The last batch of House of Tracks interviews including Ungdomskulen, Untitled Musical Project and We Are Scientists.
— Ungdomskulen
What is your favourite video game?
Fifa 2003. My personal favourite is Space Invaders from the 90s. Is it in 2D? 1D, yeah! I like double D’s! Colin McRae Rally Championships. Also Double Dragon is really good. I like Leisure Suit Larry. We used to play one of the Tony Hawk games a lot. There is a game called Cosmonaut, which is a really old game. It’s kind of like Space Invaders but it’s a bit different. The best game is Scorched Earth. I like Warcraft 2.
If you could have a superpower what would it be and why?
I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I’m going to say invisibility. Because if you can fly, sooner or later you’ll get discovered and you’ll have doctors trying to figure out why you can fly and you’d be a threat to society. But with invisibility, they can never catch you because you can always go invisible. I guess. It would be really cool to fly but you would have a really hard time breathing and stuff. I don’t think the human body is created for flying.
How did you choose the artwork for the Bisexual album?
We wanted a painting for it. That was the start point. We were talking about old prog records that have very beautiful, interesting covers. So Øyvind sent an email to George Underwood to check if we could work together. He said “Well, I’m painting something right now”, he took a picture, sent it over and we were in love. Love at first sight. So we decided there and then, let’s use this. So it was like fait.. faith.. destiny, yeah!
How do you think Bisexual compares to your debut album Cry Baby?
Eight songs! Bisexual is a bit more theatrical. It holds it’s cards a bit, whereas Cry Baby is in your face all the time. Like a howling wolf. Bisexual is a bit more (long pause for reflection) of a gentleman of an album. It’s more mysterious and has more secrets within. You know like a theme that comes back in another song and stuff like that. It’s more thought through in a way. While Cry Baby is the immature record. In a way, a little bit, yeah.
Would you say Bisexual is more of a concept album?
Yeah maybe. I think when you start a band, you just start making songs and all of a sudden they turn in to an album. When you release that album you have a chance to go back and see how you could have done things differently. Or maybe you want to add more information to the album without necessarily have more musical information or more parts or whatever. But how to communicate on different levels and I think on Bisexual we had some stuff that we wanted to have, lyrics wise and also, like structures for songs that we hadn’t used before that we wanted to try out. We also tried to make a ballad, but it didn’t work out.
How do you go about creating a song?
We all meet up in a rehearsal space and start to make noise. So it’s a cacophony sort of thing. And then it’s survival of the rockiest. The one that makes the most interesting noise, we sort of lean towards that, whether it be the guitars or the drums or whatever. And then we sort of start creating the song and then we think, OK so where can we go from here.
Your songs are very organic. How do you decide which bits to keep, which bits to reject and which bits to extend?
It’s really easy I think because we’re all on the same highway lane in a way, as far as aesthetics and melodies go. We instantly dislike and like the same things as one. We work as a united force of power. It’s not really a big discussion, what to keep or what to throw away. Intuition.
Have you ever come up with an idea that is so wacky that you can’t keep it?
We always try to go towards the wacky stuff and then play it down. Maybe we have a bit that’s a bit salsa, but if we change it, it won’t be humorous. We don’t want it to be funny, we want it to be beautiful but at the same time, we aren’t afraid of going in to unknown territory and flirt with kitsch. I think it’s important to stretch things out and see how far you can go.
How would you describe your sound, using only two words?
Sexy and innocent. Naive. Like a schoolgirl! Yeah, school girl, that’s to words. Naive is actually true in a way because all about being instrumental is about being naive. If you’re not naive then you wouldn’t try out some stuff because you wouldn’t think it would work. You have to have a deadpan outlook towards music. If you’re a smart ass and you know everything you’re going to do the right thing all the time and you wouldn’t create anything new. So we try to be stupid about things.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— Untitled Musical Project
You’re playing The Rainbow Pub in your hometown of Birmingham tonight.
Yeah and Fight Like Apes are playing Barfly, down the road too. We were going to be supporting them tonight but then we got offered this gig, supporting Future of the Left, and now Future of the Left have pulled out, so we’re headlining! We’re good friends with Fight Like Apes, we played with them last night.
Have you played here before?
Yeah, a couple of months ago. It’s probably the best venue in Birmingham, for this size anyway. This venue is really well promoted as well.
You’re playing The Sunflower Lounge with Popular Workshop in a couple of weeks. Are you looking forward to that?
It should be alright but The Sunflower Lounge is pretty shit for sound but it’s alright, it’s good fun. It’s the sort of venue where you get a bit drunk and play. It’s a grotty, dirty venue, no barrier.
You played Offset festival in August. How was that?
Oh, it was awful! We were second to play the main stage. So we drove to the festival site with plenty of time to get there but there was a bus burned out on the motorway. That was a two hour delay and to top that there was another crash on the motorway. So we arrived there about five minutes before we went on. The gig itself was pretty awful because we just wanted to sit down. Also, I think they had only just opened the gate when the first band were playing so there was nobody really there and the few people that were there were setting up tents. It was too early to play really and the sound was shit.
For some wierd reason there was a football match on that day. I don’t know who it was, but loads of kids kept giving us the fingers from the cars so we started doing it back to them.
How did you three meet?
Well the band started before Greg (the drummer) joined. How long has the band been going? Three years? No, two weeks! We met on a dating service. We all pretended to be women, the orgy never happened so we formed a band. Yeah, we all met on adultfriendfinder.com! Is that the answer you were looking for?
You put a single out on White Heat Records a couple of years ago. How did that come about?
We played the White Heat club night at Madame JoJo’s in Soho. It’s full of crackheads, prostitutes and fights out the back. And then they put a single out for us. But we’ve played White Heat about five or six times now and it’s been a bit of a mixed bag to be honest. Some have been brilliant. We supported Eighties Matchbox B Line Disaster and Future of the Left, they were really good but a couple have been crap.
Are you putting together an album and how many tracks have you got so far?
We’ve probably got about ten usable tracks. The idea is to write as many as physically possible and choose the best twelve. The golden twelve. And then release the album in the Autumn next year and then see how that goes.
Are you going to release it on Tigertrap Records?
Yeah, we’re really good mates with Tigertrap Records. He promotes it well and distributes it well. It’s everything you need from an indie label. He puts the effort in where as lot’s of other people just release stuff and not put as much effort in to it. He works his fingers to the bone.
You’ve already put a single out with them.
Yeah, it sounded pretty awful but it does it’s job. It’s a 7”, so at the end of the day, is anyone really going to listen to it? I mean, I don’t mind, I’ve got a few 7”s but no record player. I’ve bought them from bands we’ve played with as a sort of friendship gesture. Most of our 7”s are probably friendship gesture purchases as well! My mum and dad have got one. To be honest, I’ve only ever heard it played once and that was when we were mastering it! It sounds really good at half speed, kind of like Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but the actual thing is shite.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— We Are Scientists
What one Track most inspired your style?
The Rainbow Connection - “Kermit The Frog” because it was whimsical but also had a very serious message just like out music.
What is your favorite guitar effects pedal?
Keith: I’ve only got one so I’m going to go ahead and say it’s the Boss DB6.
Your website is brilliant, who is behind it?
Keith: The band We Are Scientists.
Chris: We are behind it %100.
You’ve been giging for the last 5 years so how do you feel about being nominated for the NME’s best new band award?
Chris: It’s about time isn’t it! We’ve been waiting 5 long years to be NME’s best new band.
You’ve been a band longer than Maximo Park and The Actic Monkeys put together.
Keith: We’ve been a band longer than The Arctic Monkeys have been alive.
Yet, you’re supporting them. Where’s the justice?
Keith: ALRIGHT, what are you trying to do here?
Michael: We don’t like to look at it like this, it’s a package tour.
Keith: The Mystery Jets have been together the longest and they’re supporting us!
What qualifications do you have?
Chris: Michael and I both graduated with flying colours and Keith went to school too!
What’s your favorite sandwich filler?
Keith: Prawn cocktail. Sometimes I scoop out some of the bread so there’s room for more prawn cocktail.
We Are Scientists, thank you. Have a good gig.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— We Are Scientists 2
The last time you were here in Nottingham, you went to Nottingham Castle for an interview with George Lamb for E4 music.
Yeah, he was dressed up like Robin Hood. I think he was new at that point so he had to do that but I heard that he refuses to do dress up things like that anymore.
Was your last Nottingham gig here at Rock City?
We played the NME tour here but I think we played Rescue Rooms last. It’s right next door, this is the rock club block.
Are you fed up being asked if you are really scientists?
I don’t even hear it anymore. People ask me and it’s just nonsense words and I just say yes, no or I don’t say anything.
Are you really scientists?
Errrmmm… Ummm… Yes?
What’s your favourite live track?
I don’t know. One thing I like about this tour is that when we play ‘The Great Escape’ the audience sings the du-du, du-du, du-du, du-du, du, du really loud so that we don’t even have to play it. It’s really less about what I enjoy playing and more about what I enjoy watching people listen to.
Any plans for a new single?
No. We’ve been touring for almost two years and we haven’t been writing new songs very well so I don’t think we want to put out a new single until we have a bunch of new songs to choose from. So we’re going to stop touring after this tour and take a few months to write some songs. Because we don’t want to just release crap again, I mean we’re doing it now with ‘Crap Attack’.
Is the name ironic?
No. It’s just left overs from this stuff, you know. So the next album we don’t want to have to call ‘Crap Attack 2’!
What’s the funniest named English town that you have been to?
Town’s spelt the way Lecester is spelt but pronounced Lester. All of that kind of thing. I don’t really get it, it’s kind of funny I guess.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— White Rose Movement
How did you all meet?
We’re all from Norfolk. I went to nursery school with Owen and I’ve known Jasper since I was six (Finn)
Who are your favorite bands of all time?
My Bloody Valentine, The Rutts (Finn). There’s a band called The Sound, their first two albums (Jasper).
I love your track ‘Love Is A Number’ but if love was a number what number would it be?
It could be any number. It could be looking after number one. It could be the number of pills you have to take to make yourself feel vaguely lovely.
Your album ‘Kick’ was out in April. What are your favorite tracks from it and what are the best ones to play live?
‘Alsation’ is always a good one to play live. I really like playing ‘Kick’ live although we’re not playing it tonight.
You’re playing the Vice stage here at the Tales Of The Jackalope in a few of hours but who are you most looking forward to seeing before then?
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Klaxons their on soon I think. The Misfits aswell.
Where do you most enjoy playing live?
I don’t know. When you’re touring around you find there’s good ones and theres bad ones. I prefer small ones (Jasper). I like big ones, I like big stadiums (Finn). Finn likes to throw himself around the stage a bit (Jasper).
What’s next for the White Rose Movement?
A track called ‘London’s Mine’ and ‘Testcard Girl’. It’s a double A-side coming out at the end of this month.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— Wolfmother
Where are you from originally?
Sidney, Australia.
Oh right, so do you know Cut Copy?
Yeah, we’re big friends with the Cut Copy crew. We met them through Modular, our label in Australia.
Is this your first time in the UK?
No, we’ve been a few times now. This is probably our sixth time, we spend most of our time in London.
How would you describe your sound?
Ummm… Acid Rock I guess.
What track do you most enjoy playing live?
It varies show to show. Minds Eye is definitely exciting to play because there is so much tension in it. People who know the song are waiting for the break down bit in the middle.
What is your favorite film?
2001 a Space Odyssey. I love all the Les Anderson movies too.
Do you have any showbiz stories?
Yeah, we where in San Francisco about three weeks ago and we heard that Lance from Metallica was going to come to the show. We did this radio station take over it was called so we spun some Metallica - ‘Dyers Eve’ the last song on ‘And Justice For All’. When you get told that someone’s going to come to your show you kind of take it with a grain of salt because most of the time they don’t actually show up. Yeah, but he came along and he came backstage and he was flipping out and it was really cool because I was a massive Metallica fan when I was a teenager so that meant a lot to me.
Have you met Zane Lowe?
Yeah, he’s cool he’s a bit of a bro from Manshead. I think it’s cool to have someone that’s so energetic and passionate about what they’re doing in that position.
I’m going to interview his band next week.
He’s got a band!
Yeah, it’s exactly the opposite of what you expect him to come out with. It’s really mellow, acoustic sounding and not very big at all.
What are they called?
Breaks Co-Op, you should check them out. Thanks for the interview.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— You Say Party! We Say Die!
So, You Say Party! We Say Die!, where are you from and how did you meet?
We are from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. I’m actually from Clearbrook but the rest of the band are from Abbotsford (Derek). I’d just like to point out that Clearbrook is a neighbourhood in Abbotsford (Stephen). It’s not a fucking neighbourhood, it’s a city all of it’s own but it got amalgamated due to unfortunate circumstances (Derek).
You released a split 7” single with The Victorian English Gentlemens Club on Fantastic Plastic records. How do you know them and how did it come about?
Well we toured with them last November and the powers that be decided that it would be a great idea to make a limited edition record with them. I’ve actually heard that it’s doubled in value over the last six months! Three pounds to six pounds! Two rising bands on their way to the top. I really hope that when Veg Club are filling stadiums, they remember us and let us open for them (Stephen).
You released ‘The Gap (Between The Rich And The Poor)’ last year, what’s it about and how does it describe your political ethos?
The band has a very wide spectrum of political orientation. Kirsty and I are both polysynerds. Some particular members, past but not necessarily present were full on capitalists (Stephen). Really? (Derek) Yeah for real, he was like ‘I’m a capitalist’ and I was like ‘Whoa! OK’ (Stephen). The closest thing I am is probably a nihilist (Derek).
Your new album came out in the UK on June 18th, Fierce Panda Records. You can really hear the evolution from your first album to this one.
Yeah, every band suffers from the sophomore slump, we rested into our first record and didn’t really take the time to pick it over with a fine tooth comb which I think most bands do (Derek). We also had the advantage of having a brand new drummer who spiced things up a little, not to say anything bad about our original drummer Bruce. We love Bruce and he left on good terms but Devon really kicked us up a notch, and if a band is only as good as their drummer then I guess we’re great (Derek).
I saw your set with your original drummer at Barfly in Birmingham last year.
Nooo! Holy Shit! You were there?! You are fucking kidding me! (Derek and Stephen) Honestly, the worst show we’ve ever played. Was our drummer fingering you that night? Because he wasn’t having such a good time (Stephen).
I thought you were really good, even though there were only ten people there, your set was great.
I’m glad you got to see that because when people ask us ‘What’s the worst gig you’ve ever played’ we say Birmingham Barfly and we told our booking agent the day afterwards that we’ll never play Birmingham Barfly ever again because we had cups of beer thrown at us and people fingering us, it was just terrible (Derek). Hey we’ll be back don’t worry, we’re coming back to Birmingham (Stephen).
Play The Academy instead.
Yeah, OK.
What are your favourite tracks from your new album Lose All Time?
I think from the new album my favourite songs are ‘Giant Hands’ and ‘Downtown Mayors Goodnight Ally Kids Rule’ (Derek). I really like ‘Five Year Plan’ (Stephen). Derek likes punk rock.
What are your favourite new bands?
I’ve got to name drop a little band from Gothenburg, Sweden called ‘Love Is All’. They’re good friends of ours, we hung out with them a couple of weeks ago in Gothenburg, they’re just amazing people and an amazing band (Derek). There’s a band from Manchester called (We Are) Performance and they are sooo ridiculously good. They’re also good friends of ours, we toured with them last summer and we had a great time (Stephen).
I saw (We Are) Performance at The Great Escape festival and the lead singer Joe Stretch looked like he was on something.
No, he’s not. He’s high on life for sure. The only thing that I’ve seen that guy do is smoke cigarettes and drink beer. They’ve revived that whole Manchester scene but it’s not a repetition, it’s new. We stayed at their house actually, me and Devon saw them play in Manchester three days ago and we hung out with them all night. That man, Joe Stretch is one hell of a guy and we love him (Derek).
Next single?
July 10th, ‘Monster’ (Stephen).
How are you finding Glastonbury?
This is a dream come true. It’s one of those things that, as a kid, you see the highlights on TV and you think ‘Holy Shit, I wonder what it’s like to be there?’ (Derek).
When I saw the offer to play Glastonbury, my testicles went up inside myself (Stephen).
What is your favourite planet?
My favourite planet is Venus because apparently Venus is the God of women and I love women (Derek). He likes Venus because it rhymes with penis and I like Uranus because it rhymes with ummm… heinous! (Stephen)
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
— Yr Mum Yr Dad
What made you want to start performing?
The shit that we watch week in week out on our televisions and stages.
How would you describe your music?
Electro punk to lead the youth of Britian into disrepair.
What one track most inspired your sound?
Useless man - ‘Minty’
What are your favorite clubs in London?
Our own, anti-social. The cock is always hot and nude at ministry. It’s all about the ministry now.
What do you have for breakfast?
myspace.com for real.
http://www.houseoftracks.co.uk
Shoving brand spanking new tracks into your face.
