STACK #142 Aug 2016

MUSIC NEWS

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ALEX LLOYD INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW TRUST PUNKS anything else,” he explains. “Usually when I speak in the second person, I’m talking about myself, and usually when I’m speaking as the first person, I find that I’m referring to someone else. I don’t know why.”

D espite the strong socio-political bent to many of Trust Punks’ tracks, vocalist Joe Thomas eschews the role of pontificator. “I wouldn’t presume to teach anybody anything about those issues,” he says earnestly. “When I wrote [the tracks on Double Bind ], those were the

The five-piece are originally from Auckland; Thomas now lives in Sydney, and has gleaned a new perspective between the two countries,

particularly when it comes to art and music. “A lot of [artists and musicians] have a love/hate relationship with [New Zealand]. I think on one hand, the people who feel suffocated are right; it can be a bit restricting. On the other hand, now that I’ve moved and have seen other places, that sort of isolation can be really good for music and art. I do think that New Zealand is now realising that part of making good art is backing yourself, and having that sense of confidence. The music scene [in Australia] has a real sense of its own worth.”

sort of things I was thinking about at the time, and ‘cause I couldn’t stop thinking about them they ended up working their way into the lyrics.” If you listen closely though, it’s a far more self-reflexive approach than even wrongfully-perceived lectern- bashing. “They’re not written from a perspective where I’m on the outside – I’m trying to implicate myself and the people around me in those sorts of problems as much as

Q1/ You've said you’re the kind of person who will keep adding to tracks, and that’s exactly what you didn’t want to do with this record! How do you minimise in the studio? I do think giving yourself a deadline is key, but I also tried to limit the amount of instruments per track. It was easier to do because the songs are so well known to me; I have lived with them for a long time. Some of the main melodies only needed insinuation. Q2/ It’s wonderful hearing the little environmental details in songs. Are you ever tempted to remove them for perfection’s sake? It depends on the song and the style of production, but I deliberately left imperfections (or perfections, depending on how you look at it) on Acoustica . It wasn’t about perfection for me. It was more about character, and I think this album has it in spades. Q3/ With a track like Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah , how do you ensure your approach is fresh? I know this was a big call, I just felt I had been doing my version of this song for long time, and my fans would want to hear it on Acoustica . I love singing this song so much; it was an easy decision for me in the end. Q4/ Fifteen years on, how do you feel about the success of Amazing ? Does it impact your stylistic decisions? I am really proud of this song and its success. I still enjoy playing it, it’s always very much appreciated by my fans. Also it is a very versatile

Double Bind

by Trust Punks is out now via Spunk.

MUSIC

SCHOOLBOY Q Grammy and BET Award-nominated artist ScHoolboy Q is touring our major cities and making an appearance at Newcastle'sTHIS THAT festival next month;Tim Lambert takes a look at this hip hop iconoclast's fresh offering: fourth studio album Blank Face . Words: Tim Lambert

being a black man in America today, the dark realisation of the life around him and the temporary satisfaction he gets from drugs and women. There are the harder gangsta moments like Groovy Tony / Eddie Kane and Ride Out , featuring Jadakiss and Vince Staples respectively; there are also more sprawling, intimate moments like the Anderson .Paak-featured title track, showcasing Q at his most raw and vulnerable. The star-studded feature roster is truly impressive, but even more arresting is the fact these verses – like Kanye West’s in That Part – stick with Q’s brooding aesthetic. There has been no effort to break into mainstream appeal; ScHoolboy Q knows his style and executes it perfectly.

D on’t let his colourful bucket hats fool you; ScHoolboy Q's sinister, weed-hazy new album is drowning in dank and justified terror. Blank Face is an album made in the streets, about the streets. Like his last effort – the hugely popular Oxymoron – this release reflects gang life in his hometown of Los Angeles,

song, and it’s easy to play in many different styles, so I can keep it fresh. I hope people enjoy the way I have presented it on Acoustica .

Acoustica by Alex Lloyd is out August 5 via Liberation.

Blank Face by ScHoolboy Q is out now via Universal.

AUGUST 2016

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