In 2008/2009 I couldn't write a song to save myself. I had chronic writer's block - pure inspirational constipation. Lot's of bad ju-ju had happened in those two years and for the first time in 10 years I thought it would be a good time to have a rest from music. I got the hell out of Dodge and drove around the South Island of New Zealand for a few weeks, finally settling into an apartment in Queenstown where most of the record would be written on scraps of paper. I didn't take any recording equipment with me because it was supposed to be a vacation away from music, so I ended up humming guitar lines into answering machines and wrote lyrics on maps walking through colossal mountain valleys.
After I got back, I ran into the very first drummer for The Cops, a Mr Rory Toomey (also of Meta Bass 'N Breath) at a N.E.R.D. concert and moaned and whinged about how I couldn't find a band. His response was "I've got a whole band for you." Three weeks later I was playing with a shit hot band which included Toddy Smith (from The Cops) on keys, Rory Toomey on drums and percussion, Rob Young on bass, Paul "Pablo" Hurrell on guitar and Nick Beswick on second keys (yes, TWO keyboard players...why not?).
I wanted to do a little experiment. I wanted to see if it was possible for me to record an album for next to no money, and to make it sound good. We made a sound-proof door, got the bar sorted and moved into my little studio in Summer Hill (by little I mean 3m by 3m!). As it turned out, the thing ended up costing $400. We finished recording the album in July 2009 (Beck popped in from time to time and guests on the album, and Jason Walker provided beautiful pedal steel guitar).
"The Black Book Of The Universe" is produced and engineered by me and mixed by Rob and I in my apartment. One of my favourite people on Earth, Russell Hopkinson is putting the record out on his Illustrious Artists imprint, which is quite fitting cos he put the first Cops EP out, and has shown my songwriting a lot of love over the years.
And that's about it for now. I'll be launching the single in late Nov/early Dec around the traps so stay tuned for dates.
xoxo
Simon
The Black Book Of The Universe is slated for an early 2010 release.
I was just thinking, "Gee, I miss The Cops. I wonder what they're up to?" So I went to the myspace read the old blogs and it lead me here. Just wanted to say I truly admire everything you've done man. The tunes are sounding great.
Hello, we're playing our first show in over a year and our first with our new lineup! Hope you can make it!
Thursday Nov 6th - 8pm - $6
The Empress (714 Nicholson St, Nth Fitzroy)
with The Fakes & Winter Migration
Also, visit www. triplejunearthed. com/theweekendpeople and download our new single 'Murder on the Mind' free, and while you're at it, give us a rating or a review. That'd be ace.
God thoes songs are good, Im very impressed mate, you should hurry up and finish your album im starting to get sick of British rock again. I need so melodramatic thick Australian ascents to liven me up
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