A Century of Elvis
Let's dive right in: I had the chance to go one on one with Roy Moller of Book Club Records, an under-rated scot tweeish pop n' rock artist that has contributed to countless albums over the past years. His long awaited debut album, Speak When I'm Spoken To, was released this year to the joy of many Belle and Sebastian fans as well as members of the Scotty pop underground that have been long awaiting the release. His answers were so elaborate and full that
I had to post it as a Q and A, I just had to.
Q: For your first full length release, do you think that your debut represented who you are as a musician?
I think it represents me as a musician pretty well and is a good starting off point for people to get to know what I'm about and tap their feet while they do so. I hope it's quite an "up" record and if it sustains a mood for the listener I'm pleased. I've written a lot of songs which I've not recorded yet and I'm keen to let people hear them, too. I would love to start cutting another album tomorrow!
Q. How long have you been collaborating with Stevie Jackson (and Bobby Kildea)? Do you think that serious Belle and Sebastian influences have been injected into your records or is your sound a complete departure from that, would you say?
I think Stevie and I started working together quite soon after we first met - about fifteen years ago. The first time we worked on a song that's been released was in 1997 when I helped Stevie out with a number called Seymour Stein. I first worked in the studio with both Stevie and Bobby when we recorded Maximum Smile. Maximum Smile features Stevie's Legal Man sitar but I don't think there's a particular Belle And Sebastian influence as such on the album from them or indeed me. I think my guitar on the track Her Collected Poems is influenced a little by Stevie's style: an approximation of the way he coaxes reverbed chords from a Fender Twin amp, but that's the only time I've consciously thought along those lines. I'm certainly a fan of Belle & Sebastian and in particular I sometimes wish that I could write the sorts of song that Stuart Murdoch does. I've perhaps made similar observations in my mind and harboured similar feelings to those he sings about on Mornington Crescent, for example, but I can't express them as elegantly or perceptively.
Q. What is your best song in your opinion on the album?
Great Wall Of China. It's pretty versatile.
Q. What would you say sparked your interest in becoming a musician early on?
Hearing a lot of old records on BBC oldies shows. As a shy child and teenager I wanted to perform to express myself and I knew, too, that I wanted to record. I just loved the sound of something like Only The Lonely by Roy Orbison. When I started recording on a cassette recorder at home I used to tie a biscuit tin to a lampstand and put a microphone in there to try to simulate that echo.
Q. Do you have any formal training in the field of music?
I had piano lessons but my concentration and dedication to practice weren't very good. I'd love to revisit playing piano with both hands and try to play like Nick Cave on Into Your Arms or John Cale doing Hallelujah. I couldn't sing like them but if I could play that way perhaps my voice would surprise me.
Q. What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child?
An actor, a magician and a bus or train driver. No way would I want to be a bus driver in any UK city now, of course. The abuse they get is unbelievable.
I was quite an innocent kid.
Q. Name your top three favorite songs of all time.
Well, that kind of list can change with the tides but thinking about songs that I find astounding I'd say Sukiyaki -a Japanese folk song (I think) which has the most wonderful melody, Visions Of Johanna by Bob Dylan and Waterloo Sunset by Ray Davies. There's a hundred others, from Beck to Allen Toussaint.
Q. What are you currently working on?
I'm working on a project called The Company about which I hope to reveal a lot more soon. We've written a lot of songs and are in the process of recording some of them. It's the best thing I've been involved in musically and I'm playing some of the songs live.
Below is the music video for one of Roy's more Beatles-esque tracks, Great Wall of China:
The album has a fantastically wide range of era influences, gained from decades of experience in the buisness. The powerpop sound adds energy and excitment to the feel of the songs. While some tracks are more chill-out-laid-back kind of tunes, others are clearly animated dynamic groove inspired numbers.
You can order Roy Moller's Speak When I'm Spoken To from www.bookclubrecords.com
Moving on to another band that hails from the UK, the Klaxons are a phenomenally unique Brit band with music so acidic and sharp that your tongue will be tingling with the psycadellic flavoring. What they produce reminds me of books written in the style of stream of conciousness, where you do and write whatever is on your mind, but it all seems to come together for them because the rave reviews they've been receiving have have earned them new found fame in the states.
More to come later,
Kit
I had to post it as a Q and A, I just had to.
Q: For your first full length release, do you think that your debut represented who you are as a musician?
I think it represents me as a musician pretty well and is a good starting off point for people to get to know what I'm about and tap their feet while they do so. I hope it's quite an "up" record and if it sustains a mood for the listener I'm pleased. I've written a lot of songs which I've not recorded yet and I'm keen to let people hear them, too. I would love to start cutting another album tomorrow!
Q. How long have you been collaborating with Stevie Jackson (and Bobby Kildea)? Do you think that serious Belle and Sebastian influences have been injected into your records or is your sound a complete departure from that, would you say?
I think Stevie and I started working together quite soon after we first met - about fifteen years ago. The first time we worked on a song that's been released was in 1997 when I helped Stevie out with a number called Seymour Stein. I first worked in the studio with both Stevie and Bobby when we recorded Maximum Smile. Maximum Smile features Stevie's Legal Man sitar but I don't think there's a particular Belle And Sebastian influence as such on the album from them or indeed me. I think my guitar on the track Her Collected Poems is influenced a little by Stevie's style: an approximation of the way he coaxes reverbed chords from a Fender Twin amp, but that's the only time I've consciously thought along those lines. I'm certainly a fan of Belle & Sebastian and in particular I sometimes wish that I could write the sorts of song that Stuart Murdoch does. I've perhaps made similar observations in my mind and harboured similar feelings to those he sings about on Mornington Crescent, for example, but I can't express them as elegantly or perceptively.
Q. What is your best song in your opinion on the album?
Great Wall Of China. It's pretty versatile.
Q. What would you say sparked your interest in becoming a musician early on?
Hearing a lot of old records on BBC oldies shows. As a shy child and teenager I wanted to perform to express myself and I knew, too, that I wanted to record. I just loved the sound of something like Only The Lonely by Roy Orbison. When I started recording on a cassette recorder at home I used to tie a biscuit tin to a lampstand and put a microphone in there to try to simulate that echo.
Q. Do you have any formal training in the field of music?
I had piano lessons but my concentration and dedication to practice weren't very good. I'd love to revisit playing piano with both hands and try to play like Nick Cave on Into Your Arms or John Cale doing Hallelujah. I couldn't sing like them but if I could play that way perhaps my voice would surprise me.
Q. What did you want to grow up to be when you were a child?
An actor, a magician and a bus or train driver. No way would I want to be a bus driver in any UK city now, of course. The abuse they get is unbelievable.
I was quite an innocent kid.
Q. Name your top three favorite songs of all time.
Well, that kind of list can change with the tides but thinking about songs that I find astounding I'd say Sukiyaki -a Japanese folk song (I think) which has the most wonderful melody, Visions Of Johanna by Bob Dylan and Waterloo Sunset by Ray Davies. There's a hundred others, from Beck to Allen Toussaint.
Q. What are you currently working on?
I'm working on a project called The Company about which I hope to reveal a lot more soon. We've written a lot of songs and are in the process of recording some of them. It's the best thing I've been involved in musically and I'm playing some of the songs live.
Below is the music video for one of Roy's more Beatles-esque tracks, Great Wall of China:
The album has a fantastically wide range of era influences, gained from decades of experience in the buisness. The powerpop sound adds energy and excitment to the feel of the songs. While some tracks are more chill-out-laid-back kind of tunes, others are clearly animated dynamic groove inspired numbers.
You can order Roy Moller's Speak When I'm Spoken To from www.bookclubrecords.com
Moving on to another band that hails from the UK, the Klaxons are a phenomenally unique Brit band with music so acidic and sharp that your tongue will be tingling with the psycadellic flavoring. What they produce reminds me of books written in the style of stream of conciousness, where you do and write whatever is on your mind, but it all seems to come together for them because the rave reviews they've been receiving have have earned them new found fame in the states.
More to come later,
Kit
posted by Kit "Blanche Deveraux" @ 3:16 PM
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