STACK #128 Jun 2016

MUSIC

NEWS

visit www.stack.net.au

continued

Jamie xx in bloom

Sitting down with Justin Hawkins, the darkness

J amie xx (AKA Jamie Smith) is one of the three brilliant minds behind Mercury Prize-winning act The xx, and his reputation as a producer has bloomed in recent times; not only his remix work for Radiohead and Florence and the Machine, but through his comprehensive re-working of the late Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here , has the young Londoner effortlessly displayed his mastery of a whole new musical palette. His new album In Colour , three years in the making and featuring contributions from both his xx bandmates as well as Four Tet and Jamaican Popcaan, is a perfectly rendered stroll through soulfully exhilarating minimalism, broken up beats and effortless melody, “I was listening to a lot of music; my musical tastes were broadening throughout and becoming more eclectic,” says Jamie from London, talking

about In Colour’s long gestation period.“I like the contrast – melancholy and joy – those are my favourite sorts of songs.” Did the Gil Scott-Heron remix project inform the creation of In Colour ? "I gained some confidence in doing stuff on my own, but the way that I’ve made music that I want to make... I’ve always wanted to impart some sort of soulfulness into it,“ he replies. It was during The xx’s long touring spell for the acclaimed Coexist album that Jamie discovered an unexpected turning point, in the form of a short film by Mark Leckey entitled Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore . It chronicles the visual style of UK dance culture over several decades, and when Jamie saw it, something clicked. “It reminded me of the tinted view of British culture and dance music, and the history of it...the greyness of it all but at the same

Photo Laura Coulson

time, it’s hopeful.”But In Colour is not just a departure for the young producer, it’s a journey of casually elastic diversity whose easy maturity and authority will elevate his standing around the world. That said, he's broadly the same person he was when he started. Just see the beautiful clip for single Loud Places , with Jamie and xx bandmate (and vocal guest on the track) Romy Madley-Croft skating around London. "It’s how Romy and I became friends, before we made music together," Jamie explains. "We used to skate in the city every weekend."

Photo Simon Emmett

Q1/ The clip for Open Fire looks like classic MTV: were you going for that? Those oceanic moments are instant. We drove around Ireland looking for places. Simon Emmett, who directed it, is a fashion photographer; he’s more about capturing moments with stills. It’s a bit different to other Darkness videos, it hasn’t got a plot. [It's] a video done by a fashion photographer who’s used to making things that aren’t beautiful, look beautiful. Q2/ Tell me about the speech on Barbarian , that opens the album. It was supposed to sound like somebody, generations after the Viking Invasion, sitting on a clifftop – that’s why you can hear all the wind. It's like the beginning of The Fog , when he’s addressing the children around the campfire. But the guy was Dan’s gardener! He was cutting the grass, into amateur dramatics, so we asked him to come in. He’s a Norfolk bloke in his mid-60s! Q3/ How did Rufus Taylor, son of Roger Taylor from Queen, end up in the band? We’re now on our fourth drummer. Not bad! Four albums, four drummers! Emily Dolan Davies did a great job on the album. We were looking to make it permanent, but when it came to negotiating, her and the band had different expectations – it was personal. It got out that we were looking for a drummer, and Brian May’s guitar tech said "try Rufus." He’s a bit younger, but he comes from a proud heritage of drummers. He’s awesome in his own right. You can tell his father’s a rock star, you know what I mean? Q4/ You left the band in 2006, in well- documented circumstances. Do you regret anything? Unless you’re prepared to take that journey, you might as well stay home. Not an option if you’re going to be in The Darkness. We had a f***ing great time, literally living the dream! It got unsustainable, damaging to my health, so I had to make a change. It definitely enriched my life.

In Colour by Jamie xx is out now on Remote Control/Inertia.

The REturn of monsters and men

O f Monsters and Men came to global attention in 2011 with their album My Head is an Animal and the delightful Little Talks, a song that became a bona fide anthem. The Icelandic act promptly became a global festival draw, and had their music used in both The Hunger Games and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Now the band are back with a brand new album entitled Beneath the Skin ; the fresh release has been produced by Rich Costey (Muse and Interpol). If the rather remarkable clip for new single Crystals (see right) is a portent of the upcoming album, admirers of the group are in for a treat.

Jebediah's twenty candles!

J ebediah are turning 20. While a few of their mid- ’90s contemporaries remain – Regurgitator and Spiderbait are still treading boards and making music for starters – it remains a rare achievement in the Australian music scene (or indeed, any music scene) to keep at it for two decades. Hailing from Perth, Jebediah rode the alternative rock wave of the era, reaching a wide audience with their solid fan favourite Slightly Odway . The band are playing that album in its entirety on their national tour at present, and will top

these dates off with the release of Twenty, a special two-decade retrospective that spans from their debut to 2011's Kosciuszko. The Jedediah story started in Perth in October 1995, when the five piece – containing brothers Kevin and Brett Mitchell – won the national campus band competition with only their 13th show. Joining them on tour are contemporaries Front End Loader, Fur and Screamfeeder (who have reformed just for this tour), along with Adalita and Bodyjar.

Twenty by Jebediah is out via Sony Music. Jebediah tour nationally from June 4 - 28. Dates and venues at www. jebediah.net .

Last of Our Kind by The Darkness is out now via Kobalt/Inertia.

JUNE 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

086

Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online