Various boat floating musical moments:
1: “The small yellow and green toy barge I used to play with in the bath”
I was a notoriously absent minded kid, forgetful and unfocused, when I eventually got to school and started failing all my exams I was diagnosed as Dyslexic. I do however have a vivid photographic, synesthetic memory that my father picked up on at a really early age. When I was 6 we were driving in his car, it was a uneventful warm summers day some where in Southern England, ‘In an English Country Garden” was playing on the radio, we were approaching a farm down a small lane with massive hedge rows on either side. We were joking about how I always forgot things so he made a bet with me that I would remember that exact particular moment framed in time for the rest of my life. Even now I can recall the minute detail of that memory snap like a clip on You Tube: the colours, sounds, shapes, the humidity in the air, the calls of the swallows swooping into the rafters of the barn, the suspension air bags of my dads sports green Citerons DS 19 exhaling as it lowered itself into the soft mud of the yard. The car looked like this:
http://www.motorbase.com/profiles/vehicle/picture.ehtml?i=512;p=1885262852And this is the music that helps me remember. Any band that sites it influences as “flotsam, jetsam, swallows, swifts, the monument the pool” gets my vote:
North Sea Radio Orchestra
Try: ‘End of chimes’, check out the YouTube clip on the my space site
http://www.myspace.com/northsearadioorchestra2:“The boat everyone wants to get on after it’s left the harbour”
Fleet Foxes are destined for greatness and an interesting example of how the whole folk/alternative, americana/indie pop thing is going to become a global phenomena in the next few years. The band also quote the Fairport’s and Steely Span as big influences so it’ll be interesting to see what you guys make of them.
To me it’s sounds more influenced by Beech Boys/Buffalo Springfield. Still nice to hear old school west coast close hippie harmonies resurfacing after the savages of tuneless Punk and Techno (irony intended).
Try 'White Winter Hymnal'
http://www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes3: “The Small Rowing Boat moored under a huge Willow on a back water tributary of the Dorset Stour, fishing for Perch and the occasional Chub”
One of my all time fav tracks ever is “Stars Fall out of Paper Cups” by
Sweet Billy Pilgrim. Try and track it down. It’s a hidden gem swimming in the backwaters of inspiration.
http://www.myspace.com/sweetbillypilgrimAnd one of the many un sung genius producers emerging from the folk electronica scene is Tim Elsenberg from the same band.
http://www.myspace.com/williampilgrimTry ‘soundtrack piece’, post sigor ros epic filmscape that goes for the big emotional shoom. As yet only had 162 plays on his my space site, I was 163. Which is almost my magic number. If Sweet Billy Pilgrim are the Perch than Tim Elsenberg must be the Chub.
4: “ ‘As Ships Go Sailing By’ through the urban landscape of the Thames and out to sea”
John Metcalf. Inspired young composer who has been working with Andy G the IV drummer on live orchestral Drum and Bass and beautiful English sound scapes.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=102189143Try ‘Otama’ plus orchestral drum and bass ‘A Whole Day Nearer’
Just get the album!
5: “The Master Schooner”
'Knock John' by Chris Wood Andy Cutting. This album was responsible for the epiphany that made me do the Imagined Village. So it’s all their fault!
Try ‘Spencer the Rover’
Another boat floating moment was watching the audience held in rapture during Chris Woods support spot on last years IV tour as the story line to ‘One in a Million’ unfolded.
6: “The Mighty Indestructible Indie Titanic They Will Never Sink”
This band have been getting a huge amount of well deserved publicity after being together for 15 years. For me Guy Garvey from Elbow is one of our greatest living songwriters and lyricist, check out one of the best love songs ever written by a musician to their partner ‘The Everthere’ from the album ‘Leaders of the Free World’.
Try: “Station Approach” a brilliant song about the joys of returning home after being away on tour from same album.
