On the eve of Audio Antihero Records’ release of ‘Fake Nostalgia: An Anthology of Broken Stuff’, Ben and Adam Parker from the dearly departed early ’00s cult indie favourites Tempertwig talk us through the influences on their old band’s sound and the music they are enjoying right now…
Order ‘Fake Nostalgia’ via Audio Antihero Records.
Ben Parker
Influences:
‘Dirty’ by Sonic Youth
My favorite SY period as they were poppy whilst still really interesting and chaotic. Lovely soundscapes and noise.
‘The first big Weekend’ by Arab Strap
I got bored of Arab Strap shortly after, but absolutely loved this single. Sounded personal and like nothing else on the radio at the time. And suggested that spoken word could work quite nicely.
‘The Marshall Suite’ by The Fall
I used to go and see the Fall quite a bit at the time. This was a cracking album and one that more people should listen to. They didn’t care about anything other than being the Fall, for better or worse.
‘Gentlemen’ by Afghan Whigs
Songs like “When we two parted” still don’t quite sound like any other band. Fair to say that we loved this band.
‘The State that I am In’ by Belle and Sebastian
In the early days of the band, I used to try to rip off Belle and Sebastian songs, then take them to the other two in tempertwig and they’d end up as something quite different. For a while, for the first two albums or so, they were definitely my favorite band in the world
Digs:
‘Beast Epic’ by Iron and Wine
I love most of the records by Iron and Wine, and this one from a few years ago was lovely. Saw him on his own at the Union Chapel once, which was marvelous.
‘The Cold Vein’ by Cannibal Ox
Still love listening to this on headphones when traveling on the tube. Seems to work a treat.
‘Tomorrow’s Harvest’ by Boards of Canada
When you’re in the right mood, this is great. Like an imagined soundtrack to an old video nasty.
‘The Glare’ by McAlmont and Nyman
Love this. David McAlmont singing over the music of Michael Nyman. What’s not to like.
‘The Red Hot Pepper Sessions’ by Jelly Roll Morton
Been obsessed with this for quite some time. Nearly 100 years old but as exciting as ever.
Adam Parker
Influences:
‘Where You Been’ by Dinosaur Jr
Ben took me to this gig, and being the first gig i’d ever been to, it left a big impression – i remember my ears ringing for days later, and it definitely shaped and inspired the way i play drums
‘KoRn’ by KoRn
I’d grown bored of heavy metal by the mid nineties, until I was introduced to this album – and they showed you could own a double-bass drum pedal without having to play ridiculously fast, which is why i went and bought one
‘Ten’ by Pearl Jam
We had a copy of MTV Unplugged taped off the TV, and in the day’s before YouTube, I took away more drumming tips and tricks from watching this performance than anywhere else before or since
‘Swell’ by Psyched up Janis
I had this on constant repeat when it first came out, but didn’t realize they were an influence until Mike who played Theremin for Tempertwig mentioned how much my drumming style sounded like them
‘Siamese Dream’ by Smashing Pumpkins
I love the loose but heavy feel that Jimmy has when he plays drums, and the range of sounds and moods he covers between every song.
Digs
‘Lost Forever // Lost Together’ by Architects
I can’t get enough of the Metalcore genre, and I keep coming back to this album – so many layers and textures.
‘Lost Isles’ by Oceans ate Alaska
This is my go-to bad-day album – furious and unrelenting, and guaranteed to brighten my day, plus the drummer is amazing.
‘Minds & Machines’ by The Mechanist
Melodic and technical, this one ticks all the right boxes for me – they’re due to release their debut album soon, which will be a very happy day indeed
‘Hourglass EP’ by Traveller
Only recently discovered these – sound-wise they fill the void in my collection between Architects and Caliban, which i didn’t realize was missing
‘Dispose’ by The Plot in You
The least heavy offering in my list, and I can’t even remember how I discovered them.
