teebs (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} peachforhours) wrote,@ 2009-01-11 20:39:00 |
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The Making of the English Landscape
Taken from the feature in The Guardian.
It's been a long time coming - at least, in Whitby's terms: the band has released three studio albums in their youthful two years of superstardom, and their newly released fourth has come after a sustained period in the recording and mixing rooms. Why so long? Have they been crafting a masterpiece? In short, the answer is yes.
The new album in question is the grandly titled The Making of the English Landscape, and Whitby have so firmly planted themselves in England's cultural landscape that any questions of hubris can be immediately disregarded. Their first three albums sold more copies than any other album recorded in history, and their new offereing is tipped to outsell even the Bible.
Spending time in the studio was certainly something that the five-piece were prepared to do. Guitarist James Harmer was quoted last week in the LondonLite as saying: "We always knew we'd have to spend a long time in the studio, but we didn't know how long. The only thing we did know was that we weren't going to rush it and that we'd do whatever it takes." With the huge weight of expectation, nay, the weight of history, on their shoulders, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the members of Whitby may want to shuffle away from the limelight, but this isn't the case.
Certainly not for bassist Josh Ingold, who has been involved recently in more than his fair share of media scandal. Accused by the Mail of being involved in a "ego-infused orgy of cocaine and prostitutes" (libel action currently pending), Ingold seemingly can't resist the golden hue of celebrity. Not that that's affected him on the new album: some of his riffs sound like a woodpecker with a chainsaw on crack. Most notable is his contribution on future single Bevvies (with the much publicised B-side Liz Whyte (No Thanks), supposedly a personal attack on an ex-girlfriend journalist of Ingold's), which combines with Alan Wilson's crashing drums to create an old fashioned "choon" that radiates swagger, if such a thing can be radiated.
The album listing is as follows:
1. Watch Me Press M
2. Bevvies
3. Totally Fruited Out
4. I'm Not A Recepticle For Condiments (feat. Kart)
5. Based On The Book By Bernard Schlink
6. Can I Just Interject Here? (My Father Was A Tree)
7. Theatrical Release
8. (Does It Contain) Furtive Little Feelings (feat. Frank Ford & David Turner)
9. Everything's Worth A Nibble
10. Bank A Wank
11. And That Mulled Wine's Going To Taste Even Sweeter
12. The Making Of The English Landscape
...
57. Milliband Fu**ed The Kids
Their first single, Totally Fruited Out, is so catchy it's probably contracted Polio, whilst the title track The Making of the English Landscape is a musical and emotional culmination of everything the band have achieved so far. Always exploring new avenues of music, several of the tracks from the new album seem to dip occasionally into folk. This must be a result of vocalist/guitarist Tom Brown's influence, and his new-found ability to play the harmonica is put to good use on Everything's Worth A Nibble. It also features in the idealogically charged Milliband Fu**ed the Kids, which is a rare breach into politics by the band. In the past they have avoided doing so, with pianist/vocalist Richard Cooper claiming that "if we were to encorporate overt political messages into our songs, the influence we have is so emphatic that we could dictate government policy." Brown, on the other hand, offered that "noone really cares about politics: it's boring."
Another talking point is the collaboration on I'm Not A Recepticle for Condiments with Katia Taylor (aka Kart), who was a former band member of Brown and Cooper's in the short-lived but long-loved outfit Oh My God, Stop It! Rumours are constantly flying over the relationship between the three, but they seem to have reconciled whatever differences they may have had and with Kart's djing experience, they've combined in synergy to create a stomping dance number.
So how do they do it? Honestly, I can't rightly tell you. And if I could, I certainly wouldn't be writing this - I'd be joining Brown and Cooper in their Hollywood mansions. I asked them what their secret was, and they were tight-lipped. Perhaps they were tired from their exhilerating World Cup final victory over Brazil, but I suspect that to enter their minds would be a privilage I wouldn't be able to handle. "The difference is," mused Brown over a mug of earl grey, "the most other bands merely represent actuality. We create it." And there can be no doubting whatsoever: The Making of the English Landscape is a creation to rival the earth itself.
Taken from the feature in The Guardian.
It's been a long time coming - at least, in Whitby's terms: the band has released three studio albums in their youthful two years of superstardom, and their newly released fourth has come after a sustained period in the recording and mixing rooms. Why so long? Have they been crafting a masterpiece? In short, the answer is yes.
The new album in question is the grandly titled The Making of the English Landscape, and Whitby have so firmly planted themselves in England's cultural landscape that any questions of hubris can be immediately disregarded. Their first three albums sold more copies than any other album recorded in history, and their new offereing is tipped to outsell even the Bible.
Spending time in the studio was certainly something that the five-piece were prepared to do. Guitarist James Harmer was quoted last week in the LondonLite as saying: "We always knew we'd have to spend a long time in the studio, but we didn't know how long. The only thing we did know was that we weren't going to rush it and that we'd do whatever it takes." With the huge weight of expectation, nay, the weight of history, on their shoulders, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the members of Whitby may want to shuffle away from the limelight, but this isn't the case.
Certainly not for bassist Josh Ingold, who has been involved recently in more than his fair share of media scandal. Accused by the Mail of being involved in a "ego-infused orgy of cocaine and prostitutes" (libel action currently pending), Ingold seemingly can't resist the golden hue of celebrity. Not that that's affected him on the new album: some of his riffs sound like a woodpecker with a chainsaw on crack. Most notable is his contribution on future single Bevvies (with the much publicised B-side Liz Whyte (No Thanks), supposedly a personal attack on an ex-girlfriend journalist of Ingold's), which combines with Alan Wilson's crashing drums to create an old fashioned "choon" that radiates swagger, if such a thing can be radiated.
The album listing is as follows:
1. Watch Me Press M
2. Bevvies
3. Totally Fruited Out
4. I'm Not A Recepticle For Condiments (feat. Kart)
5. Based On The Book By Bernard Schlink
6. Can I Just Interject Here? (My Father Was A Tree)
7. Theatrical Release
8. (Does It Contain) Furtive Little Feelings (feat. Frank Ford & David Turner)
9. Everything's Worth A Nibble
10. Bank A Wank
11. And That Mulled Wine's Going To Taste Even Sweeter
12. The Making Of The English Landscape
...
57. Milliband Fu**ed The Kids
Their first single, Totally Fruited Out, is so catchy it's probably contracted Polio, whilst the title track The Making of the English Landscape is a musical and emotional culmination of everything the band have achieved so far. Always exploring new avenues of music, several of the tracks from the new album seem to dip occasionally into folk. This must be a result of vocalist/guitarist Tom Brown's influence, and his new-found ability to play the harmonica is put to good use on Everything's Worth A Nibble. It also features in the idealogically charged Milliband Fu**ed the Kids, which is a rare breach into politics by the band. In the past they have avoided doing so, with pianist/vocalist Richard Cooper claiming that "if we were to encorporate overt political messages into our songs, the influence we have is so emphatic that we could dictate government policy." Brown, on the other hand, offered that "noone really cares about politics: it's boring."
Another talking point is the collaboration on I'm Not A Recepticle for Condiments with Katia Taylor (aka Kart), who was a former band member of Brown and Cooper's in the short-lived but long-loved outfit Oh My God, Stop It! Rumours are constantly flying over the relationship between the three, but they seem to have reconciled whatever differences they may have had and with Kart's djing experience, they've combined in synergy to create a stomping dance number.
So how do they do it? Honestly, I can't rightly tell you. And if I could, I certainly wouldn't be writing this - I'd be joining Brown and Cooper in their Hollywood mansions. I asked them what their secret was, and they were tight-lipped. Perhaps they were tired from their exhilerating World Cup final victory over Brazil, but I suspect that to enter their minds would be a privilage I wouldn't be able to handle. "The difference is," mused Brown over a mug of earl grey, "the most other bands merely represent actuality. We create it." And there can be no doubting whatsoever: The Making of the English Landscape is a creation to rival the earth itself.
