Between Writers
Samson & Delilah interviews Fuzzy Lights

Samson & Delilah and Fuzzy Lights have both released albums on Manchester-based Little Red Rabbit Records in the past couple of years. A fact shared by the bands is that both their songwriting partnerships are husband and wife as well: Anna Zweck and Sam Lench in Manchester's Samson & Delilah and Xavier Watkins and Rachel Watkins in Fuzzy Lights, based in Cambridge. Not only that - one half of each partnership is not from the UK. Xavier grew up in Toulouse, France and came to the UK aged 23 whilst Anna was born in Papua New Guinea and grew up in Adelaide, Australia. We thought it'd be interesting to ask them both how that affects their music - here's their conversation.

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21:04:51 Anna: Hello
21:05:11 Xavier: Hello!
21:05:17 Anna: Do you have the questions on hand?
21:05:21 Xavier: Yup
21:05:30 Anna: Ahead of the game!
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Anna: How long has the UK been home for you now?
Xavier: It's been nearly 7 years. What about you?
Anna: Just on five and three months.....I'm not counting! Do you miss home?
Xavier: Sometimes, although it's not as far as for you.
Anna: How often do you visit?
Xavier: 3 or 4 times a year, it's only a small hop.
Anna: I am lucky if I get back every 18 months to two years! I am trying to change that.
Xavier: Just found the questions.
Anna: Hurrah! Fire away.

Xavier: Why did you move to England? Did music influence that choice?

Anna: Music did influence my initial move. I came to England as part of a backpacking holiday to a Summer school in Oxford. I met a flute teacher there who told me I should learn from him so I moved to Manchester to do that. And Sam [Samson & Delilah co-writer] was my first flatmate. I was classically trained, but had improvisation experience. He was getting tired of indie-rock and exploring folkier stuff and I think we kind of met in the middle with a few friends.

Xavier: So you came here for a holiday, and over 5 years later, you're still here?

Anna: Yeah. Wasn't planning it. You?

Xavier: I was finishing up my studies and always wanted to spend some time abroad. My dad being Welsh, I had always been attracted to the UK.

Anna: Had you come across before much?

Xavier: We used to come over during the summer holiday for 2 weeks every year, drive all the way up from the south of France because we couldn't afford planes.

Anna: Nice. How did you land where you landed?

Xavier: My father's family is from Gwent, really beautiful place with the Brecon Beacons. We used to go for walks, it's a fantastic place, really different from where I grew up. Anyway, i found a placement in Cambridge so I thought it was my chance. I moved into a shared house and Rachel [Fuzzy Lights co-writer] was my next door neighbour so we started playing together. She's classically trained but I can't even read music.

Anna: Not that planned for you either then? Weird how it works. The band formed around you?

Xavier: Yes, we started just as a two-piece, doing improvisational pieces. What about you?
Anna: Same as Sam and me! Sam is now doing a music degree and is fast taking over in musical theoretical knowledge.

Xavier: Ha ha. I'm really slowly picking up stuff; I think I just understood what a bar is.

Anna: That is pretty good; bars are good, especially when they change on you, add an extra beat, oh yes!

Xavier: I like bars too. Next question. What did you think England would be like for playing music? Any different to where you were before...? Why?

Anna: You go first.

Xavier: Ok. Where I grew up was not the best place music-wise unless you're into reggae, ska, or ska-reggae or skatercore. I played in a skatercore band and bass a grindcore band but wasn't so much into it. It was just that I couldn't get any other band - I tried many times! I found an "appendissectomy" tape when I was over at xmas. We rehearsed in a barn above sheep, they were getting all scared so you can hear them between tracks. I'll put it on myspace one day.

Anna: Please do. So England was a change closer to what you wanted?

Xavier: As soon as I arrived here, I found loads of like minded people and I was like "Wow, something good can happen here!". There was suddenly loads of gigs I wanted to go to, mostly thanks to Harvest Time in Cambridge. In the month I got here I think I saw David Grubbs, Nina Nastasia and Shalabi Effect. Before that I was lucky if I could see Arab Strap once a year. What about you?

Anna: It is strange how being in a different place surrounded by different music can get the creative juices and musical confidence going. For me it was so completely unexpected to start making my own music. I had been studying the flute as a classical instrument for five or six years when I came to England. I had always played around on the piano and the flute, but never seriously considered it good enough. I discovered Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, both through Sam. And then Salty DoGGG joined the collective and furthered my English 70s folk knowledge.

Xavier: Is that a hip hop name?

Anna: Weirdly not. Check out his myspace -, I think you would like his stuff. There was lots happening in Manchester as the time. Nancy Elizabeth, Starless and Bible Black, Denis Jones etc were all establishing themselves. It was really exciting and inspiring.

Xavier: I guess that's one of the main things about Britain: because all touring bands play here there is a high concentration of highly inspiring acts almost on your doorstep, all the time. We're really lucky to be able to witness this and also that there's vibrant people willing to experiment and start projects.

Anna: That is so true. You do not have to go far to see an amazing act. Interestly, Nina Nastasia was one of Sam's seminal live act influences - an amazing gig at the Polish Club in Bristol.

Anna: Next question?

Xavier: Once you moved to England, how did you go about playing music? How did you meet people to play with? I think we've already answered this. my main answer would be through gigs I guess

Anna: You're right. It was flatmates and friends all the way.

Xavier: Next question. What did you notice was different from France/Australia? About all aspects... how people form bands, what they write about, how 'it' works, whatever 'it' might be. Your turn.

Anna: I don't think that is so much about countries as about how different people work. In Australia there is more room, big houses, so people rehearse in their homes more. Whether because of this or not, that is something that both Samson and Delilah and the Waverton Collective did, rehearse in homes. You?

Xavier: We do too!

Anna: Excellent. Also cheap.

Xavier: We were lucky enough to live next to an old lady before, she was a bit deaf and she said "there's not enough music in the world anyway". And we used to rehearse in the loft, it was about 3 sqm. Now we moved and we have problems with one of our neighbours.
Anna: Going back to subject matter bit of the question: whether in its most basic form (your generic pop song) or more complex and poetic (folk songs, hymns, lieder), fundamentally music for the people deals with the frailty and vulnerability of humanity. Life, love, death, regret, forgiveness, sorrow. The stuff that makes us realise what we are. I think that is again universal, and wide ranging within that, not really of one country.

Xavier: Yes, this is undeniably true. I think there are differences in the way songs are written in French because of the language.

Anna: Please explain that further

Xavier: Even if they tell the same stories, the way the words sound are very different, so they are used in a different way, maybe less musical, the obvious example being Gainsbourg and his more talked than sung delivery.

Anna: Nicely. It's funny you say that because I love listening to French being sung, from Camille to more classical song, art song stuff. Does the different vowel sounds for a word create a different emotive response to a degree, perhaps more strong?

Xavier: Yes probably, but also the consonant play a role. A 'shhhh' will be more pleasant than a hard 'K'!

Anna: Does is make for a more percussive sound? Aggressive? Passionate?

Xavier: I think it's just different. The purpose is the same, just delivered differently, so using different means

Anna: Is it harder to sing in English for you?

Xavier: No, it's the other way round.

Anna: That's interesting.

Xavier: I think I fear French words.

Anna: Weird! It's your mother tongue.

Xavier: Maybe that's the problem, their meaning is too strong for me. I think it's just that English is a more fluid language, more organic. but I would definitely like to start writing in French.

Anna: Being bilingual must impact on your own word craft.

Xavier: It does. Either because there's an idiom which doesn't exist in English and I use...

Anna: I think of times when i want to use a pidgen English word to express myself (I grew up in Papua New Guinea). And you're right, it is somehow more a grip on your insides.

Xavier: …or because of sonorities.

Anna: Yeah I get that! Pidgen english is gentle, but quite nasal sometimes. It resonates in you differently when you say the words and it sounds different to the listener.

Xavier: yes!

Anna: Which i am sure they will find of great interest at Spiral Earth. So what questions have we got left?

Xavier: Was there local music influencing you?

Anna: Back home or now?

Xavier: From Papua New Guinea?

Anna: I was too young when I was there to be have felt that impact i think......although when I hear Polynesian singing I generally feel like crying even now because the sound is so evocative of my childhood. Classical music has undoubtedly had a huge impact. My parents had loads of classical records in Papua New Guinea, and just one Beatle, one Mary Hopkin, four Peter, Paul and Mary albums, and Oscar Peterson Trio in Concert was the extent of their 'other music' collection. That has no doubt shaped me, that and the hymns of the church, my dad being a missionary, pastor and theologian. You?

Xavier: Sadly the local folk music ('occitan') has pretty much died out.

Anna: That is sad

Xavier: I mostly listened to my parent's records too. CSN & Y, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin. There is also a large north african community and a guy at school made me a tape. I've got no idea what it was, but I kept coming back to it.

Anna: I loved mix tapes, it’s a dying art. It was a great way of enforcing musical listening upon people.

Xavier: Ok, I think it's the last question! Do you think the music you make is different BECAUSE you're not from England originally... or DESPITE? Or is it just the same and it doesn't matter where you're from?

Anna: Hmmmmmmm......sort of answered but not really. You first!

Xavier: No, I think you're right, we replied already. So do you think you'd still be making music if you hadn't moved here?

Anna: Yes, in some capacity, probably still in the classical vein. You?

Xavier: Yes, but it would probably be different, I don't know how but it would. That answer was a bit cop out. I think we're done!

Anna: The music you make with other people is so often effected by your experience of making music together......its hard to know what would be. I think you are right, we are done!

Quiet loner’s spotify playlist :
One hour of great American songs

Following his top ten list of loners, Matt Hill, aka Quiet Loner has agreed to give us a Spotify playlist, exclusive to Spiral Earth, which might throw some light on some of his influences, and offer a brief glimpse to those awaiting his second album, a stark and honest collection of performances recorded live in a studio during the recent cold snap. It has been produced by Hobopop's own Mat Martin and features performances from Inge Thomson, Roy Dodds, and longtime collaborator Alan Cook.

Click the link at the top to hear the whole playlist on Spotify, or the links in each individual commenatry to go straight to the songs..

 

Quiet loner's spiral earth playlist

1. Long Black Limousine : Elvis Presley

I love Elvis Presley pretty much more than anything else in the world. This song is from his majestic sessions with Chips Moman in 1969 and in my opinion those sessions were his artistic peak. I love story songs with engaging narrative and that’s why I picked this track.
Elvis Presley – Long Black Limousine

2. I’m so lonesome I could cry : Hank Williams

I am just in awe of Hank Williams song writing. So simple yet so deeply poetic. Hank connected with people’s lives in a way few have matched. I think one of the reasons he did that is because of the simplicity of his language and his beautiful economy – not a word wasted.
Hank Williams – I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

3. Mr Mudd and Mr Gold : Townes Van Zandt

Townes is my favourite songwriter so it’s hard to pick one song. Without doubt he has better songs than this, more moving songs, songs that dig at the heart of the human condition. But this just makes me smile and marvel at his skills as a songwriter. To be able to turn something like a card game into a song like this fills me with awe. 
Townes Van Zandt – Mr. Mudd And Mr. Gold

4. Broadminded : The Louvin Brothers

The Louvin brothers made some great records. This isn’t one of them! It’s lyric is horribly judgmental and downright nasty to our modern ears. Religion at it’s worst and controlling but I love the song nevertheless and it’s one I’ve covered in my live shows many times. 
The Louvin Brothers – Broadminded

5. Redemption : Johnny Cash

This is the opposite kind of religious song and one of the hints at something ancient, potent and mysterious. I enjoy music with a spiritual edge and depth and Johnny Cash did it so well. In the drive to make him a ‘hipper than thou’ rebel outlaw, people seemed to forget that his championing of injustice came from his deeply held Christian values and morals.
Johnny Cash – Redemption

6. Good ole boys : Don Williams

This song namechecks Tennesee Williams and Hank Williams. I would add Don to the list of Williams boys. This is another song of the deep south. That area of America has always fascinated me. In the 19th and 20th centuries it was like a microcosm and melting pot of the best and worst of humanity - slavery, injustice, poverty, music, mystery, spirituality. From that sprang gopsel, blues, country, jazz soul, and rock n roll. I grew up with Don Williams voice in my ears and to me the voice is as evocatively American as Grand Canyon or Route 66.
Don Williams – Good Ole Boys Like Me - Single Version

7. Fancy : Bobbie Gentry

Yet another Deep South classic. You almost do a double take when you hear this song now – a woman sells her teenage daughter into prostitution. Yet the song doesn’t judge too harshly. It’s quite pragmatic about how poverty might lead to that. Bobbie Gentry has a remarkable voice. I wish she’d come out of hiding and make another record.
Bobbie Gentry – Fancy

8. I will always love you : Dolly Parton

One of the best songs ever written. It has that simplicity that Hank Williams had. I think Dolly is an amazing musician, incredible storyteller and great entertainer. I think her voice is incredible, too -  she can sound like she’s crying just from her phrasing. For me she is one of the all time great musicians and songwriters of the modern era.
Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You - Original Version

9. Burma Shave : Tom Waits

Listening to Tom Waits songs is like watching small films in your head, and they are such evocative pieces of music both aurally and lyrically. He’s one of those artists who doesn’t compromise and just keeps churning out fresh and interesting ideas over a long period.
Tom Waits – Burma-Shave

10. Slip Slidin Away : Paul Simon

I love his solo records even more than his Simon and Garfunkel records. This is a great example of how he writes short stories. There are three characters in this song and his writing is so masterful you feel as you know these people and what kind of lives they lead. He even has time to reflect upon it all. All in four minutes of classic pop.
Paul Simon – Slip Slidin' Away

11. This too shall pass : Danny Schmidt

Another masterful songwriter who I think has written some songs that stand up alongside the best of Townes Van Zandt. This is one of them. It has such humanity, frailty and depth. It offers wisdom and reflection without being preachy. And the guitar playing is amazing too.
Danny Schmidt – This Too Shall Pass

12. In the time of cholera : Chris Mills

I think Chris Mills is one of the most outstanding songwriters active in America today.  He takes risks and has made some incredible albums on low budget and without the safety net of a major label. He is a remarkable songwriter and an inspiration. This song is from an album that was recorded live with a 17 piece band straight to two track tape with no overdubs or edits. He was recording in the same way Sinatra and the big bands did.
Chris Mills – In The Time Of Cholera

13. Political science : Randy Newman

I love serious songwriters who can do humour. Billy Bragg, John Prine, Loudon Wainwright III, Townes Van Zandt and of course Randy Newman. This song may have started as satire but seems to have been adopted as american foregn policy for the last 40 years.
Randy Newman – Political Science

14. 8.05 : Moby Grape

West Coast psychedelia is a passion of mine. It was like a tiny chink of brilliant light shone through San Francisco and briefly lit up the world before the darkness fell again. That tiny period of about 2 years created all this amazing music. Moby Grape were the band that everyone expected to be huge, but instead were eclipsed by Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Country Joe and others.
Moby Grape – 8:05

15. Mathilde : Scott Walker

The melodrama, the big musical statements and the weirdly European oddness (this is a Jacques Brel song). The 5-6 albums Scott made between 1967 and 1971 are amongst my favourite ever. I love the celebratory joy in this song. Makes me want to dance.
Scott Walker – Mathilde

16. We can be together : Jefferson Airplane

It staggers me that a song this dangerous and radical was a pop hit. This was written at a time when (we now know) the CIA’s Cointelpro programme was waging an illegal war of harassment and intimidation on the hippy activists who were calling for a new world. Jefferson Airplane were part of that movement. The lyrics are just astonishing – worth looking them up as they pass so quick in the song. Tear down the walls!
Jefferson Airplane – We Can Be Together - Remastered 2004

K.C. McKanzie - Top Ten Shabby Brides in Song

K C McKanzie's last last album, 'Dryland' has wowed audiences in her native Germany and across Europe. One of the most striking tracks from 'Dryland' is 'The Shabby Bride', which has enchanted DJs as well as audiences. K C has agreed to give us a little insight on this idea in the form of a top ten list. The links after each entry will take you to the tracks on Spotify.

 

The Shabby Bride:
Love and passion, fear and loneliness seem to be the destiny of the shabby bride. She's terribly desperate, looking for a companion, a lover, a master maybe.
Her story takes place beyond all rules of fairness and equal rights. Her desire to be loved made her weak and dark through the years she spent waiting and longing. She's broken and promises everything to the one that will take her.
K C McKanzie - The Shabby Bride (Video)

1. P.J. Harvey – "Teclo"

The masterpiece of unconditional love. Polly Jean moans and weeps her way through the song, so reckless and creepy…
PJ Harvey – Teclo

2. Sandy Denny (Fairport Convention) – "Tam Lin"

"Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she..."

Fairport Convention – Tam Lin

3. Geeshie Wiley – "The Last Kind Words"

I think the song is about a boy that went off to WWI. He'd want his body sent to his mother-in-law and eaten by buzzards.
Geeshie Wiley – Last Kind Word Blues

4. The Carter Family – "Bury me under the weeping willow"

So shabby….the boy betrays her and she just wants to die…no fury,no revenge. She hopes he might come back to her and regret when she's dead.
The Carter Family – Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow

5. Dolly Parton – "The Seeker"

Dolly plays the helpless kitten here, but with her typical sassy attitude. She's playing with a man who needs to give advice to feel virile and strong. So cheesy!
Dolly Parton – The Seeker

6. Scout Nibblet – "Sweet Heart Fever"

I really don't know if this song is about love at all. I always had the feeling it is about these terrible teenage feelings: wanting to show someone how much he means to you, but you can't let any emotions out and feel like and idiot, burning inside and so damn cool on the outside
Scout Niblett – Sweet Heart Fever

7. Kate Bush – "The Kick Inside"

The suicide note of a girl who carries the baby of her own brother inside. So brutal how she describes her warm feelings for her brother and the hopeless but courageous way she deals all alone with her destiny.
Kate Bush – The Kick Inside

8. Devon Sproule – "Come Comet or Dove"

"Right or wrong to him alone I come to be fed"
Devon Sproule has such an unique way of phrasing her lyrics. She's funny and entertaining aswell.
Devon Sproule – Come Comet Or Dove

9. Tori Amos – "Hey Jupiter"

She envisions how her ex-lover makes love to another lady.
Tori Amos – Hey Jupiter

10. Janis Ian – "You've got me on a string"

"And I'm a fool for loving you.
And, well, I know,
How the head says, "No."
And the heart says,
"Go down on your knees, woman,
And keep on holding on."
[Song not on spotify for streaming - It is on the 'Stars' Album]