I SEE ANGELS

I SEE ANGELS

in Dj Shadow/Dj Shadow|English/English/Jeff Buckley/Jeff Buckley|English/Manchester/Manchester|English/Massive Attack/Massive Attack|English/Music/Music|English/Uk/Uk 1667 views

I SEE ANGELS

Hello guys, the following interview may be a little harsh but I need to say it´s been a really creative and cool answering band. I hope you enjoy their answers just as I did, MusicSound.rocks presents: “I see angels”
– Vladimir Kossma

 

When did the project begin? and How did you meet yourselves?

I See Angels formed in 2011, in Manchester, UK. Paul Baird (Vocals/Guitar/Keys/Songs), Martin Cowan (Bass), Chris Norwood (Drums/Beats). We were introduced by the members of Puressence, in a bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and began rehearsing shortly afterwards, in a basement just beyond the confines of Strangeways prison.

What song of yours is the one you like the most?

We like all our songs. We’re deluded like that. The ones that we don’t like, or even feel a little embarrassed about writing, don’t get released. When considering tracks for albums/EP’s, we tend to adopt the rule of, ‘If in doubt, leave it out’. This serves us well. We’re making a new Mini-Album/EP at the moment, with plans to release it in or around August. ‘Oracle’ is one of the songs we’ve put out there as a taster ahead of the new release.

Oracle

Eternal youth in a cash-free world
Choose the perfect body
Is this what I want
Is this all I need
My mind’s always changing

If I can’t have you no-one will
The TV’s tuned to a dead channel
Something’s always missing
Turns of love and hate
Fueled by obsession
There’s no in-between

If I can’t have you no-one will
These things will shape the future of…
I don’t know what
Now I’m aware and overcome

Oracle, oracle, always enigmatic
If I can’t have you no-one will
 
How do you write your music?

We employ a team of people from a variety of backgrounds to write for us – they work around the clock in a cramped, sweaty room with no windows. We beat them if the songs they write are no good and occasionally reward them with a day off when they get it just right – this is very rare. This process makes us feel good about ourselves and allows us more time to schmooze and hit the clubs and experiment with as many drugs as we can.
In truth there is no method or formula for writing songs. Inspiration hits – ideas form and you run with them. The most random events can give birth to songs, from nights out and conversations, to passing feelings. If you’re creative you’re always absorbing and digesting external influences and transforming and communicating them into a language of your own. Tinkering around with new instruments or ways of working helps to keep things fresh. If you’re always courting ideas and inspiration and surrounding yourself with the ‘new’, then you tend to find you have an abundance of new material as a result. We’ve not needed a team of people to write for us thus far but it could be the only thing stopping us from hitting the big-time and becoming world famous.
I See Angels - Artificial Sunshine EP artwork

What influences do you have?

We love so much stuff. And there’s so much good stuff out there. We’re obsessive music fans, we collect vinyl and check out as much new and old music as we can. Literature, art and films also influence us massively, as do our surroundings. We adore the likes of TV On The Radio, John Grant, Radiohead, Stanley Kubrick, Jane’s Addiction, QOTSA, Kurt Vile, PJ Harvey, Goat, DJ Shadow, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Elliott Smith, Cat Power, John Coltrane, Edith Piaf, Death Grips, Deerhunter, Serge Gainsbourg, Pixies, Raymond Carver, Sonic Youth, Jackson Pollock, Jeff Buckley, Cocteau Twins, Bjork, Joy Division, Massive Attack, Glenn Brown, Scott Walker, Tune Yards, Charles Mingus, Soundgarden, etc…

What´s the best experience you have had with your project?

The best experiences vary from new fans discovering our music and often saying/writing the most amazing things about us, to one of our musical heroes, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins/Bella Union) declaring us one of his favourite Manchester bands, to touring abroad and playing shows at venues we’d dreamed about performing at our whole lives – the Manchester Apollo being one of them. We’re just thankful that we get to express ourselves in a way that we enjoy and that makes us feel good. If other people enjoy the music that we make then it’s a reward in itself. We take nothing for granted and have as much fun as we can. If you take yourself too seriously then there’s probably something wrong.

musicsoundrocks2 - copiaWhat plans do you have this year?

We’re finishing up recording tracks for a new release to follow 2014’s Artificial Sunshine EP – we’re doing everything ourselves in a DIY fashion and enjoying the fact that we can work at our own pace to get things done in a way that satisfies us beyond the confines of a traditional recording studio.

Mention something you don´t like about your project.

It’d be nice to have more help with the heavy-lifting sometimes – you don’t realise how helpful roadies or guitar techs are until you’ve had the pleasure of working with them. A few years ago we went to a Fugazi show and were enamored with the way they did everything themselves, from moving their equipment on and off stage, to setting everything up and driving their own tour van. That DIY ethic is one we adopt but there are times where you find yourself thinking, ‘it would be great if we had more money/support and weren’t always operating on such a tight budget.’ Thoughts like, ‘I bet Beyonce never has to deal with shit like this!’ are quickly banished by the love of what we do and the understanding that we don’t have to make certain compromises like other artists in order to please their label or their fans.

Mention the biggest sacrifice you did for your project.

We’ve worked some shitty jobs to get by. It’s the norm. You do it thinking you’re suffering for your art but largely it’s because your heart’s in the music and you don’t think you have the time or the head-space for a proper, career day-job. You fear it will kill your creativity or change your priorities. When people give their ‘thank you speeches’ at award ceremonies they should be thanking the long line of bosses who let them leave work early for sound check, or let them come in late the morning after a show. Sometimes these people are the one’s who’ve helped you the most to do what you want or feel you need to do creatively and still be able to pay your rent and eat. You also miss out on a lot of parties, weddings and family/friends related stuff that you’d love to be a part of because you’re away playing a show or recording or doing a radio interview or something else band related that needs to be done. Even if they can’t really relate, hopefully the people in your life understand that this is what makes you happy – that this is what makes you ‘you’ and love you for it.

What band, music project or soloist from your city do you like?

We’re from Manchester – home to a rich variety of great artists. We love loads of them for numerous reasons, from Joy Division and The Stone Roses, to Elbow, Bernard & Edith and Money.

If your project was a word, what would it be?
– Gazebo or Cornucopia…
 

– Gazebo or Cornucopia because they’re both lovely sounding words that roll off the tongue with ease. We’ve called one of the tracks on our next release ‘Cornucopia’ – maybe the title of the EP/Mini-Album should be ‘Gazebo’ after the Raymond Carver short story of the same name. This music will provide you with shelter ha ha!

– Paul Baird, currently stealing Wi-Fi from a neighbour and sitting around in my underwear, hungover, after a heavy night out courting inspiration. Hope you enjoy the music – thank you for reading x

I See Angels albums/EP’s are available for name your price/free download at http://iseeangels.bandcamp.com/ as well as from all the usual places, iTunes, Amazon, etc.

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