melodic blogwagon >>

A new weekly blog from Melodic artists which will also include news bits when we pull our finger out and write them...

It’s the eve of the release “Tokyo Moon” by Windmill. This is a song that has been 10 years in the making and offers a good chance to reflect. I think that perhaps some people are many different people in their lifetime. It certainly feels true for me. I am often envious of the people that can simply accept their place in the world. In 1998 I bought a 4-track cassette recorder it gave me a chance to explore all of the doubts, hopes, unknowns and battles with my own consciousness.

For the first time I am able to share with people some of these recordings. Here is one of the full album recordings I made with a little of what I can remember about each song. It was recorded under the name “Dillons Son” and not “Windmill.”

Dillons Son - Billboards

Headlight Shocked - This is typical of what I was recording at the time; short bursts of experimentation.
Streetlight Zoo - A lot if these recordings were stripped back in the mix. This originally had vocals and lyrics all the way through but I still wasn’t comfortable with that kind of songwriting. So this became basically an instrumental with one spoken line “it really is a fucker but it really is better.”
Circus Sparks – I had this “Fun Mic” thing from argos that cost like £7. It had one cymbal button and one bass drum button. I just loved using it to get these huge, simple drums that I think were Flaming Lips inspired.
Rain on the Waiting Room – When I was writing these pieces of music everyone I knew was in that transitional stage of leaving each other’s lives and growing apart. This was about having many symptoms of sadness brought about by missing people.
Sub Detach – A piece of music for when you feel unconnected to what is going on inside.
Ah – I was very into making this sound and here it is pure and simply.
Billboards – Like “Boarding Lounges” and “Replace Me” in its talk of ambition. This is the first song that I talked of being unsatisfied and feeling drawn to the lights.
Reverse Us – This was an experimental piece which I remember playing in my girlfriend’s car tape player. That’s the only public plays these songs ever got but it was motivation enough. Now it stands as a testament to wanting to return to those times.

Asthmatic – I had started using a more acoustic piano sound as I became more competent at playing. This song had something special and it appears re worked on “Puddle City Racing Lights”
Stations – A simple example of the bleak experimentation I was into. This was probably just found on the 4 track somewhere. I often went back to tapes a year or two after they were recorded and extract pieces I liked. It was only with a long period of not hearing them that I could appreciate any value they had.
OMB – I cant remember what OMB stood for now. It stood for something. I have absolutely no problem with abstract song writing. If the song only means something to the writer then great, even if it only meant something to them during the time they wrote it.
Experiments - My growing love of pushing one vocal line through a song came to fruition with this song. The line “Experiments are our lives” was reused on “Puddle City Racing Lights” in the song “Plasticine Plugs”.

Dillons Son – Billboards © 1999 – 2002 Matthew Thomas Dillon

Matthew Dillon, Windmill.

Windmill releases:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

Hello.

My name is Tim and I play drums in a rock band known to many as The Isles and to a few as “that shitty Smiths cover band.” I’m also a staggering alcoholic. My friend Jenny likes our band and our personalities. She lives in London. She is currently staying at my home in beautiful New York City for the next week. She loves her dad.

I’m here to write a little bit about our cultural differences (I’m American-she’s Russian, or something) and similarities in the tune of one drunken Sunday evening. On this particular dreary night, we sat in the comfort of my home and watched a DVD (Digital-Video-Digital) of a television program called MXC or Most Extreme Elimination Challenge. For those of you who don’t know and/or are idiots, it’s an overdubbed Japanese game show where contestants are forced to complete physical and comical tasks (like swinging on a rope on to a tiny padded island surrounded by water) in hopes of gaining points for your team and NOT GET ELIMINATED (like smashing your face on a log and falling into a pool of mud)!!!! This is obviously hilarious and my favorite show to watch when inebriated. The commentators give names and occupations to all the competitors, as well as name different actions that happen on screen. For instance, one might be stuck between two logs in hopes of not falling into a muddy water pit, in an A like position, and that would be called “A Scary Uncle”. Anyway, Jenny and I watched several episodes and had several episodes. I continued to drink heavily while Jenny tenderly nursed her two Americanized Red Stripe bottles (she is used to cans. CANS!!!). Other residents of mi casa showed up to join in on the festive festivities and watch me fall down a few times. I, like the white trashy hillbilly that I am, appropriately ordered a Dominoes pizza for my own personal consumption.

This story sucks.

In conclusion, Jenny is the best MXC watcher.

Yours to keep,
President Lyndon Johnson

Tim McCoy, the Isles


The Isles releases:



The Isles T-shirts:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

I've been in a kind of waking coma for several weeks now. This strange in-between state was brought on by the fact that my (other) band, Harlem Shakes, is touring the United States, and so I can barely conceive of addressing anything outside of my road-life apart from " touring's fun, how are you?" emails and online bill-paying. Somnambulent states aside, the itinerant,
drive-play-sleep-drive-eat-sometimes routine has afforded a few exciting opportunities, the least of which being the joyful combo of a van full of sleeping bandmates, a glowing highway, and an iPod full of
bizarre, beautiful Scott Walker albums.

Scott Walker, whew. He's One of Those Artists, for me -- you know what I mean. When the 1960s was turning everyone into a bunch of peace 'n loving hippie no-goodniks, Walker had multiple top-10 hits in the UK
(none in America, strangely) that could not have been more out of step with the sound of the times. Cartoonishly overblown, pompous, morose, meticulously orchestrated crooner-pop more befitting a Broadway stage than the British airwaves, Mr. Walker's songs existed in a Xanadu grown from the singer's flights of egotistical fancy and mammoth artistic ambition. Walker released a few brilliant albums, a few mediocre ones, and showed up recently on the 4AD label having metamorphosed into a terrifying, brilliant art-rocker. The stuff of legend, basically.

Although it shares little with them aesthetically, Scott Walker's music elicits in me a similar reaction to the one i get from the most painful noise rock, ultra-minimal electro-acoustic music, or other similarly "out" styles. I find myself thinking, "you could make any kind of music in the world, if you wanted to… and you made THAT?" Blessed with an otherworldly voice, bottomless musical vision, and the talent to bring his ideas to fruition, Walker had all of rock 'n roll history to draw upon… and ended up playing a Byronic anti-hero, a dashing derelict, the tragicomic hero in a Broadway musical on Mars. This song, a Jacques Brel cover but wholly representative of Scott Walker's best stuff, makes me want to dance, whiskey in hand, in a puddle of my own tears. It's that fucking good.

Todd Goldstein, Arms


Arms releases:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

I have these note books. There’s green ones, hardback, dusty, old and new. I write lyrics, doodle and note musical arrangements in these books and the oldest is about 12 years old. The latest of these notebooks (which was a gift) has the added novelty of having a quote from a recognised composer/musician at the bottom of each page. I had this particular notebook with me in the studio during the recording of my album. Everyday, to boost moral and inspire the team of craftsmen working alongside me, I would read aloud from the “Songwriter’s Notebook”. This is an experience that I would like to share with you now as I explore my thoughts on these musical philosophies of the past and present. Let ’s begin…

James Brown (b.1933) says - “I’ve outdone anyone you can name – Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Strauss. Irving Berlin, he wrote 1,001 tunes. I wrote 5,500.”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “Mr. Brown is clearly brimming with confidence here. Although I do feel he is placing too much importance on quantity. Although he has beaten his classical rival by 4, 499 songs and Irving Berlin wasn’t even in Rocky IV.”

George Clinton (b.1941) says – “I GET OFF ON FUNK, TO TELL THE TRUTH. DON’T TELL ME I CAN’T DO THAT. ‘CAUSE YOU KNOW HOW JOYFUL IT IS.”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “This is unnerving; especially the use of capital letters. Getting off is joyful and I’m not telling him he can’t. But I’m not helping.”

Claude Debussy (b.1862) says – “Music is the silence between the notes.”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “I think you still need the notes.”

Adam Duritz (b.1964) says – “I’d like our music to be timeless. People should be able to relate to it in 2093”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “I love Counting Crows. Counting Crows headphone heartbreak was a big part of my teenage life. Also, he knows what he wants. He wants people, specifically in the year 2093 to relate. That’s eccentric and probably genius; but if a song about hover boards appears on their next album, I’ll think it a little contrived.”

David Gilmour (b.1946) says – “I just want to make nice music that I enjoy listening to and people can either come along or not.”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “Brilliantly indifferent.”

Ludwig van Beethoven (b.1770) – Beethoven can write music, thank god, but he can do nothing else on Earth.”

Windmill (b.1770) reacts – “Windmill can write music, thank god, but he can also do the entire “Fresh Prince” rap in the style of monster mash, make a mean cheese & marmite sandwich, perform a handstand against a wall, thumb wrestle and beat anyone at ‘Golden Eye’ on the Nintendo 64.”

Bob Dylan (b.1941) says – “WHEN YOU FEEL IN YOUR GUT WHAT YOU ARE THEN DYNAMICALLY PURSUE IT – DON’T BACK DOWN AND DON’T GIVE UP – THEN YOU’RE GOING TO MYSTIFY A LOT OF FOLKS.”

Windmill (b.1979) reacts – “amen.”

Matthew Dillon, Windmill

Windmill releases:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

The gigs have been massive, huge swelling crowds of utterly devoted fans, hanging on every word like it was the most important thing they'd ever heard.

Of course this was an idle daydream brought about by the boring, long, winding motorway that rolls on before us. We've enjoyed the highs of a packed out London gig and played to nobody but the support band and strange in-house dog in Middlesbrough. In taking the scenic route to the top can be sometimes boring but you occasionally get to see some amazing things. There is a saying that goes as follows: when you finally get the girl you realise the best part was the chase, which makes a lot of sense to me. One thing I actually quite like about life on the road are the Travelodges, wherever you go in any part of England the rooms are always laid out the same, which when you are constantly travelling & moving offers a welcome sense of familiarity.

Let me now share with you my views on the current music scene. When I turn on the TV I see them; when I put on the radio I hear them; who am I on about I figure you are wondering....The Killers is who, I can't wait for the day Brandon Flowers' stick on moustache slips from it's perch and hangs embarrassingly over his teeth while he is performing. If you want a huge power chorus fix put The Killers on the shelf and buy a best of Bruce Springsteen, it'll be much more rewarding as long as you skip past Born in the USA. One thing I would like to get off my chest is modern day bands apparent inability to follow up their debuts, The Strokes 'Is this it' is an amazing album yet the proceeding 2 albums go straight in the Be Here Now pile. The Libertines and Franz Ferdinand both made interesting starts but fell at the second hurdle and like when anybody falls in public you have to turn away and have a little chuckle to yourself.

I would now like to turn my attention to interviews. It's not that i don't like doing them it's just that 9 out of 10 of our interviews have been the same with the reporter putting a Dictaphone on the table, pressing record and asking us the same questions. I'm thinking about pre-recording all of our answers, putting our tape player next to their Dictaphone and pressing play, it would save us all a lot of time.

We recently spent a full, yes a full, weekend making a music video for our next single Dear Constable. It was by far the most ambitious video we've ever done and with it's Orwellian theme it is also rather clever. We have used our favourite actors who delivered such fine performances in the Bluenote video. We filmed at the Park Hill flats in Sheffield and it's prison like depression suited the idea perfectly. With about 12 extras dressed as riot police I half imagined worried smack heads peering out their windows and flushing their gear down the bog in fear of a raid. The place needs knocking down but for some reason it is listed, if I had the ability to resurrect Fred Dibnah I think he would have had a field day reducing these towering, intimidating buildings to rubble.

Anyway these are all the thoughts I could muster today as writing in a moving van can be quite nauseating and we are nearing Dover where our Amsterdam adventure is about to begin........

Jubby, Harrisons

Harrisons releases:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

The last few months:

Writing music/lyrics for our new record. Added two new songs to set (Fail Tonite, Natural Badge)

Sharpening musical skills as well as adding new members to the Isles

Adding rooms to our studio and our house

Isles@SXSW - - Ben tried to bring a knife on the plane. We landed in a thunderstorm. Processed so much music, free beer and queso that our brains, livers and stomachs nearly burst. Really enjoyed playing an acoustic set for XMU radio. Great to see Dave and Will from melodic. I thought that I caught something from the air mattress that I slept on but I’m ok.

Recording a full length for another project - Should be done by summer.

Working 9-5…………………….9-5….9-5………………….9-5………9-5

103 fever. Thank you tylenol for preventing brain and other organ damage

Read War and Piece, GBV biography

Got someone else to read Ayn Rand

I need a new book (or bunch of them) if anyone has a suggestion

I saw 300. Giant piece of shit but entertaining. I saw it in a ghetto theatre and everyone applauded when it was done as if they’d just seen empire strikes back.

I saw Zodiac. B-.

I saw the Departed. It was fantastic.

One of my favorite movies is Martin, by George A. Romero. Apperantly it’s Romero’s favorite work. I dressed up as Martin for Halloween and no-one got it.

If you havn’t seen the original texas chainsaw massacre you probably should. I had my doubts but it ruled. Amazing visuals and feel that can’t be duplicated.

I watched Blue Velvet last night. Pabst Blue Ribbon!

I lost the Oscar pool that I won last year. The results are contested.


Andrew Geller, the Isles

The Isles releases:



The Isles T-shirts:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

We’re very pleased and excited to announce the debut live dates from Windmill. We thought we better hurry up and mention them, especially as the London show has already sold a load of advance tickets and already looks like selling out…

Sun 22 April	The Albert Brighton (solo show)
Thurs 26 April	A Quiet Night In @ The Bay Horse Manchester (with guitar / keyboards and Cello)
Tues 22 May	Divan du Monde Paris (with full band)
Wed 23 May	The Water Rats London (with full band)

Tickets for all dates can be got in advance from Ticketweb and there are lots more dates being booked so probably just best keeping your eyes on Windmill’s Myspace.

And if you’re still up for larging it with Melodicans the Thursday (24th) after the Windmill Water Rats show, Working For A Nuclear Free City play an all new live show at Sonic Cathedral at The Legion, 348 Old Street, London.

"I just heard "glamorous" by Fergie today. Immediately I noticed how catchy the melodies were and how they had this moody uplifting quality to them. Then I realized what she was saying in the song (the chorus is something like "glamorous, glamorous, glamorous, (ooooh yeah, we flossy flossay)". I thought this was hilarious. The lyrics were effectively trivializing the music, but it still was all as catchy as hell. I found myself asking, should I like this? Should I fight liking this? Is this good music? Should I give credit for it being amusing or funny? Or should I shun it for being shallow?

While listening to the song, I chatted with my friend Raul (who did the cover for Nebulae) over google talk and he said something like "I don't understand what's in peoples minds, this song will probably sell millions." I replied that the song was like pop crack--it destroys peoples lives, but you just can't get enough of it. Is that what pop music has become? It's like they've found a chemical formula that will hook you real fast and keep you coming back from more.

Listening to the song, it's immediately danceable, hummable, and the chorus has already been lodged into my memory (though the lyrics aren't all that complicated.) What's more confusing is that there has been an experimental trend in pop music. While the structures of the songs have pretty much stayed the same (verse chorus verse chorus bridge/rap chorus chorus) the music can be incredibly interesting. Most of these interesting pop songs are probably solely a result of Timbaland's genius. For example, the Timbaland produced "My love" by Justin Timberlake contains a synthline reminiscent of early 90s techno. But who would have ever thought to use it in a half-time RnB ballad? The end result is also mysteriously danceable. Then there is the bafflingly strange neptunes-produced "Wind it Up" by Gwen Stefani. Every time I listen to the track I'm amazed by the strange juxtapositions of a Sound of Music yodeling sample with Neptunes signature oxymoronically sloppy, but rigid beats and lo-fi synthlines along with Gwen's typically nonsensically inane lyrics.

And what do all of these songs do? They inspire me. I've created at least three tracks directly inspired by recent pop songs. This is very much disturbing considering my earlier statements about the crack nature of pop music nowadays, but honestly, some of these pop songs are more interesting than the most IDM out there. IDM now seems like a genre fixed not on a structural formula like pop music, but a textural formula, badly in need of fusion with other genres and ideas (this has already started happening with artists like Prefuse 73 and Dabrye or Thom Yorke). Now there definitely are a lot of pop songs which are not at all interesting (I won't name names), but perhaps there is something pop music has right. My guess for the pop crack chemical formula is something like this: Keep it short (no more than 4 minutes), Keep it super catchy (people should be humming the song after its first listen), Keep it trivial (there is enough (some would say not enough) bad news in (news)entertainment already), and finally, Keep it interesting(more bass, more weirdness, more weird genre juxtapositions). And really, I guess the reasons why *I* find songs like Glamorous and My Love to be so pleasing as an IDM producer are those last two. I don't need to get bogged down in making the music more complicated and pretentious, but I should keep it interesting and sometimes that means doing something simple but clever."

Bernard Farley, Outputmessage

Ouputmessage releases:

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the blog are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Melodic Records.

Busy busy busy…. Lots to mention as we’ve so many releases coming out.

There’s a very good new L. Pierre album out called ‘Dip’… but you already knew didn’t you? Then there’s the very limited Outputmessage ‘Sommeil’ remix 12” featuring collaborations with My Robot Friend, Working For A Nuclear Free City, American Pop Band and Person. Both are out now and available in our webshop along with some very special offers on the L. Pierre album.

Outputmessage also opens a new feature on the Melodic site which will replace the news section. We’re jumping on the blog bandwagon and adding our own which will feature a different person from the Melodic family every week, and yes, we’re calling it the blogwagon of course. There will be newsletters like this one dotted in amongst from time to time too.

Harrisons are touring the UK right now and have just released their 3^rd single Mondays Arms… the first fruits of their album ‘No Fighting In The War Room’ which is due at the end of May. Best checking their Myspace for further details of dates near you etc. or have a listen to them being interviewed on Phil Jupitus’ BBC 6Music show broadcast on Friday - scroll down to listen again, select Friday and it's about 1hr 45 mins in.

The Isles play SXSW in Texas this week - check their site for the exact times and details of their shows.

Something else that’s gathering lots of praise, especially on the intraweb, is our new signing Windmill whose debut album is released April 16^th and is now available to pre-order in the webshop. Get it there and you’ll be getting it at least a week before it hits the shops. Check Windmill’s Myspace for 3 album tracks and a free download of his cover version of Love Will Tear Us Apart.

Something else you can buy from us right now (but out in the shops 19^th March) is the new Longcut single. A strictly limited 7” with Idiot Check on the A side and a cover of the Candi Staton classic You Got The Love on the flip. The download package (available from Bleep, Itunes etc.) contains two storming remixes from James Rutledge and Shadow Dancer. Rather sneakily you can download the James Rutledge remix of Idiot Check for free by filling in a questionairre for our pals st Kruger magazine - Get a free Longcut download for taking a survey!

If you thought Working For A Nuclear Free City’s debut album was good, wait until you hear the Rocket EP. 4 brand new tracks not on the album released ina  few weeks time and available to via the webshop right now. There’s a nice little video too that you can check for Rocket here.

Finally, on April 30^th is the debut 7” release by another brand new Melodic signing Arms. You can hear both sides of the single on his Myspace.