42 INDIE//ROCK//ALTERNATIVE
THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | MAY 2011 revIeW
FrIeNdLy FIreS ALBUm revIeW
Whoever says Indie music doesn’t get the dancefloor going, then they need a bit of Friendly Fires in their lives. The St. Albans boys return with their second record Pala and after breaking the scene with their self titled debut three years ago, Ed, Edd and Jack have joined forces with top producer Paul Epworth to grab some inspiration from 80s New Wave/ Funk for this trip. Though hard to beat their Mercury Prize nominated opener, Friendly Fires do try and make the most of it this time around with tracks like Show Me Light and the
BRAIDS
On May 12th you will be kicking off your first UK tour, starting here in London. How do you feel about playing your music to a new audi- ence? Playing to new audiences is always wonderful. We’ve been doing it almost every night for the past three months and each time feels very electric. New people have a lot of electricity, it’s true!
Braid’s debut album, Native Speaker was released in January of this year. It’s been receiving great feedback from the critics. Were ye surprised to get such positive reviews? Not necessarily surprised, but proud, yes. It’s like if your child was to get an A on their spelling B, it’s that kind of feeling. Albums sort of feel like potential children for me, not that I know what it’s like to have a child, but I imagine that is how it would feel. Also Native Speaker took 9 months to record, the amount of time it takes to grow a baby inside your tummy.
It’s even been compared to the early works of Arcade
PrevIeW Anna Gould
Since releasing their debut album in January, this hotly-tipped Canadian band have been compared to the likes of Animal Collective and Arcade Fire. We caught up with them to discuss their upcoming UK show and of course avocados...
Fire! How did you feel about this? Are you Arcade Fire fans? People compare us to Arcade Fire because we’re a band from Canada who has some guitars and some vocals, but I don’t think we sound anything like Arcade Fire. I like Arcade Fire very much though. When people compare us to Arcade Fire I feel that they should expand their horizons by listening to more Indie music. Also we don’t explode like Arcade Fire, we are very restrained in that sense. Arcade Fire is like a volcano, bubbling then explod- ing. I am going to say Arcade Fire again, Arcade Fire.
There’s no doubting your sig- nature sound is quite different to most bands on your scene today (ie your use of layering, melody and looping). As a band are you conscientiously trying to sound different? We aren’t making the conscious decision to sound different. I really dislike when art is like, hey, I want to be different. Just make what you want to make and see what happens, that’s all you can
ever ask of yourself. Renaissance paintings done by the people of 2011, I find still very beautiful and challenging. So no, not conscious of being different. I am not too bored by most things. I feel that if I was to be bored of it I just wouldn’t talk about it. So I am not going to talk about it.
Who are you currently listen- ing to? Mainly minimal House Electronic artists from Europe - Stephen Bodzin, Autechre, Pantha Du Prince, Max Cooper, Moderat.
Obviously, Braids are from Canada. Are there any UK art- ists that you’re listening to at the moment? Hm, Aphex Twin and Autechre!
If you could work with anyone tomorrow, who would it be? Bjork in a heart beat or Phillip Glass.
Braids were formed whilst you were all still in high school. As a band, do you find having such a long history works for or against you?
It works for us, for the longer we know each other the closer we become and the more comfort- able we are with working with each other. The only instance I can think of it working against us is that we’re so comfortable with each other to the point that we can be very emotional with one another and display our ‘nasty or bad sides’ to each other with much ease. As we mature though we’ve been learning how to deal with these sides and how to talk about them constructively.
OK, on to the real stuff... If you could fill a swimming pool with anything, what would it be? Avocados. Very good for your skin.
first single Live Those Days offering a gentle approach to what we already know they are capable of. The potential has not faded away as yet as glimpses of the old flash past once in a while to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Pull Me Back To Earth possibly being the key track here. The brass instru- ments combine ever so well with the bass and symphony make you want to boogie all night long. Expect some highly charged performances from the guys throughout the festival season this summer.
SUAde ALBUm PrevIeW
Keep up-to-date with all things Braids at myspace. com/braidsmusic or catch Braids live at the Lexington on May 24th.
90s Indie Rockers Suede will be back at 02 Brixton Acad- emy not once more but for three successive nights this month to perform their first three albums back to back. With Chapel Club on hand for some support during the three nights, Brett Anderson, Neil Codling, Simon Gilbert, Richard Oakes and Mat Osman turn back the clocks
between the 19th and the 21st as they perform the hits that made them. Though time has passed and the line has changed slightly, the music stays the same and from the self titled debut -Thursday the 19th - to Dog Man Star - Friday the 20th - and Coming up - Saturday the 21st, their fans are in for a treat.
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