CLUAS Interviews

Sister Cities

webmaster@cluas.com — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Hailing from Tempe, Arizona, Sister Cities have just released their excellent debut single ‘White Dress’ on this side of the Atlantic with UK label 100% Music. Consisting of Brett (guitar and vocals), Courtney (drums and vocals), Spike (bass and vocals) and Ana (keys, guitar and vocals), they took some time out recently to tell Ken Fallon about how it all came together…

Tell us a little about how you got together as a band? Were you friends beforehand?

We all went to high school together and always had music as a common interest, we played as a two piece (drums/guitar/vocals) before adding bass and keys. We met Ana while on vacation in Mexico and somehow convinced her to move to Arizona and join the band!

How has your music evolved since you first got together as a band?

The evolution of our sound has been sort of a natural progression. We started out in Courtney's garage just trying to play anything that sounded good together, and over time we fell into a niche of our own. Now when we write songs we know what we want to hear. We are always trying to push the limits of our sound.

Could you reveal a little about the creative process? Is there one specific songwriter or do you collaborate on the songs?

Our songwriting process starts with one idea…it could be anything. It could be any instrument, or even just a word. Once we all agree on something, we develop it further as a group. This is our favorite part of being in a band - just taking a simple idea and creating something we can be proud of.

What are your influences? How would you describe your music?

There are so many great bands coming out nowadays (that) being a part of this time in music is inspiring in itself. Bands are doing whatever they want, no boundaries. But as far as bands that inspired us to start playing together… The Strokes, Delta Spirit, Cold War Kids, The Raveonettes, Zoe, etc…If we were to classify ourselves in a made - up genre, it would have to be "Noise/Garage-Pop". But don't quote us on that - (even though it’s in quotations!).

Could you tell us a little about the music you have released to date? I read that your debut album is a combination of your first two EPs?

We've released two EPs ourselves, one of which will be included in our upcoming full length. The first EP is a representation of the early stages of our band, we feel the newer songs are a better representation of where we're going with our sound.

What’s the music scene like in your hometown of Tempe, Arizona? Are you tempted to move to LA or New York to develop as a band?

We are friends with some great local bands. There's also some awesome venue owners and promoters who really care about the music community and want to see it grow. There are some bands that are too cool for school…but for the most part - good people, good music. We'd love to move anywhere, just for a change of location. We're in no big hurry.

You recently signed to UK label 100% music. Do you have plans to create a stronger presence in the UK and Ireland and beyond? Any plans for a tour over here?

Absolutely! We feel so honored for the opportunity of people in Europe to hear our music! We would love to tour out there but first we want to put the final touches on this album.

Your manager Keith was in a successful Irish band in the 90s (Power of Dreams). His experience in the music industry must be a huge help to you as a young band starting out?

We've become close friends with Keith - he's a great person and a huge help to us. Thanks, Keith!

Sister Cities were interviewed by Ken Fallon

For more info on the band check out Sister Cities website.

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CODES

webmaster@cluas.com — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

With blood pouring from her face, a girl stumbles into the surging crowd at a Christmas light’s fundraiser in a dingy pub in Ireland. Yes, that’s right. A fundraiser for Christmas lights. Surrounded by hundreds in fancy dress, neither the band on stage or the sweaty crowd took a second glance at the screaming girl. But she wasn’t reenacting the ﬁnal scene from Carrie like the band thought, she had slipped, glassed herself and blended in with the rest of Freddy Krueger’s victims. “Nobody knew if she was for real or fake”, laughs singer Daragh.

Fast forward two years, and CODES have graduated from playing to the meager and slightly bloody crowds of the dilapidated pubs of Meath, to the 11,000 strong crowds of The O2 in the capital. The four-piece, who formed in 2007 have had a pretty quick rise in popularity. Within the space of a few months, the indie-electronic group had two singles in The Irish Top 40, played a set at Oxegen and were asked to support Keane on the Irish leg of their “Perfect Symmetry” tour. Recalling their ﬁrst experience of performing in front of thousands of people, piano-player Ray says they, “took to it like a ﬁsh to water.” Presuming he meant to say duck to water, bassist Eoin was quick to correct him. “Eh no, I’m on about those aquatic lake ﬁsh,” Ray retorts. And so, we swiftly move on.The guys who comprise CODES are as follows: Daragh – the songwriting lead who’s faux-falsetto chords are reminiscent of Matt Bellamy; Eoin – the baby-faced funny-man in charge of the bass; Paul – the straight-faced drummer who is either the silent brooding type, or just severely hungover on the day I met him; and Ray – the Hanson-loving pianist with a slight obsession with The Saturdays.“We met them once. We met their entourage keeping us away.” Smooth. With Ray hailing from the barren lands of Sligo and Eoin and Daragh from South Dublin, they are the self-proclaimed Indie Westlife, “they’ve got ones from Dublin and ones from Sligo.”

After signing a record deal with E.M.I Records in May 2009 which the lads just about remember - “I don’t recall getting home that night”, laughed Ray - they were desperate not to let their new bosses see that when it came to a spot of drinking, they were Irish through and through. “We didn’t want them to see us really drunk on the ﬁrst day, although we wanted to set a benchmark. Unfortunately, they failed miserably. “At least we’re told we went out that night!”, says Daragh.

Their debut album, Trees Dream in Algebra is a winter-inspired collection of tracks recorded with Manic Street Preacher’s producer Greg Haver. Perched on the top of a snow-covered mountain, their album cover ties in with the minimalist music created by the quartet. Was it taken in Scandinavia? No. Greenland? No. Antarctica? No. “It’s in the Wicklow Mountains actually.” Well, that’s not very rock-star-like. “The budget wouldn’t allow. We’re not 30 Seconds To Mars,” laughs Daragh.

Getting stuck in a lift with Vinnie Jones, eating breakfast with their idols The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and insulting the bloke with the sunglasses from The Ting Tings, are only a few of the band’s Oxegen tales. “It was the guy from The Ting Tings who said he always wore his sunglasses because of a dodgy eye. I was talking about them and they were sitting right behind me,” says a red-faced Eoin. Insults aside, this year will be the third time the band will play at Ireland’s largest music festival as well as fourteen other festivals – and that’s just the Irish ones. “It’s a busy Summer for us. It’s good to be busy though. That’s what we always wanted to do, we just wanted to play every festival there is because we were all festival goers when we were younger.” Surrounded by huge artists at Oxegen, the lads are sure to get a tad star struck. Or maybe not. “I don’t think we’re the kind of people that get star struck,” ponders Ray. “I think if I met Thom Yorke I’d be a little overwhelmed, but I don’t know. I don’t think we’re the type of people to go up to someone and say, ‘Aw I know you!’, except Tom Dunne!”, laughs Daragh. Asking them why they’d get star struck after meeting an Irish news broadcaster is not even worth it.

Admitting that Kelly Clarkson, Hanson, Paolo Nutini and wait for it, the whole Doctor Who soundtrack are on repeat on their ipods, these black-loving, skinny-jean wearing rockers are not as hard-core as they’d like us to think. “They’re good pop songs!”, Eoin replies when the topic of Girls Aloud arises. Before they completely destroy their reputations, the boys mention Metric, a band in the US they’ve been listening to ﬂat-out lately and Northern Irish band, And So I Watch You From Afar. “There’s lots of classical stuff too, like Steve Reich and Philip Glass who we’re going to see in concert in a couple of weeks,” says Ray. “I really love that BBC Orchestra stuff. It’s minimalist
and dark sci-ﬁ music with crazy pianos and marching sounds.”

Drawing comparisons to Muse, Coldplay and Keane, the foursome are happy to be compared to such established bands. “We just did what felt natural to us and what came along at the time and because of that, any comparison is ﬂattering to us, especially when people say Keane. Keane are like a huge stadium rock band and we’re just a band from Ireland who haven’t done much stuff outside our own country. To be compared instantly to them is complimentary!”, enthuses Daragh. “It’s much better to be compared to someone like that than someone rubbish,” Ray butts in. And who may they be talking about, you ask? A Flock of Seagulls, a-ha and The National are just a
few of the “really weird ones”. “I remember someone saying we sounded like The National. That’s like taking chalk and cheese and saying these two things are similar,” says Ray.

With a name like CODES, it would be a bit disappointing if there was a lack of mystery amongst the band. But have no fear. If you happen to be a fan on Facebook or one of their many followers on Twitter, you will be familiar with their cryptic status updates and their impossible riddles. “It’s just a way of keeping people interested and having a laugh with people. I think all of our favourite bands have that sort of aspect where there’s a lot more underneath the surface than just the things you take for granted,” says Eoin. “So instead of us writing up, ‘today we had chips..’ , we’ll do it in a way that’s fun and people might be a little more into it.”

If the lads weren’t sky-rocketing ahead in the music business, Ray sees himself doing a Ross Gellar and becoming a paleontologist. Unbeknown to the rest of the band, he insists that digging up dinosaurs is his fall-back plan. “I’m working on the beard. All I need is the checkered shirt.” “I’d like to think I’d be a sculptor or something mental,” Daragh coos. Perhaps he’s watched Ghost a few too many times. Thankfully, the guys might be able to forget about those plan-B careers after the ﬂawless album they’ve produced. With theatrical, orchestral tunes like “Our Mysteries”, it’s easy to see where the Muse comparisons are coming from. “Telos”, a stunning instrumental worthy of Sigur Ross, the crowd sing-a-longs “Starry Eyed” and “You Are Here” and the opener “Malfunctions”, are just a few of the many tracks that prove Trees Dream In Algebra is an epic record that is scarily near-perfect for a debut album.

They may be set for international success, but don’t expect any sympathy from CODES if you glass yourself at their next gig. They won’t believe you.

Kerrie Donnelly

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The Ambience Affair

webmaster@cluas.com — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Give us a bit of background to The Ambience Affair to this point.

We met two years ago in a music shop in Dublin. I had been playing solo for about a year previous to that.I felt there was a need for something extra as the songs weren't progressing in a way that I wanted. I invited Marc to one of my solo gigs and we soon decided to form the band.

Have there been any particularly memorably highs and lows thus far?

High points would probably be some of the gigs we've been lucky to play. Our last EP launch tour was one filled with great moments. I think we've been very fortunate to not have had many lows at all so far. Sure, we've played the odd awful gig or two but in general, I can't think of much that made me question being in the band.

Your stripped-down set of live self-sampling and looping have drawn many comparisons to pioneers like Owen Pallet. Do you think you draw a lot of influence from him and similar artists?

I think that although we do an aesthetically similar thing, Owen Pallet is an entirely different songwriter and musician. It is true that he was one of the first musicians who showed me the capabilities of a loop-station, but I'd like to think we've applied our own unique take on using one as a songwriting tool.

You released the excellent Patterns EP earlier this year. Who did you work with in producing it? Or did you go the fully independent route and do it all yourself?

We've assembled a team of fairly gifted people around us which I think has helped us alot along the way. From the artwork done by Alex Synge to working with producer Ian McNulty, it's all been a team effort to get a quality record into people's hands. As we're currently not signed to any label, we released it independently.

Were there any pleasant or unpleasant surprises along the way, from recording to releasing? Are you happy with its reception so far?

The reception has been great. It's weird to think that we've only stocked it in one record shop in the country and it has got such exposure, from radio DJs to the CSI thing. I guess 'Parting Patterns' being used on CSI:NY was one of the pleasant surprises.

Some have said that while it is one of the better releases by an Irish artist over the last year or so, it somewhat fails to capture the real Ambience Affair essence, as it lacks the build-ups, excitement and thick textures of the essentially process-based live show. How would you respond to that?

I think alot of artists try too hard on recreating the excitement of a live show on record. At first, we were like that. We were very wary of doing anything on record that we couldn't do live but the experience we gained from recording meant that we realised that the songs were going to be limited in sound if we stuck to exactly how they are performed live. Now we're not afraid to make the two things a separate entity. Our live show will always hopefully captivate in a way that a record never will.

Do you think the Ambience Affair will remain a predominantly live or studio act?

I'd like to think that we can be both. As I've spoken about in the last question, I think people should hopefully go to our gigs and watch an interpretation of our songs in a live setting, rather than us pressing play on a laptop and it being note perfect like it is on record.

This month saw the release of EMI's New Breeds compilation double CD of some of the more underground of Ireland's music acts. The Ambience Affair naturally features: can you tell us how that came about?

We were just contacted by the organisers and felt it to be a great opportunity to get further exposure and to be in the same group as many talented contemporaries

Might this be indicative of a new deal in the works with EMI...

I don't think so, we're just happy to be involved with the project.

What other acts in the Irish music scene are exciting you most these days?

The Irish music scene is very healthy at the moment with bands such as Villagers, O Emperor and We Cut Corners all writing consistently brilliant songs. We're lucky to have played shows with all three and got to see their talent up-close. It's great to have bands like that pushing you to write better songs.

What do Ambience Affair have in store for us over the next year or two?

The rest of the year will involve doing a support tour of Ireland in July and our own headline tour in October. This, together with a few festivals should keep us going. We've just started recording/demoing for the album so we hope to have it completed by the end of the year. Then we'll look into properly releasing it early 2011.

Anna Murray

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We Are Scientists

webmaster@cluas.com — Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Keith Murray and Chris Cain of US indie-rockers We Are Scientists often don’t take interviews all that seriously. It may have something to do with their way-out sense of humour (check out their website - www.wearescientists.com – it’s insane) or it could simply be a way of entertaining themselves as they respond to questions they have heard countless times before. So it is with some trepidation that I phone Chris (above right), the band’s bassist and prankster-in-chief, at his home in New York for an interview about the new album and their upcoming plans for the year. As it turns out, he is relatively serious for once and is friendly and unfailingly polite throughout as we chat about his band’s excellent, return – to - form new album Barbara, how his ending up in a successful rock band is somewhat accidental and why Cardiff’s nightlife terrifies him…

So, are you happy with the new album Barbara? Does it differ in any way to the previous two albums?
I think this is the one. It’s not a stylistic left-turn or anything but I think it represents the culmination of the sort of song-writing we have been doing for the last ten years which is definitely just poppy, ‘audience-worshipping’ rock-songs. We’re definitely not a navel-gazing band when it comes to our song writing!

I’m intrigued by the album title Barbara. Is it a specific person?
It’s not a specific person but we liked the idea of giving it an actual name as opposed to a title. And I guess if there’s any meaning, I think the name Barbara suggests an older generation a little bit, and it’s a very current name. I think a year from now everyone’s going to be naming their daughters Barbara!

With Love and Squalor was the album that brought mainstream recognition and it gives the impression the band was an overnight success. Yet it is not actually your debut album?
Yeah, we tend to count this (Barbara) as the third album as it’s the album that is getting any sort of distribution at all. We did a record back in 2002 called Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) and we literally printed about a thousand copies and sold them at shows. I probably have about two hundred copies of that record still! We did not sell out a 1000 copy-run of that record! We tend to think of that album as a demo or such-like. We then did three EPs after that: Bitching, Inaction and The Wolf’s Hour.

As an American band, were you prepared for the success that came with the release of With Love And Squalor over here in the UK and Ireland?
I don’t think our rise was meteoric in any way. We signed to a label - Virgin Records - and that allowed the music to get in front of a lot more people, especially in the UK and Ireland and then it took off a little bit but it wasn’t like we had a bunch of number one singles or even a top twenty! I think on that first record the highest placing for the single was like thirty-six or something. So it wasn’t meteoric or anything but it was great and I am hugely grateful for what has happened over the last five years. It felt more like a steady-build with each tour as each time we were going to larger venues but there’s also been some backtracking, as the second album didn’t sell as well as the first album, but we had time to enjoy it, that’s for sure.

It seems to me that you are enjoying a comfortable level of success, not overwhelmingly famous yet not languishing in obscurity either. It’s ticking over nicely.
Well, yes, we have never felt that our privacy has been violated or anything. Every once in a while in London or somewhere people will recognise us on the street and will want to get a picture of us. We’re just regular Joes but at same time we are at that level where we don’t need to work day-jobs, definitely.

Did you always want to be in a rock band?
No, actually! Unfortunately for the romanticism of the story I didn’t always want to be in a band. In fact, I had never picked up an instrument until I started playing bass in We Are Scientists in 2000 and basically Keith and I and another friend of ours, Scott Lamb, decided to start playing to kill time in the evenings. We had just graduated from University and we had our first real jobs so we needed something to do! It was really just a hobby and generally we had very low expectations of where it might go. We enjoyed playing live in front of a couple of people, it was fun to rehearse, and it was fun to write songs. But even for someone who wasn’t pining his whole life to play on stage I think it’s a dream come true to be able to work on something that is mine and that I care about and that’s all I have to do.

What type of music did you listen to growing up?
We listened to a lot of mainstream rock in the late Eighties, mainstream hard-rock like Poison, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard and then in the Nineties it was essentially grunge and Nirvana. I think it wasn’t until I got to college that I listened to stuff that wasn’t necessarily on the radio

Is there any band or artist that could claim to be the single most significant influence on We Are Scientists?
I think Weezer is a long-time shared influence for both Keith and I and is the one that is fairly apparent in our music. (For) this record I remember having conversations before we even started writing it that we really wanted it to be like The Green Album, the third Weezer record, that (album) is weirdly homogenous in that it has all these perfect, three-minute pop nuggets and they’re not repetitive in any specific way. They are all just so perfectly honed and melodic that it has this strange hypnotic effect when you listen to the record. I don’t think we ended up achieving that exactly but we did write a lot of short songs. We were so impressed by that record being under thirty minutes long, which was so cool for us for a rock record. I think ours is thirty-one minutes and a half!

Was there a specific reason why you wrote a short album with short songs this time around on Barbara?
For us the attraction of short pop-songs is more of a math-problem or something as in how much you can cut out of a song, how short can you make everything to give the most concentrated version of the set of melodies you have come up with. I mean, even back on With Love And Squalor our tendency as a band is to always cut out as much out as possible.

Do you enjoy touring?
It has its downsides. Playing shows remains a magical experience but that’s about an hour or so of each day, the rest of the day can get pretty grinding when you are on tour. We are entertainers after all; they’re not paying to see you drive from Manchester to Brighton or whatever! One of the first things you have to deal with once a band takes off is that it is still a job, there is a lot of work involved, just that drudgery but once (you deal with it) you will realise that maybe it still is the best job in the world. But it’s not a vacation.

Do you prefer touring to being in the studio?
I don’t hate being in the studio but we’re not really a big ‘fiddling around with the sonic’ (aspect of recording) type of band, as we tend to write our songs before we get to the studio. The studio aspect is more about being patient and trying out different sounds to get to the point where you think the song is being properly served.

What are your memories of playing in Ireland up to now?
I think we played the Ambassador twice on our own and another time on the NME tour. We also played… is it, The Village?

Yes, The Village. [I tell him it’s not the best venue in the city, to put it mildly.]
Yeah, it’s got these weird, crazy sight-lines but the show at the Village was really awesome as people got up on stage, the bass-amp fell over at one point, almost crushed someone to death! It was a truly crazy and rowdy night at that venue! We’ve always loved playing Dublin; we also went to Galway and Cork too and of course up to Belfast also.

Do you notice any real difference when you play to an Irish audience, as opposed to a UK or US one?
I don’t really know about a specific difference but my gut tells me that Irish fans seem to sing along to the songs a lot more than UK audiences

Maybe that might have something to do with the fact they have drank larger quantities of alcohol!
Yeah, there is definitely a culture of partying there. Even just hanging out in Dublin is always pretty wild but in a nice way. Going to somewhere like Cardiff is pretty wild too but in a fucking terrifying way.

Really? Why’s that?
On a Friday night or a Saturday night in Cardiff, you’re downtown and no matter where you look you always see one or two fights happening! It’s just a very violently - charged atmosphere. It’s a not a wild-party atmosphere in a jubilant way, but in more of a letting off violent energy way. Scary!

I tell him that my favourite track of theirs is ‘Chick Lit’ because when I first heard it I was surprised it was by them as it has an ambitiously serious quality that is at odds with the band’s jokey persona.
That one’s got a complex after-life for me because I was never quite satisfied with how it ended up on the record. I liked it because I think it had a lot of really cool elements to it but it’s just so busy, it feels like you are in a tempest! I wish we had simplified it more. Playing live recently we have gone back to a three-piece (so) playing Chick Lit with just three guys you end up having to cut out a lot of stuff. But it’s been really cool to rediscover the skeleton of the song and what really makes it work

Speaking of band - personnel changes, is ex-Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows now a full-time member of the band?
He’s the drummer on the new record but he’s going to be only intermittently available to play with us live this year as he’s got a solo-project called I Am Arrows that’s bringing out an album in July. We are thinking of doing a tour with him in the Fall where they would support us so Andy would play both sets, which would suck for him but would be great for us!!

How did you end up working with him anyway? Are you fans of Razorlight?
Keith and I were more fans of Andy Burrows than Razorlight - not that we dislike them - they were just not a big band for us. We probably met him at some festival and he is one of the most affable people you could meet. Almost everyone that meets him all think of themselves as a friend of his! In any case, we had a very amicable relationship with him and whenever Razorlight came through New York we would hang out with him.

What’s quite distinctive about We are Scientists is that you put almost as much effort into the comedic side of the band as you do with the music, yet the music itself is quite thoughtful, accomplished indie-rock. Is the comedy aspect something you’d like to pursue further?
It’s definitely something we will pursue further. That’s something Keith and I have a shared interest in, stuff like stand-up comedy and on TV and film also. We used to go see stand-up comedy when we first moved to New York two or three times a week. It’s definitely a long-standing interest and one that we have the opportunity to indulge in, now that our music is a little more popular. It’s given us opportunities to basically abuse our own fame and basically make people sit through our comic efforts! As long as people continue to let us do it we are going to see what we can make of it.

I tell him that those NME Brat Awards clips, where he and Keith pretend to be reporters putting nonsensical questions to famous types, are hilarious…
The real bummer for me was seeing some of the responses on the YouTube videos afterwards - they would say ‘Aw, you guys fucking destroyed Kate Nash’ and ‘Who is that idiot!’ and that was not at all the intention of the thing. In fact when we were actually doing it, it was all very good-spirited and even the people who were a little confused had fun with it. After we finished the piece, they were laughing alongside us.

I’m happy you’ve gone easy on me but in many of the other print, online or TV interviews I’ve read or seen you and Keith prefer to joke around rather than give proper answers, albeit never in a mocking or cruel way. Why is that?
To be honest, we usually take the lead of the interviewer. If the interviewer is bored or doesn’t want to be there or is not serious himself about it then we are going to try to make it fun for ourselves. But if someone comes with a legitimate interest and wants to have a real conversation then we are not going to shut them out or anything! I think it sometimes confuses people but I think it’s the only healthy way we could do this; we could not do it any other way. I hope it doesn’t cause too much negative confusion, as I don’t want them being put off. Although our personalities have plenty of ‘frivolity’ the music tends to be a concentration of the more thoughtful aspects of who we are.

We Are Scientist’s new album Barbara is released on June 11th. They play Oxegen in the summer and will return for their own show later in the year.

Ken Fallon

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Power of Dreams

webmaster@cluas.com — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty years ago an alarmingly young band from Dublin released a debut album full of near-flawless indie-pop tunes. It had a confidence and ambition that was at odds with their youth and it is still talked about to this day as one of the great Irish debuts of all time. The album was called ‘Immigrants, Emigrants And Me’ and the band were Power of Dreams. Formed by songwriter Craig Walker (above, right) in 1989 while he was still at school, along with his brother Keith on drums and their friend Mick Lennox on bass, the success of the album brought a certain level of fame and critical plaudits on the youngsters, both here and abroad. Flash forward two decades and I am sitting at Craig Walker’s kitchen-table listening to his recollections of the highs and lows of the last twenty years. Walker, now a youthful 38, looks back with pride on that debut album and the subsequent success his band enjoyed in the early Nineties. I tell him that his band was the first Irish band I was a fan of and his album was one I incessantly listened to on my Walkman on the way to and from school, along with ‘Nevermind’ and My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’. Yep, it really was that good. It holds a special place in Craig’s heart too.

‘‘I’m so proud of it’ he says, over our first mug of tea. ‘I didn’t even have a copy of it for a long time. For fifteen years I didn’t even have an actual physical copy! And then I got a vinyl copy about four years ago – a friend of mine bought it for me for my birthday, second-hand! It’s actually great to have it again – I think it’s dated all right’’ True, that. The album wouldn’t sound out of place if it was released today. ‘‘The songs were done when I was 16 or 17 and the album came out when I was 18, so yeah I was young – fucking hell! It was unusual for sure but we had been together for a while before the album came out’’

What is striking about the album, both listening to the remastered CD version now and that battered old tape I had all those years ago, is how accomplished it sounds for a band still a few years short of their 20th birthday. Craig sounded like he had been singing and playing guitar for decades and the lyrical themes he touched on belied his tender teenage years. Even the drumming is exceptional from Craig's younger brother, Keith. So where does a 16 or 17 year old find that creative spark to write such grown-up songs? It seems the inspiration behind it was born from heartbreak.‘‘I got dumped in 1989 for the first time ever – the year before the album came out'' he recalls now, with a wry smile. ''The first love of my life...she dumped me and I just retreated to the bedroom and wrote loads of songs about it.’ It seems this girl was unwittingly responsible for an album that people are still praising twenty years on. ‘’A lot of the songs are about her on the album like ‘Stay’ and ‘Never Told You’ and ‘100 Ways To Kill A Love’. I had my heart broken for the first time. It was real big thing for me then as I had never felt emotion like that before and suddenly I had a reason to pick up the guitar’’ Does he think he could be as creative if he wasn’t going through some sort of emotional upheaval in his life? ‘’Well, before, I would sit down and try to write songs and I was thinking ‘what am I going to write this song about’ so the only time to write is when you’re inspired, otherwise you’re trying to write songs to order. I’ve tried it (writing to order) but it’s an indefinable thing trying to write a song. It’s like when your emotions are on a high level, whether it’s sadness, happiness, or whatever but generally it’s when you’re feeling a bit sad that the songs come out.’’

I was always fascinated by the title of the album too – ‘Immigrants, Emigrants And Me’. Did he think the words just sounded well together or was there a deeper significance? Craig reveals that the title was a kind of homage to another excellent indie - band from that period, The Sundays. ‘’The title was actually a nod to ‘Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’ which I thought was completely English. It couldn’t be any more English. Only an English band could get away with that! So I thought ‘What’s Irish and could fit into that?’ And that was that. I was also a big Pogues fan at the time, you can’t really hear it in the music but in spirit they were a big influence. I always loved the Philip Chevron song ‘Thousands Are Sailing’. This whole idea of having wakes for the Irish people before they went off to America because their families would never see them again - that really fascinated me.’’

After the success of ‘Immigrants’ Craig and the band moved to London and he instantly connected with the city and he would remain there until returning to Dublin a couple of years ago.‘I think I always knew I was going to move away at some point, which I did as I had a fascination with England and its music’ he admits ‘I was obsessed with English music. I remember the first time I went to Camden Town and hanging out and going to see bands there – I just thought that was the best thing as these were the places where The Pistols and The Clash played. It was amazing so it was kind of connected to that.’

It would be easy to be under the impression that Craig can craft perfect indie-pop songs with a kind of effortless ease. There is barely any filler on 'Immigrants' or even on its follow-up '2 Hell With Common Sense'. On the subsequent albums 'Positivity' and 'Become Yourself', though patchy, there are still moments of real magic. How easy or difficult does he find the song-writing process? ‘’I’ve had periods where I’ve struggled, for various reasons’’ he says, as he gets up to put on the kettle again. ‘’You get blocks – they’re always a mental block. It’s something that you have set up yourself. You’re thinking: I’ve done that...I can’t repeat that...you can kind of think yourself into a corner with songwriting and end up creating music that you don’t like. And I’ve done it; I’ve done it in the past. You try to make music to please the record company as you think there is a fan base there that might enjoy this and, to be honest, anything that’s done like that will never work. It’s taken me a while to realise that.’’

Around the time Power Of Dreams appeared on the scene in 1990, U2 were going through a transitional phase from the American bombast of Rattle and Hum to that new irony set in the heart of Europe that was ‘Achtung, Baby’. Walker talks of his fascination with English music so did U2 hold any sway with him? ‘’Up until ‘Rattle and Hum’ I totally admired them. Growing up in Dublin, I looked at them and thought: if those four blokes from Dublin can do it and get themselves up to that position, well...it was just really inspiring. They were a big inspiration in that sense. It was possible to be from this little island and end up on fucking Red Rocks. It was like ‘Wow, that’s one of ours doing that’. That was the spur. It was like: if they can do it, fuck it – we can do it too! They were definitely an influence - especially ‘The Unforgettable Fire’, that was a real magical album’’ And who were the other bands, the other albums that informed his taste in music and shaped the sound of Power Of Dreams? ‘’I was a massive Smiths fan - the biggest Smiths fan you could possibly be. Bought all the records before they came out. I would come into town on a Monday to go into HMV on Grafton Street to buy the twelve-inches on the day they were released, rush home and listen to these amazing songs and the B-sides and everything. The best lyricist I have ever heard - I don’t think there is anyone that comes close for me to Morrissey. My brother was a total music fanatic which was great for me. He was five years older and that’s where I did all my learning – through his record collection!’’ he laughs ‘ABC, Heaven 17, Human League, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen - loved ‘Ocean Rain’, which is one my favourite albums of all time. I discovered The Smiths through him, The Jam through him. The Jam were another amazing band for me – particularly the singles. The first album I ever paid cash for was ‘Sound Affects’ (The Jam’s fifth album) - just great songs, great lyrics. We signed to Polydor because that was The Jam’s label, all those seven inches. And The Who were on it as well. I think England always throws up good music but I don’t hear it now. It seems a little bit dull at the moment’’

After the success of the debut album, the band toured the world before releasing an assured follow-up album called ‘2 Hell With Common Sense’. It’s the sound of a band who had tasted success and seen the world. It was a denser, darker collection of songs but the soaring melodies were still there. ‘It was heavily influenced by My Bloody Valentine’’ says Craig ‘’I was taking loads of ecstasy at that point and listening to ‘Loveless’. I discovered drugs when I discovered ‘Loveless’ really. Ecstasy and My Bloody Valentine are actually a great combination!’’ he laughs ‘’My taste in music was changing at that time, through Kevin Shields in a way. Like a melody doesn’t have to come with an acoustic guitar, it didn’t have to be The Smiths, melody could be part of a real intensity. We spent a lot of time on it, about six months but I don’t think it’s as good as the first album. I would probably have to go back and listen to it again with fresh ears. I was really pleased with it but the thing is it was tainted because we knew the record company were just not into it. And that was devastating to us because it were worked on it for six months.’

It’s at this point that things started to go awry for the band. The record company, sensing the critical plaudits the band were receiving were still not resulting in them become the next U2, eventually lost interest and decided not to push or promote the album ‘One day a guy from Polydor came down to see us. He sat us down and said: ‘I’ve got some really bad news - the single has only charted at 46’ but we thought that was something to celebrate! But yes, I was still only 19 and it was big knock to the confidence. Really, really was. It felt like our backs were against the wall and we were in trouble.’’ They soldiered on but Craig knew that this was the beginning of the end for the band. ‘We did two albums on indies after that (Positivity and Become Yourself) which are okay in parts. I sound depressed on them – I sound like how I felt at that time. It felt like career over at 21. It felt like we were being written off and it took me a while for me to get over that. After Power Of Dreams it was extremely difficult to get back in the saddle’ he admits ‘I was so sick of the industry - this business is so fucking ruthless. People who you’ve worked with for two or three years, or whatever, overnight will suddenly stop taking your calls. It was a harsh reality to have to face up to but I kept going’

The band went their separate ways in 1995 but Walker remained in London, to explore new avenues ‘’I stayed on in London and then eventually I got a band called Pharmacy with Ian Olney from Power Of Dreams together but we spent a year rehearsing an album that was never recorded (The record company they signed to went bust). Then I started with (British trip-hop outfit) Archive. It was different but I was really in to it at that point. Did three or four albums with them, a lot of touring, spent a lot of time in the studio. The first single I did with them is sixteen-minutes long! It was a total new adventure for me wth Archive as their way of working was the polar opposite to how an indie band would work or how I would have started out. We would spend six days a week, six months a year in the studio working on songs’’

While he enjoyed working with Archive initially and was happy to be be part of a band again, he soon tired of their working methods and the inevitable compromises involved when collaborating on music ‘’It was interesting but I wouldn’t want to do it again. I wouldn’t want to spend that much time in the studio again. There were three people creating which is always the wrong number as somebody is always going to feel left out. I had loads of ideas I wanted to get out but there but there wasn’t an avenue for them as the writing had to be shared out. I had been in bands for so long that point that I thought I have to in charge of my own destiny again or settle down and be in this band and be a part of it’’ Eventually he quit the band to concentrate on being a solo-artist. ‘It was a tough descision but I’m glad I did it. I can now work with who I like and whan I like and I have no one telling me if I can’t do it or if it would piss off the band. Our tastes were different, the direction of the band was going where I didn’t want it to head. It was heading more of a ‘Wall’ phase which was my least favourite phase of Pink Floyd. Roger Waters orbiting his own ego! But I was very proud of the music’’

After he left Archive, there was no new music from Walker until the relesase of his debut solo album ‘Siamese’ last year. It’s an album that shows that Craig’s gift for songwriting is very much intact. It is more low-key than the raucous teenage rock of his old band but Walker is now older, wiser and enjoying creating music again, quietly and on his own terms. ‘’The three key albums for me, if I had to pick three, are ‘Immigrants...’, ‘Noise’ with Archive and this one ‘Siamese’. We took our time on it, it became like a labour of love. I have never spent so long working on an album as in having time to sit back and listen to it. I would have a six-month period to work on just two songs – I wish I could that with all albums! You get to really figure out what you need to do and to see what the next part of the album should be. I’m really proud of it’’

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their debut album, the band are reforming for some eagerly-awaited dates in Ireland and the UK. A 2 CD limited - edition of the album, containing all 14 original tracks plus the “A Little Piece of God” EP and various b-sides was released earlier this year. Listening to it again, with fresh ears, reiterates what a truly great album it is. The band will play it in its entirety at the gigs. Craig is happy to be back on stage with his brother and friends once again. What have the other members been doing in the intervening years? ‘’Everyone has continued to play music apart from Mick (Lennox) . He’s a promoter and I think he manages bands here in Dublin. He’s still involved in music but on the business side. Ian joined the Sultans and he’s in band called Red Atlas. He still gigs and is a really solid musician. Keith’s in America and is in a band called The Bollox!’ he says, laughing ‘He’s a great drummer, phenomenal drummer for his age back then - really solid and fast and I hope he’s still like that!’

For Craig, after the success they enjoyed as teenagers, the touring, the parties, living it up in London and Japan and all points between, he felt the band went out with a whimper rather than a bang. Which means the possibility of a brand new album and maybe a more-term reunion? ‘‘We’ll see how it goes. I’ve got a load of songs that I haven’t used over the years that would sit perfectly on an album. If we get on, it’s a definite possibility – I don’t see why not. I think the first two albums are great but the second two are not so great so I would like the fifth one to be a really good Power Of Dreams album. I don’t like the fact that ‘Become Yourself’ could be seen as the last album as it was not the best album we ever did. If we don’t kill each other we might do it! For the gigs we are going to the whole of ‘Immigrants...’ and we’ll see what else we will throw in. I think it’s important we play the album in full – we get the sweetest emails from people who either fell in love to it or met each other at a Power of Dreams concert’’

This writer was too young to see the band live first time around. I can’t deny there won’t a few hairs rising on the back of my neck when I hear the opening strum of the album’s first track ‘The Joke’s On Me’ live down in Whelans. It’s good to be able to talk about Power Of Dreams in the present tense again. Their story may not be over yet.

Ken Fallon

Power Of Dreams play Whelans this Friday, 12th of March which is sold out. A second show for the 14th at the same venue has also been added. They also play Cork’s Pavilion on the 13th and the Spirit Store in Dundalk on the 11th. Craig Walker’s solo album ‘Siamese’ is out now.

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Valerie Francis

webmaster@cluas.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

CLUAS fires some questions at Valerie Francis, creator of Choice Music Prize nominated album Slow Dynamo.

Tell us about the album - its conception, creation, response... Is there anything you'd go back and change about it now?
I wouldn't change a thing. I don't think it's good to think like that. We did exactly what we wanted to do at the time and we did it the best we could. I couldn't ask for anything more. I feel that making a record is capturing those songs right then and there. It's a moment and that is how they were meant to be in that moment. A musical Polaroid. I always wanted to make an album and it took a while to make it a reality. I had a few failed attempts at getting started. I think frustration turns into drive after a while. Jimmy [Eadie, the album's producer] is a good friend and I pretty much begged him to record my album. At that stage I just knew I needed to do it and I needed to get people involved who would see it through to the end. Be committed. No one I know is more committed to making music than Jimmy. He puts his whole heart into it. There's no ego either. Which is very important. No sitting around telling each other how great you are. I think that would have made me lazy and distracted. It was just about the music. Being immersed in that for a year was the best year of my life to date. That and Jimmy makes a really good cuppa.

Award nominations aside, were you happy with the response the album received?
How could I not be happy with the response! I was happy with the reaction from friends alone. It just got better and better. My Dad even listened to it. He said "that's a good tape you've got there".

How relevant do you think music awards really are to musicians and music fans?
Awards aren't a science. It's a select fews opinion of your album. Just like reviews are one person's opinion. Every musician wants to be heard. It means my album will be heard by some who might never have come across it. I'm very grateful to be 1 of 10 albums up for the Choice. Over 200 Irish albums released last year. Rock on us!

Do you think the idea of the album is relevant and capable of holding its own in a world of digital downloading and plummeting CD sales?
I can't answer that question. What is relevant? It's music. Some people will like it. Some people won't. As far as CD sales. I knew how drastically that was changing while we were recording. It was never a deterrent. I want to make music. It's what I've been doing my whole life. I'll keep doing it until I'm dead I imagine. Whether anyone's listening or not.

Do you feel the Irish music scene is in a healthy state at the moment?
Absolutely. Just look at all the Irish albums released last year. I know these are tough times but music is born through tough times. We all need relief from worrying about how much money we don't have. I want to go to a gig and step into a bubble. Lose myself in music. I think this will be a good year for that.

Any artists who weren't nominated for the Choice Award, who you feel should have been?
It was a surprise to a lot of people including myself that David Kitt wasn't on the list. I also thought Patrick Kelleher was a shoe-in.

Your favourite album from those also nominated for the Prize?
Without a doubt Adrian Crowley's Season of the Spark.

Best gig you went to in 2009?
Grizzly Bear at Vicar Street. The bass player plays oboe. Come on! Does it get any better?

Plans for 2010?
I want to record a new album. Here we go again. Please!

Check out the CLUAS interviews with these other artists who were also nominated for the 2009 Choice Music Prize:

Interview with Dark Room Notes (nominated for their album 'We Love You Dark Matter')
Interview with Adrian Crowley (nominated for his album 'The Season of the Sparks')
Interview with Laura Izibor (nominated for her album 'Let the truth be told')
Interview with The Duckworth Lewis Method (nominated for their self-titled album)
Interview with And So I Watch You From Afar (nominated for their self-titled album)

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Sounds of System Breakdown

webmaster@cluas.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Sounds of System Breakdown, the electronic, pop, dance rock brain child of Rob Costello released their debut album in January. Cluas caught up with Rob Costello from the band for a few words just prior to the release to find out their plans.

The Album was launched on the 27th Jan. Is it a culmination of songs built up over the last three years or new stuff? Is most of the work a product of the group or are there solo tunes from Rob that were worked on after you became a three-piece?
The album is a mix of old and new, some of it dating back to 2005. The songs were mostly written by me but the arrangements on the album were very much influenced by our work on the live show as a three piece.

Bands tend to get grouped and packaged nowadays it seems, every group has to have a trendy genre tag attached. Industry and media folks call you guys electro-punk, is that fair do you think? Do you see yourselves as electro? Or as a band who play and write lots of songs that don't constitute just electro or punk?
I think bands have to package themselves these days. Every profile you set up on a website and every competition you enter requires you to select from a menu of genre tags, and with the inordinate amount of bands out there at the moment, punters and press need shortcuts and filters to navigate through. Having said that, the album we have made is quite eclectic and I don't think it fits neatly into those categories.

Where was the album recorded? Was it self produced? Was there a lot of input from you as to the different tweaks etc to make it sound the way you wanted?
The album was recorded and mixed largely in our own studio, with a day here and there in commercial studios like Qube and Silverline. We borrowed whatever mics and equipment we could get our hands on, and with a lot of help from my brother, Ed Costello, learned how to put it together ourselves.

What is the aim of the album? What would success be for you? Are you looking to sign with a label? Would it be an economic decision if the opportunity arose?
Success would be to be able to play music full-time. I don't necessarily think you need a label to do that nowadays but if the right one came along, we'd probably go for it. The nice thing about self-producing the album is that we own all the copyrights and aren't stuck in restrictive contracts. We're very much free to go wherever we want from here.

Are you writing all the time, at this stage is there a solid number of tunes outside of the album you have in reserve? Or was the writing process centred around getting an album together?
There are hundreds of little ideas and maybe four or five songs that are close to completion that we now have time to have a look at properly. Now that we have time, we're going to do a lot more jamming as a band. We’re looking forward to that.

In this climate, it would be fair to say it's easier to get music out, technologically, however touring and the cost of getting your name around live is still huge. Would your biggest constraint as a group be the cost and lack of resources associated with touring?
I suppose so. Up till now we've stuck mostly to Dublin gigs and the small festival circuit, but hopefully as word spreads about the album there will be opportunities to fill up two cars and head off. We're currently booking a small Irish tour which we'll release details about soon.

What’s next in the immediate future? What are the plans for 2010?
Now that most of the boring admin work associated with releasing an album is finished, we're looking forward to a lot of jamming, gigging and writing. We're also putting together a couple of videos and getting some friends to do remixes. Watch this space.

Kevin Coleman

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The 2010 Choice Music Prize nominees

webmaster@cluas.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Now in its fifth year, the Choice Music Prize is well established as a key milestone on the Irish music scene's calendar. The albums shortlisted for this year's prize represent a diverse and intriguing mix of Irish releases of the last year. The winner will be announced in Vicar Street on 3 March 2010 (8 of the 10 nominated acts are confirmed to play on the night).

Always going that extra 1609 metres for its readers, CLUAS prepared a set of questions for each act nominated for the 2009 award. We've so far gotten replies from 6 of the 10 acts, check out the links below to see what each act had to say:

Interview with Valerie Francis (nominated for her album 'Slow Dynamo')
Interview with Dark Room Notes (nominated for their album 'We Love You Dark Matter')
Interview with Adrian Crowley (nominated for his album 'The Season of the Sparks')
Interview with Laura Izibor (nominated for her album 'Let the truth be told')
Interview with The Duckworth Lewis Method (nominated for their self-titled album)
Interview with And So I Watch You From Afar (nominated for their self-titled album)

The other artists nominated this year were:

Julie Feeney (for her album 'Pages')
Bell X1 (for their album 'Blue Lights on The Runway')
CODES (for their album 'Trees Dream in Algebra')
The Swell Season (for their album 'Strict Joy')

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Dark Room Notes

webmaster@cluas.com — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

CLUAS fires some questions at Darragh of Dark Room Notes, the creators of the Choice Music Prize nominated album We Love You Dark Matter.

Tell us about the album - its conception, creation, response... Is there anything you'd go back and change about it now?
Well the album was a important for us as it helped us say "OK this is where we're at, let's put out these songs that we've road tested at gigs, record them as best we can and start writing for a second album, let's keep moving forward". So we recorded live, a track a day over 14 days and kept a momentum in the studio of "this is a nearly live album". The response has been amazing and the album is now getting a global release on BBE records, we've already started writing the second album, what we would change on We Love you Dark Matter? The original art work was banned, that was a shame.

Award nominations aside, were you happy with the response the album received?
Yes, definitely, and DRN are playing more gigs because of it which helps you become a better musician: it's a win win situation

How relevant do you think music awards really are to musicians and music fans?
Difficult to say, there's certainly been a lot of debate about it. You don't write to win awards, you write and play to wow each other, to turn each other on, but I think competition is healthy and I know the money would help any of the bands survive making more music.

Do you think the idea of the album is relevant and capable of holding its own in a world of digital downloading and plummeting CD sales?
Yes, of course, but only if a band are prepared to leave out filler tracks.

Do you feel the Irish music scene is in a healthy state at the moment?
Yes, there's a lot of diversity out there if your prepared to look.

Any artists who weren't nominated for the Choice Award, who you feel should have been?
U2

Your favourite album from those also nominated for the Prize?
Giz a copy of all of them and we'll tell you.

Best gig you went to in 2009?
Whitest Boy Alive

Plans for 2010?
Tour abroad, meet new people, record the second album and fight with each other all over again!

Check out the CLUAS interviews with these other artists who were also nominated for the 2009 Choice Music Prize:

Interview with Valerie Francis (nominated for her album 'Slow Dynamo')
Interview with Adrian Crowley (nominated for his album 'The Season of the Sparks')
Interview with Laura Izibor (nominated for her album 'Let the truth be told')
Interview with The Duckworth Lewis Method (nominated for their self-titled album)
Interview with And So I Watch You From Afar (nominated for their self-titled album)

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Adrian Crowley

webmaster@cluas.com — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

CLUAS fires some questions at Adrian Crowley, creator of the Choice Music Prize nominated Season of the Sparks.

Tell us about the album - its conception, creation, response... Is there anything you'd go back and change about it now?
I had already begun writing songs for Season Of The Sparks by the time Long Distance Swimmer was released. I recorded it over the course of fourteen days in Dublin. I'd head over to the studio on the 121 bus with a plan for the day ahead. It seemed to come together easily and I had a clear vision of how I wanted it to sound. I try and develop the songs as much as I can outside the studio so when it came to recording the songs they were down in pretty much one take. The response has been great with reviews and general good will coming from previously unexplored territories thanks to a new record deal with an amazing label. I'm still proud of the album and can't say there's anything about it I would alter. I'll soon be thinking of album number six though.

Award nominations aside, were you happy with the response the album received?
Yes. In fact the response is continuing so I'm still in the thick of it. It's been an amazing few months since the album was released worldwide in November, we're getting feedback from Canada, France, Japan.. it seems the initial reaction has been that the album has struck a chord with certain people across the map.

How relevant do you think music awards really are to musicians and music fans?
They have a relevance of course. From the point of view of the music maker: well, I would say that anyone who places all their chips on getting a nomination for a music award needs to ask themself some serious questions on why they're in the game in the first place. I had been making albums for almost nine years before I was nominated for anything so you need your own impetus to keep going. It's important to be proud of what you're doing anyway and it's important to acknowledge the praise of others when they come forward with a gesture of acknowledgement. It would be ungracious to think otherwise. When I got the call about this nomination I was totally flattered. There's no denying the sense of encouragement that brings. From the point of view of music fans, sure I imagine they/we are likely to make new discoveries as a result.

Do you think the idea of the album is relevant and capable of holding its own in a world of digital downloading and plummeting CD sales?
I seem to remember having a conversation about this before. Well from my personal point of view I'm hardly going to alter how I write music just because of a changing format out there in the wider world. I'm still going to dedicate sections of my creative life to a collection of musical narratives. That's how I work. More relevantly though, I think the concept of an album will continue to last. I can't see people getting excited about a new release by an artist unless it's presented as a collection of new works.

Do you feel the Irish music scene is in a healthy state at the moment?
I would say yes, most definitely. It's rich with hidden gemstones and and people doing things for themselves and others without their eye on the conventional barometer. In my eyes that's what constitutes a healthy scene.

Any artists who weren't nominated for the Choice Award, who you feel should have been?
I don't really think about it in that way. When you think about how many albums were released this year and the ten slots to be filled on the shortlist it's anyone's guess really. I feel more inclined to congratulate the others on the shortlist then begrudge anyone of their place there.

Your favourite album from those also nominated for the Prize?
Probably Slow Dynamo!

Best gig you went to in 2009?
Probably Gareth Dickson from Glasgow, Upstairs in Whelans at Homelights Festival in November. That was magnificent.

Plans for 2010?
Writing and touring in both familiar and unfamiliar places and spending time with my family.

Check out the CLUAS interviews with these other artists who were also nominated for the 2009 Choice Music Prize:

Interview with Valerie Francis (nominated for her album 'Slow Dynamo')
Interview with Dark Room Notes (nominated for their album 'We Love You Dark Matter')
Interview with Laura Izibor (nominated for her album 'Let the truth be told')
Interview with The Duckworth Lewis Method (nominated for their self-titled album)
Interview with And So I Watch You From Afar (nominated for their self-titled album)

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