat on her either.

“What I want to know is: what is actually wrong with an elite?” Prince Charles

There’s nothing wrong with an elite – on merit.

When it’s hereditary, it does nobody any favours, as poor old Charlie’s life should adequately illustrate.

“Being sober on a bus is, like, totally different than being drunk on a bus.” Ozzy Osbourne

Now, normal people would probably put this the other way round -

being sober should be the normality, drunk the alternative.

These quotes were specifically picked for us, right…….?

“Who really needs a new album from me?” Elton John

Tantrums and tiaras, at least you can never accuse Elton of not having a sense of humour about himself.

I read an interview with Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry recently, who, when asked if there was any demand for a new album had this to say -

‘Actually, I’m not sure there is… New material is not that important any more. We’ve been at this for a long time. I think of some of the songs I’ve written or co-written and I think, why should I bother trying to top that? It’s like Leonardo Da Vinci painting the Madonna again. Why should I paint the Madonna again?”

Wow.

“I don’t believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon you doesn’t matter – it’s only a matter of how much you can take and what it does to you.” Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins talks a good game, but the onstage bullying of teenage fans, sucking up to Hollywood for bit-parts and recent rebranding as a reality TV host tell more of the truth about who he actually is than the endless pontificating.

With some people, the gap between who they are and who they think they are grows exponentially.

“Even modern English people are imperious, superior, ridden by class. All of the hypocrisy and the difficulties that are endemic in being British also make it an incredibly fertile place culturally. A brilliant place to live. Sad but true.” Pete Townshend

England is not the greatest place on earth – nor even the most self-critical – but it is my home.

Stephen Fry, the much beloved Englishman – and like all true Englishmen, from a foreign family – put it better than i ever could.

‘I feel about my country like i feel about my parents. I love it, but i can’t help wishing it was just a little bit better.’

“Some of the most miserable people I know are some of the richest people in America, they are the most miserable individuals I’ve ever seen. “ Chuck Norris

I don’t know too much about Americans outside of what i’ve seen in films, but it does seem to me, as our name would suggest, that too much money goes a long way to ruining lives.

A little bit would be nice though.

“Know that I love you, know I don’t care. Know that I see you, know I’m not there.” Nick Drake

A truly chilling song from a troubled mind.

Funny how you still find people listening to it at dinner parties and at summer barbecues.

Shame even that numb success wasn’t granted him in life – but let’s leave on a happy note.

At least he’s still being heard and enjoyed.

Sleep well old chap.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In November 2008 Travis Tucker and Jeff Linka started to write songs in their hometown Richmond, Virginia. Shortly after Andrew Saunders, David Graham and Paul Howard joined the band and they became The Animal Beat. The band will release their first EP “Ambient Jungle Noise” in August and told me about whistling techniques, pepperoni stalagmites and of course a lot about their music.

The Animal Beat originally started as a duo with Travis and Jeff. How come you decided to enlarge your little “zoo”?

Travis: While Jeff and I were working on the first batch of songs in “the cave”, we started to feel like each song could be so much more than two acoustic guitars would allow them to be. We wanted to open the songs up a little bit and really see where they could go. Plus practice time was getting a little lonely with just the two of us.

Jeff: Finding other band members really was the goal all along. We were just lucky that everyone got together so quickly.

In what way did Andrew, David and Paul change or affect the Animal Beat sound?

Travis: Andrew, David and Paul basically made The Animal Beat what it is. Few people can match David at piano, and his classical background allows him the opportunity to write intricate and tasteful parts that we would have never come up with otherwise. I have always considered Andrew to be the music teacher of the group. He knows more about music theory and songwriting than I can fathom, and can pretty much play any instrument under the sun…except drums. Paul is amazing at hitting the drums really hard and brings a little bit of the bang it out rock n’ roll to the table. Basically Andrew, David and Paul all brought their own personal styles to the band, and because we are so open minded about the music, we can all freely bounce ideas off each other to create a song that always comes out much stronger than the original idea.

David: Having five guys together really changed the way we approach new songs. With the first songs we were playing, there was more or less a decent idea of what we wanted to do with the song before we started practicing it as a full band. We approach our new songs differently- we often just start with a basic idea and/or structure, and then play with it as a full band, bouncing ideas off each other and using everyone’s ideas and talents to create the song. By the time we are done with a new song, it’s usually miles away from what we started with.

Andrew: I think that David (on Piano) brings a sense of fullness and musical legitimacy: the kid has some serious chops.

Paul: I brought the flave.

The first Animal Beat songs were written in a cave in Richmond, Virginia. That’s quite an extraordinary rehearsal room, isn’t it? How did that happen and why?

Travis: I wish we could say we wrote all of our songs in a cave, so don’t tell anyone that we just threw that into our online biography. Part of me thinks we should keep that mystery alive, but the fact is we started off rehearsing at my apartment in the fan (an area in Richmond). I suppose I could call my apartment “the cave”, but I don’t. Maybe we can make a point of it to write our next batch of songs in a cave…or call our next album “the cave”…now I’m just rambling.

Jeff: That apartment is often times more cave-like than non-cave-like: Pepperoni stalagmites.

Your first EP “Ambient Jungle Noise” will be released in August. Is there anything ambient, jungle or noisy about it? What can we expect?

Jeff: More “jungle” than “ambient” or “noisy.” In fact, according to Terry Erwin of the Smithsonian Institution, there are anywhere between 20 and 40 billion species of animals living in the Amazon rainforest alone. The number of influences on this record is probably close to 1/8th of that number.

The most exciting aspect of working on the songs and eventually recording them was that we really had no idea how we would sound as a band. We hadn’t played together for very long and some of the songs ended up sounding completely different than they had when we first worked on them. “Spectacled Caiman,” especially, was the real wild card. We worked on a lot of different ideas for how to put that one together, and as much as we tried to meticulously work it out, in the end all we really needed to do was stop thinking and let everyone play their part the way they “heard” it. That song, out of all of them, is probably the ultimate “melting pot” of our individual influences and tastes.

Travis: You could definitely call our music noisy, it certainly isn’t silent. I’m not going to touch the “Ambient” part of that question. Truth be told, Jeff and a non-band friend were sitting in a waiting room and looked at the muted television. There was a commercial picturing a jungle, and the closed captioning said “ambient jungle noise.” They had no idea what that would actually sound like – just like we didn’t really know what our music was going to sound like.

Your single “Ordinary” which can also be found on the EP is the predestined summer hit. And I love the whistle-intro. Who’s whistling?

Andrew: Travis is whistling on the recording, though Paul is probably the most talented whistler in the band. He (Paul) also played trumpet on the recording.

David: I consider myself a borderline-professional whistler and actually volunteered to do the part, but then Travis explained that you had to whistle while sucking in so it doesn’t mess with the sound on the microphone. After realizing that, I conceded the part to Travis.

Travis: I am probably the worst whistler in the band. Every time we practice the song, some one else whistles effortlessly behind me while I struggle to make any sound at all. I also slightly lied to David about having to whistle while sucking in in order to be able to record it. Actually I just really wanted to do the part on the record (David will be pissed when he reads this). Whistling live is no easy feat either; let’s just say that Andrew Bird has a leg up.

Jeff: The most ironic thing about the song is that it was almost never recorded. We had worked on all of the other songs and booked studio time, but “Ordinary” really came down to the wire. Travis had “Ordinary” fully-written, but we hadn’t worked on it much as a band, and it really didn’t come into its own until a night or two before we went into the studio.

Are you already working on your debut album?

Jeff: I think we have been working on it all along. I think the first song Travis and I really fleshed out was one called “X-Ray Machine,” and it will probably be on the next one. We are only now starting to give it the “full band” treatment. If people look hard enough (i.e. search “the animal beat” on google or youtube), we did an acoustic documentary with a film maker/friend named Nick Schapiro. Included are a litany of tracks that we might end up recording.

David: We are at a point now where we have to start paring down our material- we have a ton of songs written (at least in a basic form), but we need to spend time together playing with them to see what new ideas we can come up with and what our best-sounding full band songs will ultimately be.

Travis: We are in such a fortunate position in this band in that we have so much unreleased material to choose from for our next album. We can be extremely selective with our song choices. It has made it difficult to decide which song to work on next, but that is a good problem to have.

Is there any chance to see you live in Europe this year?

David: Europe rules.

Travis: If the opportunity came along, it would be unbelievable to do a tour in Europe. Let’s see how the album does, and then we will go from there.

Last but not least I’d like to play a little game with you called “Guess that tune”.I prepared a special animal edition for you.Listen to the songs and just tell me what you think about it…

Dear Reader – “Great White Bear”

This is a good one. Towards the beginning, a lot of the music and – to a slightly lesser extent – lyrics are fairly reminiscent of The National. Ending is good too – might actually check more out from this band.

The Miserable Rich – “The Mouth of the Wolf”

Wolves are fairly well-utilized in music. Band names – Wolf Parade, Sea Wolf. We have a song with the word “wolf” in the lyrics.

Additionally, wolf t-shirts (preferably sleeveless) are where it’s at.

Owl City – whatever it’s called (editor’s note: it’s called Fireflies)

Fits in nicely after Ke$ha on the morning drive to work. Turning it off before someone hears it coming from my headphones.

Jamie Lidell – “Coma Chameleon”

Opening drum beat sounds like an army coming to rescue the city from an oppressive Owl City occupation. Awesome track. Never understood why this guy hasn’t made it bigger in America. I guess there’s not enough irony or fluorescent colors

Neneh Cherry – “Buffalo Stance”

This is a fun track, but just what exactly is a “buffalo stance?” Is it a physical way of standing/sitting, or is it a political plank? One thing is for sure – buffalos have historically gotten the raw end of the deal in North America. Long ago, they were chased off cliffs so that hunters didn’t even have to waste wayward ammunition. Can you believe that? Imagine the sheer carnage. If buffalos had done that to humans, The Animal Beat surely would have a political song called “Human Stance.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

The single “Ordinary” is available for download now.

The EP “Ambient Jungle Noise” will be available from 9th August.

For downloading the songs check rainboot.

While I was listening to your music some rather personal questions crossed my mind. But first things first: Who is Trev Gibb? Would you like to introduce yourself?

Well, I’m a singer-songwriter from Newcastle. Most of my songs have the same sort of introspective melancholic thing going on and for some reason almost all of them seem to be love songs of a sort or observational. I’m currently in the process of setting up a band and we should be on our way by August.

Your EP “Summer Tears” will be released in July, with the stunning single “Tyrants and Slaves” on it. The prevailing atmosphere of your sound and lyrics is melancholic, so the question arises: how do you usually come up with ideas for your songs?

Well it’s all random. Most of the time I come up with guitar pieces and just record every idea I have. I have no filter! I end up with loads of them floating around my PC, some stick and some don’t and others I might come back to much later. My lyrics are written individually from all of that. I have a few notepads filled with random lines or observations so sometimes I use them to thread things together, some lyrics end up in the drafts folder on my phone, sometimes I have whole lyrics written out that become one song, and sometimes, rarely I might be able to sit down and the lyrics and music just happen at once. Those are the best because they feel effortless, because there’s a unity of feeling to them and normally they’re the least complex and most simple songs.

Have you heard ‘Effortlessly’ by Field Music? If not, that song makes me think of that. The song is like an elastic band, it expands and contracts rhythmically and the lyrics just flow over it, the song feels like what it is called. I love it. That’s the type of song I’d like to be able to write. Although it may not have been effortless to write, it has that feeling.

You are recording an album featuring David Brewis from Field Music at the moment. Will this be your debut album or is it a completely different project and sound?

Well that project is an interesting one. It’s been taking some time because David is a busy guy. He’s been writing and recording songs for Field Music’s new album, touring a lot, recording portions of the Futureheads‘ last record and in the midst of it, helping me. I’m very grateful to him. The songs have great arrangements because of him. He sort of brought out the latent pop in me. It’s there, but he brought it out more. Most of the stuff I’ve written recently feels like I’m channeling Mark Kozelek or Mark Eitzel or something. All very down beat and low key. Anyway, the album may be finished later this year. I intend to finish as much dubbing as possible this summer and I have a couple of new tracks that I’d like to add and record with my new band and then just see how to sequence the tracks. All in all there’s about 15 possible tracks to play with, some will make the cut others won’t. But it’s important for me to put out an album, one you can hold in your hands and look at. And I think my songs suit an album.

What is the one thing you love the most about being a musician?

I just like playing my guitar and having a bash on the piano. I like writing songs. Apart from the day job, music is what I have to keep from turning cynical. I had a dream last night that I put wood inside my piano and lit a fire on the soundboard and that the piano had this sustain and sounded like an orchestra, that was fun. Wish I could remember the chord shapes!

Time to get personal. Would you consider yourself a lucky person?

Yes. Basically there are two choices, for every experience that happens to you, you can learn to deal with it good or bad and be philosophical about it and move on from it, or you can react negatively. I tend to take everything as positively as I can. It’s good karma. Bad feeling and self-pity push people and opportunities away from you.

What makes you nervous?

Depends on the situation, the time of year and what I’m doing. I’m not nervous at the moment. So that’s good!

Do you have any regrets?

Well not really. The only regrets I have are when you wanted something to work and it’s beyond your control to make it work. Something like that happened recently and I’m sad about it.

What was the best advice someone ever gave you?

Oh I dunno, be true to yourself or something?

Sunset or sunrise?

Sunset.

Last question: What is the perfect place and time to listen to your music?

8.35pm on a June night when the sun has headed west and the clouds turn different colours.

The EP’s “Postcard” and “Dancing” are available for free download on 21 and 28 June

The EP “Summer Tears” will be available for download from 19 July

All available on Rainboot

Trev plays Daylight Music at The Union Chapel with Big Eye Family Players and Lost Idol on 17 July.

Tanya, we saw your work when we interviewed Zeid Hamdan and fell in love with it, please tell us a little about you?

I grew up in Beirut and at some point moved to Austria, then came back to Lebanon. Photography was always part of my life, even as a child. I didn’t study it though, I studied fashion design and then later on started working in photography.

Your images really capture atmosphere’s and emotions, what’s your secret?

I think that the most important thing in life is to have a passion for something. Anything you do that you truly love, will succeed. And this passion and love will show in your work, whatever work it is. Also, I think that it’s really important to know (or at least try to know) what you want in / from life, and more importantly what you don’t want. Once you have figured that out, things become much easier.

What was your favourite shoot?

I can’t really think of only one favourite shoot… When I shoot concerts and musicians, I feel really inspired and at ease, because I love and have always loved music, and the musicians that I photograph are wonderful artists that truly inspire me.

Carte Blanche to The Ex ∨

Haussmann Tree ∨

Ben Frost ∨

A-Trio ∨

Charbel Haber | Tony Elieh | Tarek Atoui ∨

All my series are quite personal and have a special meaning to me, like for example my latest series that I shot in Beirut, called “Collection 1983″.

∧ “Collection 1983 was shot in an abandoned wood factory during the Lebanese civil war that was later occupied by militias. The raw concrete walls became a canvas for their hopes and dreams as fighting raged around. Locked away and neglected, these palimpsest images offer a snapshot into the minds of forgotten soldiers” ∨

If you could have chosen to photograph any event of the past 100 years, what event would that be?

That’s a very difficult question, because think of all the important and interesting events that happened in the past 100 years!

It’s not an event, but I would have loved to mingle with Andy Warhol, The Velvet Undergound & Co. at The Factory.

Being from Lebanon, is there always a lot to capture?

Yes. I find Lebanon (and especially Beirut) very inspiring. You can find anything in Lebanon, you just have to know where to search for it.

Lastly, we are a blog about emerging fashion designers and musicians so we must ask you, who is your favourite fashion designer and musician?

Fashion Designer: Krikor Jabotian

Musician: I can’t restrict my answer to only one artist, it’s impossible, because I like so many and have a very broad taste in music. I can tell you the genres that I like most: electronic, experimental, drone, punk-rock.

Well, there you have it – Tanya Traboulsi everyone! You can check out her site here.

Photograph of Tanya taken by George Haddad. All images © Copyright Tanya Traboulsi – www.tanyatraboulsi.com