MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST (ALBUM REVIEW): Mazes - A Thousand Heys

A Thousand Heys is the debut album from London based indie band Mazes, who have here produced a set of upbeat, guitar heavy tracks that focus on the path of life, from youth through to post-adolescent. Surprisingly, all of Mazes still have “day-jobs”, though considering the critical praise the band have accumulated, from the NME in particular, they will probably become fully-fledged professional musicians before long.

Mazes immerged from the burgeoning culture of D.I.Y. marketing and production within the U.K. indie scene, which utilises everything from grassroots campaigns via the internet to lo-fi recording techniques. With A Thousand Heys, however, Mazes have spent time creating quite a long and considered debut. The production is a little rough around the edges, but the distortion on the guitars and vocals doesn’t really warrant the band’s self proclaimed lo-fi alternative title. The music Mazes create, in reality, is upbeat indie-pop; indie-pop that is so crammed full of influences of that nature that it really cannot be considered to be anything more elaborate or exciting.


A number of Mazes’ influences have been drawn from the 1990s, notably James, Elastica and Oasis, as well as contemporary indie-pop acts such as The Courteeners and The View. These contemporary influences however, all connect with a key hub of bands that originate from the glory days of British pop/rock – The Kinks, The Who, and most obviously The Beatles. Throughout their debut, Mazes reference The Beatles incessantly, from the construction of their tracks, to their guitar styles, (which range from poppy, early Beatles to the depths of "I Want You (She’s so Heavy)"). They even reference The Beatles in their lyrics. A lot. For me this is an obvious, tired and staid technique that has no subtly to it. All *rock* music is to a degree influenced by The Beatles, but there is no need to wear this admiration like a badge of honour.


Don’t get me wrong – A Thousand Heys is a fine album. Many of the tracks are nicely upbeat, enjoyable and positive, which is not something to disparage. The album is tight, well produced, and has a comprehensive feel and sound that clearly works well for the group. There are flashes of brilliance at times, and tracks such as "Boxing Clever" and "Go Betweens" have catchy riffs and melodies, and have something about them that is a bit cooler, smarter and more interesting. If the group could move forward from their debut with these meatier tracks, and with less blatant influences, they could produce a really fantastic second album.

See this review at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/album-reviews/mazes-a-thousand-heys/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Introducing Love Inks

Female fronted trio Love Inks hail from Austin, Texas. They create minimal, delicate and enchanting dream-pop, similar in style to established Brooklyn based shoe-gazers such as Au Revoir Simone and The Hundred In The Hands. Simple, repetitive melodies are the group’s modus operandi, and the result is their dainty, gently, evocative and quietly appealing tracks.

Love Inks focus their music on simple instrumentation, often recruiting only a guitar, bass and drum machine to accompany the vocals. Odd flourishes of synths and tuned percussion are occasionally thrown into the mix to add a bit of colour and intrigue, but the group’s work ultimately centres on the vocals of lead singer Sherry LeBlanc. LeBlanc’s lyrics and vocal style compliment Love Inks’ instrumentation perfectly – her voice is soft with a warm grain, which lends her vocal style a beguiling grace. There is a subtle degree of punch to her delivery however, which is coupled well with her direct, honest, yet ultimately positive lyrics.

Love Inks first single Blackeye is due for release in the UK on 28th March 2011, via Italian label Hell, yes! and an album is set for release in May. Much of this album was recorded using an analogue 8-track, in order to capture the naked, unprocessed sounds of the instruments on record. This is certainly a band that considers every aspect of their music, and by their results thus far – they clearly know their craft.
See this post at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/the-next-best-thing/introducing-love-inks/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Introducing Peers

Peers are an irritatingly young and successful group of four teenagers from Reading, UK. They only formed back in January 2010, and in the past year they have had a huge amount of success. The group have played numerous gigs in Reading and the south east, as well as managing to gain a prestigious slot on the BBC Introducing stage at the Reading Festival in 2010. They have also had their music played on NME Radio and BBC 6 Music. For all their youth though, the band appear older than their years and have a subtle, considered aspect to their highly appealing style of alternative indie.

Peers produce a very cool, very hip style of grungy noise-pop, full of composed exuberance. They draw on Arcade Fire and Wild Nothing for musical inspiration, creating a contemplative, sombre sound with hints of positivity and exuberance. They are very talented in a live setting, with tight, honed performances – which is especially impressive considering they have only been playing together as a solid unit for a year.

This band for me is definitely a significant up-and-coming talent in the world of indie music. They have all the necessary indie credentials in that they are arty and reflective, with a kind of tortured optimism that very much encapsulates the attitude of many young people today. All this hipness is backed up however with interesting music and good musicianship, and that is ultimate why their success will continue.
See this post at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/the-next-best-thing/introducing-peers/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: 15/02/2011 The Go! Team – O2 Academy, Oxford.

Its 9:30PM, and The Go! Team kick off, bang on time, with their awesome new track T.O.R.N.A.D.O, fresh from their third album Rolling Blackouts. This track is a great start to their set; with a pounding bass and thundering drums it is really meaty, punchy and powerful, and is also a personal favourite from the new album. This impressive sonic vibe continued through their next few tracks – and indeed was prevalent in most of their numbers. The combination of thick thick bass coupled with the two drum kits and their two bass drums punching in unison created sound waves that literally moved my hair – not unlike a scene from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.


The two drum kits are a huge part of The Go! Team’s live appeal – they create such an overwhelming sound, and synchronised drumming is always impressive. A strong competitor for the limelight however is Ninja, the band’s charismatic front-woman. She really worked at getting the crowd going, even though it was a dreary, wet Tuesday night in February. She somewhat succeeded too, developing a good bit of call and response with the audience. She is an incredibly boisterous and excitable singer, and the audience eventually got fully caught up in her enthusiasm, dancing around and waving their arms. Occasional front ladies Kaori Tsuchida and Chi Fukami-Taylor were also on form. They have a bit less oomph than Ninja, but both their vocal styles have a cute, pleasant, tonal quality that adds a nice reprieve from Ninja’s exuberance.


There is a nice dynamic to The Go! Team live – the equal male/female set-up gives the music (and the band’s performance of it) a rounded, unbiased quality, which is very multi-dimensional. Where the group’s records are typically sample-centric, in a live setting vocals, guitars, drums and samples all take centre stage. The samples are a vital part of The Go! Team’s music however, and their inclusion in the performance adds a post-modern depth of archive-extracted coolness. To add a further bit of intrigue to the performance the group also replicate a lot of their samples live. Secretary Song is a particularly good example of this, which had a real old-fashioned typewriter alongside the keyboards and sample desks. The typewriter was played fantastically well, and added a quirky bit of live musique concrete to the proceedings.


Throughout their set, the band play new tracks from Rolling Blackouts with old favourites like Bottle Rocket and the classic Ladyflash. The audience were kept on their toes with complex, frequent line-up and instrument changes, which were executed with nonchalant precision. All the individual musicians were great in their own right, but it is as a combined unit that The Go! Team’s unique, bombastic sound is truly realised. Their individual parts; the multitude of instruments, the samples, the numerous influences, from funk to noise pop to garage rock, are all strong. But combined on stage together, the band and their music develop an almost superhuman strength, much stronger than the sum of their parts.
See this live review on MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/gig-reviews/15022011-the-go-team-oxford-o2-academy/

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - Part Time!

Party Time! Everyone loves a good party – unless you’re the host, or a boarder-line hermit. Parties provide that magical combination of being some exotic and different coupled with being safe, dry and warm. Unfortunately though, party music can be sadly lacking in anything close to style, oomph or substance. Typical party soundtracks involve either a hastily cobbled together “cheese” playlist consisting of too much Bon Jovi, or else some sadistic, powerful person who manages to control the remote, subjecting all party goers to The Hits, or MTV Base, or towards the end of the night, the musical no-man’s land that is Magic. Creating a great party playlist is pretty easy however, providing you follow these five simple rules:
1. Play stuff that most people will know, even if they only know of it vaguely.
2. If you put on a track that is a bit more obscure, make sure it is a really upbeat or beautiful track. Don’t make it too complicated; most people do not like it.
3. Throw in some nostalgia, but make sure there are some new tracks too. If you only include tracks from when you were in the first year at uni, it’ll just send everyone into a spiralling depression about how shit life is in comparison to those halcyon days.
4. Keep it upbeat. You want people to enjoy themselves, not drown their sorrows.
5. Cater to your guest’s tastes. If there will be a lot of attendees who are pop-loving girly-girls, you will have to include some Take That. They will not consider it a party without some.
I follow all these rules, and my party playlist is awesome. Here is some pure gold from my extensive party list:

1.    “Bang Bang Bang” – Mark Ronson and the Business Intl.
Such a cool song, great to get heads at a party nodding. The chorus has an element of glorious, reckless abandon about it, and it manages to be upbeat and buoyant without loosing its razor-edge sharpness. Helps that it was the song of summer 2010 as well.
2.    “Undone (The Sweater Song)” – Weezer
A slightly less well-known track from Blue, but most should be familiar with “Undone” if they like Weezer, and everyone who’s anyone loves a good bit of Weezer. This track is mellow and plodding, yet it has a dispassionate centre to it, which is great for subtly angry sing-alongs.
3.    “Telephone” – Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce
These days a party kind of isn’t complete without a bit of Gaga, and this track, with both Gaga and Beyonce, is an obvious choice. It is also my favourite Gaga track.
4.    “Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes
No indie kid party would be complete without some White Stripes, and “Seven Nation Army” is pretty much the king of White Stripes tracks.
5.    “Pump It Up” – Elvis Costello
This track is vintage Elvis Costello, with a cool, nonchalant peppiness that should be familiar to all.
6.    “Hey Ya!” – Andre 3000
Ah – an awesome song. It was played to death in 2003, but now I cannot imagine a good party without it. It is just aural positivity – fantastic.
7.    “Let Make Love and Listen to Death from Above” – CSS
Such a cool, edgy song should add a cool, edgy depth to any party. Poly-rhythmic enough to dance to (or at least tap your feet to), with a sexy, arty feel that should appeal to ladies and gents.
8.    “Frontier Psychiatrist” – Avalanches
Nice bit of sample based mastery in this awesome Avalanches track. Again, it should be familiar to most, when heard at least, if not on paper.
9.    “Danger! High Voltage” – Electric 6
A punchy, fun track that has a great set of guitar parts, and funky, perverted lyrics. Great for getting down to after a few drinks.
10.    “No More Mr. Nice Guy” – Alice Cooper
Such a cool track with an anthemic chorus line. Most people should be familiar with this, though they might not know its Alice Cooper, or even (shudder to think) who Alice Cooper is.
11.    “Rock the Casbah” – The Clash
Everyone loves “Rock the Casbah”. It is played a lot, but this time for a good reason – it is a fantastic track – musically and ambiently.
12.     “On Mercury” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
RHCP do their upbeat tracks as well as their drug-addled, misery ridden ones, and “On Mercury” is good evidence of this. The usage of a melodica is inspired positivity and the lead/support vocals are executed with vigour.
13.     “Lights Out” – Santogold
Its important to wrap the party up with some mellow wind down music, otherwise no one will chill-out and go home! With this track, the title speaks for itself - it is laid back and relaxed yet hip. Great home time music.
See this playlist at HCE at http://t.co/nRTNnYd
 

An Open Letter to Alan McGee, Regarding EMI, Piracy, and the Plight of the Recording Industry.

As most people are aware, EMI has been in financial trouble for quite a while. This issue culminated with the company being bought by Citigroup earlier this month, leading to a great amount of speculation regarding the future of the company, and even more analysis on how exactly EMI got into such a mess in the first place. A notable example of such commentary was published in the NME shortly after. This piece was written by Creation Records former head, Alan McGee, and it really was the most ill informed diatribe on the topic of piracy that I have come across in a long while. So much so that I felt it was necessary to reply to him directly. His piece was also very badly written, and really should not have been given column space. But then again, you really cannot expect much from the NME.

Dear Alan,
It may strike you as rather arrogant of me to write to you, or even question your opinions on the matter of piracy, especially when I am barely a music industry professional and you were head of Creation Records for a number of years. However, your appallingly dated, ill-conceived and ill-informed piece on the NME online recently highlighted you as a positive dinosaur in relation to the issues facing the record industry at present, and the best ways to overcome them and move forward. I would like to address some of these now, in order to exemplify to you the huge lack of insight and understanding you have on the issue, and why perhaps you are not particularly qualified to discuss the matter.

Firstly, EMI’s problems are ultimately down to EMI’s bad management and investment in new talent – not piracy. Using Lily Allen as an example of an EMI artist only solidifies this fact, as Lily Allen has not released an album in nearly two years, and has publically discussed numerous times that she does not intend to record any more music. Parlophone and Virgin still hold a degree of prestige and do still sign new artists (e.g. Tinie Tempah), but for the most part the label has rested on its (now ancient) laurels of The Sex Pistols, The Beatles and the like.

However, EMI will not be the last of the “the big four” record labels to fall. Sony will probably be next, although it will I imagine be a good 5 – 10 years before that happens. Who knows – maybe they will have remodelled or redirected their business strategy by then – though I doubt it. Major labels are static, stubborn bureaucracies, ill equipped for the current changes in the music industry. Smaller, independent labels have began to adapt and change their techniques successfully, developing new industry protocol such as offering free tracks to download, or even free albums. Such gestures demonstrate that both the label and the artist value their fans, and lend the whole process a more grassroots feel that appeals to and is inclusive of musicians, labels and fans alike. It is also fantastic marketing, as it offers consumers a chance to vet artists they are interested in, and if they like what they hear, that 79p lost through a free track could come back in merchandise, live ticket sales, or even a purchased album. The approach of acts like Radiohead and The Joy Formidable, who have both given whole albums away for free download, have only enhanced their popularity. Most musicians are happy with this arrangement – indeed, any musicians worth the salt appreciate how wonderful it is that people want their music in their lives, and that even being a semi-professional musician is pretty bloody amazing.

Major labels by comparison are stagnating, clinging to the old industry model where they still think its acceptable to pay artists badly (for example, a million pound record deal sees artists typically go home with less than £20,000 profit after expenses) and then charge people what is still a relatively high price for music. CDs have come down from the ludicrous heights of their early years, but even downloads are extortionate. Consumers have become wise to how record companies have abused the relationship between the production and consumption of music.

People still purchase music however. In fact people are purchasing more music now than ever before. Piracy is not the issue. Yes – millions of tracks are illegally downloaded, but huge amounts are being purchased. In reality music that is illegally downloaded is just a small section of the ginormous amount of music that is constantly being transferred, copied, borrowed, streamed, shared and purchased at present. The music industry is just too big to control these days. The amount of available recorded music has probably grown 100 times bigger than it was even 10 to 15 years ago, and that’s not including all the recorded, unsigned music available via sites like Bandcamp and MySpace. There is just too much music out there, and too many ways of getting it for to be controlled by anyone, not by musicians, consumers or record companies. In the 1970s and 1980s there was a limited supply of music and musicians. You had acts that were signed, and acts that were unsigned and localised to a scene or area. The musical world was comparatively easy to navigate. These days you only ever see your own personal musical world – the tip of a very big iceberg. Your argument, Alan, that there will never again be another band like the Rolling Stones because of piracy is therefore sheer idiocy. The market isn’t set up for another Rolling Stones; it is set up for a few major-ish artists that everyone knows and a plethora of smaller artists. The internet has made everything grassroots, whether you like it or not, which makes the creation and attainment of music ubiquitous, rapid and uncontrollable.

Of additional note, your argument reeks of the typical angry rhetoric of a music industry executive – a rhetoric that few music fans, musicians, or even people who work in the industry can sympathise with. As one of the elite people who could still make tons of cash from record sales alone, you and your contemporaries are all desperate to hold on to your cushy position, often doing very little whilst simultaneously screwing over both musician and consumer alike. Your patronising plea for consumers to think of new, young artists when considering piracy is blatantly shallow in this context. Major record labels have not been particularly interested in fresh, young talent for a good twenty years or so. Independent labels typically discover artists who then get bought up by majors after the indies have done all the hard work developing them. Major record labels care about one thing only – revenue. Its useless to pretend otherwise as we all know stories of artists who were screwed over by labels, dropped by labels, badly promoted and marketed by labels etc. Don’t stick up for the little man when you’re secretly fucking his wife.

Anyway Alan, it is highly unlikely that you will pay any attention to my reply, or even attempt to understand in greater depth any of the complexities of this issue. However, your opinion is less important now than ever. You are a pompous, conceited relic of a decaying modus operandi, retired, and with good reason. The 85 comments on the NME page, all of them against your argument, demonstrate this perfectly.

Your worthy opponent,
MiaTea

You can read McGee item for yourself at http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=146&p=9743&title=emi_s_plight_proves_it_downloading_has_m&more=1&c

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Singles of the Week (Best and Worst)

Good Stuff released 7th February 2011
Vision of Trees – "Sometimes it Kills"

Wow – what a fantastic track! Vision of Trees jokingly dub their music as psyche R&B meets tribal goth, although truthfully this music doesn’t really have a genre to be tightly associated with. It certainly has heavily electronic content mixed with indie influences, and has the classic girl/boy combo with soft, ethereal female vocals. Thick, undulating, modern synth timbres rotate through this track, sub-merging the listener in a beautiful, subterranean aural landscape. It is gently and totally captivating. I cannot wait to hear more from this promising duo.



Bad Stuff Released 7th February 2011
Diagram of the Heart – “If I Were You”

A number of music magazines, including Q and Pop Justice have raved about these guys, hailing their “euphoric electro-pop” as marvellously innovative and interesting. Sorry, but it just simply isn’t. The duo have only been active for a year, yet their video and music production is so suspiciously slick and positively dripping in money that it completely lacks any personality. I’m always a bit wary of acts that record labels pour money into upon signing – acts that they think are really “on-trend” often tend to be very watered down and about two years out of date. Like this band. Their music is a very bland, bad cash in of the current indie-pop-electro combinations, with dated 1990s synth timbres that should not have been revived.


See this post at HCE at http://t.co/4449dMv

HERE COMES EVERYONE POST: Playlist of the Week - The White Stripes

So tonight The White Stripes officially announced their retirement from music. For most of us this announcement will not necessarily come as a great shock – the band haven’t released anything for three years now, and Jack White has been practically whoring himself out to new bands all over the show. For me however, this announcement, though possibly inevitable, is still tinged with sadness. Whilst the group have not released anything for a good while now, there was always the possibility that they were working on a new release, or might do so at some point in the future. The thought that they will not give us anymore music is a very sad one, especially as, in my opinion, The White Stripes simply got better with age. Many will disagree with this, stating that White Blood Cell or Elephant was the group’s best work. My favourite album by far was Icky Thump. That album was a culmination of all the heavy, thick, gruesome surliness the band had always offered mixed with a much more diverse, curious sound and instrumentation. Its tracks might not have been as regimentally punchy as the likes of “Hardest Button to Button”, but it was deep and challenging, and I liked that. Below is a short playlist of my absolute favourite tracks by The White Stripes. As well as there being a slight bias towards Icky Thump tracks, I have also include here some of the more quiet and sobering tracks within The White Stripes arsenal. My thoughts are that their slower, sparser songs are often the most intense and heartfelt, and really feel developed and committed, yet subtly charming. Here’s to The White Stripes then, one of the most important bands of the noughties, and maybe of our generation.

1.    “Seven Nation Army”
Perhaps the most loved, played and renowned of all the White Stripes tracks – and with good reason. This song encapsulates the authoritative, cyclic rhythm that The Whites Stripes honed throughout their first few albums, refining their sound dramatically to this simple, rhythmically driven, captivating song. The epitome of The White Stripes’ sound, with a wailing guitar solo and a perfectly parallel video to match.
2.    “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues”
Possibly my absolute favourite White Stripes track. Beautiful guitar and organ parts interweave between each other, with heavy, over-sampled cymbals flooding the soundscape. Intriguing, considered and enlightening lyrics, delivered with an appealing vulnerability.
3.    “My Doorbell”
4.    A notable departure at the time for The White Stripes, being made up of piano, percussion and voice with complete absence of guitar. I thought the piano was a great addition to their work and added a whole new dimension of styles and sounds that could be incorporated in future White Stripes tracks. Still very simple and catchy, this track was in my head for weeks when it was first released.
5.    “In the Cold, Cold Night”
For years I never really paid attention to this track – there is so much else on Elephant to distract one’s attention that this gem laid hidden to me for far too long. A rare demonstration of Meg singing, which she does well, and her voice certainly fits this track. The guitar part acts as a partner to her vocals – which combined are subtle but interesting. Very calm, cool and still, with almost subterranean synth and drum parts in the background.
6.    “A Martyr for My Love for You”
Diverse instrumentation is at play here, with many guitar parts, organs and percussion, but the two things that draw you in with this track is the vocals and the lead guitar riff, which are desperately perfect. Jack’s lyrics, and especially his delivery of them are just inspired here, capturing exactly that feeling of all-consuming, painfully complicated love.
7.    “Catch Hell Blues”
A very bluesy track indeed, with expertly executed bottleneck guitar playing that mutates into a marvellously dark and penetrating riff. This track is awash with crunchy, thick guitars and squealing wails, dropping away to eerily still intersections. Almost completely void of vocals, this track is aggressive, mardy, and fantastic for it. 
8.    “We’re Going to Be Friends”
This track is yet another perfectly captivating guitar and vocal event, very very subtly backed with percussion. This track documents really rather realistically yet romantically a sweet subject (childhood schooling), which is almost moving with its enchanting subtly and good-natured execution.

See this post at HCE at http://t.co/Udq7stY

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Introducing One Sixth Of Tommy

One Sixth Of Tommy are Jordan, Joanna and Jorja – three girls with three guitars (amongst various other instruments), who hail from Stourbridge in the Midlands. The group were recently signed to indie label Helium Records, and are set for their debut album release in the spring of 2011. This youthful trio write and create their own style of natural, comely music which is a delicate blend of pop and acoustic-indie, with a little bit of keyboard experimentation thrown in for good measure.

Undoubtedly at eighteen these girls are young, but they have drawn upon a healthy array of influences for their work, including the likes of Tegan and Sara, The Cranberries, Bon Iver, Norah Jones and the Goo Goo Dolls. For their age they also have quite a developed sound, creating both upbeat and down-tempo tracks with ease, whilst still retaining a sonic identity. Much of this identity stems from the beautiful harmonies the girls create together. All three girls have great voices and each sing lead vocals, although they mostly sing together, creating a soft, fluty aura similar to the likes of fellow all-girl trio Au Revoir Simone.

One Sixth of Tommy certainly have a lot of US pop influences percolating through their music, but the gentle indie vibe is also clear and present, producing youthful, bright, yet heartfelt music, with a wistful degree of innocence. Their track For Always is available for free download through the below link – do check it out.
See this post at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/features/the-next-best-thing/introducing-one-sixth-of-tommy/

MORE THAN THE MUSIC POST: Interview with I Like Trains

As they begin their UK tour, we caught up with I Like Trains to learn more about their new album.
MTTM: You spent much of your first album, Elegies to Lessons Learnt examining long-lost figures from history, but with your new album you seem to be looking much more to the future for inspiration. For those who have not yet heard your new album, how does it differ in approach from your previous work?
I Like Trains: We had taken inspiration from past events for most of our life as a band up until He Who Saw the Deep.  It was clear to us that we needed to make a change for the new record and the obvious step was to write a record about the future.  I read up on the science of climate change and the projections don’t paint a very positive picture for the human race.  We also took a different approach to the music.  It felt like we went at writing in a more open manner, trying a lot of things wouldn’t have tried in the past for fear of it not sounding like an I LIKE TRAINS record.  We realised that no matter what we try we will still sound like ILT, and that has given us confidence for the future of our band. 
MTTM: The accompanying artwork for the new album is very slick and simple. Beautiful, but sparse. Does the artwork represent a more uncluttered approach to your music?
I Like Trains: Absolutely.  I like to describe this record as more streamlined than our previous records.  We have stripped back the reverbs and delays we used to fill our music with, and left some more open spaces.  Good album artwork will always represent the album, and this is what we were going for in the design.
MTTM: Is there a new wardrobe for the new album? You all sported a lot of black armbands before…
I Like Trains: We’ve gone for a nautical theme to compliment the album’s maritime subject matter.
MTTM: The new album was released on your own label iLR. Have you broken all ties with your old label (Beggars Banquet)? Do you prefer working for yourselves, as it were?
I Like Trains: When Beggars Banquet ceased to exist we were left without a label.  We explored all our options and talked to some other labels, and in the end decided it was best for us to go it alone.  It’s a lot of hard work, but is extremely satisfying to see our record out and in the shops.  We’re still in touch with a number of the people we worked with at Beggars, they come to our shows and are enjoying the new record, and we’re grateful for everything they did for us.
MTTM: You used Pledge Music to raise funds for the new album and its promotion. How did you find the fan-funding process, and do you think it has a genuinely productive place in the future of the music industry?
I Like Trains: That’s a difficult one to answer really.  All I can say is that for us, and in the release of this record it has been a great experience.  The fans really seemed to take to it, and it was overwhelming to have had over 800 people believe in this record enough to spend their hard earned money to make sure it was released into the big bad world.  We are fortunate to have such a fan base to make that happen.  I realise that not all bands starting out will have that momentum, but the Pledge system seems to work on a smaller scale too.  Only time will tell whether it will really be a sustainable model to release records, but for me it’s a great concept.  If the people want a record to be released then it will be.
MTTM: You’re currently in the midst of a European tour – how is that going? What country do you think is the most receptive to your music?
I Like Trains: It’s actually been better than we could ever have hoped for.  We’ve been doing tours to the European mainland for 5 or so years now, and while it’s always been a great experience, we really seem to be gaining some momentum now.  We’ve had a great reception everywhere we have been, but the highlight for me was Brussels where we had a sold out show at the Botanique, one of our favourite venues in the world.
MTTM: For me, the most noteworthy aspect of your music is the rich, velvety, controlled vocals. Do you have any other vocalists that influence your style and your sound, or that you perhaps aspire to be like?
I Like Trains: I guess the big influence in how I sing was Nick Cave.  It was the way he would take on characters to tell a story.  I get the same thing from the delivery of Matt Beringer of the National, but I only really became a fan after the release of Elegies to Lessons Learnt.
MTTM: Your sound in general seems to be set in the mould of euphoric pessimism that is very prevalent in contemporary alt-indie music. What do you think it is about current attitudes that encourage the creation and consumption of such soaring and captivating yet desperately morose music?
I Like Trains: I guess there has always been an appetite for that sort of music.  I can’t really explain it, but it’s reassuring to know that you aren’t the only person to feel dissatisfied or alienated.  People can find solace in that.
See this interview at MTTM at http://www.morethanthemusic.co.uk/interviews/i-like-trains/