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Cloud Control - Up n Coming
Delving into the world of another stunning up n coming band, Bassist Jeremy Kelshaw answers Subba’s questions
The next single from The Passport Label is the brilliantly uplifting Gold Canary by Cloud Control. Hailed as one of the most promising new bands in Australia after winning the Best New Artist prize at the Sydney Music, Arts and Culture Awards, Cloud Control have just finished recording their debut album which will be released by Ivy League Records (The Vines, Josh Pyke, Youth Group) in their home country, early 2010. With tribal chants travelling alongside steady percussion and then exploding with a cosmic breakdown, Gold Canary sounds a bit like David Byrne and Fela Kuti holding hands in space! The b-side Vintage Books draws on inspiration from the great melody makers of our time, with inventive pop melodies and old-time girl/boy harmonies from an era when pop music was pure and, well, just made you smile. Hailing from the picturesque Blue Mountains near Sydney, the band formed after performing together in the play The Pirates of Penzance. Made up of Alister Wright (guitar/lead vocals), Jeremy Kelshaw (bass) and siblings Heidi Lenffer (keyboards/vocals) and Ulrich Lenffer (drums) they honed their sound when they recorded their first self-titled 6-track EP in 2007. Using all analog recording equipment gave each track a natural feel, harking back to a golden age of music. To record their debut full-length release, the band holed up in the mountains of Australia’s Megalong Valley. Wright says of the experience: “The Valley is an isolated place, nice to work in. There’s no town nearby, just properties. It can be inspirational.” Cloud Control have already ventured to the shores of the UK, playing Brighton’s Great Escape in early 2009. Let’s hope they’ll be back soon for a full tour so that we can hear their stunning, original-yet-familiar sounds, live on stage. For now, sit back and enjoy Gold Canary, kicking off 2010 with what will no doubt be one of the catchiest, most enjoyable singles of the year.
How are you?
ready to unleash…
Where does this Q&A find you?
dry inside whilst it’s stormy outside.
How did the recording sessions for your new release go?
we’ve taken our time and it’s been enjoyable. we are about to have a final session before handing it all over to our label. then, sleep…
What goals did you set yourself before you started recording? Did you do anything differently this time, on purpose? why?
hmmmm goals… we don’t really subscribe to any goal setting ethos, maybe we should but it has been working for us so far. the recording process for the album has been pretty similar to the ep recording sessions; relaxed home vibes was the aim.
What do you feel are your own limitations when it comes to creating/writing music?
we don’t really have a set song writing method and we often wade through a lot of material before finding keepers so that can be hard cause you need endurance! but, when we write something we love then our exhaustion is replenished and you can’t wait to play it live.
Tell us 3 of your favourite songs from your career and the inspiration behind them?
career sounds ominous… plus i’m not the lyricist but it would appear that a lot of inspiration comes from girls, gold canary & vintage books specifically.
non related to girls? hmmmm, here it goes…
buffalo country originates from an old shirt alister’s grandpa used to wear. the picture was self explanatory.
death cloud emanates from impending doom and world expiration.
i’m sure alister would vigilantly disagree with these terse assessments.
What do you love and what do you hate about life on the road? Tell us your funniest tour experience yet?
love = playing shows, eating out, late nights, air travel.
hate = playing shows, eating out, late nights, air travel
it is clearly a love hate relationship, like all good…
i recently plugged the wrong house number into the gps to find our mystery accommodation which resulted in alister and me jumping a 5 foot arrow head fence at 3am, and attempting to break into a stranger’s house for about 20 minutes before realizing we were three houses away from where we needed to be. crisis averted fortunately and no guard dogs or police were involved.
What are the bands plans for the rest of the year? What exactly do you want to achieve with your band, now and in the future?
playing heaps of shows and festivals, maybe the uk too?
in the future… maybe we could all get pet pandas. i’d like that.
How would you describe your own/bands sound, or what do you hate being labeled as?
yeah, labels, hmmm… i don’t think any band likes being labeled. it’s like summing up your personality up with a small collection of words that also vaguely describe lots of other people in the world resulting in you not feeling special. listening to the radio the other day i was pleasantly advised that as the universe is ever expanding and its boundaries unknown, meaning that you are the centre of the universe.
Who is currently moving you musically at the moment?
beaches new album!!!
What album changed your life and why?
beastie boys – ill communication. probably the coolest album ever.
If you could erase one single/album from history (your own or someone else's) which would it be and why?
wow! this is a pretty incredible super power, such responsibility…probably every charity celebrity mash up fest.
A rumor you'd like to start about yourself, or one you'd like stopped?
cloud control are actually quadruplets.
The revolution comes, who would you like to be first against the wall (and if you're feeling particularly bitchy, a second, third, fourth and so on...)?
i’ll go first, the other whine a lot, so in such a high intensity situation, death is probably the best option…
Best piece of advice you'd give to aspiring musicians, or the best piece of advice you were given when you started?
don’t write songs that say everything, write songs that say small things well.
If you're in a car going at the speed of light, and someone turns the headlamps on, would they do anything?
i think this is how the big bang happened.
TOP 5 IPOD TUNES
1. midlake - roscoe
2. radiohead - bodysnatchers
3. blur - music is my radar
4. anything by girl talk
5. custard - music is crap
Gold Canary 7” Single - Out now on The Passport Label
LABEL'S SITE
BAND'S SITE
Thanks to Lucy Hurst @ butilikeyou PR
