| Jackson MacIntosh — My Dark Side (March 2nd, 2018) |
Jackson MacIntosh — My Dark Side (March 2nd, 2018) 
• )↑Ξ→ Busy Montreal musician/producer known for running the Drones Club studio and fronting Sheer Agony, but also for his solo work. Jackson MacIntosh’s resume puts him near the epicenter of the recent explosion in fantastic music currently being forged in Montreal. He deploys the funky, percolating bass lines for indie pop outfit TOPS. He recorded and engineered the last two albums for labelmate Homeshake. He has collaborated with cherished LA weirdo Drugdealer, all in addition to fronting hooky power pop band Sheer Agony.
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh bude pro většinu cizí postavou, ale jeho životopis ho označuje za téměř epicentrum nedávné exploze fantasy~pop hudby, kterou v současné době sekají jako cvičky ve městě Montreal a vyvážejí po celém světě. Muzikant, nejvíce známý jako basák pro indie~rockerskou partičku TOPS a producent dvou posledních alb Homeshake, se nyní vydává na smrt jako sólový zpěvák a skladatel. Jeho poslední dárek Může to být láska je o nejistotě počínající romantiky. Jeho měkké popěvky jsou tak mdlobné, že zní jakoby pronášené napůl ze spánku; perkuse pochází z dětského bubínku, melodie je pouze několik světelných let vzdálená od kláves Timmyho Thomase; a dokonce i když celkem spartánská píseň končí v posledních 30 vteřinách kytarou, je to velmi příjemné sóličko. MacIntoshova touha a zmatek budou známé každému, kdo strávil nějaký ten čas na silnici. Může to být láska byla první skladba, kterou napsal pro své album My Dark Side a byla inspirována, jak to nedávno osvětlil, dilematem klasického muzikanta: tou bezčasovostí, když čekáte, co bude doma. Skladba zachycuje melancholickou touhu docela krásně: když jsi v Barceloně / já budu v Calgary..., zpívá žalostně. ... Nebudu sám, ale / pokud je tvůj telefon zapnutý, zavolám ti, přihlásím se a uvidím / kéž by i to mohla být láska. ... Ačkoli téma může být pro jeho romantické vyhlídky nešťastně zvoleno, MacIntoshova sólová kariéra je tím odšpuntována jako velmi slibný start. Napsal spoustu dalších písní, které nebyly ty správné pro band. Rozhodl se, že to celé změní v sóloalbum a výsledkem je My Dark Side. Klesá v něm do tlumených balad 70´, jak to důvěrně známe z alb Todda Rundgrena. Texty se vynořují z neotřelých asociací, které byly výsledkem dvou rozpadů v rozmezí tří let a aby tyto věci udržoval v jednoduchosti, MacIntosh se zde odhaluje jako velmi ryzí zpěvák~skladatel v klasickém smyslu. Album začíná souborem pomalých a smutných skladeb, provázejících svými bolestně~melancholické vokály a vytvářejících nálady pozdní noci, nářků utopených v nápoji, který se těžko polyká. To vše postavil kolem neúnavných bicích, u kterých se střídá Guillaume Ethier a Christian Simmons, elektrického Fender klavíru, občasných kytar, flétny Jane Penny a pomyslného hubertusu z reverbu. Písně vypadají jako malby graffiti umělců, pracujících obezřetně po nocích. Občas se mi zdá, že MacIntosh je příliš zdrcený na to, aby zlomil nerovné jho mezi touhou a reálem. Singl Může to být láska nastaví divadelní scénu perfektně, to ano. Čtvrtou píseň — I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To — pohání opět melancholický duch, s recitací textu na tonické primě a ukončením ocelově znějící miniaturkou. To všechno asi zasáhne emocionální dno lidí, co jsou schopni se zastavit. Občas přidává do mixu nějakou robustnější kytaru a šumění synthů, protože tempa se táhnou jako ústí řeky a MacIntosh je příliš osamocen, aby dokonce zpíval. Jako celek to zní úžasně, po tomto zdánlivém hudebním sebevražedném dopise, album trochu otáčí svou tvář zpátky k životu s lyricky ponurým, ale hudebně pulzujícím skvostem (Peter Pan). Trochu slunečního světla pronikne skrz trhliny v záclonách a další skvost Pretty Clear (feat. Ellise Barbara) obsahuje skutečné tempo, které určuje bublající basová linka a rychlejší vokály; pak následuje pár téměř veselých skladeb, ale Jackson není v žádném případě šťastný — tmavošina uvnitř MacIntoshe je až příliš určující — píseň je koketním popíkem rockera, který se cítí jako rozmázlá šmouha na zdi. Album končí velmi hezky, téměř baladicky. Posluchači dává poslední příležitost obdivovat jeho příjemně zdrženlivý zpěvný styl a jeho ověřený způsob, jak přinášet melancholii v jednoduchém hávu, aby album nemuselo mít hlučnost Sheer Agony, ale zase s tou hloubkou, na kterou Jackson vždy sází. A kdyby My Dark Side vyšla třeba v roce 1972, lidé by o ní mluvili, jako o nejlepší práci anglické formace Andwella, Todda Rundgrena nebo Harry Nillsona. My Dark Side je stejně konfesionální jako neformální: sbírka písniček, která se vynořila z nutnosti.
Location: Montreal, Québec
Recording Location: The Drones Club, Montreal
Styles: Alternative Singer~Songwriter, New Wave/Indie Rock, Indie Rock
Album release: 2 Mar 2018
Record Label: Sinderlyn
Duration: 26:32
Tracks:
01. Can It Be Love 2:41
02. Lulu 4:52
03. In the Grass 1:27
04. I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To 1:45
05. My Dark Side 3:08
06. Peter Pan 2:19
07. Pretty Clear feat. Ellise Barbara 3:27
08. Quotation 1:55
09. Cant Stop Holding On 2:27
10. When to Turn the Lights Back On 2:31
Written by:
• Jackson MacIntosh 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
• Ellise Barbara 7
• Martin Newell 9
Similar artists: The Zombies, Richard Hawley, Todd Rundgren, H. Hawkline, Angel Olsen, Kevin Morby
Credits:
• Ellise Barbara Composer, Featured Artist, Vocals (Background)
• Guillaume Ethier Drums
• Jackson MacIntosh Primary Artist, Vocals
• Martin Newell Composer
• Jane Penny Flute
• Tess Roby Cover Photo
• Christian Simmons Drums
• Peter Woodford Arranger
Description:
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh will be an alien figure to most, but his resume pinpoints him as near the epicenter of the recent explosion in fantastic pop music currently being forged in the city of Montreal and exported the world over. He spent 2016 deploying funky, percolating bass lines on the road for indie pop outfit TOPS. He recorded and engineered the last two albums for labelmate Homeshake at his now~defunct home Montreal studio and venue, Drones Club. He has collaborated with cherished LA weirdo Drugdealer as well as Montreal’s Bernardino Femminielli, all in addition to fronting the masterfully hooky power pop band Sheer Agony. Such is the man’s work ethic that, when catching up with MacIntosh, the question that inevitably springs to your lips is: so what are you working on next?
• )↑Ξ→ And so it is that Sinderlyn is proud to introduce listeners to My Dark Side, the debut solo album from Jackson MacIntosh. Recorded over three years and two break~ups, My Dark Side is as confessional as it is casual: a collection of songs that oozed out of necessity.
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ****
• )↑Ξ→ With his band Sheer Agony’s 2016 debut album, Masterpiece, Jackson MacIntosh helped create one of the finest power~pop~meets~new~wave~meets~heartbreak~ballads records since the ‘70s heyday of the sound. While working on another Sheer Agony record in his Drones Clubs studio — where he recorded bands like Homeshake and TOPS — MacIntosh ended up writing a batch of songs that weren’t quite right for the band. He decided to turn them into an album, and 2018’s My Dark Side is the result. Digging into subdued ‘70s ballads like one might hear on a Todd Rundgren or Harry Nilsson record, dishing out heartbroken lyrics that were the result of two breakups in the span of three years, and keeping things sparse and simple, MacIntosh reveals himself as a very credible singer/songwriter in the classic sense. The record begins with a suite of slow, sad songs that showcase his aching, melancholy vocals and create a late~night, crying~in~a-drink mood that’s hard to shake. Built around clunky drum machines, electric pianos, occasional guitars, and a thick coat of reverb, the songs come off like bedroom Memphis soul at times, only MacIntosh seems far too bummed to break a soulful sweat. The opening “Can It Be Love” sets the stage perfectly, then “I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To” drives the melancholy nail in further with some seriously downtrodden lyrics and steely guitar licks. It all hits rock bottom emotionally with the title track, which adds some rugged guitar and sweeping synths to the mix as the tempo drags the bottom of the river and MacIntosh is too out of it to even sing. Amazingly, after this seeming musical suicide note, the album perks back up a little with the lyrically bleak but musically pulsing “Peter Pan.” A little bit of sunlight enters through a crack in the curtains after that as the next track, “Pretty Clear,’ features an actual tempo that goes past slow, a bouncing bassline, and a snappy vocal, then a couple of almost cheerful songs follow. “Can’t Stop Holding On” isn’t happy by any means — the gloom inside MacIntosh is too strong for that — but the song is a jangling pop/rocker that feels like a smudged take on a song from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. After that burst of energy, the album ends with a very pretty, almost a cappella ballad that gives the listener one last chance to admire his pleasingly restrained singing style and his sure~handed way of delivering melancholy in an easy~to~swallow pill. The album may not have the punch and pizzazz of his work with Sheer Agony, but it has a depth that band only hints at, and if My Dark Side had come out in 1972 or so, people would be talking about it the way they talk about Todd or Harry’s best work.
Review
by Calum Marsh, Feb. 7, 2018
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh might be in love — he just can’t quite tell. The Montreal musician, best known as the bassist for the indie rockers TOPS, is now launching himself as a solo singer~songwriter, and his latest track, “Can It Be Love,” is all about the uncertainty of a budding romance. MacIntosh’s downtempo pop is a far cry from MacIntosh’s work with TOPS: His soft croon is so languid he sounds half~asleep; percussion comes courtesy of a tinny drum machine, the melody a few light splashes of keyboard; and even when the spartan song adds a flourish of guitar in its last 30 seconds, it’s in the form of a very leisurely solo.
• )↑Ξ→ MacIntosh’s yearning and confusion will be familiar to anyone who’s spent time on the road. “Can It Be Love” was the last song he wrote for his forthcoming album, My Dark Side, and it was inspired, he recently explained, by that “classic musician’s dilemma” of having to be absent when what you want is waiting at home. The song captures that melancholic longing quite beautifully: “When you’re in Barcelona/I’ll be in Calgary” he sings, plaintively. “I won’t be alone but/If your phone’s on I’ll call you and check in and see/If it could be love.” Though it may be unfortunate for his romantic prospects, MacIntosh’s solo career is off to a very promising start. • )↑Ξ→ https://pitchfork.com/
Interview
Posted by Keira Brown | 25 January 2018 |
↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh, who was the producer of the last two Homeshake albums, and collaborator with the likes of TOPS and Sheer Agony is releasing his own record, My Dark Side, out on Sinderlyn on 23rd February.
↑Ξ→ Jackson spoke with The Fountain about his favourite gig in gay Paris, the strong Pink Floyd influences on this new album and his Scottish connections.
TF: Are you excited about the release of your new record, My Dark Side?
↑Ξ→ I am, yes. I appreciate that someone out there is willing to put it out, and that I get to perform the songs live now. It’s a record I sort of made by accident while working on other things and so it’s been exciting to watch this thing I made with no expectations take on a life of its own.
TF: And which Dark Side are you referring to with this title, where did the title inspiration come from?
↑Ξ→ I am referring to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, of course, but also the darker side of my own psyche. The dark corners that the bats fly out of. I thought of the title before I started recording the record and it really influenced the direction I took with the songs and the sound. The title track is really just a Pink Floyd rip off that I made in order to justify using the title.
TF: I know you are based over in Canada but will we have the pleasure of seeing you hit Scotland soon?
↑Ξ→ I actually played at Broadcast in Glasgow about a month and a half ago opening for TOPS! I’m not sure when I’ll be back but I love Scotland and would come back at the drop of a hat if an opportunity presented itself. I’m from Nova Scotia in Canada, and there’s a lot of Scottish culture and music around there, so Scotland feels pretty uncannily like Home to me. There was always one kid on every block who was learning how to play the bagpipes, and Scottish people understand the pain of hearing a young person practice the bagpipes.
TF: And what was it like working with the likes of Homeshake?
↑Ξ→ Peter is a real treat to record with — he comes in with fully fleshed out song ideas, synth and drum sounds and has most of the parts written already, and he’s such a talented player and arranger that it comes together really quickly and easily. He’s such a good all~around musician — people don’t realize what an incredible drummer and bass player he is. He’s also really, really funny. We recorded the last two Homeshake records in the middle of the winter in my frigid studio in Montreal, so a lot of the time we’d be straddling space heaters wearing our jackets and drinking endless cups of tea. So, um, I guess in summary, unglamourous (my fault), but fun.
TF: What has been your favourite gig to date?
↑Ξ→ Oooh, there have been a lot. I just played the first solo headlining show of my life at Zebulon in LA and that felt really good. I played a really fun show with Ellise Barbara (who also sings on my record) on Halloween at the Moulin Rouge in Paris four or five years ago and that one really sticks out for me. It was part of a huge queer party and there were go go dancer boys painted all red shimmying at the front of the stage for a while. The champagne was a~flowing. A beautiful night. My flight home was at 9am the next morning and that was not a beautiful flight. ↑Ξ→ https://thefountain.eu/
Label: http://www.sinderlyn.com/
_____________________________________________________________
| Jackson MacIntosh — My Dark Side (2 Mar 2018) |
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh bude pro většinu cizí postavou, ale jeho životopis ho označuje za téměř epicentrum nedávné exploze fantasy~pop hudby, kterou v současné době sekají jako cvičky ve městě Montreal a vyvážejí po celém světě. Muzikant, nejvíce známý jako basák pro indie~rockerskou partičku TOPS a producent dvou posledních alb Homeshake, se nyní vydává na smrt jako sólový zpěvák a skladatel. Jeho poslední dárek Může to být láska je o nejistotě počínající romantiky. Jeho měkké popěvky jsou tak mdlobné, že zní jakoby pronášené napůl ze spánku; perkuse pochází z dětského bubínku, melodie je pouze několik světelných let vzdálená od kláves Timmyho Thomase; a dokonce i když celkem spartánská píseň končí v posledních 30 vteřinách kytarou, je to velmi příjemné sóličko. MacIntoshova touha a zmatek budou známé každému, kdo strávil nějaký ten čas na silnici. Může to být láska byla první skladba, kterou napsal pro své album My Dark Side a byla inspirována, jak to nedávno osvětlil, dilematem klasického muzikanta: tou bezčasovostí, když čekáte, co bude doma. Skladba zachycuje melancholickou touhu docela krásně: když jsi v Barceloně / já budu v Calgary..., zpívá žalostně. ... Nebudu sám, ale / pokud je tvůj telefon zapnutý, zavolám ti, přihlásím se a uvidím / kéž by i to mohla být láska. ... Ačkoli téma může být pro jeho romantické vyhlídky nešťastně zvoleno, MacIntoshova sólová kariéra je tím odšpuntována jako velmi slibný start. Napsal spoustu dalších písní, které nebyly ty správné pro band. Rozhodl se, že to celé změní v sóloalbum a výsledkem je My Dark Side. Klesá v něm do tlumených balad 70´, jak to důvěrně známe z alb Todda Rundgrena. Texty se vynořují z neotřelých asociací, které byly výsledkem dvou rozpadů v rozmezí tří let a aby tyto věci udržoval v jednoduchosti, MacIntosh se zde odhaluje jako velmi ryzí zpěvák~skladatel v klasickém smyslu. Album začíná souborem pomalých a smutných skladeb, provázejících svými bolestně~melancholické vokály a vytvářejících nálady pozdní noci, nářků utopených v nápoji, který se těžko polyká. To vše postavil kolem neúnavných bicích, u kterých se střídá Guillaume Ethier a Christian Simmons, elektrického Fender klavíru, občasných kytar, flétny Jane Penny a pomyslného hubertusu z reverbu. Písně vypadají jako malby graffiti umělců, pracujících obezřetně po nocích. Občas se mi zdá, že MacIntosh je příliš zdrcený na to, aby zlomil nerovné jho mezi touhou a reálem. Singl Může to být láska nastaví divadelní scénu perfektně, to ano. Čtvrtou píseň — I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To — pohání opět melancholický duch, s recitací textu na tonické primě a ukončením ocelově znějící miniaturkou. To všechno asi zasáhne emocionální dno lidí, co jsou schopni se zastavit. Občas přidává do mixu nějakou robustnější kytaru a šumění synthů, protože tempa se táhnou jako ústí řeky a MacIntosh je příliš osamocen, aby dokonce zpíval. Jako celek to zní úžasně, po tomto zdánlivém hudebním sebevražedném dopise, album trochu otáčí svou tvář zpátky k životu s lyricky ponurým, ale hudebně pulzujícím skvostem (Peter Pan). Trochu slunečního světla pronikne skrz trhliny v záclonách a další skvost Pretty Clear (feat. Ellise Barbara) obsahuje skutečné tempo, které určuje bublající basová linka a rychlejší vokály; pak následuje pár téměř veselých skladeb, ale Jackson není v žádném případě šťastný — tmavošina uvnitř MacIntoshe je až příliš určující — píseň je koketním popíkem rockera, který se cítí jako rozmázlá šmouha na zdi. Album končí velmi hezky, téměř baladicky. Posluchači dává poslední příležitost obdivovat jeho příjemně zdrženlivý zpěvný styl a jeho ověřený způsob, jak přinášet melancholii v jednoduchém hávu, aby album nemuselo mít hlučnost Sheer Agony, ale zase s tou hloubkou, na kterou Jackson vždy sází. A kdyby My Dark Side vyšla třeba v roce 1972, lidé by o ní mluvili, jako o nejlepší práci anglické formace Andwella, Todda Rundgrena nebo Harry Nillsona. My Dark Side je stejně konfesionální jako neformální: sbírka písniček, která se vynořila z nutnosti.
Location: Montreal, Québec
Recording Location: The Drones Club, Montreal
Styles: Alternative Singer~Songwriter, New Wave/Indie Rock, Indie Rock
Album release: 2 Mar 2018
Record Label: Sinderlyn
Duration: 26:32
Tracks:
01. Can It Be Love 2:41
02. Lulu 4:52
03. In the Grass 1:27
04. I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To 1:45
05. My Dark Side 3:08
06. Peter Pan 2:19
07. Pretty Clear feat. Ellise Barbara 3:27
08. Quotation 1:55
09. Cant Stop Holding On 2:27
10. When to Turn the Lights Back On 2:31
Written by:
• Jackson MacIntosh 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
• Ellise Barbara 7
• Martin Newell 9
Similar artists: The Zombies, Richard Hawley, Todd Rundgren, H. Hawkline, Angel Olsen, Kevin Morby
Credits:
• Ellise Barbara Composer, Featured Artist, Vocals (Background)
• Guillaume Ethier Drums
• Jackson MacIntosh Primary Artist, Vocals
• Martin Newell Composer
• Jane Penny Flute
• Tess Roby Cover Photo
• Christian Simmons Drums
• Peter Woodford Arranger
Description:
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh will be an alien figure to most, but his resume pinpoints him as near the epicenter of the recent explosion in fantastic pop music currently being forged in the city of Montreal and exported the world over. He spent 2016 deploying funky, percolating bass lines on the road for indie pop outfit TOPS. He recorded and engineered the last two albums for labelmate Homeshake at his now~defunct home Montreal studio and venue, Drones Club. He has collaborated with cherished LA weirdo Drugdealer as well as Montreal’s Bernardino Femminielli, all in addition to fronting the masterfully hooky power pop band Sheer Agony. Such is the man’s work ethic that, when catching up with MacIntosh, the question that inevitably springs to your lips is: so what are you working on next?
• )↑Ξ→ And so it is that Sinderlyn is proud to introduce listeners to My Dark Side, the debut solo album from Jackson MacIntosh. Recorded over three years and two break~ups, My Dark Side is as confessional as it is casual: a collection of songs that oozed out of necessity.
AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra; Score: ****
• )↑Ξ→ With his band Sheer Agony’s 2016 debut album, Masterpiece, Jackson MacIntosh helped create one of the finest power~pop~meets~new~wave~meets~heartbreak~ballads records since the ‘70s heyday of the sound. While working on another Sheer Agony record in his Drones Clubs studio — where he recorded bands like Homeshake and TOPS — MacIntosh ended up writing a batch of songs that weren’t quite right for the band. He decided to turn them into an album, and 2018’s My Dark Side is the result. Digging into subdued ‘70s ballads like one might hear on a Todd Rundgren or Harry Nilsson record, dishing out heartbroken lyrics that were the result of two breakups in the span of three years, and keeping things sparse and simple, MacIntosh reveals himself as a very credible singer/songwriter in the classic sense. The record begins with a suite of slow, sad songs that showcase his aching, melancholy vocals and create a late~night, crying~in~a-drink mood that’s hard to shake. Built around clunky drum machines, electric pianos, occasional guitars, and a thick coat of reverb, the songs come off like bedroom Memphis soul at times, only MacIntosh seems far too bummed to break a soulful sweat. The opening “Can It Be Love” sets the stage perfectly, then “I Wish I Could Feel Like I Used To” drives the melancholy nail in further with some seriously downtrodden lyrics and steely guitar licks. It all hits rock bottom emotionally with the title track, which adds some rugged guitar and sweeping synths to the mix as the tempo drags the bottom of the river and MacIntosh is too out of it to even sing. Amazingly, after this seeming musical suicide note, the album perks back up a little with the lyrically bleak but musically pulsing “Peter Pan.” A little bit of sunlight enters through a crack in the curtains after that as the next track, “Pretty Clear,’ features an actual tempo that goes past slow, a bouncing bassline, and a snappy vocal, then a couple of almost cheerful songs follow. “Can’t Stop Holding On” isn’t happy by any means — the gloom inside MacIntosh is too strong for that — but the song is a jangling pop/rocker that feels like a smudged take on a song from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. After that burst of energy, the album ends with a very pretty, almost a cappella ballad that gives the listener one last chance to admire his pleasingly restrained singing style and his sure~handed way of delivering melancholy in an easy~to~swallow pill. The album may not have the punch and pizzazz of his work with Sheer Agony, but it has a depth that band only hints at, and if My Dark Side had come out in 1972 or so, people would be talking about it the way they talk about Todd or Harry’s best work.
Review
by Calum Marsh, Feb. 7, 2018
• )↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh might be in love — he just can’t quite tell. The Montreal musician, best known as the bassist for the indie rockers TOPS, is now launching himself as a solo singer~songwriter, and his latest track, “Can It Be Love,” is all about the uncertainty of a budding romance. MacIntosh’s downtempo pop is a far cry from MacIntosh’s work with TOPS: His soft croon is so languid he sounds half~asleep; percussion comes courtesy of a tinny drum machine, the melody a few light splashes of keyboard; and even when the spartan song adds a flourish of guitar in its last 30 seconds, it’s in the form of a very leisurely solo.
• )↑Ξ→ MacIntosh’s yearning and confusion will be familiar to anyone who’s spent time on the road. “Can It Be Love” was the last song he wrote for his forthcoming album, My Dark Side, and it was inspired, he recently explained, by that “classic musician’s dilemma” of having to be absent when what you want is waiting at home. The song captures that melancholic longing quite beautifully: “When you’re in Barcelona/I’ll be in Calgary” he sings, plaintively. “I won’t be alone but/If your phone’s on I’ll call you and check in and see/If it could be love.” Though it may be unfortunate for his romantic prospects, MacIntosh’s solo career is off to a very promising start. • )↑Ξ→ https://pitchfork.com/
Interview
Posted by Keira Brown | 25 January 2018 |
↑Ξ→ Jackson MacIntosh, who was the producer of the last two Homeshake albums, and collaborator with the likes of TOPS and Sheer Agony is releasing his own record, My Dark Side, out on Sinderlyn on 23rd February.
↑Ξ→ Jackson spoke with The Fountain about his favourite gig in gay Paris, the strong Pink Floyd influences on this new album and his Scottish connections.
TF: Are you excited about the release of your new record, My Dark Side?
↑Ξ→ I am, yes. I appreciate that someone out there is willing to put it out, and that I get to perform the songs live now. It’s a record I sort of made by accident while working on other things and so it’s been exciting to watch this thing I made with no expectations take on a life of its own.
TF: And which Dark Side are you referring to with this title, where did the title inspiration come from?
↑Ξ→ I am referring to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon, of course, but also the darker side of my own psyche. The dark corners that the bats fly out of. I thought of the title before I started recording the record and it really influenced the direction I took with the songs and the sound. The title track is really just a Pink Floyd rip off that I made in order to justify using the title.
TF: I know you are based over in Canada but will we have the pleasure of seeing you hit Scotland soon?
↑Ξ→ I actually played at Broadcast in Glasgow about a month and a half ago opening for TOPS! I’m not sure when I’ll be back but I love Scotland and would come back at the drop of a hat if an opportunity presented itself. I’m from Nova Scotia in Canada, and there’s a lot of Scottish culture and music around there, so Scotland feels pretty uncannily like Home to me. There was always one kid on every block who was learning how to play the bagpipes, and Scottish people understand the pain of hearing a young person practice the bagpipes.
TF: And what was it like working with the likes of Homeshake?
↑Ξ→ Peter is a real treat to record with — he comes in with fully fleshed out song ideas, synth and drum sounds and has most of the parts written already, and he’s such a talented player and arranger that it comes together really quickly and easily. He’s such a good all~around musician — people don’t realize what an incredible drummer and bass player he is. He’s also really, really funny. We recorded the last two Homeshake records in the middle of the winter in my frigid studio in Montreal, so a lot of the time we’d be straddling space heaters wearing our jackets and drinking endless cups of tea. So, um, I guess in summary, unglamourous (my fault), but fun.
TF: What has been your favourite gig to date?
↑Ξ→ Oooh, there have been a lot. I just played the first solo headlining show of my life at Zebulon in LA and that felt really good. I played a really fun show with Ellise Barbara (who also sings on my record) on Halloween at the Moulin Rouge in Paris four or five years ago and that one really sticks out for me. It was part of a huge queer party and there were go go dancer boys painted all red shimmying at the front of the stage for a while. The champagne was a~flowing. A beautiful night. My flight home was at 9am the next morning and that was not a beautiful flight. ↑Ξ→ https://thefountain.eu/
Label: http://www.sinderlyn.com/
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