Metronomy: We Can Now Tell Mum We Have A Job

Metronomy band members talk of their new album, the bands that have influenced them and other interesting topics.

Plavio radio`s Backstage show host Alen Balen spoke with members of electro Metronomy band from England.

How do you feel after the album got such great reviews?

Joe: I think we all feel a little bit like, it’s a pay off to all this hard work! No it’s great, like it’s very you know, it’s lovely to get good reviews and to feel like the hard works paid off a bit I think. Is that the general feeling? 

Gabriel: I think we all feel a little bit like, it’s a pay off to all this hard work! No it’s great, like it’s very you know, it’s lovely to get good reviews and to feel like the hard works paid off a bit I think.  Is that the general feeling? 

Did you feel under any more pressure than you did recording the debut?

Joe: It wasn’t really any pressure. I think the only kind of, the like the incentive was really just to kind of to do something that was good and like, the first record wasn’t really that available, so it wasn’t like there was much expectation heaped on us. I think like, the thing we wanted to do was just kind of prove ourselves to be a decent band. But other than that, it wasn’t really, there wasn’t that much pressure I don’t think. Which was nice

Did you set out to make the album more accessible?

Joe: Just by the nature of having vocals makes it more, you know, like appealing to people like radio and stuff like that, but it wasn’t at all a kind of conscious decision, like ok we’ve got to you know, we’re getting older, we’ve got to try and get on the radio! Like it was, I mean it was like, there were problems with the first label and there was like a big old gap between the records. And it just kind of, it just happened naturally. Like there were loads of songs which were done halfway in between which were half songs. You know, like bits of vocals here and there. So it wasn’t really… I mean the only goal, the goal, the idea was just to make a record that held together. And like there’s vocal tracks and there’s still tracks without vocals. And I think it’s… I mean I think, I hope you can hear that it’s by the same people, the same band or whatever.

What is the concept behind the album?

Joe: The concept was more the idea of just making an album that held together and had a kind of a beginning a middle and an end. And as for the Nights Out concept, I’m not a very proficient songwriter. Write about what I know. That’s going out!

So what will the next album be like?

Joe: It’s gonna be far more pretentious. It’s gonna be called Credit Crunch. And the idea is, it’s gonna be a tie in with a reality programme, I’m gonna get all the old, the bankers who have been fired, teach them how to play instruments, and get them involved.

Oscar: ‘Cos they need our help, you know. Poor poor bankers. 

Gabriel: Spare a thought for those poor poor mega rich bankers.

Producers Paul Epworth and Erol Alkan are fans of the album. How does that feel?

Joe: I think, you know, it’s great, and I think ‘cos obviously the production stuff is important to me as well, and to have people like that kind of being into it and getting excited about it is wonderful!  It’s wonderful! Gives it a bit of kind of what’s the word…Yeah people like that it gives it a bit more kind of credibility I guess, getting it from them. Than just people, normal people!  (LAUGHS) 

Oscar: ‘Cos what do they know!

In a recent article you said that you thought Keane might have borrowed some of your ideas on Spiralling.

Gabriel: Maybe the production sound of one of their guitar parts we thought might have been reminiscent. But other than that, like we love the Keane single. We think it’s like the best. And probably the best guitar pop…

Oscar: It’s the best pop song there’s been for ages. Yeah, from a band. Like from a proper band. And if it was taken, if it was like influenced by you know, one of our songs, then we’d love that.

Gabriel: That’s brilliant, yeah.

Oscar: They’ve done it better than the one we did, it sounds like. So you know. 

Joe: I think the thing is in that guide thing, and I think we felt a bit like maybe, it made us sound a bit like we were twats. Which actually, like, the things he chose to write, it wasn’t the whole story.  It was more like maybe it’s been a bit influenced, which is great. And it’d be wonderful if it actually had. Though we’re probably wrong it’s probably coincidental anyway.