“I kept thinking about this concept of the simple physical links that hold stuff – society, your body, a munitions train, a tree, whatever – together. How invisible those links are, and what might happen if they were to disappear or disintegrate. That, and I saw this sweet sign in Burnie.”
You chose to mix this album with Chris Townend (Augie March, Silverchair). How was working with Chris?
“It was great; he’s got a bunch of really great old gear and an incredible set of ears… The vibe was really good, and he was kind enough to tell me when a vocal or bassline or whatever needed to be re-tracked, so we ended up recording new parts and re-arranging a few tracks during mixing.”
Your songs use a lot of samples and strange sounds interspersed with traditional instrumentation. How do you go about constructing them?
“Most tracks started with samples or loops of some sort – start building the arrangement, get a vibe going, and then build a song around the basic structure. Best Bent Wire, in particular, was completely built up from three samples: a sweet, melodic piano and xylophone line from an old kids’ record, some weird Italo-disco loop that I gated and chopped up, and then in the chorus there’s a squiggly little horn line from a song called I Double Dare You by a guy called Larry Clinton, that was massive in WWII. It’s a bit of a jumble, but it holds together okay.”
What is your approach to songwriting and production?
“Broad and varied. It’s tricky, often, trying to balance the different needs of songwriting and production and remain faithful to each one. Some of the best tracks I’ve ever done were written on an acoustic guitar, but that mode of recording is probably never going to be something that I really engage with in my work. Production-wise, I usually gravitate towards the broken, the botched, the unexpected sound, and try to find a way to build something around that. I figure the world’s got just about enough.”
CHARLES TO JAMES:
What was the inspiration for the a lbum title Almost At The Ivory ?
“I could have said ‘all that glitters isn’t gold’, but ivory is a more interesting word and implies that our obsessions can affect others…”
This album is a bit dirtier and a bit less polished than your previous material, was that a deliberate choice?
“Yes – I want to write pop songs and I want them to sound real. I’m happy to sacrifice some sparkle for more raw emotion and edge.”
The album cover hints at a pastoral theme, featuring hills and valleys. Is a sense or idea of ‘place’ important to your music?
“Yeah it is – I think there is something very primal and powerful about a dramatic landscape vista and I often feel reflective when traveling through such places. Many of my song ideas are borne out of an emotional attachment to place.”
What’s your favourite cocktail?
“A Dirty Black Russian.”
