This hit my inbox about a week ago. I took a listen and was intrigued, so I got in touch with Miles from the project. It’s a conceptual thing, and I didnt quite know what to make of the whole idea, but I like it. I will share with you what Miles had to say, then be sure to check them out and let me know what you all think!!

“Well, the album was inspired partly by the book ‘Straw Dogs’ by John Gray. So lyrically, besides the story, you might say it’s about the differences between what people actually achieve, what they could achieve and what they believe ‘humanity’ can achieve. The idea of humans being the authors of their own destiny is a powerful myth, probably one that would be difficult to live without. Then there’s a bit of romantic love in there - another myth, if you like, and another one without which things would be pretty bleak. It’s a cliche but I hope it comes across that there’s redemption in beauty and in the whole mess of what it is to be alive and reacting to all the contradictory impulses that make us what we are. But I think you can enjoy it as a bunch of songs and ignore the story aspect.

Musically there are a lot of influences in there - recording in a home studio rather than as a band frees you up to try a wider range of styles, I suppose. I had an idea that you could put pop hooks into a prog structure, so there’s a 9 minute song called The Hive (in which the time travel bit happens) that has ten sections with very little repetition. Our guitarist has had fun trying to learn that for the live show we’re planning! Danger In The Past is the pure pop song, with verses that syllabically mirror Videotheque by Dollar, plus there’s a nice chord change I heard on a Belinda Carlisle record that I borrowed. At the other end of the musical spectrum, Like Straw Dogs owes a lot to my love of Blonde Redhead, particularly their third and fourth albums. Goodbye Lennon, as you can probably hear, has a rhythm section based on a heartbeat and a ticking clock. Then there’s a song with Johny Brown from the Band Of Holy Joy - a band who were never as successful as they deserved to be, I think. Johny wrote some beautiful lyrics for that - all the lyrics are on the VS website. We’re really proud of the whole thing - musically and lyrically. Just hoping that some other people get the chance to hear it and like it too.”The album was recorded with Ian Catt (St Etienne, Stars, Kylie) and mastered by Kramer (Galaxie 500, Low, Pulp Fiction OST). It tells the story of two people who run away to London together, then go back in time.”

www.myspace.com/vanillaswingers
www.vanillaswingers.com

MP3: Vanilla Swingers - Goodbye Lennon
MP3: Vanilla Swingers - I’ll Stay Next To You

- Mark

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