7 October 2008 :: did you hear Harper likes kittens? it's true

:: Interview /⊙ Features Home

So an indie rock reviewer and an indie rock frontman meet up for an interview and dicuss... indie rock. CMG's lone British scribe, Alan Baban, recently got the chance to talk music with Josh Grier: his favorite records, his biggest letdowns, and even a little about his own band, Tapes 'n Tapes.

If you're looking for more info on the band's excellent debut, read CMG's review, then read below to get a glimpse into the influences, and one of the personalities, behind it.

==

CMG's Alan Baban (CMG): Have there been any instances where you’ve been deflated by an artist blowing their whole credos on one megaflop record?
Josh Grier (JG): The Green Album is definitely eclipsing everything else right now.
CMG: I remember hearing it for the first time and just feeling so deflated at how one of, what I considered, to be the best pure pop bands in the world could put out, well, something so bland.
JG: The Spaghetti Incident definitely was a bit of a let down but by the end of Use Your Illusion II... I guess it wasn't too much of a surprise.

CMG: What do you think makes all these great bands suddenly just turn out a whole load of crap? Major labels? Larger audiences? Scott Shriner?
JG: I'm not sure... it's always been a great mystery to me. I think that listening too much to what people say about your music can definitely screw up the delicate balance. I think bands start to anticipate what people want to hear, and then everything can kind of go to shit, you know?

CMG: Yeah, that's what struck me about The Loon. Although we're working, at face value, in fairly conventional indie pop parameters, there's some crazy stuff going down there. Most of it is just really inspired and unpretentious, which is refreshing, to say the least. You’re on an indie label now, right?
JG: Thanks, we actually self-released the record under our own little "fake" label, ibid records.

CMG: Awesome, it seems to be picking up a lot of press now, though. I know we had our review go up a while back on CMG, and Pitchfork seems to be sending out the fishing nets, too.
JG: Yeah, it's all really exciting and a bit overwhelming, at times. Everything’s been happening really fast the last few months. I mean, we just released the album locally in November, so all this stuff is pretty amazing for us. For a band with very modest aspirations, I think I can truthfully say that the last month has far exceeded all of them.

CMG: You're lucky though, in that, although there's certainly been lots of word of mouth via blogs etc., I wouldn't say we've approached DEFCON 1 just yet. I think it's because the online community you're breaking all over is very close-knit, and we're pretty much all past the "Holy Crap!!! The New Arcade Fire/CYH/Wolf Parade/Voxtrot" bull. I think that's the NME's rag now. What’s your take on this mid-millennial burst in commercial indie?
JG: I'm digging it. The music scene right now is so much more exciting for than, say, 5 years ago.
CMG: Really? There's evidently certain bands that appear to be acknowledging and transcending their influences, but on the other hand, there's others who seem to directly copycat them, or worse, rip new acts, like Editors and Interpol. Well, at least the whole rap metal scene is done and dusted.
JG: Yeah, as much as I’m sure we all loved the Kid Rock/Korn days...

CMG: Listen to any rap?
JG: Definitely. I'm more into the early ‘90s Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg scene than a lot of the newer stuff, but Mos Def and Madvillain are great.
CMG: Have you heard Edan's Beauty & the Beat?
JG: Not yet, but I've heard about it, and I think I need to hear it. I think our bass player might have it, so I have to bug him to borrow it.
CMG: I'd recommend it, especially if you're into your late '60s/early '70s psyche. Do you have a favourite personal era?
JG: I think my favorite personal era depends on the day of the week. It totally depends on the mood I'm in. Sometimes it's late '70s punk, then it's mid '90s, then it's late '60s. The top 5 records is equally difficult...I think I'd have to do a top 20 to make sure not to forget anything...

CMG: There's some bands, don't you agree, where you listen to a song, or whatever, and it totally lifts your spirits, and you end up exploring solely their back catalogue for weeks on end. I’m thinking Pixies here, specifically...
JG: Definitely... that's totally how I got into Pixies.
CMG: ”Debaser?”
JG: Yup. It always has to be "Debaser."
CMG: I know! There's one guy I know, though, who tried to argue that "Debaser" is a poor song, something along the lines of "It never explodes" or "where’s the fist-pumping chorus." I can’t comprehend that guy’s thought process. He also likes Mcfly. There was a point where I couldn’t take anybody's opinion on music seriously if they didn’t think "Debaser" was brilliant.
JG: My old room mate (who I started the band with, but has since moved on to grad-school) never "got" the Pixies... it was a sore point.

Some top records: Wire's Chairs Missing, Radiohead's Kid A, Neutral Milk Hotel's Aeroplane over the Sea, Silver Jews’ American Water...

CMG: Chairs Missing over Pink Flag?
JG: Yeah, it's a tough call, but I think that Chairs Missing was such a huge step forward in such a short amount of time...and it was the melding of new-wave and punk... I still love Pink Flag.

CMG: The Silver Jews are such an underrated presence on the whole early '90s indie rock movement, and they continue to flourish.
JG: Tanglewood Numbers was one of my favourite records last year. David Berman is a great songwriter.

CMG: So what do you think is more important in the writing of songs, the music or the lyrics (old debate, I know).
JG: Music, and lyrics that don’t detract from it. That’s why I think Dylan and Berman are so amazing, because they have great music and great lyrics – the double threat.
CMG: It also helps if you’ve got Malkmus on guitar, too. Well, sometimes, at least.
JG: Yeah, it’s a little unfair, isn’t it.
CMG: His playing on American Water is just ridiculous.
JG: It perfectly fits the album.

CMG: Looking forward to any new records this year?
JG: There are so many… Outkast, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Built to Spill...
CMG: Radiohead!
JG: Definitely Futureheads, and of course Radiohead.
CMG: I think there’s some sort of competition among the CMG staff where the winner gets to review the new Radiohead.
JG: Really? Can I enter?
CMG: Ha! I was too scared to enter. Reviewing Radiohead is a daunting task -- it took me a few months at least to get to grips with Kid A.
JG: I think I am still hearing something new every time I listen to Kid A... and I've probably listened to it at least a couple hundred times. It’s an amazing record.

CMG: Are we to expect some similar ‘what?!!’ moments from Tapes n’Tapes in the near future?
JG: I sure hope so... I think that's one of the best things about music. So, if we're able to do that, then I think we're being successful.

CMG: Well, Josh, I wish you the best, it certainly looks promising at the moment
JG: Thanks Alan, it was great talking to you. Thanks for a great interview/music chat.

:: All content © CMG 2003-2008 | :: About | :: Staff | :: Contact | :: Advertise | :: Promos | :: Donate | :: Apply                                                     powered by Textpattern | hosted by (mt) Media Temple