Moby Meets New Order By BERNARD SUMNER
This month the influential British pop band New Order will release "Waiting for the Siren's Call," its eighth studio album since it formed 25 years ago in Manchester, England. Speaking with Joel Topcik recently, the band's lead singer and guitarist, Bernard Sumner, discussed what he's listening to and why.
Tom Vek
Tom Vek is a new artist, very British, sort of Thomas Dolby meets the Rapture, angular but with some soul. His album "We Have Sound" (Tummy Touch) sounds quite homemade, but I think that adds to the charm. There's definitely an 80's ethic underpinning the sound; his voice reminds you of that era. It's about conveying the song and not worrying about whether you sound like a "proper" singer. "I Ain't Saying My Goodbyes" is a pounding little track. I can see it being huge - it definitely deserves to be.
The Chemical Brothers
I like anything by the Chemical Brothers, really. They make music in a very unusual way, not with chords and melodies but with soundscapes and pure noise. I did a track with them called "Out of Control" - they sent me the basic track to write a vocal on. Their new album, "Push the Button" (Astralwerks), just came out in January, and "Galvanize" is my favorite track. I remember going to see them in Manchester - it was a packed house - and I was thinking, how are two guys going to make an exciting show just basically twiddling knobs? But it was brilliant.
Charlotte Hatherly
I've known Charlotte as the very talented, very sultry, very sexy guitarist from Ash since we played a few songs with them during the "Get Ready" tour, but I'd never been aware of her solo songwriting abilities. She released her debut solo album, "Grey Will Fade" (Double Dragon), last autumn. The song "Bastardo" has been stuck in my head ever since I saw the video; it reminds me of all that's great about the acts she claims as her influences: XTC, Bowie, the Pixies, Blondie. The knee-jerk girls-with-guitars comparisons to P. J. Harvey, Elastica and the Breeders are understandable, but "Bastardo" shows a pithier set of production values and a killer hook.
The Doves
Rob Gretton, who was New Order's manager before he died several years ago, put the Doves on his label, Rob's Records. The guys in the Doves are very good friends of mine, and I admire them greatly. My favorite of their songs is "M62 Song" from their new album, "Some Cities" (Capitol), which just went to No. 1 here in the U.K. The M62 is a highway in Manchester, and the song's got a really beautiful melody that's almost - dare I say - it's almost Beatles-like.
Moby
He just recorded a version of New Order's song "Temptation" for his new album, "Hotel" (V2/BMG), which he sent us for approval. The original is an up-tempo, almost danceable track, but it's got a really emotive quality to the lyrics. (Don't ask me what they're about; it's been so long.) I think it's one of our best songs live, and I'd go so far as to say it's my favorite New Order track of all time. I'm really glad Moby did a version of it. He slowed the track down and stripped it to its basic elements, and I think it really works. It displays the words and the melody in all their wonderful nakedness.
Graham Coxon
I've been listening to "Freakin' Out," by Graham Coxon from Blur. He's doing his solo stuff, and this is from his new album, "Happiness in Magazines" (Astralwerks). It's got a real punky quality to it - punk energy without the shouting - and it has a fantastic guitar solo. It's also wonderfully catchy: you only need to hear it four times and you'll never forget it the rest of your life. It doesn't sound like Blur. It sounds like Graham. There's a quiet confidence in the performance.
Kano and the Streets
I don't listen to a lot of hip-hop, but every now and again something grabs me, works its way into my head. Kano's single "Typical Me" (679 Recordings) is gritty, grimmer you might say than a lot of what you hear, but I think that's part of the appeal. A lot of British rap tries to remove itself from wherever it came from. I like the fact that the Streets does U.K. rap that isn't trying to be like U.S. rap. His songs are these kitchen-sink dramas about day-to-day life events. They're not about, you know, being down in the 'hood; they're about going down to the video shop to hire a video and my girlfriend hadn't taken the video in so I owed $50 and on and on. In the same way, Kano sounds quite comfortable being a London boy. No shame in that.
Doves are class!
Lost Souls is a classic, The Last Broadcast is their most "commercially acceptable whilst still remaining extremely potent" album, and Some Cities took a while to dawn on me beyond "Black And White Town", but is obviously very well crafted too. Walk In Fire, Shadows of Salford and Snowden are never off my MP3 playlist these days. Other than that, Doves are simply nice guys who actually give a fuck about both their music AND their fans, which is extremely rare in this day and age. They deserve all the support they can get.
Was disappointed they'd ditched Spaceface from the encore (we got Here It Comes) but I suppose they wanted to make room for new stuff in the set. Was a cracking tune when I saw them on The Last Broadcast tour, had the crowd going mental. Hope they come back up north soon.
lets remember we are reading some one else's interpretation of the interview he might have been misquoted! or he could be on the slippery slope of old age.
