Skulk reviews
Posted by RecordOverplayed
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Skulk reviews April 06, 2012 01:25PM |
For anyone who hasn't seen them, here are links to a couple of reviews of Skulk:
Guardian
Independent
And since I'm here, here's a Knaresborough gig review too on Record Overplayed.
Guardian
Independent
And since I'm here, here's a Knaresborough gig review too on Record Overplayed.
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Re: Skulk reviews April 21, 2012 11:03PM |
Say no more Jim, I'll do iTunes too 
Martin
Always room for ice cream
Always time for cake
So much chocolate, so little time
Martin
Always room for ice cream
Always time for cake
So much chocolate, so little time
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Re: Skulk reviews April 24, 2012 11:15AM |
Thanks a lot Matt.
I'm sure there are a few prog-minded fans who were disappointed with Skulk but I'm proud of it for loads of reasons -
i) it contains Lord Douglas and Hind Etin. I've tried re-writing trad songs on every album, starting with (the totally unlistenable, and excruciatingly embarrassing) 'As I Roved Out' on I Am Jim Moray, and then Seeds Of Love on Sweet England etc. But this is the first time I think I've properly cracked it with the tune and pacing of the words. Lord Douglas especially took a long time, but I'm happy to say that every single word is now correct. I hope I do better again in the future, but in terms of the mechanics of putting together something like this, LD is head and shoulders above anything I've achieved before.
ii) I sent it to a few other people to be mixed (because I feel like I massively dropped the ball on that front on In Modern History) and then I ended up using my own mixes for half of it. I am really proud of the sound of If It's True especially, which was mixed in a bedroom on the same monitors that I've had for years but, again, is head and shoulders above anything I've ever mixed before. The drum sound on Hind Etin is another thing I'm proud of.
iii) the album would have been ready for Summer 2011, but I decided to keep going. All my other albums have been clamped down in to a certain extent by managers or other people setting out a timescale and then taking it out of my hands when I didn't consider it finished. The second album was particularly spoiled by this, and In Modern History and Low Culture were incredibly rushed in the finishing stages, often at a point when I'd run out of money so had no leverage to fix them. The argument is always "oh Jim, you'd never finish it if we let you have more time. Thats what you're like". This time I almost cut off contact with everyone else and knuckled down to finish it properly and was totally proved right. Some tracks were, no kidding, recorded *hundreds* of times (I was adamant that the main guitar part of Lord Douglas had to be recorded in one pass. I did at least 100 takes over six months trying to nail it and I often thought I'd got it then listened the next day and realised I hadn't. Rather than make do I started again). It's stupid and labour intensive, but if is not right it's not right. Too many records in this genre are put out with out-of-tune vocals or out of time drumming or rhythm sections that aren't together. It's not "good enough for folk" and it never was.
iv) I am really proud of the cover. I hate having my photo taken, but David and David have always made it a joy.
v) I took the critisism of Sweet England very personally. To the day I am still accused of being a fraud who relies on gimmicks and technology to make up for my lack of ability in certain circles (even good reviews still tend to start "controversial folk artist..."
. This time I think I've delivered an album that fits inside the folk revival world and can't be accused of relying on trickery. This record is the most like the ones I heard growing up - its my parents record collection essentially. At this point, having reached the age my mum and dad were when they had me, this felt the right music to make - something substantial that fits into a lineage of some sort, and that has a more grown-up attitude.
It would be nice to play some electric guitar again next though...
I'm sure there are a few prog-minded fans who were disappointed with Skulk but I'm proud of it for loads of reasons -
i) it contains Lord Douglas and Hind Etin. I've tried re-writing trad songs on every album, starting with (the totally unlistenable, and excruciatingly embarrassing) 'As I Roved Out' on I Am Jim Moray, and then Seeds Of Love on Sweet England etc. But this is the first time I think I've properly cracked it with the tune and pacing of the words. Lord Douglas especially took a long time, but I'm happy to say that every single word is now correct. I hope I do better again in the future, but in terms of the mechanics of putting together something like this, LD is head and shoulders above anything I've achieved before.
ii) I sent it to a few other people to be mixed (because I feel like I massively dropped the ball on that front on In Modern History) and then I ended up using my own mixes for half of it. I am really proud of the sound of If It's True especially, which was mixed in a bedroom on the same monitors that I've had for years but, again, is head and shoulders above anything I've ever mixed before. The drum sound on Hind Etin is another thing I'm proud of.
iii) the album would have been ready for Summer 2011, but I decided to keep going. All my other albums have been clamped down in to a certain extent by managers or other people setting out a timescale and then taking it out of my hands when I didn't consider it finished. The second album was particularly spoiled by this, and In Modern History and Low Culture were incredibly rushed in the finishing stages, often at a point when I'd run out of money so had no leverage to fix them. The argument is always "oh Jim, you'd never finish it if we let you have more time. Thats what you're like". This time I almost cut off contact with everyone else and knuckled down to finish it properly and was totally proved right. Some tracks were, no kidding, recorded *hundreds* of times (I was adamant that the main guitar part of Lord Douglas had to be recorded in one pass. I did at least 100 takes over six months trying to nail it and I often thought I'd got it then listened the next day and realised I hadn't. Rather than make do I started again). It's stupid and labour intensive, but if is not right it's not right. Too many records in this genre are put out with out-of-tune vocals or out of time drumming or rhythm sections that aren't together. It's not "good enough for folk" and it never was.
iv) I am really proud of the cover. I hate having my photo taken, but David and David have always made it a joy.
v) I took the critisism of Sweet England very personally. To the day I am still accused of being a fraud who relies on gimmicks and technology to make up for my lack of ability in certain circles (even good reviews still tend to start "controversial folk artist..."
. This time I think I've delivered an album that fits inside the folk revival world and can't be accused of relying on trickery. This record is the most like the ones I heard growing up - its my parents record collection essentially. At this point, having reached the age my mum and dad were when they had me, this felt the right music to make - something substantial that fits into a lineage of some sort, and that has a more grown-up attitude.
It would be nice to play some electric guitar again next though...
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