Tall Ships are a band who after blowing the heads off music fans in Cornwall, have been snapped up by Big Scary Monsters and have gone from strength to strength since. I caught up with them to dish the dirt on the new EP and all the touring they’ve been doing.

Hello guys, firstly could you introduce yourself and explain
a little about who Tall Ships are and how they came to be?

We are 3 brothers who met at university down in Falmouth and bonded
over our shared love of Cornish pasties and Craig David. We started to
play a bit in this tiny room in Rics house, busting out these pompous
jams for a giggle. Our mate Seany was putting Tubelord on at the University bar and asked if we were up for supporting them to which we said yeah.
So within 2 weeks we kind of had to reel in our extended silly
instrumental ditties into proper songs. Then we played them. And to
our surprise people actually enjoyed the songs as did we performing
them. After that we wanted to play again, and again and again.

You spent a lot of time in Falmouth, gigging around Cornwall, do
you feel your experience within Cornwall has impacted the way you
write, if so, how?

It definitely had a real big impact on how we kind of grew as a band.
Every gig we played was in front of our friends and just loads of fun,
which gave us the chance to figure out what we wanted to do with
it. Falmouth itself is real isolated and full of extremely talented
artists, writers, illustrators, designers and to exist within that
creative bubble was real great. Cornwall as a place is just
completely unlike anywhere else. The attitudes of the people and
general way of life is just so much more friendly, accepting and
relaxed which definitely fed into our music. Although, the 6 hour
drive to play a gig (full backline in a toyota corolla) anywhere else
was a bit of a ball ache.


Big Scary Monsters seemed to take hold of you guys quite
quickly, how important do you feel they have been to your progression
in the industry?

Kev Douche is an absolute legend. One of the nicest guys you'll ever
meet. BSM has released some real amazing stuff before like Tubelord,
Pulled Apart By Horses etc , so it was lovely to have him to release the
first EP. Alongside BSM it was also co-released by the beautiful Simon
Morley AKA Blood and Biscuits whom release Three Trapped Tigers. So
it was great to have two people behind us. As for our 'progression'
within the industry, it meant that we instantly had people who would
listen to the EP purely because it came through these two labels. This
exposure to a new audience was great as we hadn't played many gigs so
it got the name out a bit. It also meant we could play more gigs which
is what we love doing.


You've played with some great bands, including one of my personal
faves Minus The Bear, how has the experience been, have these bands
shaped the music on your new EP in anyway?

Yeah we have been incredibly lucky to play with bands that we have such
as Tubelord, Dananananakroyd, 65DOS, though the Minus The Bear shows
were unlike anything we had ever done before. To be watching a band
that you just absolutely love from the side of stage after having just
played yourself was incredibly humbling and surreal. The crowds were
stupidly big too which was something we had never experienced before.
It definitely made us realise that 'shit this is actually happening'
and our schoolboy fantasies of being in a 'proper' band were starting
to be realised.
With regards to shaping the new EP, Tubelord have
definitely influenced us a great deal. We have played so many shows
with them and they have such interesting ideas musically that the
various jams and discussions we have had whilst on tour definitely
have had an effect. Jamie Field who plays keyboard for them also
recorded and produced the EP so he had a massive effect on the whole
thing.


Your new EP 'There is Nothing But Chemistry Here' contains more
vocally than your previous self-titled effort. Was there a conscious
effort in adding the vocals or did it occur naturally and how do you
feel this has impacted the songs on 'There Is Nothing But Chemistry
Here'?

Vocals were always a funny one for us. When we started we agreed that
we wouldn't sing at all on any of our songs but that just changed. The
addition of more vocals was very much a natural progression for us.
Words are a much more instant way of connecting with an audience and
allow us to express ideas more directly than through just pure sounds.
They also allow for more involvement and exchange with an audience in
a live setting which is really important for us. We want everybody who
comes to our gigs to feel a part of the whole thing rather than just a
spectator and words are the easiest way to connect. But it was also
definitely a confidence thing too. Before, we were nervous and
quite self-conscious when it came to singing but after playing so many
shows and the response to the vocals on the first EP, we just
grew some balls and did it.

With regards to impacting the songs on T.I.N.B.C.H, it definitely ties
them together quite well which is something we felt the first EP didn’t
quite have. They feel like songs which belong together both
thematically and musically; a body of songs which all explore a
similar concept and are vehicles to explore the notions behind the
statement 'There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here'.


You have a tour planned to coincide with the release of the new EP
which sees you play alongside the likes of Tubelord, and also dates in
Europe with 65daysofstatic, how do you prepare for gigs now that they
are getting bigger and what are you most looking forward to in your
tour cycle?

Our preparation is always much the same really. We still very much
feel like we are just inflicting our bedroom hobby upon an audience so
we aim to go out and have some fun and hope that everybody else
watching will to. This rings true in front of 10 people or 1000
really. We are unbelievably excited to be going to Europe with
65daysofstatic. It was one of the things we have dreamed about doing
as a band. To visit a whole host of places we've never been too, get
travel costs covered, play music we enjoy in front of new people we can
hopefully meet, it’s just the best.



After the tour and release of the new EP, what does the future of
Tall Ships consist of?

Well definitely more and more shows. We’re planning a headline tour for
December which is both exciting and scary. We won’t be able to suck off
the popularity of the headline band like the leeches we are but rather
will have to (hopefully) play to people who actually have come to see
us... Apart from that well, we’re going to do a cheeky single sometime soon
and then we shall have to face up to the rather worrying notion of
producing a collection of songs which is longer than 18 minutes.....

Tall Ships second EP ‘There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here’ will be released on October 24th through Big Scary Monsters and Blood And Biscuits.

Tall Ships Myspace
Tall Ships Twitter

Codes In The Clouds - Paper Canyon Recycled


When Codes In The Clouds escaped obscurity in 2007, having signed to Erased Tapes, I was quick to write them off. Being a huge fan of instrumental music or dare I say it, post-rock, at the time I found myself at ease coining them as Explosions In The Sky-lite or perhaps This Will Destroy You Mk II, but this was perhaps just more my opinion as they seemed to gather more and more praise with their debut album 'Paper Canyon'. A year on, Codes In The Clouds are gearing up to release a new set of material upon our ears but before then, this, 'Paper Canyon Recycled', a collection of remixes by fans and fellow artists of tracks from their debut release.

Strangely enough for me, the first track, 'Don't Go Awash In This Digital Landscape' by Paul Mullen of Yourcodenameis:milo fame is completely mind blowing but then it is closer to a Yourcodenameis:milo track than one of Code In The Clouds, seething between beautiful bright guitar work before it explodes into guitar distortion and emotional howling, it is perhaps the one thing that Codes In The Clouds don't have that really sets this track apart from the rest on this album, vocals.The problem I have with the rest of the album is, that aside from the odd electronic element here and there, it's all quite obvious and predictable, infact, it could almost be as if that were the original song, un-touched. There is no doubt that this release is beautiful in parts(just listen to the final track 'The Distance Between Us' by Nils Frahm) and that it is well written also, but is this offering anything new from the debut release, no not really and is this offering anything new for instrumental music fans, once again, no not really. Maybe Codes In The Clouds should really have taken a leaf out of the Explosions In The Sky book, because the remix version of their album 'All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone' was something to really be inspired by. Please avoid this unless you are a massive fan.

2 / 5

Codes In The Clouds

Tall Ships - There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here


Tall Ships are back! I can actually write that and people will actually know who I am talking about. After some successful support slots playing with one of my favourite bands Minus The Bear alongside their own UK tours, they have managed, somehow, to fit in the time to record a new EP entitled 'There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here' which will be supported by tours with both Tubelord and also 65daysofstatic.

It's nice to see a band come on leaps and bounds since their debut EP, first track 'Plate Tectonics' oozes in its indie confidence complete with thank christ, vocals. The vocals are hardly Whitney Houston but they are endearing and not too far from what we would expect from Jake Snider of Minus The Bear fame. Second track 'Chemistry' is perhaps what Tall Ships were always missing before, a real single that deserves to be played on the radio, its jagged art-indie intro making way for a more subtle Tall Ships sound complete with the sing-a-long lyrics "There is nothing but chemistry here and with that in mind we have nothing to fear". Its gently built melody is exactly what the likes of Foals should be looking to create. 'Ode To Ancestors' has one of those moments, where my heart goes into my mouth and I wonder if Tall Ships are going to ruin the mood by going from something beautiful into something a little sea shanty and humourous like they would have in the past, but they surprise me and the off beat melody that comes in somehow adds to the song. 'Snow', possibly my least favourite on this EP is filled with electronic drums, colourful guitar melodies and bright keyboard melodies, it also sees a slight experimentation in terms of vocals, moving slightly away from the baritone of the previous tracks, which is a lovely addition.

It's easy to see how much Tall Ships have grown. 'There Is Nothing But Chemistry Here' is a mature indie release and if given the right publicity, there is no reason why this EP can't put Tall Ships on the map, sitting beside the hard-working bands they tour with and maybe even higher and onto the mainstream charts like the likes of Foals have achieved.

4.5 / 5

Tall Ships Myspace

Spring Offensive - The First Of Many Dreams About Monsters

So here is the new single from art-indie indepent band Spring Offensive, the fourteen minute single, free to download, coming fast on the heels of their self-released debut album 'Pull Us Apart'.

Inspired by 'The Grief Cycle', a five step insight created by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kúbler-Ross in an attempt to discover peoples methods in dealing with the difficulties in life, 'The First Of Many Dreams About Monsters' is broken down into several bite-size sections, and is as far removed from the bumbling up your own ass feel that comes from both concept records and also long tracks as can be.

If you have heard Spring Offensive before, then you will know exactly what to expect, drumming that provides a great backline to the band but is also original and challenging at the same time, while the guitar interplay is both bright and melodic working to its highest ability when combined with intelligently thought out lyrics.

'The First Of Many Dreams About Monsters' won't set the world alight, and I am still personally expecting better things from Spring Offensive but that aside, this is still a great place to discover the band.

3.5 / 5

Spring Offensive Myspace

You can download the single for free on August 20th by clicking here.

Grasscut - 1 Inch / 1/2 Mile

Grasscut are a band comprising of award-winning film and television composer Andrew Phillips and his as of yet unknown counter-part, Marcus O'Dair. Their first release together, '1 Inch / 1/2 Mile' has already gained favourable reviews, creating all the right noises from all the right publications and genuinely being touted as the new Gorillaz (because let's be honest, they aren't up to scratch anymore), but is it really worth all the fuss?

'High Down', the first track on the album is all based around a simple piano melody, with breathy almost Porcupine Tree-esque vocals colouring the song before the drums crash in with a dirty electronic bass tone. Seething up and down between quiet verses and loud chorus', 'High Down' is a psychedelic dream and a fantastic start to this release. 'Old Machines' is off beat and completely different but still, somehow maintaining some element of mainstream through its Nintendo-esque use of synths, could this somehow be the new school version of trip-hop, I definitely think so. 'The Tin Man' is a strange song to say the least, orchestrally, it sounds very much like a title song to perhaps a band movie, being epic and grandiose, but the use of the female vocals over an industrial use of the drums is both different and inspiring and really has to be heard to be believed. 'Passing' is more of what I would expect from a band compared to Gorillaz, a hip-hop drumbeat, but with an interesting arrangement assembled and layered on-top, it is strangely both bright and also extremely dark and moody with a series of electronic bleeps overshadowed by dark distortions.

'1 Inch / 1/2 Mile' definitely isn't an album for everyone. The connections to acts like Gorillaz may yet be to Grasscut's peril, there are definitely no 'Dirty Harry' or 'Feel Good Inc.'-esque tracks to be found here but I am certain that if you allow yourself time with this release that it will be more than fulfilling.

4 / 5

Grasscut Myspace

Collapse Under The Empire - The Sirens Sound

Could Collapse Under The Empire really become any more prolific than they already are? Afterall it only seems like yesterday that I was unwrapping their album to review and not long after here comes their latest release, a five track EP entitled 'The Sirens Sound' released via independent label Sister Jack.

After perhaps playing up to their influences on previous releases it is on 'The Siren Sound' that they really do find themselves in a comfortable home of their own. The lead single 'Grade Seperation' really showcases all the good elements to Collapse Under The Empire, electronic beeps with a droning underscore that can at times sound akin to Thirty Seconds To Mars before the drums and guitars crash in together to destroy the melody. It isn't all post-rock feedback though, there are real melodic hooks in the lead guitar playing, that played over and over really engrave themselves into your skull, something which the heavyweights in this genre still have yet to master. 'Beware/Lost' really masters the electronic elements that they have been working on since their inception in 2007 and along with some really tidy drum work and clever guitar play, it stays fresh without ever really moving on, the use of piano on this track really is bright and warm aswell, a welcome inclusion.

Collapse Under The Empire aren't exactly re-writing music, they aren't even rewriting the post-rock genre but what they have done is find their own little niche, which is a collection of the great instrumental bands, and knocked out a fine EP that you'd all be best checking out.

4 / 5

Collaspe Under The Empire Myspace