4.52am Issue 059: The Pyramid Park Issue 16th November 2017
This week's 4.52am Features: An interview with the brilliant Pyramid Park The Awesome John Stamp The Cool Indigo Sixteen The Uber Lee Ranaldo Learn to Play Pink Floyd and Suede La Contessa Introducing: Amen Corner Robert Palmer Billy Idol Beth Orton Doves Lana Del Rey Enjoy!
This week's 4.52am Features:
An interview with the brilliant Pyramid Park
The Awesome John Stamp
The Cool Indigo Sixteen
The Uber Lee Ranaldo
Learn to Play Pink Floyd and Suede
La Contessa Introducing:
Amen Corner
Robert Palmer
Billy Idol
Beth Orton
Doves
Lana Del Rey
Enjoy!
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T<br />
his week in <strong>4.52am</strong> we have an interview<br />
with the brilliant <strong>Pyramid</strong> <strong>Park</strong> as well as<br />
other music and news from John Stamp,<br />
Lee Ranaldo, and Indigo Sixteen, whilst Learn to<br />
Play sees us enjoying ourselves with Suede and<br />
Pink Floyd.<br />
Hope you enjoy it<br />
All at <strong>4.52am</strong>
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Contents<br />
<strong>Pyramid</strong> <strong>Park</strong> .......................................................................... 9<br />
Learn to Play: Pink Floyd ...................................................... 31<br />
Learn to Play: Suede ............................................................. 35<br />
Indigo Sixteen ....................................................................... 39<br />
Lee Ranaldo .......................................................................... 41<br />
John Stamp ........................................................................... 45<br />
La Contessa Presents… .......................................................... 47<br />
1960s: Amen Corner .............................................................. 49<br />
1970s: Robert Palmer ............................................................ 51<br />
1980s: Billy Idol ..................................................................... 53<br />
1990s: Beth Orton ................................................................. 55<br />
2000s: Doves......................................................................... 57<br />
2010s: Lana Del Rey .............................................................. 59
<strong>Pyramid</strong> <strong>Park</strong><br />
I<br />
am more than happy to admit, that in terms of the music that<br />
is going on out there, I can be totally oblivious about some<br />
bands that when I do finally hear them, totally blow me away<br />
and turn me into some sort of acolyte. One such band is <strong>Pyramid</strong><br />
park who have their debut album ‘Vulnerability’ living it large,<br />
but I tend to want to know more than just the song names so we<br />
asked Pete McAllen from the band, to tell us what the score is.<br />
Glady he was happy to. So who are <strong>Pyramid</strong> <strong>Park</strong>?<br />
“We have known each other for a few years being based in our<br />
local church in Cambridge where we’ve played with various<br />
bands and set ups. <strong>The</strong> band finally came together from people<br />
that have worked with me and were happy to play songs I’ve<br />
written live. <strong>The</strong> rest is history!”
In terms of influences, who are they and how do you go about<br />
bringing them into your music?<br />
“A long list but here’s the short version: Blur, <strong>The</strong> Killers, <strong>The</strong><br />
Beatles, <strong>The</strong> Verve, Kooks, Mute Math, Franz Ferdinand,<br />
Delirous?, Switchfoot, Asgeir, Two Door Cinema Club, Jonsi,<br />
Brook Fraser (latest album), SOHN, Phoria, Athlete, Of Monsters<br />
And Men, Jack Garrett, White Lies, Saint Raymond, Bon Iver and<br />
many more.<br />
Certainly the early guitar influenced bands have always helped<br />
me focus on tone, so without even thinking about it my tone<br />
(especially clean tone) begins shaped by the likes of Blur, Kooks<br />
etc. For the Vulnerability album we really wanted to model<br />
certain tracks on particular artists, so for one song Asgeir was a<br />
reference (possible two or three tracks actually), then Phoria and<br />
SOHN came into the picture fora couple of others. It wasn’t until<br />
we got stuck that we had to go back and see how far we had<br />
strayed from the reference list and had to decide if it was a new<br />
direction or to pull back. This is when bands who had been<br />
around a while came into the picture, like Athlete and White<br />
Lies. I recall saying to Iain Hutchison (producer) that we just<br />
needed the grit of a White Lies track in one of the songs. This<br />
was really useful and helped our reference list expand a little.”<br />
Going back to the beginning, when did you know that you<br />
wanted to be a musicians?<br />
“I used to play the violin at school, and loved the performance<br />
side of it. My theory wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but I<br />
loved improving. At school I began song writing, and then was<br />
asked to play and sing in from of my whole sixth form. <strong>The</strong><br />
response I got was so positive that I knew this was something I<br />
needed to invest in and give more time to. Art was my favourite<br />
subject at school, but as soon as I got into song writing
everything seemed to click. Although it’s not been an easy road<br />
and one I’ve definitely doubted myself on I know that playing<br />
songs I’ve written is part of who I am meant to be.”<br />
How did you go about it ?<br />
“Like I mentioned, violin was my first instrument so a whole lot<br />
of lessons (thanks mum), school orchestra and then trying to<br />
form bands. I also grew up in a church that heavily encouraged<br />
creativity and we used to have a Sunday rock band at our youth<br />
each week which I led for two years, mainly playing cover songs.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y really helped break me into songwriting and just having a<br />
go. Once I left school I was encouraged to keep writing and<br />
although I wanted to be in a band I couldn’t seem to find the<br />
right people so I called a covers band in the local area to see if I<br />
could play some acoustic songs before their set to get some<br />
experience and exposure. <strong>The</strong>y were brilliant and up for helping.<br />
It’s people like this in the early days that give you the push you<br />
need and see more in you than you do yourself.”<br />
Who were your early influences, and can you see them in your<br />
early work? If so, how about now?<br />
“Personally I loved a lot of Blur, Brit Pop, then the likes of <strong>The</strong><br />
Kooks, Switchfoot, Athlete, Franz Ferdinand etc growing up.<br />
Guitar bands with attitude I guess. My other huge influence<br />
were two contrasting bands - Delirous? and MuteMath. I’ve<br />
continued to be a fan of MuteMath through their ten years or<br />
more being together and blown away by their live shows both<br />
times I’ve seen them. I also loved bands who meshed electronic<br />
music with guitar led stuff and I think you start to see this cross<br />
over in some of our tracks on Vulnerability. Songs like <strong>The</strong><br />
Unexplained, Lead Me and Caught In <strong>The</strong> Depths have this mix.”
How did you learn to write a song?<br />
“Haha! That’s a good question. Someone famous (who I should<br />
probably find out) once said that they stick their antenna up in<br />
the air and catch whatever is going on. I guess that was my first<br />
approach. I wasn’t lyrics or music, I was both….just get caught<br />
up in the moment and write. However, after a few songs I<br />
realised that I couldn’t sustain this approach otherwise I would<br />
be so distraught I’d never write another song. Learning how to<br />
craft as well as go with the flow of a moment has been essential<br />
to my development. Four years ago I did an evening songwriting<br />
course at <strong>The</strong> Institute of Contemporary Music Performance<br />
which helped me to critique my style and begin to co-write<br />
better with others.”<br />
Can you describe your sound?<br />
“Here goes…although someone else will have a different<br />
opinion. A mix of alternative guitars, deep snares and alt-pop<br />
synths.”<br />
When did you start gigging - what was your first gig like?<br />
“I guess my first solo gig was the school concert playing infant of<br />
my sixth form. But first proper gig was definitely with the covers<br />
band in a pub on the outskirts of Letchworth. All I remember is<br />
that I gave it my all, it was loud (for one man on a guitar) and the<br />
crowd were mildly interested!”
Tell us about the big gigs you’ve played and how did you enjoy<br />
them?<br />
“Last summer two of us went over to Germany to play at<br />
Freakstock Festival on their main stage. It was a huge privilege<br />
and I was super nervous beforehand. <strong>The</strong> band on before us<br />
were incredible - they headlined - before we had the first slot<br />
into the night…midnight I think. We had such a good reception<br />
and stupidly didn’t bring all the CD’s we brought with us, as we<br />
sold the ones we had as soon s we came off stage. <strong>The</strong>re have<br />
been several other enjoyable festival moments, but for me this<br />
was a huge highlight as the crowd had never seen or heard of us<br />
before.”<br />
What was the first thing you recorded?<br />
“Oooh, that has got to be an acoustic demo EP in 2005. It was<br />
me trying to capture some of the early singer songwriter<br />
material without much of an idea of arrangement. <strong>The</strong> studio<br />
was near Swiss Cottage in London, and apparently the producer<br />
had worked with several pop acts that were current. He helped<br />
me record five tracks. I’d never played to click before so that<br />
was a huge learning experience and looking back I probably<br />
could have been better prepared. <strong>The</strong> EP was titled “Plug in”<br />
and only one or two of the songs get the light of day, but on a<br />
very rare occasion. I sold 300 copies and kept one for myself,<br />
just to reflect back on and smile.”
Is there anything you wish you'd known then?<br />
“Yes! I think I was very naive about production, the process and<br />
how to work with producers. Thinking back I would certainly<br />
have upped my preparation time, making sure I knew exactly<br />
what influences I wanted plus giving more time to the craft of<br />
songwriting. You also never know who you’ll meet and I wish I’d<br />
kept connected with the various musicians involved on the<br />
project.”<br />
How does that compare to how you recorded the album?<br />
“So very differently. Back then I didn’t really have a budget, so<br />
everything was done cheaply. For this project I worked hard to<br />
raise nearly £13,000 to use quality producers, and mastering<br />
engineers etc. For this album I think I wrote over 50 songs, and<br />
really didn’t stop until I was happy with each one. Iain Hutchison<br />
(GloWorm Records, Glasgow), who produced this record, was<br />
brilliant to work with. We clicked early on, and between us it<br />
felt like we had a goal in terms of influences, sonic pallet, and<br />
even the compromise between passion and perfection in a take.<br />
We tried to work on what was a good ‘feel’ as much as what was<br />
a good take. Going away to record as well was a huge help,<br />
because for a week or two at a time my head was fully immersed<br />
in the project, and this lifted my game.”<br />
Can you talk us through the tracks on the album?<br />
“Sure. <strong>The</strong> first song <strong>The</strong> Unexplained is the most upbeat song<br />
on the album but it begins with a long intro swelling and<br />
dropping into the first verse. It was written at the back end of<br />
the writing process, and so for me I feel it is a conclusion of<br />
where I’ve been…a nice way to start. It hints at my past rock<br />
influences growing up with the heaviest guitars on the album.
In contrast, song two Born To Be Brave is much more indiealternative<br />
in sound with guitars much cleaner and more like<br />
Two Door Cinema Club. <strong>The</strong> song uses a lot of repetition and<br />
from a recording perspective we played a lot of attention to<br />
getting the right clean tone, only using the warmth of the amp<br />
(Flynn amps - made in Scotland) and a Deep Six Compressor,<br />
which we used on every guitar track it sounded that good!<br />
Lead Me (song 3) and Vulnerability (4) plus the later Caught In<br />
<strong>The</strong> Depths (track 9) have a similar alt-pop feel with dreamy<br />
synths, and even a vocoder on Lead Me. A lot of the guitar parts<br />
on these have reverbs and simple but quite intense picking<br />
patterns. For Vulnerability we spent a long time working on the<br />
texture sound from my fingers on the telecaster. We retuned<br />
and detuned a lot, and tried to play as delicately as possible,<br />
which made little room for error, both in terms of the actual<br />
notes, but also the way the ones were struck. Vulnerability for<br />
me is the best songwriters song on the album, and the only one<br />
that has three chorus’ that drop down. <strong>The</strong> piano in Caught In<br />
<strong>The</strong> Depths is beautifully warm (a one hundred year old upright<br />
that has been kept in the producers family for generations) with<br />
the instrumental outro seeing Iain play at his very best.<br />
Tracks 5 and 6 are quite meditative in feel, with my faith clearly<br />
playing a part in the lyrics and focus. Hills (track 5) is a re-write<br />
of an ancient Psalm, and Mesmerised was influenced by a lot of<br />
Asgeirs work - particularly his vocal parts. For me the bridge<br />
section instrumentally is so simple but lifts and sits so well with<br />
the lyrics “I’ll soar on the wings of eagles.” During this track my<br />
wife came up to help lay down some BV’s and nailed this song in<br />
particular. What was particularly special for us is that our<br />
daughter Lilja was in the womb (7 months pregnant) and we<br />
now sing this song to her and she recognises it. Must have been<br />
all those takes!
Fall On Me, co written with a friend Feranmi Oguns (OL Music) is<br />
a big lifter, upbeat and energetic, with slight Killers “Human”<br />
influence. We found this the hardest song to find synth, keys<br />
and guitar parts as it was too tempting to add 50 layers! I think<br />
we managed to find the balance…!<br />
<strong>The</strong>n we have the track that surprised everyone. I love funk, but<br />
never seem to be able to write anything funk inspired that would<br />
work with my voice…until now. We tried to put our own slant<br />
on the song, so it didn’t stick out too much from the album, but<br />
enough to change direction. Day And Night saw us record drums<br />
in the booth for that tight sound, the guitars were simple,<br />
rhythmic and never ever chords!<br />
Father Father (track 10) is a song particularly personal to me, as<br />
it talks about a time when I lost my dad when I was 11. It’s my<br />
response to seeing him die, and how my faith changed as a<br />
consequence. I’ve always wanted to write a song about it but<br />
couldn’t ever find the right words or feel. We used a lot of JHS<br />
pedals panther cub analogue delay, and deliberately at times<br />
twisted the settings to make a slight off tune sound.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Voice (track 11) is a long grower which I absolutely loved<br />
playing guitars on. We cranked the amp loud, and let rip with<br />
uncontrolled and unplanned guitar solo lines (again using the<br />
Pantha Cub). <strong>The</strong> hardest part on this song was waiting until the<br />
right moment to really let rip. You’ll hear at the end of the track<br />
an extended ambient instrumental with guitars, me singing into<br />
the pickups, basing the guitar up a little…all good fun that’s got<br />
to be had in the studio! I was privileged to have Samuel Lane (a<br />
great artist in his own right) sing BV’s on this track, and his raspy<br />
vocals complemented me well.
Tell us about your guitar gear?<br />
“So my acoustic set up is a 2001 Gibson J45 which I bought<br />
second hand. It’s the kind of guitar that sounds better as it gets<br />
older, and I love playing it clean with no effects. I also have a<br />
Simon & Patrick acoustic, which I’ve had for over ten years. It’s<br />
real woody in tone and far less brighter than the J45. This is<br />
used a lot for songs I detune that need a quieter duller tone.<br />
Really love song writing on this guitar.<br />
I use a black Custom Fender Telecaster for most of my electric<br />
work, into a Fender Hotrod or at home a Fender Junior.<br />
My board begins with a pedal which was made by a guy called<br />
Neil Grimes of NRG effects. It’s an AC EC pedal which takes the<br />
feed from both electric and acoustic. <strong>The</strong> electric pedal train<br />
goes like this:<br />
Walrus Audio - Deep Six (Compressor)<br />
Emerson Effects - Em Drive (transparent overdrive)<br />
Mojo Hand Effects - <strong>The</strong> Rook (overdrive)<br />
Earnie Ball Volume Pedal Jr, which goes to my tuner<br />
JHS Pedals - Pantha Cub (this is the analogue delay pedal)<br />
Strymon Time Line (digital delay)<br />
Strymon Blue Sky (reverb)<br />
<strong>The</strong> acoustic goes into the AC/EC<br />
To the Volume pedal, Patha Cub and Strymon pedals before<br />
going to a DI under the board.”
You can find out more about the brilliant <strong>Pyramid</strong> <strong>Park</strong>,<br />
Website Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube<br />
You can catch them out on tour,<br />
2nd December - GloWorm Recording. Glasgow.<br />
27th January 2018 - Festival One. Hamilton. New Zealand.<br />
10th August 2018 - KingsStock Festival. Bedfordshire.
Learn to Play:<br />
Pink Floyd<br />
B<br />
Y now you have probably worked out that these lessons<br />
are aimed at making sure that I, at least, have a few songs<br />
under my belt that I can impress any passing trade with,<br />
even if (as I’m not) I’m not the world’s finest guitar playing chap.<br />
So ‘Wish You Were Here’ from those Pink Floyd fellas seems as<br />
good a track as there is. It is pretty easy, recognisable and<br />
sounds good on any passing acoustic or electric.<br />
Sweet as funk.<br />
Plus it is a good excuse for a few of their videos while we are at<br />
it.
Learn to Play:<br />
Suede<br />
I<br />
f God exists I’ve always thought that he looks like Bernard<br />
Butler on that first headline Suede tour, flying, electrically<br />
charged across the stage like some acid-guided marionette<br />
and sounding like the craziest, coolest guitar player ever known<br />
whilst his cherry Gibson exploded in sparks and his hair swirled<br />
like demons.<br />
Might just be me though, that.<br />
Regardless of his divinity, Mr Butler is still one of the finest and<br />
most unique guitarists out there and so learning some of his<br />
guitar playing is the eleventh commandment. Thou shalt play<br />
Animal Nitrate, so help me. Amen.
Indigo Sixteen<br />
A<br />
nother great new band that we’ve been enjoying this<br />
week are Broxburn’s Indigo Sixteen who are seemingly<br />
channelling the best of New Wave, in the shape of<br />
Blondie, Joy Division and Elvis Costello at their finest, and giving<br />
it a modern twist that definitely puts them in the centre of all<br />
that is cool right now.<br />
Speaking about their new single, ‘Bring on the Rain’, Stephen<br />
from the band said,<br />
“Basically it means instead of fearing the hard times you should<br />
embrace them and face them full on. i.e "Bring on the Rain"<br />
sometimes it's what needs to be done if you want to get the best<br />
out of life. And ultimately not to let troubles you face hold you<br />
back or stop you doing what you want to do”<br />
Find out more,<br />
Facebook Twitter Instagram Spotify
Lee Ranaldo<br />
A<br />
ny excuse to play a bit more of Lee Ranaldo’s genius<br />
album, ‘Electric Trim’ is plenty much of an excuse in my<br />
book, but seeing that Lee is to play a one-off date in<br />
February next year as part of his European Tour, and that tickets<br />
are now available, it becomes a definite.<br />
Lee is playing the Hoxton<br />
Square Bar & Kitchen on<br />
the 27 th of February.<br />
Tickets are no available<br />
HERE (so be quick.)<br />
‘Electric Trim’ is available<br />
HERE
John Stamp<br />
O<br />
ne of my own heroes, musically, has always been Boo<br />
Hewerdine, ever since I happened across the Bible’s<br />
single ‘Graceland’ back in 1986 and then bought<br />
‘Walking <strong>The</strong> Ghost Back Home’, which for me along with Talk<br />
Talk’s ‘Spirit of Eden’ defined a big chunk of my life.<br />
I only mention this as listening to John Stamp’s new album,<br />
‘Franklin54’ sends goosebumps down my back in the same way<br />
Graceland, and Mahalia did 30 years ago, and realising that John<br />
has been writing and playing with Mr Hewerdine only made it<br />
more intriguing.<br />
Ahead of the album, John has released a single, ‘Blowing Me<br />
Kisses’, of which he says about recording it with Leigh Nash from<br />
Sixpence None <strong>The</strong> Richer,<br />
"It's a great moment when you get to have the singer of the<br />
mega hit "Kiss Me" sing your song and duet with you. She's a<br />
sweet, sweet woman. I almost had the nerve to ask her to finish<br />
the track with the line ..."so kiss me.." but I bottled out!”<br />
Find out more, I fully intend to.<br />
Facebook<br />
La Contessa Presents…<br />
A<br />
nd here we go again with another monster selection of<br />
all that was good and great from the last few decades<br />
from the beatified bonce of our very own La Contessa.<br />
This week sees her even further down memory lane with Amen<br />
Corner opening for us, before Robert Palmer takes over with<br />
aplomb. Billy Idol gives us his best plastic Punk impression<br />
before it gets all emotional Chez 452 as Beth Orton reminds us<br />
of when we were, if not quite young, at least about to give up on<br />
the free and the single *sigh*.<br />
Doves remind us why we are here before Lana Del Rey turns the<br />
world mean and moody shaped.<br />
Enjoy!
1960s: Amen Corner
1970s: Robert Palmer
1980s: Billy Idol
1990s: Beth Orton
2000s: Doves
2010s: Lana Del Rey