Lets get this out of the way first Memphis are not Stars. Sure, they share the same lead singer and that dream-like quality to their music, but really, thats where the comparisons end. Memphis belongs to Chris Dumont and Torquil Campbell not the Broken Social Scene roster (although Metrics James Shaw does play bass on the disc), and it shows. Theres no complicated arrangements or boy/girl vocals, its just Dumonts lush soundscapes complimented by Campbells soothing vocals. The bands second disc, A Little Place in the Wilderness, might be the record to give Memphis the same push into the spotlight that Stars experienced three years ago. Its a lot more adventurous than the bands previous record, mostly because of the two spoken word tracks "A Ghost Story and "From The Highest Room, but Campbells upbeat delivery on the jazzy "Incredibly Drunk On Whisky is memorable as well. The rest of the album is, to put it mildly, sleepy, but the songs still maintain Campbells brilliant pop sensibilities, and Dumonts penchant for making sparse arrangements seem complex. Although Memphis are not Stars, anyone who digs Campbells other band will love what hes done here.
What freedoms do you get in Memphis that you dont in Stars?
Campbell: Well, its just me and one other dude, so there are fewer people around to tell me what Im doing isnt quite working. In Memphis, sonically, theres more space for my voice, for melody. Chris Dumont writes from the perspective of chords so he sets up a series of chords that are beautiful and then allows my voice to create the melody over that. For me its easier to find room. In Stars its just more people and more ideas coming at you and a little more anal retentive energy.
Lyrically, this album is a lot less romantic than what were used to hearing from you.
Its less about love in general and more about whats going on inside myself. Its slightly more autobiographical. I think that each song is like a retelling of a dream. Some of them are nightmares, some are sexy and some of them are these random weird dreams where youre hanging out with your friends and some strange thing happens, but they all have the quality of something remembered or half remembered. Theyre less direct and less specific than Stars. They leave more room for the listener to put their own feelings into it.
Why did you include two spoken word songs, and whos the female voice on "From the Highest Room?
That was a poem I wrote a couple years ago and my wife, thats her favourite thing Ive ever written, so I thought I should have her read it on the album. I was very influenced by Paddy McAloon from Prefab Sprout, who put out an album a few years ago called I Trawl the Megahertz. Its a complete fucking masterpiece. The centrepiece of the record is a 27-minute spoken word piece with orchestra. I listened to pretty much nothing but that for almost a year. It just stuck in my head and I wanted to try and do a little mini version of it, so that was my attempt.
(Hidden Beach)What freedoms do you get in Memphis that you dont in Stars?
Campbell: Well, its just me and one other dude, so there are fewer people around to tell me what Im doing isnt quite working. In Memphis, sonically, theres more space for my voice, for melody. Chris Dumont writes from the perspective of chords so he sets up a series of chords that are beautiful and then allows my voice to create the melody over that. For me its easier to find room. In Stars its just more people and more ideas coming at you and a little more anal retentive energy.
Lyrically, this album is a lot less romantic than what were used to hearing from you.
Its less about love in general and more about whats going on inside myself. Its slightly more autobiographical. I think that each song is like a retelling of a dream. Some of them are nightmares, some are sexy and some of them are these random weird dreams where youre hanging out with your friends and some strange thing happens, but they all have the quality of something remembered or half remembered. Theyre less direct and less specific than Stars. They leave more room for the listener to put their own feelings into it.
Why did you include two spoken word songs, and whos the female voice on "From the Highest Room?
That was a poem I wrote a couple years ago and my wife, thats her favourite thing Ive ever written, so I thought I should have her read it on the album. I was very influenced by Paddy McAloon from Prefab Sprout, who put out an album a few years ago called I Trawl the Megahertz. Its a complete fucking masterpiece. The centrepiece of the record is a 27-minute spoken word piece with orchestra. I listened to pretty much nothing but that for almost a year. It just stuck in my head and I wanted to try and do a little mini version of it, so that was my attempt.
