Good evening. Or if you're reading this tomorrow - press fast forward. I look better on high-speed. Welcome to the weekend and also welcome to a brand new feature on the blog. Today thegeneral is launching the "Sounds Like" series, which, hopefully over the coming months will burgeon into something that rivals either the NME, or the free local paper (you know the one, it comes with the adverts for takeaways and sanitary belts).
"Sounds Like" is going to be an occasional feature in which I interview a great singer/band/act and feature their latest releases. It's also hopefully going to be a chance to delve deep into their psyches and find out whether or not they secretly like Val Doonican or not.
I'm really starting in style with a fantastic act called Rainbow Reservoir - from Oxford. Rainbow Reservoir is the brainchild of extremely versatile singer and instrumentalist Angela Space. "400 Imperfect Rhymes" is the latest release and comes out on 14th July (this coming Monday). Before you go any further, hoik your lapels over to their bandcamp page and take a listen:
rainbowreservoir.bandcamp.com/
Now, come back and read my interview with the lovely Angela:
1.) Angela, congratulations on not only a wonderful new EP but on also having the dubious distinction of being my first interviewee on the blog. This is a momentous day indeed. I'd really like it if you could tell me a little bit about the new songs - there seems to be a real diverse mix of subject matter here, yet the tracks meld together beautifully...?
Very excited to be your first interview!
I read this thing that Andrew Bird once said about how
sometimes the only thread between some of his lyrics within songs is the fact
that he wrote them all. I like that.
Four of these songs were written all around the same time
during and after a trip to Germany. A trip to the Nibelungenlied museum
inspired "Siegfried! Oh, Siegfried!" and both "400 Imperfect Rhymes" and "City Bike" were written after a weekend in Berlin. I guess for me they all seem like
they fit together really well because they are all from a specific point in
time. I also liked the idea of having the Valkyrie and Judith together.
2.) You're described as a multi-instrumentalist (as oppose
to me, who is just a mentalist). Do you feel that that gives you more creative
freedom, or do you think it turns you into a much more "controlling"
musician?
Band bios make me laugh. The truth is I'm not the
greatest singer and an even worse guitarist. My creative freedom comes
from the fact that I don't think anyone is listening and even less people care.
And just so you know, I asked Oli, and he says no way am I controlling.
(Not sure if you can put an emoticon in an interview, but there would be
a smiley face there.) (note from thegeneral, it's my blog and of course you can have a smiley face - here it is :) )
3.) I found your first EP from 2012, "Love Me"
very emotionally moving. Those songs felt very personal indeed, yet you still
retained a wonderfully verbose and witty style. This really appeals to me - I
wondered if that was how you were in real life or whether you find it easier to
communicate in this way through your music?
I like your question, but I don't want to answer! I
don't know what I'm like. I think that is what I'm like around certain
people. Although in general I will say that more people tend to laugh at
the things I sing than the things I say even though I'm fairly certain I am
equally funny in both methods of communication.
4.) Oxford seems to have such a very diverse pool of musical
talent and I've been featuring a lot of acts from the area just recently - is
there something in the water?
For a town it's size Oxford has lots of people making music
and, probably even more important, it has lots of people willing to
listen.
5.) The EP is out on 14th July, could you tell my readers if
you've got any gigs planned to promote it and when and where they are?
We've got the EP launch gig at the Jericho, July 11 with
support from Tamara and Billy T'rivers. It's gonna be a great night.
We also are performing on the Charlbury Riverside Festival on July 27 and
at the Wheatsheaf on August 29.
6.) What's next for you?
Ageing and ultimately death. In the meantime we are
going to kick out the jams.
7.) Finally, a random one. You're holding a dinner party for
a select group of five people who have influenced your musical life. Who are
they? Why are they there - and will they like the cheeseboard?
I'd say the Ramones - Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, Tommy, plus
Michael Jackson. They are there to cook, clean, serve me drinks,
entertain me and make me laugh. I don't know about them, but I don't like cheese.
So you've read the interview, now please go and buy the EP. It's an absolute work of art and quite unlike anything else you'll hear all Summer time. I hope we get to hear more from Rainbow Reservoir soon and I'd like to thank Angela for her time and Seb from PindropPublicity for organising the interview in the first place.
If you've read this and you're in a band - and you think you'd like to be gently probed by me - thegeneral, then please contact me at thegeneralmusicblog@googlemail.com.
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