Jim Muir (lead vox, acoustic guitar)
Paul Galpin (Backing vox, keyboards)
Hugh Ruiz (Bass Guitar)
Max Roache (Percussion)
Influences
Air, Arcade Fire, The Beatles (of course), Badly Drawn Boy, The Bees, The Boo Radleys, The Beta Band, Beck, Belle and Sebastian, (Sir) Bowie, Blur, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Cornershop, Coldplay, Donovan, (Lord) Dylan, David Gray, The Eels, Elliot Smith, Elton John (the early stuff, sparingly), Fairport Convention, Flaming Lips, Four Tet, Goldfrapp, Killers, The Kinks, The La's, Leftfield, Lou Reed, Magic Numbers, Mercury Rev, Palace Music, PJ Harvey, Pulp, Patty Smith, Portishead, Saint Etienne, The Small Faces, The Stone Roses, Spiritualized, Spaceman 3, Stereolab, Stevie Wonder, The Streets, My Bloody Valentine, Kings of Convenience, The Orb, Orbital, Radiohead, Underworld, The Verve, Velvet Underground.
Sounds Like
"Delightful, intelligent, melancholy and beautiful. Muir is clearly operating, as the hip hoppers say, "on some other shit.""
NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS
"A glorious slice of jangly post-Britpop happiness to make the most grumpy soul want to run down those autumnal streets kicking up leaves. Coming from that great Cocker/Weller/Morrissey tradition of kitchen sink dramas set to fantastic tunes, you have the sneaking feeling that Muir's not being entirely frank when he sings "sometimes London is beautiful". But much like when the Cure take it into their heads to peek out from under their black duvet, the JMS sweep you along with their joyously Pulp-y pop, the sugar rush balanced here by the wonderfully gloomy B-sides inspired by Muir's day job as an A&E doctor."
THE GUARDIAN- TRACK OF THE WEEK [Link & Review JPG]
“He's armed with a sackful of thought-provoking slogans and plays like a humbler 21st Century Scott Walker. The second EP in a trilogy of releases intertwines art, dogma and visions of a jaded nation… Positively great.”
RECORD COLLECTOR- SINGLE OF THE MONTH [Review JPG]
The CD of the album in it's all singing all dancing Designers Republic sleeve is available to buy from Rough Trade. Click here to buy online or you can get it from the Rough Trade store in London.
Those breathing in the fragrant air in the north of England can buy it from Picadilly records. Click here to buy online or you get it from their store in Manchester.
Bored of songs about teenage angst, sung from beneath surly fringes, Jim and Paul resolved to save the world through more practical means and trained as junior doctors. Over the next few years they lived several lifetimes as the whole pantomime of human existence passed through their hands. Jim initially discovered he didnt have the time to cry & after a few weeks in the job found he had lost the ability altogether. He began to write during the physical & emotional travails of hundred hour weeks; the writing process beginning to provide an effective sanity-saving outlet.
Starkly acoustic, the stories took abstract forms. Sometimes, only a general feeling of otherworldliness connected the listener to that strange place of black-windowed hospital corridors and sleep-deprived hallucination. Writing the stories made Jim feel a whole lot better and it would be fantastic if it could make others feel the same thats why hes released 3 EPs on the Bowmans Capsule label so far. People seem to appreciate music that means something and is borne out of experiences like theirs. Single of the week recognition in the Guardian & Single of the Month in Record Collector Magazine seem to confirm the musics potential to touch people.
Jim & Paul feel incredibly privileged for their experiences as doctors but now feel as though their lives are moving on. As they prepare to leave the hospital for the last time, the stars are coming out
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I hope you are all enjoying the heatwave!!! (In the UK anyway!!) Visit my site, and get 20% off any poster if you mention your MySpace name!!! http://www.maximumrnb.com Have a FAB weekend, and Happy Independance Day to everyone in the US!!!!
Hi
Just to say love your music need more please, ever since Mark from Losing Today introduced me to you can't get enough. Any gigs coming up?, South of the River?
luv Jan xx
