The coolly danceable temperament of Metronomy's stellar new album, The English Riviera, perfectly matches its namesake's climate; sun-drenched skies slashed with rain squalls. The sly, witty British electro-pop quartet, led by singer/multi-instrumentist/producer Joseph Mount, play Glastonbury's main Pyramid Stage this Friday, June 24, at noon.
They're also making a rare Stateside trip sandwiched between a packed UK and European festival itinerary this summer and will play New York's Pier 54 (with Class Actress) on July 28 and Los Angeles' Echoplex on July 30. Fall North American tour dates have also been announced.
Metronomy just released their single "The Bay," their third from The English Riviera, which is out now on Big Beat/Atlantic Records (the digital single has additional remixes). Mount has cheekily admitted that the video for "The Bay," filmed in the seaside town of Torquay on the English Riviera, is a take off on Will Smith's over-the-top "Miami" video. For quick hit of Metronomy's summer-kissed new album, you can also download their slinky single, "She Wants," for free by joining their mailing list or order the entire record on the band's own site.
The Alternate Side caught up with Joseph over email this week and discussed the band's Glastonbury plans, the creative allure of seaside England and his deep affection for Fleetwood Mac:
TAS: Glastonbury is right around the corner - what are some of your favored survival skills for navigating Worthy Farm? Favorite Glastonbury memories?
Joseph Mount: Well, as you probably know, Glastonbury becomes the largest town in Somerset (the county where it is held) for the three days that it runs. So, to say that it is large is an understatement. With this in mind I have always thought that planning ahead is the best navigation technique. If you leave your tent, it is best to assume that you will never return, so always take plenty of warm clothes, a compass, energy bars, a torch, drugs etc etc. My favourite memory is probably from back in the days when it was still possible to actually climb the fence and get in for free. When I first did it it was probably the most exciting thing I'd ever done.
TAS: What other Glastonbury bands are you keen to see and why?
Joseph: To be quite honest, I haven't really looked at the programme properly. I'll be there for Beyoncé, Big Boi and Janelle Monáe. As for the rest, I expect I will just see what my friends are doing.
TAS: Metronomy is known for funny, quirky live shows - are you stepping it up a notch for Glastonbury?
Joseph: I don't think we're going to do anything that crazy. We always try to put on a good show, but there's no need to go 'mad' just because it's Glastonbury...all shows are created equal.
TAS: Your third album, The English Riviera, seems an artistic shift for you. You take some wonderful risks and sound even more confident vocally than you did on your last album, Nights Out. What was the most daunting - and exciting - angle you took while making this album?
Joseph: The odd thing for me is that none of this seems like a huge shift or anything that strange really. I find it baffling that some artists and bands often just stick to what they know. For me making music is always about learning and improving, so to stop challenging myself would seem like a cop out. I suppose with the new record I tried to imagine what an outside producer might say. I decided that he/she would probably say 'Stop piling stuff on top of your songs, just keep them simple and for gods sake at least try singing properly!' I suppose that was the most daunting thing; forcing myself to be confident at singing. But, it's like I say, these are the little things that keep me excited about making music, so they are always as enjoyable as they are daunting.
TAS: Given the high praise for your excellent sophomore album, what were you determined to do with this third record? Did you have a particular goal - or concept - that guided your songwriting process or recording structure once you hit the studio?
Joseph: I didn't really feel any pressure after releasing Nights Out. Although it was critically popular, it didn't exactly set the charts alight. So, it felt like a very grounded position to start the third album from. My only real goals with The English Riviera were to make something that sounded inviting and to make the whole thing sound confident and refreshing. Other than that, I didn't want to disappoint our fans. Those things were always in the back of my head in the studio.
TAS: You grew up in Totnes, South Devon and it seems that the local tourist board for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, the whole of Torbay, is grateful and excited that you've added a sheen of coolness to the real 'English Riviera.' What is it about the area that became a creative catalyst for this record?
Joseph: Well, it's where I grew up. I spent my youth imagining that where I lived was cool, me and my friends would cruise around listening to Dr Octagon or something and picture ourselves in L.A. In reality, of course, we were in Devon. It's always struck me how American musicians have such an insane amount of pride in where they're from and the scenes they are a part of. New York bands, L.A bands, Seattle bands, Portland bands etc. There is no real comparison to be had here in England. I suppose part of me is jealous at how easy it is for an American band to be exported to England just because they are from a particular city. I wanted to make an album that shouted about where I was from as it's something that the English are often too self-effacing to do. That coupled with the fact that where I'm from doesn't even really have a music scene made the whole idea even more 'magical'.
TAS: There seems to be a Los Angeles-style shimmer to this record too.
Joseph: The one thing I'd add is that growing up in the country really breeds a strong imagination. My whole teens were spent imagining I was somewhere that I wasn't. That's not to say I wasn't happy, just that I was getting ready to move to a city. Me and my friends always used to think that elements of Paignton were a bit 'Las Vegas;' of course we had never been to Las Vegas, but once you hear that it's easier to understand how I could imagine Torquay as somewhere like L.A.
TAS: Metronomy is now more a band than your solo project. How do Anna [Prior], Oscar [Cash] and Gbenga [Adelekan] inspire you and how did the refreshed recording process - and live tours - alter Metronomy for you?
Joseph: It's really got to the point where everything is moving at such a rate that I don't really think about it that much. I guess the recording process is something that I have always been at the centre of, but that's only because it used to just be me and me alone. Over the years things have happened, people have left the band and people have joined, I suppose you only have to listen to the three albums to hear that with each release they sound more and more 'sociable' or something. But, like I said earlier, it feels very natural to me. I think since Anna and Gbenga have joined we have been touring and playing much more like a 'band' and that is something I relish. Without playing live the way we do there would be no way that the new album would sound as organic as it does, those are the ways in which it all refreshes itself.
TAS: You teamed up with Roxanne Clifford from Veronica Falls in "Everything Goes My Way" - why did that track feel more of a duet for you and why Roxanne?
Joseph: Well, I really wanted to have a girl's voice on the album. I thought it would be a moment that would excite a listener the first time they heard it; suddenly, out of nowhere and with no fanfare, a girl's voice! James [Hoare] from Veronica Falls has been my next door neighbour since the age of three; he is another member of my perceived Devon music scene. Roxanne is someone I got to know through him. I'm not sure how easy it is for Americans to pick up, but when Roxanne sings, you can really hear where she is from. I mean that it a very literal sense; you can hear that she is from Manchester. I really love that about the ways she sings. She has something of an English folk songstress about her.
TAS: When I first heard this album, there was something about it that reminded me of Lindsey Buckingham's work, both solo and especially his work on Fleetwood Mac's Tusk. I was surprised to read later that Fleetwood Mac was indeed an influence for you. How so?
Joseph: Well I'm glad you came to that conclusion without reading the press release first. To me Fleetwood Mac represent so many things; they are incredible musicians and songwriters, they are probably one of the most screwed up bands of all time: they are MOR, they are English and American. They are also from the golden age of the recording industry when A&R's slept on pillows of cocaine and albums cost $20 million to make...well not that much. But it's funny you mention Tuskbecause that was the most expensive record ever made when it was released, over $1 million dollars or something. These days everyone talks about the death of albums and the death of the music industry (as we know it). For me, as someone who has dreamed of becoming a musician for years and years, this is really sad. It's as if I've just arrived at the party as the beer has run out. Not to dwell on that, but I really wanted to feel like I was making an expensive album in a studio. I wanted to indulge myself a bit. Ironically studios are now pretty cheap to hire in London as everyone is home recording, so strangely my Fleetwood Mac-inspired studio record probably cost about as much as a copy of Tusk did when it was first released.
TAS: There's a very Buckingham-like, nervous, uneasy undertow that informs tracks like "She Wants" or "The Look." Are you, as a lyricist, drawn to darker, more ruminative hues? Are you quite self-critical or hard on yourself creatively?
Joseph: I'm only just getting used to the idea of being a lyricist in all honesty. For Nights Out I had a rule that I would only sing words that I would ever actually say, I also sang the way I did because I was worried that people would think I wasn't being genuine if my voice sounded affected in any way. That kind of backfired to some extent, but the songs on that album were my first attempts at songwriting so I forgive them and myself (don't get me wrong, I really like those songs). With the new album, I tried to loosen up a bit and now appreciate that a bit of emotion can go a long way when singing. I suppose I'm still drawn to using words that I use in everyday life and also feel that if I sing about something that is true or something that I actually relate to then the whole 'package' is much better for it. Someone like Buckingham is one of the few people who seems to be able to completely execute that idea perfectly. A song like 'Go Your Own Way' is a pretty spectacular demonstration of that. I'm pretty sure whatever uneasy undertows I have are nowhere near the same as what was going on in his head when he wrote that. But, I guess I just try to be genuine and sing about what I know about.
TAS: You just released a free remix of "The Bay" and you do plenty of guest remixes yourself for folks like Goldfrapp. What makes an interesting, essential remix - one that enhances a song - and what are some of your favorites? Or ones that you've done that you felt really proud of?
Joseph: Well, my approach has always been to just spend the time I spend remixing well. So, that can mean using it as a testing ground for ideas, or just to have a bit of fun. I think you can tell when someone has rushed a remix and I hope that only one or two of mine sound rushed. If you just turn a remix into something that benefits you in whatever way, then it can only really be an enhancement. I'm proud of the Lykke Li remix I did and the Sebastien Tellier one (the second I ever did).
TAS: Metronomy is still not, sadly, well known Stateside, but you're doing two dates in New York and Los Angeles in July. Are you encouraged by the British artists and bands who are making strong inroads Stateside, like Adele, The Joy Formidable, Foals and others?
Joseph: The last record didn't get a proper US release, but we've always tried to come and play for y'all. This album will have a full release and we've already got tours and stuff planned, so in theory, we will be spending much more time in America this time. Anyway, we love America so much that even if nothing happens with the record there we'll still come and just hang out. Obviously Adele is massive everywhere right now, but we're a very different proposition to her, I suppose it's up to America if they want us or not. I hope they do.
You can check out the Erol Akan's Extended Remix of "The Bay" here:
7/28 in New York, NY at Pier 54
7/30 in Los Angeles, CA at Echoplex Fall Tour:
10/11 in Seattle, WA at Neumo's
10/12 in Vancouver, BC at Electric Owl
10/13 in Portland, OR at Mississippi Studios
10/14 in San Francisco, CA at Rickshaw Stop
10/16 in Costa Mesa, CA at Detroit Bar
10/18 in San Diego, CA at Voyeur
10/21 in Philadelphia, PA at Voyeur
10/22 in Washington, DC at Rock N Roll Hotel
10/24 in Boston, MA at Brighton Music Hall
10/25 in Montreal, QC at SAT
10/26 in Toronto, ON at Mod Club
10/27 in Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall
