popwreckoning

I first heard Laura Jorgensen about a year ago, crammed into a little indie record store outside of Seattle, singing her heart out with such an intensity that her lyrics could be heard a block away. Playing the accordion and dulcimer, her soulful and haunting voice has a very signature sound that is all Laura, and has won a very special spot in my playlists and my heart.

Laura’s first full length album Feathered Arms is an ethereal journey of incredibly touching lyrics made infinitely more beautiful by the sultry sound of her voice. These lyrics float above a background of precisely crafted tracks laden with trumpet, accordion, dulcimer, violin, percussion, and bass, all carefully put together with such care that the tracks are obviously very intimate, personal, and above all, a testament to a group of wonderful and talented artists.

An album for everyone, the tracks fall somewhere between Indie Folk and old school blues and is perfect for those long days where you are stuck at work or in your car in traffic. Undeniably one of my favorite albums of 2010, it makes you want to wander around in the rain singing at the top of your lungs, passion spilling forth along with the sound of Laura’s own lungs belting it out. In my opinion, words cannot do this album justice. Go take a listen at one of her sites, and check out the interview below.

Recommended tracks:  Pens, The Most Beautiful Fear, Your fingers, Pulling Strings

Feathered Arms Track List:
1. From the creaks of our chairs
2. Pens
3. And the way our heart beats
4. Heart of Clay
5. From our thin walls and doors
6. The most beautiful fear
7. And the noise of our streets
8. Pulling strings
9. From our hollow-throat cries
10. Tenement song
11. and the death of the trees
12. What we stand on
13.how to turn back again?
14. Your fingers
15. how to just up and leave?
16. Forest kind
17. Abandon our cities
18. South
19. Return to the Sea

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Annastasia, Popwreckoning: What are the major influences that impacted your writing?

Laura Jorgensen: Much of my inspiration comes from eclectic women who use their voices and songwriting in unique ways. Harpist/singer Joanna Newsom is who I’m currently drawing the most from because of her very literary lyrics and incredible pioneering with song form. Kate Bush, Mariee Sioux, Anais Mitchell, and Tori Amos are other important artists to me. I’m also influenced by folk music from all over the world, since my school studies revolve around what I call “Global Music Cultures.” Nature, particularly trees, is also a big force in my life and music.

PW: How did you get started writing and what is your background?

LJ: My background is actually mainly classical- growing up I sang in many different choirs and studied opera, musical theater, and some jazz. By the end of high school I was more interested in contemporary music and writing my own songs, which led me to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Being surrounded by so many other young, talented musicians was very motivating, and I started looking for a fun instrument to accompany myself on. Once I started picking up accordion, the songs started to flow very easily.

PW: When was your first open mic gig and how did you feel you did?

LJ: It was at King’s Lounge, a popular open mic for Berklee kids, in April 2009. I had just written my first couple of songs, so after going many times to listen I was excited to finally play something of my own. My friends were very supportive, but I also had strangers coming up to express their appreciation for my music, which was so encouraging. It really motivated me to continue writing.

PW: Coming into the industry at this point, how do you feel about the climate between major labels and “Indie” artists who now have all the tools to make records?

LJ: I have always been firmly opposed to major labels. They are profit-driven corporations, and I think profit motives have no place in music (or anything, for that matter). At the core, music is about community, and I think that’s where the industry is headed. Big labels trying to push the next top 40 single will be replaced by small labels and collectives of artists pooling resources to create and distribute their own work. This will foster supportive local music scenes, wide accessibility to music, and passion for creation over pop idol appeal.

PW: If you could work with anyone you wanted to right now, whom would it be?

LJ: Probably Andrew Bird, who is not only a great singer/songwriter but also a great innovator on the violin. He’s grown so much as a musician and songwriter from his very folky fiddly roots to the extraordinary songs he’s writing now. It would be a lot of fun to play with him and see how he creates. Still, the musicians I’ve been working with for the album are all so talented and I could not possibly have had a more wonderful group.

PW: Tell us about the album and the previous EP and the process behind creating each of them.

LJ: Both projects started because of someone else’s desire to be involved in the music, which is one of the best parts about being constantly surrounded by other young artists. the wings and the waters ep came about because a friend asked to record my first songs, which I had written near the end of my first year at Berklee. He set up his equipment in a practice room and we recorded it all in one afternoon as everyone was moving out of the dorms. The fourth song, Pulling Strings, was added at the last minute since I wrote it in a room across the hall while trumpet parts were being recorded for the first three.

The album, Feathered Arms, consists of new versions of all of those songs plus five more written over last summer and fall. I was playing accordion on a song for my good friend and songwriting influence Emily Peal, and after hearing my music her producer/ percussionist Andrew Nault approached me about working together. I had enough songs for an LP and wanted to put together a band, so I gathered friends (Andrew on drums, Amy Alvey on violin, Orion Boucher on bass, Nolan Eley on trumpet) and we started rehearsals. One thing both Andrew and I were sure about was that we wanted for each musician to create their own parts, which they did beautifully. The collaborative aspect made the process really fun for everyone, and each person’s influences really add depth to the songs. In April, a year after I wrote my first song, we headed to Andrew’s hometown in Southern MA and took over his parents’ rec room for three full days of recording. From the start our goal was to record live instead of tracking instruments individually, to retain the movement of the songs and the fellowship of playing as a group. Getting basic tracks for all 7 full-band songs in 3 days was tiring, but so rewarding. In post-production we added background vocals and some guitar parts (by Kenyon Kowal), and Andrew created sounds and transitions to make the album into more of a journey through the songs.

PW: What do you like most about what you do?

LJ: Though expressing myself and my ideas is integral, the best part is interacting musically with others. Hearing my songs develop with the musical ideas of others is such an incredible experience. I also love performing- especially busking- because of the connection with those listening. What I want most from music is to share with others, so when I’m playing at a festival alongside countless other groups and someone wandering by stops to listen for half an hour or more, watching them respond to the music is the most uplifting thing.

PW: You play some rather unusual instruments (ie accordion and dulcimer). How did you get into playing them?

LJ: I started playing dulcimer my senior year in high school. Joni Mitchell played one, particularly on Blue (my favorite album of hers), and at the time she was one of the women inspiring me to want to write. My musician neighbor found a mountain dulcimer in a pawn shop just in time to tip off my mom before Christmas, which was such a great coincidence, and I started learning a lot of Joni covers and messing around with different tunings. I got my accordion a year later, after being inspired by the sound of artists like Beirut. I wanted a chordal instrument to accompany myself on, and that ended up really being the trick. The accordion pulled the first few songs out of me, and once I’d started writing I went back to the dulcimer and turned some alternate tunings into songs.

PW:  Seeing you live the first time, you seemed like you were right at home in the little indie record store. Where do you usually shop for your music and what do your musical tastes run towards?

LJ: I can appreciate basically anything with a creative spark from talented musicians, but lately everything folk-related interests me most. That includes everything from traditional Bulgarian laments, African tribal music, and Indian ragas to the many modern subgenres of folk. Aside from all the artists I’ve mentioned already, I love Akron/Family, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, Caetano Veloso, and Devendra Banhart (except his latest album). As for acquiring music in physical form, I mostly go for vinyl and love searching little record stores for both old and new. If an artist is independent or with a small indie label, I try to get the music directly from them.

PW: What’s in the future for you, both musically and non-musically?

LJ: This summer I’m going to be traveling and attending music festivals throughout the Balkans, and this fall I’ll be studying Greek music in Athens. After that I’ll return to Boston to finish school, and hopefully record another album with the Feathered Arms band. After August 2011, things are pretty up in the air. I hope to move abroad, since my ultimate goal is to live in many different countries and directly experience music and culture all over the world. For awhile I’ll just be skipping around, trying to use my work to help people, until I figure out for sure where I wasnt to live long-term. Promoting collectivism, environmentalism, and a movement away from a monetary-based society to a resource-based one are high on my list of priorities. I’m also very interested in film, so I’m looking into film schools all over Europe and hoping to learn more about cinematography, screenwriting, and directing.

Find Laura here:
Myspace
Facebook
Bandcamp

After getting beaten up in a highly unexpected mosh pit at a small club show on the outskirts of Boston the night before and making a hasty retreat from that mess, I was actually looking forward to seeing a show at the House of Blues the next night. I’d heard mixed reviews for the House of Blues and their many outposts scattered across the U.S. – huge places with overzealous security and little atmosphere was the consensus. So after a fun night at the Philly Trocadero 3 days earlier, I wasn’t expecting much from the WFNX-sponsored Temper Trap show Wednesday night.

Security at the House of Blues was professional and courteous. Maybe it was my photo pass but everyone I encountered at the venue was super nice. And I didn’t get patted down like I was in Philly, so I didn’t feel violated. Once inside on the ground level, I gasped as I looked around. The place is massive (twice as big as the Trocadero, with room for 2,400) but it’s beautiful and breathtaking. Helpful security inside advised, “watch your step, ladies,” as there are several steps to negotiate. Well lit, well stocked bars and clearly marked restrooms on this floor – definite pluses. While I was waiting for the show to start I got to talking to two kids from the local Berklee College of Music; it was really cool to talk to “the young people” and hear their appreciation for the Temper Trap’s music. I also advised them to invest in a good set of earplugs, which turned out to be an excellent suggestion given that this was the House of Blues and the size of the speakers hanging from the ceiling should have immediately told you that the gig that night was going to be loud.

It is really cool to see how bands get more at ease after the first night of a tour. The Hundred in the Hands, while being only two people on an expansive stage, sounded better on the House of Blues’s state of the art sound system than they did in Philly. Lead singer Eleanore Everdell was visibly more confident as well, smiling broadly as the audience not familiar with their music politely clapped between songs. Guitarist Jason Friedman looked like he was having a ball on stage, strumming on one of his two guitars.

Highlights were “Lovesick (Once Again)” and “Young Aren’t Young,” showing me yet again the understated beauty of Everdell’s voice. Unfortunately they didn’t play “Gold Blood,” one of my favorite tracks from their self-titled debut album released on Warp Records last month. By the end of the set, the Brooklyn duo had already won some new fans, as evidenced by the people who shouted in displeasure when Everdell announced their sixth and final song. Great to see people responding to them.

Once the Hundred in the Hands‘ equipment was removed from the stage, it was time for Delphic to set up their gear, which is a lot. Standard drum kit and guitars but a couple synths and electronic drum pad setups as well. This is a band that has played to thousands at Glastonbury so I didn’t think the bigger stage (compared to the Trocadero’s) would faze them. And I don’t think it did, really. Singer/bassist James Cook looked more poised and his voice sounded better than ever. Multi-instrumentalist Rick Boardman, guitarist Matt Cocksedge, and touring drummer Dan Hadley were completely on.

The problem was the audience. They never really got into the music and generally just looked bored for both support bands, all waiting (impatiently looking at their mobile phones, I might add) for the Temper Trap. There was no fist pumping or rampant dancing like Sunday night in Philly. (It should be noted that the venue was pretty empty at the start of the night and it wasn’t until shortly before the Temper Trap were due on that the floor filled out.) Too bad, their loss. There was one girl who talked to me after the show who said she was going to buy Acolyte in a music shop as soon as she could, so I was pretty happy about that.

It’s been over a year since I first heard “Counterpoint” on BBC Radio, and I’ve had Acolyte for a long time now, listening to it constantly, so I know all the words on the album. I like to sing in general and this spills over into shows too, so you can imagine this is potentially embarrassing at gigs. But when I did sing, Cook looked my way a couple times and smiled, as if acknowledging this dubious mastery. Haha. Also, I got my wish for “Submission,” my favorite song from Acolyte, and maybe it was the echoes in the huge venue, but the vocal key sounded a bit off. Maybe they are a little rusty after having a couple weeks off between gigs, but I imagine this will wear off after some more gigs stateside. (As of this writing I’ve already read some great comments about their set from the New York and Montreal shows that followed.) I’m looking forward to seeing them in DC in a few days.

Delphic Set List
Clarion Call
Doubt
Red Lights
This Momentary
Submission
Halcyon
Counterpoint

It is a real joy to watch the Temper Trap at this stage of their career. When the well-oiled Temper Trap machine gets fired up, hold on tight, because you’re in for a wild ride. “Fader” was the first Temper Trap song I learned on bass, so it holds special meaning to me, but wow, when it’s offered up to fans live, it’s like a explosion of energy. With its jangly guitar riffs and emotional lyrics, the Melbourne band’s power ballad “Love Lost” is going ensure their place in popular music history. I’m not one to get emotional at gigs, but I have to say that this song brought me to tears. It’s just perfect.

It was fun to witness the thrill of fans who had waited to see their current favorite band. I was surprised to learn that of everyone I talked to, I seemed to be the only one who’d seen them before. One woman came with her boyfriend and requested that he catch her if she fainted when Dougy Mandagi appeared. (She didn’t faint, I’m happy to report. But she was so animated after the gig, she was practically glowing with excitement, chattering away on how great they were.) The students I mentioned before were waiting for their favorite song, “Down River,” and with its fun chorus that got everyone singing along, they weren’t disappointed.

Part of me wishes that the Temper Trap would mix things up, because Wednesday night in Boston was the fourth time I’ve seen and heard that exact same set list this year. I can’t imagine it being too difficult to change song order, because it’s not like they have complicated synth setups like their two openers. But really, how can you complain when they put on such an amazing show, night after night? Cheers guys.

The Temper Trap Set List
introduction
Rest
Fader
Fools
Down River
Love Lost
Soldier On
Sweet Disposition
Resurrection
Drumming Song
//
Rabbit Hole
Science of Fear

Tour Dates (dates with all three bands except those noted)
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 09 – Austin City Limits / Austin*
Oct 09 – MOTR Club / Cincinnati%
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis
Oct 18 – Crocodile / Seattle%
Oct 19 – Woods / Portland%
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles
^ Delphic only
* the Temper Trap only (festival appearance)
% the Hundred in the Hands only
& Delphic and the Hundred in the Hands only

The Temper Trap: website | myspace | @ 9:30 Club | @ Bonnaroo 2010, Day 1 | The Temper Trap Announce August-October North American Tour with Delphic and The Hundred in the Hands | @ Showbox at the Market | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia
Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia | Interview with: Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, Part 1, Part 2
The Hundred in the Hands: website | myspace | ‘Pigeons’ takes flight with Foals’ remix | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia

In the second half of my interview with Delphic‘s guitarist, the incredibly thoughtful Matt Cocksedge, we talk more about how album #2 is going to differ from their debut album Acolyte, and Matt tells me his personal philosophy on being a guitarist. We even chat about their Irish mates Two Door Cinema Club in my attempt to persuade them to come back and do a co-headlining tour in the States together next year. (Time will tell if I was successful…)

Part 1 of this interview can be accessed here.

Matt Cocksedge, Delphic: It’s very strange, being in a band and writing intensely personal stuff and then giving it to the public, and it’s not yours anymore, you know? It’s theirs. It’s there for them to interpret as they like, and it’s there for them to believe in or destroy. And you just kind of have to go with it. And it’s definitely difficult to get used to. Now we know a little more about what it’s about, we know how it goes and we’ve been there, and we know we’ve made a record and we can do it, we’ve got a bit more belief in ourselves and more of an idea of who we are and what we want to do. It’s an exciting time in Camp Delphic! We’re very much looking to the future. It’s very weird saying all this, having coming to tour America for the first time, it’s bizarre. It’s like, “Hi! We’re here supporting a band in America on our first tour, and we’re looking forward to writing our second album!” Considering our album only just came out…bizarre!
Mary Chang, PopWreckoning: It’s good! Maybe it’s my personal observation with how much music I get sent, but there’s seems an oversaturation of the new generation of bands coming out of Britain. And there’s no way NME, or Q, or anyone else can keep up with everyone. As a blogger I think you do get jaded because there are so many bands to assess. Do you feel that there’s pressure to come out with a second album quickly, because you worry you might get lost in the shuffle as new bands come up? Maybe you can tell me more about how the recording process is going for Delphic album #2.
MC: We’re doing bits and bobs in our studio [back in Manchester] and building up ideas, but we’re really approaching it differently than the first record. The first record was very much built up at our studio at home and was very layered and detailed. By the time we went to the [recording] studio, we knew basically how the songs were going to turn out and exactly what they would sound like and all that, whereas for this one, we kind of want to leave more to chance and be more open before we get to the studio. We want to play together more in the studio and then take it on a more natural band angle, rather than building it up in a studio environment. And yeah, there is definitely that feeling of pressure. You know, there isn’t that luxury that bands used to have of doing the first record, going on tour, maybe taking 18 months, 2 years to write, record, and release the second record. That time’s gone. The public’s attention span is so short, and that’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because bands can’t get lazy. But it’s bad, it’s changed the way music is digested, it’s changed the way bands have to approach writing and touring. And their releases. And we’re kind of part of a generation of bands that needs to keep writing and recording and releasing and touring and writing and doing that to establish a fanbase, establish some sort of place within the whole thing. But for us personally, we just want to write the next album because we’ve got ideas and we’re inspired to do it, we want to get it out there. We don’t want to go on a holiday for 6 months, we don’t want to stop doing this and we don’t want to keep touring endlessly. We are very much like, “right, this is the first record, we achieved a certain amount [of success and fame] with that, but there’s so much more we want to do.” We don’t want to play the same songs for another year. And this is our first tour of the U.S., properly, and so where are we? We’re in September, 2010? Most of these songs were written like in 2008. Some of them were written at the end of 2007.
PW: So are we looking at a 2012 release then [for album #2]?
MC: Hopefully! I think, maybe sooner if we’re able to.
PW: I guess it depends on touring commitments and if you’re even home long enough to do anything.
MC: We’re excited, we have a lot of ideas and are really keen as soon we get back from America, we’ve got a few more gigs, got four or five gigs, but once that’s done, we’re straight into rehearsals for the second album. Straight into that. And we’re really…that’s the most exciting thing, we don’t want to stop. We’re doing something we really love doing. We’re not going to take it for granted. We want to just work on it and get better. We just can’t wait to, you know…as much fun as this has been in the United States, I don’t want to put that down, I’m just saying that we’re so excited to kind of see what happens next, and see where it takes us, and see where we go with it. We got into a band to write music and make albums, you know? And to be given the chance to do that is the most incredible thing. We feel incredibly lucky to be able to do it, and we want to do it to the best of our ability. And we’ll see how that goes. We’ll wait and see. [smiles]
PW: It should be interesting to see how this one turns out, with the different approach.
MC: Definitely, definitely!
PW: I know I’m definitely looking forward to it! And a lot of people are.

PW: Since I am a writer, I would like to know who in Delphic comes up with the song titles and who writes the lyrics?
MC: Emmm…the whole thing is a very collaborative process. Everything – music, lyrics, videos, art, all that stuff is very much the three of us. We won’t let anything through that not all three of us are behind, you know? It’s one of those things where everything we do is Delphic, it’s not “Matt from Delphic,” or James or Rick from Delphic. It’s the band. Well, magicians should never reveal their secrets, should they? [smiles]
PW: [laughs] I was just curious because every band has their own little story [on how they come up with lyrics]. The most unusual one I’ve heard is of White Lies, who came in second in the BBC Sound of 2009 poll. Bassist Charles Cave of White Lies writes the lyrics for guitarist Harry McVeigh to sing. Interesting, yet it must be weird singing about someone else’s experiences. Do you find when you’re writing lyrics it becomes an emotional thing? Because it’s been amazing to talk to other Delphic fans and hear what they’ve gotten out of your song lyrics. Different people get different things out of music. Coming from the writer’s perspective, I like to look at lyrics closely and interpret them. Are there any particular songs on the album that are especially personal to you?
MC: All of the songs are very personal to me. Definitely. And you know, it’s strange when you write something and then someone else is expressing it. And it’s also interesting, because you get the opportunity to see another interpretation of it almost immediately. I think a lot of what we wrote on the first album, lyrically, was open to interpretation, and purposely so. I mean, yeah, it’s personal, but I think one of the great things about music is that it’s your thing. We’ve written this album, but it’s your album. All of the experiences of listening to it, you’ll never share the same experiences that someone else has when they listen to the album. But that’s amazing, that it can be so personal. I like that people can read into things and take different things from it, and that’s fine. But there’s always going to be what it means to you, and it’s always going to be that personal thing. But certainly now I don’t think we want to impose that on the audience. We have a thing of what it means to us, but the audience…I wouldn’t want to say anyone’s interpretation of our music is wrong or inaccurate.
PW: Morrissey has been asked many times to explain, “what does this particular Smiths song mean?” and he has said, I don’t want to say what it means to me, because music means different things to different people.
MC: Definitely. I’d hate to destroy anyone’s idea of something. Someone could think one of our songs is a really romantic song, when actually it’s about trying to get away from someone. It’s like Sting…
PW: [laughs] Yes yes!
MC/PW: [at the same time] “Every Breath You Take”!
MC: Some people have that as a wedding song. And it’s a stalker song, you know? [both of us laugh] For that reason, it’s nice for people to have their own interpretation. And not be too clinical about it.

PW: So how long have you been playing guitar?
MC: Since I was about…hmmm…shit, I don’t remember. 14 or 15 maybe?
PW: Wow.
MC: When was OK Computer? Was that 1997 or 1999? [It was released in June 1997.]
PW: Not sure, it seems like so long ago now! When did you get into synths? Was that before Delphic?
MC: Me and Rick had always been messing around with synths. His dad built a synth once. His dad was always into cool music. [I don't know Rick Boardman's dad personally but from what I have heard about him, he is probably the coolest dad ever.]
PW: That is like the coolest thing, ever.
MC: He’s very cool, very cool. If you ever get to meet him, you’d like him.
PW: All I can say is, all of your families seem so cool. For example, James’s parents. How is it possible they let him move to Manchester and never made him move back home? [James Cook is from Chippenham, England, a town west of London, but moved to Manchester years ago for university.] My parents would have never let me do that.
MC: Oh, you should come over for a course. That’s what James did, he came up to Manchester for uni and just stayed here. And they were cool about it.
PW: But then he stayed. Forever! There’s never been a reason for him to go back?
MC: Manchester, it’s a better place than Chippenham. Not to slag off Chippenham, I have been to Chippenham, but Manchester is better than Chippenham.
PW: What’s Chippenham like?
MC: It’s a smallish town out in Wiltshire. Lots of countryside, there’s no scene there. Yeah, we were into synths, and he had a Juno 60 that we messed about with, and that was fun. But yeah, I was much more into guitars and effects pedals. I like synths but I’m one of those people who doesn’t really bother with algorithms. And chains and stuff like that. I like to sit down at a synth and fiddle about, and I let my ears guide me to the sound.
PW: So are Rick and James more of the technicians on that side of things?
MC: Very much, yeah yeah. They’ll talk about sound waves and I understand that stuff, but it doesn’t interest me. I don’t care about the calculations and the technical specifications of sound. I just care about the sound hitting me and expressing something. And that’s the way I operate. And I think it’s kind of good to have that in the band. Like those guys can get technical about it and then I can come in and say, “that just sounds like shit.” [laughs] “But it’s got this amazing sound wave function on it!” And it’s like, I’m not bothered.
PW: “It’s not doing a thing for me.”
MC: Yeah, “make it sound better.”
PW: Now is it because of their university backgrounds that they know all this stuff about synths?
MC: I dunno, maybe?
PW: Weren’t they studying music?
MC: Well, it wasn’t straight music. It was recording and popular music. I think they took something from that, but they just both researched the synth thing and really got into it. And that’s their area. I was quite happy to let them have that. It’s like, just let me buy effects pedals and I’m happy! That’s fine. And in the studio, it’s good to have an outside perspective on these kinds of things. I think it’s always important to have that objectivity. I’ve not spent 3 hours finely tuning a synth and I’m not involved in that side of things, so I can have that kind of objective view. And say, “look, I appreciate it, it’s a good sound, it’s got a lot of technical merit to it, but does it fit? Is it right? Does it work?” Sometimes it’s yes and sometimes it’s no. It goes both ways, like with the guitars. We’re each other’s critics and friends and compatriots, so it varies…I’ve left them to it, I’ve gotten more into it over time but…
PW: I know in the live setting you play synth, for example during most of “Doubt.”
MC: Yeah, on a couple of things. But it’s a functional thing. I just enjoy, like “Epherema,” that kind of tremolo-ey sound in that song, that was the result of me sitting in a room for 6 hours messing around with guitar effects and getting that right. And that’s what I love doing. And that works in that context. The last line of “Acolyte,” that’s more of a Rick and James kind of area, and that all happens together. Whatever makes the best song, and what sounds good.

PW: What I really love about Delphic is that you have this perfect marriage of good guitar riffs with good synth melodies. Great guitar bands have great guitar riffs, and then some of them try to introduce the synth into the mix and have trouble integrating them into their sound. It ends up becoming a plinky plonky thing in the background that does not belong. Or guitars are added to synth pop bands and the guitars sound out of place. Whereas you guys, you have everything integrated well. For example, “Halcyon” and the guitar solo. I’ve given this a lot of thought this year, I put the question out to people, if you had to be reincarnated as a part of a song, what would you be and why?
MC: If I had to be reincarnated as part of a song?
PW: Yeah, and it couldn’t be a whole song, it had to be one disparate part of a song. And I said your “Halcyon” guitar solo.
MC: Wow! I am very honored!
PW: With the runner-up of the guitar lines in the verse of “What You Know,” played by Sam Halliday of Two Door Cinema Club.
MC: I like Sam.
PW: Both of you are amazing guitarists.
MC: I think he’s better than me.
PW: You think?
MC: He’s good! Really good. [smiles]
PW: Don’t tell him that, because I saw that video of you guys in Australia and the band war. [And as Matt says, watch this video clip with a grain of salt.]
MC: Yeah… [laughs] They made us do that! We were just having a laugh and one of them said, “Delphic and Two Door war!” And it’s like, “oh no…” We’re real mates!
PW: They know you’re messing, surely.
MC: Yeah, but it’s like what we were saying earlier, about band rivalry and stuff like that. You don’t want it to cross over to anything that is actually serious in that way. We admire Two Door very much. We’re such a very different band to Two Door that there can’t be a rivalry, really. Who we appeal to in our kind of market is so different to theirs. There’s no rivalry there. We just think they’re great guys who write good songs. The rest of it is just banter. But yeah…it’s an interesting question, really, I’m going to have to give this some more thought.

PW: Having played guitar for so many years, was there one song that made you think, “yes, I’m definitely going to be a guitarist“?
MC: I don’t think there as a song that generally made me want to be a guitarist, but my favorite guitar solo of all time is what I’d probably want to be reincarnated as, it’s the solo for “Sympathy for the Devil” [Rolling Stones]. The sound is incredible, it just screams, it’s such a real, organic sound. It speaks to you. In terms of the actual line, the guitar solo, I just love the restraint. Is it Keith [Richards] doing that solo, or not?
PW: I would think so. Who else could it be?
MC: Right right, I just wanted to make sure. [smiles]
PW: Don’t worry, I won’t tell my best buds, the Rolling Stones. [laughs] ‘cos me and Mick are like this.
MC: “Sympathy for the Devil” is one of the greatest songs of all time, a 6-minute epic. He’s got x bars to do a solo in, and what does he do? He’s really minimal, like [mimics the guitar solo]. But my absolute favorite part of it, if I can be even more specific, is within the solo. There’s a part of the solo…you know, he does these really great parts that really scream at you, the amp sounds incredible. And there’s a bit where he goes “dum da dum dum” [really simple, bare part of the solo], and that’s it. You’ve got a solo for “Sympathy for the Devil.” And all you do is play a note like a child. Anybody could do it. But it’s just perfect. I think that’s what’s important about playing guitar. For me personally, it’s not an ego thing, it’s not a “look at me” kind of thing, I never ask for the solos, I never want solos in a song. I get all nervous!
PW: Really? I never would have figured you would feel that way.
MC: Yeah, I get really worried about it!
PW: Should I tell people not to look at you when you’re playing the solo in “Halcyon”? [laughs]
MC: We had to do Jools Holland. [You can watch the video below. Matt's amazing guitar solo starts in at 3.05.] Honestly, I was so scared for weeks before. Every night before I went to bed I would be playing it in my head. Honestly, so nervous. So I never ask for the solos. For me personally, playing guitar is adding to the track and just being part of the track, and if the best thing for the song is to play one note, then that’s just as valid as being Slash and having huge guitar solos going up and down the neck doing all the technical shit you want to do. For me, it’s about feeling and emotion and doing something different that fits into the song.
PW: Your guitar is beautiful, I think it’s gorgeous.
MC: Thank you!

PW: When I saw you at Roskilde, the lighting was amazing. Is your lighting guy, Squib Swain, with you on this tour?
MC: Sadly, no. Yeah, he’s brilliant.
PW: I hope when you come back next time he’ll come with you.
MC: So do we. It’ s really weird doing shows without him. He’s become such an integral part of our shows and what we do. We always like to try and do something interesting with the lights and audiovisual experience, it’s always kind of weird when Squib is not along. But we want him back, we miss him. He’s actually out with Two Door [in the UK] at the moment…
PW: [laughs] Really? What are you guys going to do if you tour the same time? Bidding war?
MC: He gets paid double! But if we’re playing together…
PW: Yeah, come back and do a co-headlining tour with them!
MC: That would be great, wouldn’t it? Really nice.
PW: Yes, I have been talking with new friends in Hong Kong, they all want you back.
MC: Oh really? Awww.
PW: They were all saying that it was the best day of their lives when you and Two Door played together back in August. I was thinking, your two bands need to come back together and tour as co-headliners in America so there aren’t any arguments.
MC: Yeah, no, I would happily support Two Door.
PW: No, I need to hear “Submission” and the only way I’d get that is if you headlined. Right?
MC: How’s this, we will support Two Door and still play “Submission.” I am more than happy to do that.
PW: Are you playing “Submission” on this tour?
MC: [looks mysterious] Maybe… [I laugh]. Yes. We were going to play it in Philly but we didn’t have time with all the stress before the gig, we had to cut back.
PW: The reason why that song is so special to me, after your album came out, we had the second largest recorded snowfall ever in Washington in February. At one point the snow had reached my height.
MC: No way.
PW: Yeah. And in order to get my car out, I had to keep shoveling the driveway, and I would measure different distances of snow cleared by how many times I heard “Submission” to finish that line of snow. I must have heard “Submission” 500 times. So it’s very special to me. That’s my little “Submission” story.
MC: Well, I’m glad we could be there for you in your time of need. [laughs]

PW: Well, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.
MC: Thank you, cheers.

Thanks very much to Matt for an amazing interview and taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with me, and special thanks to Delphic’s management for arranging the interview.

Tour Dates
Oct 05 – Phoenix / Toronto*
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus*
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit*
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago*
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee*
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis*
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA*
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles*
^ Delphic only
* supporting the Temper Trap
& with the Hundred in the Hands

Live photos in this review were from Roskilde Festival, taken by Mary Chang, July 2, 2010

Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia | Interview with: Matt Cocksedge of Delphic, Part 1

The exciting debut album from Manchester, England’s Delphic will for sure be in my top 2 albums of 2010. The electro / dance / rock trio is currently touring as support for the Temper Trap, and this is their first significant tour of North America to boot after just playing three gigs in America in June. It was my distinct pleasure to speak with Delphic‘s accomplished guitarist, Matt Cocksedge, before their gig at the House of Blues in Boston, the second night on a month-long tour of our continent. I have to say, he’s probably one of the most (if not the most) eloquent musician I’ve ever had the chance to interview. In part 1 of this interview, we discuss the cynical music media and why they seem intent on comparing Delphic to fellow Mancunians and hometown heroes New Order, why he thinks their tourmates the Temper Trap are actually more similar to them than you might realize, and how Radiohead is a real inspiration to them.

Mary Chang, PopWreckoning: I think every single blogger I know of wants to be different [taking a different album review approach] than Pitchfork, endeavor to not be like them. My mom doesn’t get the blogging thing, when I was explaining to her what Pitchfork was, she thought it sounded like people who were going after other people with pitchforks. That was the way she interpreted it, not knowing what it was.
Matt Cocksedge, Delphic: Yeah, makes sense.
PW: But when you’re talking about promoting music to the masses…
MC: But it seems like an accurate description of the press, doesn’t it? Hanging them out to dry. It’s difficult really.
PW: Maybe I can ask you, have you discerned a difference between the British media and the American media? Have you felt one given you a harder time than the other? Or maybe you haven’t had a lot of exposure to American media, yet.
MC: That’s the thing. I don’t know too much about American media reaction to us. All I know is that Pitchfork [when Pitchfork reviewed their debut album, Acolyte, released in June on Dangerbird Records here in America], that was out ages ago. I don’t know what else has gone with the release of the album, beyond that, I haven’t really heard [anything].
PW: To be honest, I don’t think I ever read that review. I’m sometimes scared to look…
MC: Yeah, I’m scared to look! Really nervous. [smiles]
PW: So you said that they slagged off Everything Everything? [the fellow Manchester band's debut album, Man Alive, was released in August in the UK]
MC: They did, they did. And I just can’t help but feel there’s some sort of…the Everything Everything album was critically received in the UK…
PW: Yeah, I reviewed it for another site and I really liked it.
MC: It’s a great album, with so many ideas.
PW: And very original.
MC: So original! And even it doesn’t connect with you, potentially you can still appreciate the ideas, the originality, the experimentalism. You know, they’re trying to do something new with guitar music in a band. And certainly with our review, it was more an indictment of British music than an actual review of the record.

PW: Oh you know what, I think I did read it. I think they focused on the New Order aspect…
MC: Yeah.
PW: Which is interesting, because in almost every single American article I’ve read about you guys, it’s always focused on New Order. Now, I was too young to appreciate New Order at their height of fame and you also, neither of us were there for the whole Joy Division / New Order thing. So I don’t come from it from that perspective.
MC: That’s the thing. We know New Order‘s music a bit. What I always think about the New Order thing, if “Doubt” wasn’t on the album, if you kind of take “Doubt” out of the equation of the album, and then look at it in terms of New Order, it’s very, very different. But when “Doubt” is included, I think it’s the most New Order, most obvious New Order kind of touch point on the record. I’ve always wondered about that. But people will hear what they want to hear and say what they want to say. And we’ve made this music and put it out, and then you take what you get given. It’s certainly interesting, you know, going around the world…especially places like Japan, there’s much more positive feeling, I think. There’s a lot of cynicism in the UK especially And the UK press and the UK audience. It’s because we’ve been spoilt for choice [when it comes to music], we’re just completely spoiled.

PW: That’s the thing, I think that’s the reason why I’ve gravitated towards British music in general, because you have people like Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens championing the little guys.
MC: Every evening there’s a new band starting out…
PW: Yeah, like clockwork every Wednesday I listen to Lammo’s “New Favourite Band” feature and while we don’t see eye to eye on every band, but it’s nice to hear different opinions.
MC: Definitely.
PW: It’s hard to hear about new [British] bands on American radio. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Delphic song played in Washington. Back in February, VV Brown played the same dance night you guys will play in DC next Friday, and one of the songs being spun that night was “Halcyon”. Me and a girlfriend, we’ve got our tickets and we’re coming up the stairs and it’s coming out of the speakers. And we went crazy because we knew the song! We were very excited. But we were the only ones in the club that knew it.
MC: That’s great! [grins]
PW: So to have you guys come to DC is really exciting. I think it’s the only date you’re doing by yourselves on this tour?
MC: Yeah, I think so. I don’t know if we’ve got one in LA…
PW: I know you guys are doing Club Nokia [in Los Angeles] with the Temper Trap…
MC: Yeah, we’re doing that…yeah, basically we’d come over here to tour with the Temper Trap. They’re lovely guys, which makes things a lot easier. Always a pleasure when you’re on tour with a band that is just nice, and good guys. Makes it a lot easier.
PW: When I saw you guys in Denmark [at Roskilde Festival], Rick [Boardman, Delphic's keyboards / synths player] already knew you were coming to America to support someone else but couldn’t tell me because he’d get in trouble. The Temper Trap never even crossed my mind…when I first saw this tour’s bill, I was kind of surprised because I think of the Temper Trap as more of a straight forward rock sound. Did you have any reservations supporting them? Not that you really had much choice as support but…did you wonder, is this going to be an issue when we play to crowds primarily there for the Temper Trap?
MC: No, not at all. We were really excited about it. We respect the Temper Trap a lot. I think what we do is very similar but we put it in different clothes. We both try and write songs and yeah, we’re songwriters…we put them in different contexts. Theirs is a more guitar-based thing and ours is a more synth-based thing. At the heart, we’re quite similar and something we share with them. I think it’s good. We’re not trying to steal fans, we’re not trying to be a better Temper Trap or trying to compete with them in that way. We’re a band on a similar tangent, but doing our own thing. They’re doing their own thing. Hopefully when people come see us, they can understand the similarities but appreciate the differences. And yeah, we’re really excited and thrilled that they asked us along. And really, really happy to be out here with them. We’ve only done the one show [at Philadelphia's Trocadero on Sunday night, 3 nights earlier], so I’ll let you know how it goes! [laughs] But at the moment, it’s been good!

PW: I have to ask, what did you think, coming back to America after 3 months since your last shows here? Did you approach that with trepidation? The last “gig” you had before that was Bestival, that was a couple weeks ago?
MC: Well, it’s certainly different than a festival. You can’t do so much jumping up and down and getting people to clap. You’ve gotta be a bit cooler! [smiles] Yeah, we’ve done the support band thing for a while, we know how it works, we’re just happy to be back out here. The crowd was good. It was a really stressful gig, to be honest with you, because it’s the first date of the tour. Backstage is always bit hectic. You hope everything works. It was really hectic, but I really enjoyed the gig myself. Great venue, the crowd was loud, yeah, I enjoyed it a lot.
PW: I have to say, as your set progressed, I could feel the audience getting behind you. I was in second row on the floor, which I was very happy about. I was surrounded by devoted Temper Trap fans and I basically explained who you guys were, and who the Hundred in the Hands were, because they’ve just put out their debut album last week.
MC: Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get it.
PW: It’s really good. I’d say that along with yours and Two Door Cinema Club‘s [Tourist History] albums, it’s up there in my top 5 albums of 2010.
MC: Oh wow, cool.
PW: And I heard smatterings of conversation after your set. One girl said, “yeah, it was kind of a slow start but after the third song with all the synth action, I really liked it!”
MC: Yeah, what was really cool were the pockets of people who were really going for it!
PW: [laughs] Yeah, that was us! We were the ones jumping up and down and pumping our fists. Expect that, I’ll get people excited for you guys tonight.
MC: Cool, I’ll keep a look out for it.

PW: Going back to the album, having heard what people have said about the album, one thing that I found very interesting was that people were comparing my favorite song, “Submission,” to Duran Duran.
MC: Really.
PW: What would say about that?
MC: Uh…I’d be quite speechless! [laugh]
PW: Me too, and that’s because I’m a Duranie.
MC: I’d never have saw that coming! Yeah, I dunno…I’m not offended by it at all. Certainly didn’t see that one coming. I dunno, it’s one of those things, you make music to put it out there and people will read into it what they want. “So this bit is like this…” and we would’ve never even heard of that band! And then sometimes they’ll write, “so this bit is like this…” and yeah, we did just rip it off a bit. [grins] Yeah, I don’t know if it was Duran Duran influenced, but I can honestly say I didn’t think anyone would say that.
PW: It reminds me of what people said about We Are Scientists‘s second album [Brain Thrust Mastery]. I liked it better than their first because it was more polished and had the synths. People said it sounded like Duran Duran because it had synths. Just because they have synths doesn’t mean they were influenced by Duran Duran. Similarly, some people think anything with synths can be classified as ’80s new wave.

PW: “Submission” has the right balance of synths, guitars, beats, and everything is so clean. The echoes are absolutely perfect to me. It’s the perfect song. I can put on my headphones and go into my own little world listening to it. Do you remember how the song came about? How do your songs usually start, does it start with someone’s lyric, “hey, I have an idea“, or “hey, I got this great guitar riff, let’s work off of this…”
MC: I think with “Submission”, I really think it came about from the beat, you know? We wanted a more down-tempo number. It’s still quite quick, but it feels a lot slower than a lot of the record. We really wanted a bit darker of a tune, more of… that kind of feeling, and it came from [Matt starts tapping the table with his hands in time to the killer main rhythm of "Submission"]…
PW: I think that’s why I like it, it’s so funky.
MC: Yeah, we’ve got the guitar riff at the end, that came quite early as well. Yeah, all the songs, they all come from different places, there’s no set way of doing it, at least in terms of the initial idea. When we have an idea, and we’re developing it, then you kind of have your way of working on it, trying to flesh it out and make that transition from idea to song. And that’s difficult, because not all of them make it through. Sometimes you have a great idea but you can’t fit it in the right context. That can be difficult. But that came from a beat. Other tune came from a sound on the synth, or a chord sequence, and there’s no rules with this sort of thing, is there? We have strong instincts with these things. We try to work within a concept or the framework of an album for the set of songs we want to write. And once you have that framework established, it’s constrictive yet freeing because you can explore all areas in a certain kind of musical world, in a way. That definitely how it happened with the first record. We knew the kind of record we wanted to make in terms of sound and what we were talking about, and really then it was seeing what worked within it and what didn’t work, and how best make an album flow and what we needed to do to give it more depth. There is no real right or wrong, it’s whether you get that feeling. James [Cook, Delphic's lead vocalist and bassist] might play me something. So do I get it, do I feel it in my gut? Does it give me that kind of emotion? If the answer is no, let’s write another one. And if the answer is yes, okay, let’s take it to the next stage, let’s develop it and put an arrangement around it, put words to it. Are there any words that fit that we have already? You know, so you build it from there. But the initial idea is always the most important thing. It’s whether you get a buzz off of it…
PW: Like a spark of inspiration.
MC: Yeah, definitely. Sometimes…we’re writing ideas for the second album now, and there are some things…James played me something he’d written the other day, and sometimes you can just hear immediately, “that’s a finished song,” even if it’s just something on the piano with a bit of melody. I just know what that’s going to be. And that’s the most exciting thing. That’s when you know at the heart, there is something really special. It doesn’t happen all the time, but then it’s something you really need to grab onto and protect, in a way. You want to keep it true and make something real out of it.

PW: I think it is a gift when you’re able to create a timeless melody. A lot of music today, say hip hop, doesn’t necessarily have a great, underlying melody. It’s just not there. Or even some harder rock stuff. I saw Biffy Clyro 2 weeks ago at their first headlining gig of America, in Washington. They couldn’t even sell out DC9, and that’s a 200-capacity venue.
MC: Really? That’s madness. They’re really big in the UK now. [Biffy Clyro regularly sells out stadiums there.]
PW: I’m not a huge fan of theirs but I wanted to see history in the making. I consider Biffy kind of thrash metal, and my issue with thrash metal is that there isn’t a melody running through the whole thing, a melody that really grabs me. I’m not going to remember that song next week. Before or while you were in a band, were there any other bands that you looked to as idols?
MC: Hmmm…Radiohead really, for me personally. They’re the bosses, aren’t they? The big kids in the class. I just think…they don’t put a foot wrong. They’re the band that I think always…I remember when we were working on parts of the first album, “what would Thom Yorke do?” kind of, that we said to each other kind of jokingly, but with a serious tone. They don’t seem to make missteps. And I think as a band they’ve always been so inspirational, because they’ve always done their own thing. Believed in what they do. Writing OK Computer and then bringing out Kid A, the most incredible movement in modern music, right? I think they’re certainly a band we have immense, immense respect for. And a band whose career path we look to and we’re like, if we have a career anywhere near that, we’d be happy. As a band who’s just released a first record, you’re very much at the whim at the reviews and the whim of word of mouth. And people are very open to speculation on things. And open to New Order comparisons! [laughs] But I think as we release more records and release more, people see what we’re actually about. I think looking at a band like Radiohead, at Pablo Honey or even The Bends, and seeing how they were labeled as, like, Pixies‘s wannabes, and all that kind of thing. Then they kind of emerged and blossomed into their own thing. I think we’re really eager to kind of move on and keep developing, and show people…we’ve still got a lot to prove, I think, and we’ve still got a long way to go, and a long way to improve. We’ve got a lot to prove to ourselves and everyone else as well. And who we are. And we’re just excited to be given the chance to do that. Some people [in bands] do that to them [finger gesture], and some people, “thanks for believing in us, we want to pay you back.” You know? I think that’s the Manchester spirit a little bit, that bit is anyway. Sorry, I hope I didn’t offend you doing that!
PW: Haha, no worries. Was that a bit of anti-Southerner kind of thing?
MC: [laughs] Oh, no no! It’s just that kind of gang mentality in Manchester.
PW: “All for one, and one for all” kind of a thing?
MC: Yeah, it’s a band thing as well, but we don’t feel like part of London. We’re a Manchester band and proudly so, but we don’t feel like we’re a part of any scene in Manchester. There are three or four of us versus the world as it were. You’ve only got your mates to rely on, they’re the ones you want to see it through with. And so to kind of prove ourselves is a massive, massive thing. And it’s something we are working on and will hopefully achieve.

Stay tuned for part 2 coming soon…

Tour Dates
Oct 05 – Phoenix / Toronto*
Oct 07 – Newport Music Hall / Columbus*
Oct 08 – DC9 / Washington, DC^
Oct 11 – St. Andrews / Detroit*
Oct 12 – Metro / Chicago*
Oct 13 – Turner Hall / Milwaukee*
Oct 14 – First Avenue / Minneapolis*
Oct 21 – Popscene / San Francisco&
Oct 22 – Fox / Pomona, CA*
Oct 23 – Club Nokia / Los Angeles*
^ Delphic only
* supporting the Temper Trap
& with the Hundred in the Hands

Delphic: website | myspace | American Release Details of Delphic EP | Delphic’s Debut Album Streaming on Their MySpace | @ Trocadero, Philadelphia

Since I was already scheduled to be in Boston for the second-to-last date of the Nylon Magazine Winter Music Tour, finding out that the xx would be doing an in-store performance earlier on the same day was just icing on the cake. I had gone to pick up my wristband for the event early Friday morning. When I asked the clerk on duty how many wristbands were left, she gave me this “are you out of your mind?” look, saying, “we just started giving wristbands out half an hour ago. We have plenty.” This gave me what turned out to be a false sense of security (figuring that maybe, just maybe not too many people in Boston knew who the xx were), so my friend and I would have plenty of time to get to the in-store at 5 and wouldn’t have any trouble having a good vantage point to take photos from.

When we arrived to line up outside the Newbury Street store at 4:30, there were at least 50 people in front of me. As quickly as the sun set and disappeared, the line on the sidewalk outside the store grew and grew until it went all the way down the block. I started chatting with other people in line, finding out that I was in the minority (being the owner of a coveted ticket to the sold-out Friendly Fires / the xx gig later on) and that many of them had shown up for the free in-store simply for a chance to see the xx. They appreciated finding out from me that the xx would return to Boston to play the Paradise again on April 2.

Five o’clock came and went, and I started to lose feeling in my feet and arms despite it being unseasonably warm for a winter evening in Boston. Someone asked staff who was monitoring the front door why we weren’t allowed in, and we were told that the band’s equipment hadn’t arrived yet. At about 5:50, the main door finally opened and fans trooped into the store. People and their winter coats were crammed into the store between the CD racks and unusual merchandise. A bit stifling.

A short while later, the xx appeared and the crowd that assembled for them cheered. They launched into the instrumental “Intro.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t see much with many taller people in front of me, but I could occasionally make out bassist Oliver Sim and electronic percussion / synth player Jamie Smith as heads bobbed up and down to the music in front of me. I was skeptical about how the band would sound in small record store, but as soon as the band started into “VCR,” I knew this was going to be one great performance.

The sparseness of the xx sound sounded gorgeous in the cramped, enclosed space. Several in the crowd shouted for “Islands,” which began beautifully with Romy Madley-Croft‘s tender voice that was later joined with Sim’s. “Crystalised,” the first song by this band that I’d ever heard, was spectacular. Interestingly, this song was left off their set list at the Paradise three hours later, so if any of my new “friends” I met at Newbury Comics that night are reading this: you got a special treat!

My impression of the crowd was that it was a mixture of fans and others who looked upon the xx as a curiosity. Either way, there was little doubt in my mind that each person left that night thinking, “Wow, I need to make sure I get a ticket when the band comes back here in April.” You can catch the band on a short headlining tour of America in March and April (touring with mysterious Swedish electronic group jj), followed by a turn as the opener for Hot Chip in late April.

Set List:
Intro
VCR
Basic Space
Islands
Crystalised
Nighttime
Infinity

Tour dates:
Mar 22 – Spanish Moon / Baton Rouge*
Mar 24 – Earl / Atlanta*
Mar 25 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC*
Mar 28 – Sixth & I Synagogue / Washington, DC*
Mar 29 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia*
Apr 02 – Paradise / Boston*
Apr 05 – Wexner Center / Columbus*
Apr 06 – Buskirk Chumley Theater / Bloomington, IN*
Apr 19 – Riviera Theatre / Chicago%
Apr 20 – Koolhaus / Toronto%
Apr 22 – Terminal 5 / New York City%
Apr 24 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC%
* with jj
% supporting Hot Chip

The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9 | @ Paradise

Performance photos: Julie Stoller

The inaugural Winter Nylon Music Tour stopped by Boston’s Paradise Friday night for an absolutely, positively sold-out show. If it is humanly possible, both the headliners Friendly Fires and the opener, current darlings of the blogosphere the xx, keep getting better and better with each additional time I have the privilege of seeing them perform. Both are young bands from England, yet with all the globetrotting they’ve done this year, they’ve honed their skills so that every performance will leave you wanting more. When I heard and subsequently groaned inwardly that the Nylon tour would not be stopping by Washington, I decided a trip up north was in order.

In the case of London’s the xx, their sound is relatively simplistic, but they are extremely successful in bringing out the emotions of anyone who’s ever felt anything for someone else or perhaps more accurately, the xx make you feel you aren’t alone when you’ve lost that magical thing called love. I still can’t get over how guitarist Romy Madley-Croft and bassist Oliver Sim‘s voices, though gentle, can be so poignant and achingly beautiful, causing you the listener to feel the same yearning that exists in the heart of their songs in your bones.

This was the first time the band had ever played in Boston (not counting the in-store they played three hours earlier at Newbury Comics), and the excited crowd was certainly appreciative of their visit. They took to the stage on time at 9. The extended live version of “Basic Space,” their second single released on Young Turks in the UK in August, confused some members of the audience, some of them prematurely clapping while the band headed into an outro not on the album. “Fantasy,” starting off with Sim’s spare, scorching vocals paired with Madley-Croft’s fantastic guitar playing, was a major highlight, as was “Nighttime,” with such monstrous beats from Jamie Smith that you felt the backbeats pounding through your body.

“Infinity,” an example of serious yearning turned into an xx song, starts with guitar work that is as sensual at those in Chris Isaak‘s “Wicked Game.” But what the xx’s tune has over Isaak’s are the call and response lyrics of “I can’t give it up / to someone else’s touch / because I care too much” between Madley-Croft and Sim, punctuated by Smith’s drum machine and cymbal crashing. Talk about dramatic to the max and perfectly suited for their usual black attire and minimalist stage set-up. Be sure to catch this trio when they tour America starting in March 2010, first on a short tour of their own on the eastern half of the U.S., followed by a couple of dates opening for Hot Chip.

The xx Set List:
Intro
VCR
Basic Space
Fantasy
Shelter
Islands
Nighttime
Infinity

Like clockwork, crew set up quickly for the main event, St. Albans’ own Friendly Fires, so that they were ready to roll punctually at the Paradise-appointed time of 10:15. This band’s shows are 100 times better than their records because you get the full audio and visual experience right in front of you. On this particular night, multi-colored lights flashed feverishly across the stage, lending a carnival-like atmosphere quite appropriate for this kind of music. On stage left is drummer Jack Savidge on his riser, beating on his drums at a furious pace that it’s a wonder he ever manages to leave a gig with his hands intact. In the center of it all is lead singer Ed Macfarlane with his bevy of synthesizers ever at the ready, in front of touring bassist Rob Lee and their touring brass section (trumpeter and saxophonist). And lastly and certainly not least, on stage right is guitarist Edd Gibson shredding it on his axe in a way that should inspire generations to pick up a guitar and try it for themselves.

Having not seen them in about four months, I’d nearly forgotten just how tremendously punishing physically their set is on all the players. This was their second to last date on a grueling 3-week tour of North America, and I’d heard that everyone by this point was exhausted (and understandably so). However, I didn’t see any indication that the band wasn’t giving their usual 110%. When it came time for Macfarlane to break out his now world-famous dance moves, the man showed no sign of fatigue, most memorably on the wonky-waltzy “White Diamonds,” to which he threw his whole body into the song. “Photobooth,” an ode to young lovers taking an innocent photograph together, was preceded by him saying, “Are you going to join us [in the revelry and dance]?” Thanks to a long guitar cord, throughout the set Gibson was able to run back and forth across the Paradise stage, climbing on top of a speaker in front of Savidge several times to serenade those up in the balcony. So very rock ‘n’ roll.

While the throng was vocal in their appreciation for the Fires’ music, some people in the crowd clearly needed to loosen up, so much that Ed Mac had to implore, “Come on Boston, dance with me, please!” When they played “On Board,” then “Paris” (the obvious crowd-pleaser), the audience was finally moving and grooving in a way that the band approved. While it was disappointing that they played the exact same set list that I’ve gotten used to and we didn’t get a preview of the four songs Friendly Fires have already finished for album #2, we’ll have the new material and a brand-new set list to look forward to the next time they visit us stateside. The band’s sophomore album is expected to be released in May 2010. I can’t wait.

Friendly Fires Set List:
Lovesick
Jump in the Pool
Skeleton Boy
In the Hospital
White Diamonds
Strobe
Kiss of Life
Photobooth
On Board
Paris
//
Ex Lover

Friendly Fires: website | myspace | Friendly Fires review | Remix Monday: “Skeleton Boy” | @ Black Cat | @ Dot to Dot Festival | interview with pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced | New Video on MTV, To Play Jimmy Kimmel and Winter Nylon Tour, Release Expanded Version of Debut Album | @ Lollapalooza 2009 | @ le poisson rouge | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | on Jimmy Kimmel | Remix Monday: “Paris”
The xx: website | myspace | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | @ DC9

In the five years that I’ve lived in the Boston area I’ve not yet indulged myself in its rich local music scene. Not until the show at T.T. The Bear’s Place on Friday night in Cambridge. With four bands on the bill it was an exciting and gritty night of local music.

When I first moved to Boston I thought little about its local music; there were no big names that I was familiar with and I was too lazy and too intimidated by the new scene to do the digging myself. Over the course of the last few months I’ve opened my ears to the local music scene, discovering radio programs that spotlight local music, meeting people who are experienced in its scene, and, well, by playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

Harmonix, the half video game developer half musician melting pot that created Guitar Hero (1&2) and Rock Band is located in my very own Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mere blocks, in fact, from the music venue T.T. The Bear’s. Harmonix is unique in the fact that is employs a large number of musicians from local bands and features songs from the bands in the video games. One of these bands, The Main Drag, I got to experience live on Friday night.

If there was one thing that was predominate in all the performers that night it was the energy; Boston band, The Bynars started it all off with a fury of sound and each subsequent band kept up the pace. Next up was The Main Drag. With five members of the band also working for Harmonix, they brought down the house with their performance of the Rock Band 2 featured song, “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter.” Their set also featured a spirited cover of LCD Sound System‘s “All My Friends.” The Main Drag was one of the highlights for me and also won over my friends visiting from Los Angeles, we were particularly impressed with their adventurist guitarist who at one point attempted to play his guitar with a xylophone mallet. Insane.

The energy did not recede there, power pop magicians, The Appreciation Post, galvanized the stage next. They were the tightest performers of the night, with a high energy guitarist of their own really burning up the left side of the stage. The highlight of the set for me was definitely the excellent cover of Pinkerton-era Weezer, “Tired of Sex.”

Closing out the night was Brooklyn band, Plushgun. I really couldn’t imagine that the headliners would be able to push the energy level even further, but somehow they did. The lead singer’s vocals were compelling, channeling shades of Brian Molko, and we couldn’t help but notice his resemblance to mister Seth Rogan. Plushgun were handing out drum solos, foot stomps and high fives like candy and ended their set with a crowded stage full of dancing fans. It was a great way to end a supremely entertaining night of local and near local music.

The Bynars: myspace
The Appreciation Post: website | myspace
The Main Drag: website | myspace
Plushgun: website | myspace