French singer Arnaud Fleurent-Didier’s second solo album, La Reproduction, is a firm DCR favourite. From the coruscating look his parents’ generation’s attitudes on France Culture to the driving Je Vais au Cinema, the record is a major achievement, matched only be his invigorating live shows. On the eve of a tour of China he spoke, entertainingly, to Adrian Arratoon about his music. This interview was first broadcast on You and the Night and the Music on 13 March 2011.
I’ve just finished a book called ‘Listen to This’ which is written by a guy (Alex Ross) who writes for the New Yorker. Up until he started college he hadn’t listen to anything other than classical music. When starting college he realised that he was the only person that listened to this kind of music and that he was the only “classical nerd” in the whole college.
His newly found friends started playing him hardcore punk records (talk about breaking him in easily!), Dylan and Sonic Youth which eventually he grew to love – but when he turned the tables and played these guys Mozart, Bach, Beethoven they completely closed themselves off to it.
As he grew up he realised that there is a different attitude towards classical music than there is to other music, that generally classical music is seen as something that is stuck in history and something that doesn’t progress.
The book explores this, he goes to visit Radiohead and Bjork while they’re making albums using classical musicians, he follows Dylan while he’s touring and he writes about Kurt Cobain, Frank Sinatra, Sonic Youth; but he also considers the operas of Verdi, the music of Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven as well as looking back at the history of classical music and asking where did this attitude come from? How come you can’t go to a classical music concert dressed in jeans and t-shirt?
It’s a brilliant book and by the end you truly realise what a wonderful thing music is, in all its forms.
On the back of this I have purchased records by some modern classical composers, some of which are are still alive today! These are: Steve Reich, Stockhausen and Messiaen; believe me, some of the Stockhausen stuff is mad but check this by Steve Reich, beautiful minimal music.
I can’t write for toffee but I know an unsung hero when I hear them!
On the first of every month I’ll use this column to promote some unsung musical heroes. I’ll be focusing on one song a month, a newish single of sorts but it could also be retrospective, either way it’ll be a track I hope you haven’t heard and will surely be of fantastic quality.
For me the most important thing about pushing music is focusing on something you believe in. There is an awful lot of back slapping that goes on in music, some people get credit just because they’ve got credit somewhere else, as if to say “well people are talking about them so they must be good”. Most people have got bad taste. Look at the sort of bands that play huge stadium concerts and the atmosphere created therein, it can be close to non existent, what once was a great band with good music has now been filtered out by the modern clunk of life, there’s always lots of people, sure, but not much going on. How many people get involved in reality TV? I don’t know, but I’d imagine they would be able to fill a continent. Again, lots of people but not much going on. The best gigs I’ve been to have involved a number more suited to a seven a side football match but they’ve been electric with excitement! Which leads to this column of mine. My hope is few will have heard of the bands I’ll be featuring and it’s not going to be to everyone’s taste but the music will be immense, diverse and always involve the underrepresented. This, for me, is where the fun is. And on to the first band:
Fists – Stag
Out now on Hello Thor
The first time I heard this I wanted it again – immediately! The vocals have a unique quality to them – slightly menacing with literal lyrics that draw you into their story, reminiscent of a young Mark E.Smith without the far leftfield gabber. The story seems to be about a family member missing a rather important body part, yes indeed. The drums begin with a military march on flabby skins that lead into neat guitar work akin to Nick Zinner without the pedals, the bass licks and flows while anchoring the track but the real highlight of the track is the buoyant flow brimming with anticipation that leads into an outro few could top, one line of repetition I can’t understand on top of a cracking melody you could listen to for hours. British Indie as it should be: emotive and rough around the edges This has to be not only my single of the month but my highlight of the year and it’s all about that sing a long chorus at the summit of the track.
This single represents the Nottingham five piece at their stunning best with production duties care of Rory Bratwell (Fair Ohs/ Male Bonding).
The single is a double A side with ‘Ascending’ available as a download and rather more romantically as a limited edition 7″ – it’s got to be the latter I say. ‘Ascending’ has been getting the reviews but, for me, of the two tracks, Stag has to be king – a great and unusual Indie cracker.
Fists have promised me they’ll be touring the U.K soon too.
