There's DIY, and then there are those who are even more DIY. UK-based SUPER 8, aka Trip, aka Paul Ryan, writes, sings, plays all of the instruments, records, produces, mixes, and masters his songs in the shed in his backyard. He has also released some of my favorite music in the last year and a half including his HI LO album from last October which was my top of the pops for 2018. In addition, he and his wife have handmade his videos including the adorable video for his new song "Love Like Ours."
Last month, just before the release of his recent compilation album Backers & Maracas (which included two new songs: the jangle gem "Something New" and a great cover of Michael Head’s "X Hits the Spot"), Trip took a holiday to Greece carrying an acoustic guitar and a portable four-track recorder. During those two weeks, he wrote a bunch of new songs and compared the quantity to what The Beatles had produced during their stay in India.
"Love Like Ours" is the first of these songs to be given the shed treatment and get released. It's got a great 60s pop/rock vibe and the 'backers return in full force. There's also a wonderful Beach Boys-sounding bridge, a really terrific guitar solo, and handclaps. I'm a sucker for handclaps, and it must be because The Beatles used them throughout their recording career starting with "I Saw Her Standing There."
"Love Like Ours" is now available on SUPER 8's Bandcamp page.
The new independent label Subjangle is, as the name implies, all about the jangle. And, if you know anything about the music I love, it's also (mostly) all about the jangle. Subjangle is the official label of the Janglepophub blog and Twitter sites specializing in the release of carefully selected artists and limited-edition CDs (but unlimited digital purchases).
Two new releases by the Subjangle label are from two bands that I've listened to and enjoyed over the past year. Both of these albums are compilations of songs from 2018, and both include a couple of brand new songs that are terrific additions to their catalogs; and, when they get heard, they will no doubt expand their growing fan base.
The Hannah Barberas released their first digital EP, The Hannah Barberas Are Here At Last, in July of last year and were immediately embraced by the jangle pop community. This four-piece DIY group from London (made up of Damien, Lucy, Doug, and Matthew) record all of their songs on an 8-track machine at home. Their first EP was followed by two more as well as a Christmas EP and a Mark E. Smith tribute single, all of which were made available digitally on The Hannah Barberas' Bandcamp page.
The Subjangle release, Get Physical, is the first of The Hannah Barberas' output not to be strictly digital *which is where the album title comes from and not because they're doing a cover of an Olivia Newton-John song. Though, I expect they would really do a fabulous job with that).
Backers & Maracas is the latest from SUPER 8, a super-talented singer, songwriter, and producer from the UK. Readers of my reviews for CoolDad should already be familiar with his work. He released three albums last year including HI LO which ended up being my favorite album of 2018. I also did a Q&A with him before the release of his second album.
Backers & Maracas (the 'backers being the gorgeous red Rickenbacker he bought recently to bring a little more jangle to his songs) are a reference to the instruments hanging in his studio and seen on his video for one of the new songs on the album.
Like Get Physical, Backers & Maracas is a compilation of songs from SUPER 8's three releases last year and two new songs. One of the new songs is called "Something New" and makes wonderful use of that new guitar.
If, like me, you really love the songs that SUPER 8 released last year you'll be putting together a Super (8) deluxe version with all of the songs missing from the new album. I'd like to know what your choices would be.
The other new song on the album is "X Hits The Spot," a cover of a song by Michael Head & The Strands. Not knowing about Head's original take on this, I thought the SUPER 8 recording of "X Hits The Spot" was one of the best things I've heard this year. I've gone back and listened to Michael Head's "X Hits The Spot;" and it's wonderful, but I still really, really like what SUPER 8 brings to the track. He's taken a song about drug use and made it a song that anyone who misses a person, a place, or even a thing, can identify with.
Get Physical is out now on Subjangle. The CDs sold out during the pre-order phase, but the digital album is still available.
Super 8 has accomplished a musical hat trick of sorts with his new album HI LO. It's his third album to be released this year; and, if you think by now Super 8 has nothing to say either lyrically or musically, then you really need to get this album. HI LO is not only the best album of the three but may very well be the best album of the year.
On TURN AROUND OR... from June (It's strange to write that; when I usually note when a previous album has been released, it's connected to a year), Super 8 got a little help from his musical friends. But with HI LO, as with January's T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies, he's back to being a one-man Wrecking Crew, playing all of the instruments and also acting as writer, arranger, and producer.
This is nowhere more evident then on HI LO's upbeat opening track "Mr. Sunshine" with its mix of instruments and an ending that could have taken Brian Wilson a studio full of musicians to record (hence the reference to the Wrecking Crew) and tapes put together from multiple sessions. The song begins with a rooster crowing, and I can't help hearing it without thinking of the beginning of Sgt. Pepper's "Good Morning." Coincidence? I think not.
The new album also sees the musical wizard Super 8 aka Trip stepping out from behind the curtain as the Englishman (now living in Scotland) Paul Ryan. As a result, HI LO has some of the most autobiographical lyrics of any previous Super 8 album.
The rocking "She Makes Me Feel Alright" is a love song to his wife who throughout his musical ups and downs has stood by his side. "When I'm on the verge of losing it / She says well just go out there and try and write a hit / Don't make it too long / Just write a pop song / So this one's for you."
The beautiful and heartfelt "Angels & Neil Diamond" also seems to come from Ryan's life experience. It's a song about being a kid: "Heading way out west / Which was the top of the street / We would ride in the road side by side / Jam jars and fishing nets tied to our back / Till we got to the stream by the railway track." Then, living through a near tragedy forces a young man to grow up and the last lines of the song have an emotional punch.
And if you were putting together a mixtape you would, of course, immediately follow a song that mentioned Neil Diamond with a song by Neil Diamond. That's just what Ryan does with his terrific cover of "Cherry, Cherry."
Then there's the awesome "If Ignorance Is Bliss" a musical tip-of-the-hat to The Smiths with some really Marr-velous guitar work and an opening burst of harmonica. With lyrics like "If ignorance is bliss / We should feel happy all the time / So why are you so sad?" the song brings to mind Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind."
Speaking of Dylan, HI LO's "Bob Dylan Said That" has a jazzy feel and channels Dylan's stream-of consciousness style of writing in the lyrics: "We are stuck in a mobile standing at the turnstiles gotta roll with the punches to get your free lunches it takes a lot to laugh it takes a train to cry / Bob Dylan said that / I don't know why." Ryan then adds his own take on this approach and ends a verse with: "I said that."
One of my favorite songs on HI LO is "Drive You Home." There's a wash of organ to introduce it; and, in the middle, there's some McCartney style bass and a Louis Armstrong-like horn. In addition to the bass work, the song has a real Wings feel to it and could have been a lost song from the Back To The Egg sessions.
The album ends with the sighting of the morning star when the planet Venus is seen just before sunrise. The lyrics for "Morning Star" are some of the best that Ryan has written: "Sometimes I wake and can’t even remember my name /Four in the morning I’m walking these streets once again / Feel like I spend most my life in a dream / Finding it hard to distinguish between all these chancers and Muppets, good folks and false prophets." I really like this line, too: "Stock up on coffee and fake news to get through the day."
And when he asks, "Are you the morning star shining for everyone?" the music swells. On hearing it, like me, you might just have found your newest morning star.
Turn Around Or... is SUPER 8's second release this year. His T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! came out in January and was an immediately wonderful out-of-the-blue surprise release.
And, like T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies!, Turn Around Or… is full of a terrific mix of pop songs, love songs, and rock songs. It still has the warm, homemade sound that made the first album such a lovely listening experience. But the new album is more confident and, with a little help from his friends, has a fuller sound. If T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! was SUPER 8's McCartney, then Turn Around Or… is his RAM.
Some of the songs pre-date the new album but fit right in. One of my favorites from SUPER 8's internet days (before he was signed by Futureman Records) is the pop gem "Mary Jane." I was disappointed that it didn’t show up on T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! but I'm glad it's here on the new album. (I have to be honest: I heard this song after the record deal was announced when I first found out about SUPER 8.)
"Smile" is a mid-tempo rocker about someone who can make you both smile and sometimes even cry. The song has a real Stones feel but the demo version had even more of a raucous Keef guitar break. It showed up on last year's free Futureman Christmas download with other unreleased tracks from other of the label's artists.
And SUPER 8's cover of BMX Bandits' "Serious Drugs" made the rounds on Twitter after the Bandits' leader Duglas T Stewart became a SUPER 8 fan (Stewart has even said that SUPER 8's version is the better one).
One of the really cool things on Turn Around Or… is how SUPER 8 doesn't front-load arrangements. You don't hear all of the guitars, horns, and strings right away but as a song progresses he adds more elements. "Hey! Mr Policeman" rocks like nobody's business with its Keith Moon-like drumming and has a real sense of dynamics. The addition later on of a major horn section a la "Got To Get You Into My Life" makes it complete. The title song, a heavenly pop tune, brings cellos and handclaps to the middle eight.
Other songs I really like include the country rock "In The Morning" with its banjo and a mood-altering (the good kind) melody. The beautiful "Wild Apple Girl" starts out quietly like an English folk song with an acoustic guitar and violin, and then a prominent bass line and some bongos create a funky ending. The guitar sound and overall feel of "Never Had A Love" recalls The Beatles' "Girl." The song name-checks the lovers from Rocky and a near-rap bridge brings in Audrey Hepburn and Twiggy among others.
Listen to what the man said about Turn Around Or…: All killer, no filler.
Turn Around Or…: SUPER 8's Trip Talks About His New Album
By Henry Lipput
It's been just about six months since SUPER 8 released T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! and on June 15th the new album Turn Around Or... will be available. In the 60s, bands like The Beatles were under contract to write and record two albums a year; and, in the case of The Beatles, they also put out three non-album singles each year. There hasn't been much of that lately but I do recall Badly Drawn Boy's releasing two terrific albums, Have You Fed The Fish? and the About A Boy soundtrack in the same year.
I had a chance to talk to Trip, the mastermind behind England's SUPER 8, in a lengthy Twitter exchange (a twinterview®, if you will) about the new album, his working methods, his influences, and whether fans in the UK at least might get the chance to see him in a live setting.
Henry Lipput: Your new album Turn Around Or… is a follow-up to T-T-T Technicolour Melodies! which came out earlier this year. That's two albums in a six-month period. Did you have a backlog of material or a burst of creativity?
Trip: Good question. BOTH! It came directly off the release of the T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! album back in January. I guess I was fired up by the positive response to it and just continued to keep writing. I knew I'd be away for the month of May so I thought it might be a fun musical challenge to see if I could "turn around" (see what I did there?) another album in just a few months. I already had a number of songs in different stages of production plus a few that I'd actually finished and was happy with, so it was really just a case of filling in the gaps for those ones then writing and recording a handful of brand new "Trippy Toons!" that would fit the vibe for the rest of the album. I'm actually quite pleased with the way this batch of songs all segued together -- a happy accident!
There's a fuller sound to Turn Around Or…T-T-T-Technicoluor Melodies! was you as a one-man band. Is that the case with the new album?
Yeah, the new one's pretty much the same: me beavering away and just trying to let the songs inform me as to where they want to go. That said, I did have a bit of outside help on a couple of tracks for this one that made for a pleasant change. The talented Nick Bertling (also on the Futureman Records roster) did his very best Keith Moon impression on the opening track "Hey! Mr Policeman," plus Bill Philips and Owen Hodgson really helped me to realize the horn riffs on said song from the second chorus onwards. I'd also like to thank Sunnie Larson for, again, helping me to realize the string arrangement on the track "Wild Apple Girl." Hand picked by Keith Klingensmith (head honcho at Futureman Records) they're all fabulous players who really helped to interpret my ideas.
As for the "fuller sound" you mention, yes, that was intentional. The T-T-T-Technicolour Melodies! recording took me the best part of six months to put together (in isolation). I wanted Turn Around Or.. to sound more ... rushed! Ha! Ha! No, not rushed, but more "just bash 'em out" really! As in twelve upfront Pop songs -- ALL killers, hopefully NO fillers!
I didn't really think about this album too much. I was just vibing off the back of the debut and getting to enjoy myself -- no pressure! I'm not really taking myself too seriously with this one (as you can probably guess from the video I've just finished for the opening track! It was shot using just one mobile phone on a budget of £20.)
You cover the song "Serious Drugs" by The BMX Bandits on Turn Around Or… What made you select that song?
Well, I've always loved the song from the moment I heard it. I just related to it on every level and, like "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles and "There She Goes" by The La's, I just think it's one of those perfect Pop songs -- it resonated with me (and still does!) Anyway, I hadn't heard it in ages. Then, one day, it popped up on an old mixtape (that I'd probably made for some ex-girlfriend! I forget the name of the girlfriend but I definitely hadn't forgotten the song as it turned out!)
I had my guitar with me (as I often do!) and just started strumming it through. It seemed to suit my style (whatever that may be!) but I wasn't playing the right chords so I somewhat impulsively contacted one of the song's writers out of the blue on social media (namely Duglas T. Stewart lead singer of The BMX Bandits) and asked if it was okay if I had a shot at covering the song. Much to my surprise, he came back pretty much immediately and in the affirmative, so I asked him for the chords. Then, after having completed my rendition in one short recording session, I sent it to him as a sonic thank you and rather timidly awaited his response. Fortunately, he liked my interpretation; and, well, here it is featured on this next SUPER 8 album. In the words of The A-Team's Hannibal: "I love it when a plan comes together!" not that there was that much of a plan really -- it just sort of "organically happened!"
You have a gift for melodies and arrangements. Who would you say are your major influences?
You think? Thank you! I have quite eclectic tastes when it comes to music I suppose but, as for actual influences, I guess off the top of my head I'd have to say: Brian Wilson, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach. Paul Simon, James Taylor. Ask me tomorrow and I'll give you a completely different list but, right now, that's where I'm at! At the core of everything I do though is... The Beatles (yeah, I know!)
Any chance of fans in the UK seeing you perform live?
Hmm ... tricky one! I'm definitely not ruling it out but playing live right now would hold me back I feel. What am I talking about? Well, there's no way I'd have been able to do another album so quickly with a band. I'd have to find one for starters and, well, I have "a way of working" on this end I guess -- I only have myself to blame. As things stand, if I get an idea, I can just go "bash it out;" and, sometimes, (if I get lucky!) my first "solo jam" effort can get to be the finished version (like my cover of "Serious Drugs" for instance). Were I to go down the road of actually trying to form a "proper band," it would first take me ages to find the "right" folks, and then we'd have to spend ages working out the songs (two albums worth of songs from the last six months) and, knowing me, I'd probably have to drive the van as well. All the while I'd be playing songs that were already "out there" as opposed to working up new ones. I do still like the idea of playing live; but, when I think about the practicalities of it all, I suppose I'm just more of a studio guy these days. I manage to get more done this way.
From the first time I heard "Catsuit," the wonderfully sweet pop song on SUPER 8's T-T-T-echnicolour Melodies album, all I could think of was Robert Smith in that Cure video dancing around in a, well, catsuit as if he were an original furry. The hero of SUPER 8's "Catsuit" song, however, is trying to do whatever he can to win and keep the one he loves: "Raising a lighthouse for you / Taking a right hook for you / Sticking my leg out for you / Saving my last smoke for you / Wearing a catsuit for you." And all he asks is that she sings for him.
It's just one of the super songs on an album that has the charm of a home-made, one-man-in-a-studio production like Paul McCartney and Emitt Rhodes used to do in the old days. And, except for the word "hip-hop," in the title song, this album could have come out sometime in the 1970s. It may be old school but it's certainly not old hat.
A band version of the album was scheduled to be released in 2003, followed by a tour, but it all fell through; and that version of the album never saw the light of day. This time around, it's just UK-based singer-songwriter TRiP behind the console and playing all of the instruments. He sings in a folky drawl but makes sure we hear every word.
The old-school vibe is apparent right from the start with the mellotron that opens the first track on the album, "Tomorrow's Just Another Day." Things start slowly; and, when it picks up, TRiP adds some Mariachi horns to make something of a musical stew. It sounds terrific, and adding unexpected sounds to what is basically an acoustic template is a recipe he uses throughout the album.
The stew recipe is used again on the album's final track, "My Sweet Baby Jane." As if the title weren't enough of a tip-off, TRiP combines the feel of both JT and VU along with backwards tape sounds, a countrified electric guitar, and some Beatle-y horns to top things off.
The sad and lovely "Just A Serenade," may be about a friend and not a lover -- at least not at this time ("You're like the sister that I never had"). The song has a finger-picked acoustic guitar and some whistling in the middle. "There's no laughter behind this smile / Just a serenade no last goodbyes / You better leave / 'Cause you don't want to see me cry too young / I'll see you around."
Next to "Catsuit," my favorite track on the album is the folk-rocking, full-band sounding "Last Final Cigarette." It's a killer song; and, if TRiP is taking suggestions for a single, it should be this song.
