STACK September 2016 Issue 143

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South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza remembers the specific
terrors of the apartheid regime, and the demonstrations which
contributed to its end in 1994 – tear gas and plastic bullets are part of her
childhood memories. But the effervescent vocalist also remembers her
joyfully supportive teachers and contemporaries; it was composer Kevin
Volans who bought Matshikiza a plane ticket to London, so that the young
singer could audition at the Royal College of Music – after which she
was awarded a full scholarship. Her album Opera Arias is a collection of
favourites from the many operatic productions in which she has bloomed.
GLASS
ANIMALS
PUMEZA MATSHIKIZA
Opera
Arias by
Pumeza
Matshikiza is
out now via
Decca Classics/
Universal.
How does one visually communicate
an innovative, metamorphic,
beautifully eccentric sound? That’s the
conundrum in front of Robert Carmichael
in early 2009, as he puts on his Art
Director hat for Animal Collective’s
album Merriweather Post Pavillion. A
long-time mate of the experimental
Maryland four-piece, Carmichael looks
to the work of Japanese psychologist
Akiyoshi Kitaoka, whose studies in
visual illusions and perception had won the scientist several international
accolades. Inspired by Kitaoka’s pieces Rollers and Irrigation, Carmichael
comes up with a pattern of cascading leaves which appear to undulate
gently. Merriweather Post Pavillion becomes one of the top-selling
independent albums of 2009.
WHAT'S THE STORY?
We have a look back at the fascinating tales behind some
of our favourite album covers.
INTERVIEW
How To Be A Human
Being by Glass Animals is
out now via Caroline.
This month: Merriweather Post Pavillion, Animal
Collective (2009)
A‘60s-sophisticated siren, a lady in a muumuu
with a walking frame, a devastated waitress,
and a lost little boy in a bomber jacket: these
are a few of the characters we’re introduced
to through the videos accompanying Glass
Animals’ new album HowTo Be A Human Being.
Each of them has their own song, and each is
a composite of real, “bizarre people” the band
met during tour travels. “We started hearing
all these amazing stories,” says frontman Dave
Bayley. “My memory’s terrible – I have no
memory. So I started recording them.”
He found it a startlingly smooth way to write,
both lyrically and musically. “You essentially
write a theme song for this person,” he says.
“The writing happened so quickly, like a week
and a half, two weeks. This time around we
were particularly keen to keep it quick – we
didn’t let it get bogged down.” Bandmate Drew
MacFarlane nods in agreement as Bayley adds,
“I think there comes a point where you lose that
initial spontaneity that you had, and that’s when
it starts to degrade what you’re doing.”
Amongst the electric tribal feel that we adore
about this Oxford four-piece, we also get a
return to that very specific vocal style best
typified by the chorus of Outkast’s Bowtie: the
principal melody is sung by one main vocalist,
while a whole lot of lower voices follow and
eddy around the bottom like a circus assembly.
“I got interested in doing that crowd vocal
thing from, I think, live stuff – listening to live
recordings with a full, massive crowd singing
back to you, you get that effect,” Bayley says.
“There’s like some beefcake in the front row,
and a little kid as well… what we actually did
is put everyone in the same booth around one
microphone. We got Ed to sing as high-pitched
as he could, Drew to sing like a crack addict,
Joe to sing like a little kid.” Fitting, considering
the character theme of the record. “Yeah! All
characters, and they sing together, and you do
that five times. You get this huge, raw stack of
visit
06 SEPTEMBER 2016
MUSIC NEWS
continued
FACTOID: Pumeza Matshikiza sang at the wedding of Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, in 2011. The Princess grew up in South Africa, Matshikiza's home country.
vocals. It’s like people partying on a street. We
were in New Orleans and there was that kind of
atmosphere: parades going around and people
singing together in these big groups.”
There are several stand-outs on the album,
but one favourite moment is Dave’s absolutely
loopy guitar solo at the end of Take A Slice. It
sounds like a sexbot freakout, and Drew likes
that description. “Joe and I just told Dave to do
it about ten times,” he says, laughing across
at Bayley. “We said ‘Go more mental,’ every
single time. It was brilliant.” “Me at my most
shreddy,” Bayley wryly agrees.
© Simon Fowler