The Jesus and Mary Chain, Velvet Underground, Phil Spector, Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Joy Division, New Order, Tom Waits, Northern Soul.
We believe that John Coltranes saxophone is as much a vessel of communion as any Priest or Minister. Its about the power of friendship & comrade-ship & music to lift your soul out of the gutter and into the heavens. All great music is Gospel music no matter how base or immature the intent. Rock and Roll was born in the cradle of Gospel and will be buried in the grave of Gospel.
Written in Utrecht, Netherlands in the winter in 2002, caned and in retreat with a filthy cold and with filthy ambition, wanting to skip round Cohen, Spector and the Jesus & Mary Chain like a young Cassius Clay.
Track 2
`Remember Dresden`
Its about Dresden; its fire-bombing and annihilation during the Second World War and how the hidden pain of geography or a city can cut keen and deep in communion with the knife of our own pain and secret, deepest agonies.
Most of all its a reminder to never forget Dresden and all the little Dresdens that every-day slip off the pages of history.
Recorded in Glenrothes, Scotland trying to get the guitars to sound like Christmas.
Track 3
`Saint Judes Infirmary'
Its about sitting in the gutter, reading a book on the lives of the saints, listening to Kraut Rock. Its about the place where the band gets its name from to say any-more would give the game away. Once the song is out of your head its already compromised.
The song came to my sister and I in the same dream delivered by a horseman, a Norseman and a wing-back on a Bosman. Really cant remember anything about this song but it seems to be good sound-track to treacherous hypnotism.
Track 4
`Saint Jean`
Is about the hounding and sacrificial demise of Jean Seberg the American actress who was plucked from obscurity to play Joan of Arc in Otto Premingers 1957 film of the Maid of Orleans. Life was to sadly mirror art with a CIA smear campaign turning into a full scale witch-hunt over her links with the Black Panthers which led to her suicide. She is our bands second patron saint & eternally our leading lady.
When things are falling apart on stage I play the bass riff like a mantra, like whispered Hail Mary and this song pulls us through. The band make will continue our crusade until we have made our pilgrimage to Montparnasse cemetery, Paris to pay our respect to our Saint Jean.
Track 5
`All My Rowdy Friends are dead. `
Its about Religion, friendship and library books. Its another bar-floor requiem for lives lived and lost falling down. A small sad whisky tumbler raised to this grave yard of ambition that we, with teary eyed and proud hearts call home.
It used to be the last song of our set, a tumble-down race to see when the sound-man would pull the plug. Names have not been changed to protect the guilty. None of our friends are overt successes. Recorded on the last piece of reel in one take with the taxi meter running and sounding like a drunk crashing from happy to morose to suicidal in the space of the one sad drink, this song finds a space on the album at the expense of better songs by way of our lazy spite. A desperate truth, desperately told.
Track 6
`Good-bye Jack Vettriano`
The infant terrible of Scottish Art is like us from Kirkcaldy and is a star. We and all right minded Langtonians are eternally in debt to him and Jocky Wilson for undoing the poison of Adam Smith
Its a country song and country is in our blood. Its a sea shanty for all the sailors that have fallen from grace with the sea. Recording was fraught and torrid and the producer had to dive and swim hard against the tide to bring back this bright little pearl of misery and devotion.
Track 7
`Montreal`
A sailor in a bar in Utrecht told me Utrecht, Edinburgh and Montreal were the only cities that ever won his heart. In a moment of good natured bonhomie I swore to write a song for each. Once the gin had settled I had a love letter to a city Id never seen. Its also our song for Montreals greatest son - Leonard Cohen. A small and timid token of thanks. A note passed in class from an awestruck child.
Track 8
`Happy Healthy Lucky Month`
I met a girl and I was so sure that we would get together that I wrote song about us breaking up.
Track 9
`VVVampyre`
I went to a party once and I was only there to say sorry but I drank too much and when I opened my eyes everyone had fangs and piercing red eyes and they were vampires and thats not a word of a lie.
Recorded the day after we wrote it, sprawling, incoherent and vitriolic - the final stake through the heart of the album. Its about death and the end, a euphoric death and a euphoric end. Now close the book and turn the cover
Saint Jude's Infirmary , Sometimes are Peter Pan, Sometimes are Vampyres. They have cheated adulthood. They have martyred child-hood. They are genuine artists, they are base and stuff their rider in their guitar cases and drink it in bus shelters. They are as tight as a terrorist cell. They despise each other with a cold hearted passion. They want to play as soft as falling snow. They want to make bang like Neanderthal. They read Dylan Thomas for his grace. They read The Daily Record for the football.
They are from Edinburgh Scotland and play slow and brutal poetry. The songs are of sad eyed remorse sung by throats cried hoarse. The girls sing sweet, the boys sing coarse, the girls weave honey, the boys pick sores
We're working away on a new EP via email as Andy's pegged it to London to work. Apart from that I'm just whoring myself out for design/illustration, trying to wangle some fun jobs.
How's things at your end? Is that elusive second album nearly here?
oh st jude's infirmary how i am gutted you're not playing leith festival this year, especially since when you played at my other job (carnegie hall) i was locked away in an office. However should you be in the leith area tonight you are more, more than welcome to come to our launch party on Cruz, i do promise free wine and crap scottish weather xxe
hey folks my girlfriend (holly from the music show) and i just got back from sitting in the park gettin pissed. we were listenin to tunes and she stuck your record on and was talking about writing LOVE on jack V's knuckles so anyway, we were wondering what you're up to? when can we see you? is the new record out yet? hope you are all well
Hello =). I heard you on Huw Stevens' show last night and was completely blown away by how amazing your music is. Is there anywhere I can buy your music at all? Take care, Joshua. x
ello all! Hows things going?? God I'm terrible at keeping in touch on these things! Your album is again on repeat on my iTunes haha, can't get enough of it at the mo! <3
Have a great night tonight, wish I could have been there but redundancy has curtailed my travelling bigtime to see my favourite bands:-( Where can I buy the single?xx
Episode 15 of Jim Gellatly's NEW MUSIC available for free from iTunes, Windows Media Guide & Radio Magnetic.
The latest feast of new music from the former Xfm Scotland new music guru includes Unicorn Kid, Beatnic Prestige, Marmaduke Duke, Kizzy Star, The Plimptons, Panda Su, The Law, Devices and Saint Jude's Infirmary.
