Palm Springs (band)
Encyclopedia
Palm Springs is a Brighton
-based independent British
rock band
. Established in 2004 with "a firm DIY ethic - put off today what you can do tomorrow and persevere without instructions or guidance," the band writes, records and releases records through their own label Random Acts Of Vinyl.
and instrumentalists
, glockenspiel
, Casio VL-1
, Stylophone and strings
to the traditional indie pop
setting allows for a broader range of styles, suggesting their music belongs in the arena of chamber pop.
Cane and Russo site a number of influences such as Lee Hazlewood
and Scott Walker
, but also Massive Attack
, Johnny Cash
, Serge Gainsbourg
, The Beach Boys
and Brigitte Bardot
. Critics have suggested other touchstones such as early Jesus & Mary Chain, Belle & Sebastian
, Cranebuilders, Tindersticks
, The Field Mice
, The Dream Academy
, early High Llamas, The Pernice Brothers
, late Elliott Smith
and Rufus Wainwright
.
and Casio VL-Tone – with acoustic
and Americana
sounds such as slide guitar
. They wanted to bring a dark and melancholic feel to the music, while maintaining the hook
s and accessibility of the popular song. Cane has described his "great love of songs that can be sung, songs that stay with you. Going right back to The Supremes
and Motown and all the way through classic country
songs as well. […] I never wanted to be consciously abstract, but I like the idea of bringing abstract sounds into a song that is basically ‘pop.’ That defined things for us." In order to maintain complete artistic and creative freedom and to avoid having to pursue a recording contract
, they also created their own independent record label
, Random Acts Of Vinyl.
Over the course of the next two years Cane and Russo enlisted the help of a number of friends and local musicians to record their songs. Among them were producer and singer-songwriter Kah and cellist Alice MacGill, a music graduate of Goldsmiths' College. They also joined the duo for live performances. Tragically, while on holiday in Thailand, MacGill was killed by the Indian Ocean Tsunami that struck Ao Nang beach in December 2004.
Cane and Russo accompanied the release of their second 7" single "Echo of Me
" with a live performance at Brighton's Hanbury Ballrooms in October 2005. They formed a backing band for the concert from drummer Grant Allardyce, cellist Mark Jesson, violinist Anna McInnery and keyboard player Micky Buccheri. Paul Pascoe, the engineer at Church Road Studios who had worked on all their recordings, played bass and Kah again sang backing vocals. Later in the year, during a trip to Germany, Cane visited Berlin record shop Mr Dead And Mrs Free, and left them copies of the singles. Dead & Free passed copies on to their friend Wolfgang Doebeling, the editor of German Rolling Stone
magazine. Doebeling has since been a strong supporter of the band, featuring their music in Rolling Stones playlists and playing it on his Roots show for Berlin’s Radio Eins.
The full-length LP, No Hurt Like a Broken Heart
, was completed late in 2006. It was fully released in the UK and Europe in March 2007, distributed by Cargo Records. The album was dedicated to MacGill.
Cane and Russo immediately began work on new material – including a short session of demo
recording in the coastal village of Pagham
. Neil Cantwell joined as a regular keyboard player. In 2008, after another visit to Pagham, the band continued to record and perform shows in Brighton, London, Paris and in Germany, including a 25th anniversary concert for Dead & Free, with Les Homme Sauvage and Fran Healy & Andy Dunlop from Travis
.
The band played at the opening night of the 26th Haldern Pop Festival
in Germany in August 2009. Second LP The Hope That Kills You
followed in January 2010.
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
-based independent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. Established in 2004 with "a firm DIY ethic - put off today what you can do tomorrow and persevere without instructions or guidance," the band writes, records and releases records through their own label Random Acts Of Vinyl.
Members
The group comprises songwriting duo- DC Cane (lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
) - Jon Russo (electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, programming, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
),
and instrumentalists
- Grant Allardyce (drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
) - Neil Cantwell (piano/keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
) - Mark Jesson (celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) - Kah (backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
) - Paul Pascoe (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
)
Style
Palm Springs describe their music as "acoustic, melancholic and slightly car boot electronic" although reviewers have used adjectives ranging from "lush," "orchestral" and "majestic" to "folksy," "gentle" and "understated." The addition of non-standard instruments such as melodicaMelodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
, glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, Casio VL-1
Casio VL-1
The VL-1 was the first instrument of Casio's VL-Tone product line, and is sometimes referred to as the VL-Tone. It combined a calculator, synthesizer, and sequencer...
, Stylophone and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
to the traditional indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
setting allows for a broader range of styles, suggesting their music belongs in the arena of chamber pop.
Cane and Russo site a number of influences such as Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous...
and Scott Walker
Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
, but also Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
and Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot is a French former fashion model, actress, singer and animal rights activist. She was one of the best-known sex-symbols of the 1960s.In her early life, Bardot was an aspiring ballet dancer...
. Critics have suggested other touchstones such as early Jesus & Mary Chain, Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
, Cranebuilders, Tindersticks
Tindersticks
Tindersticks are an Indie rock band from Nottingham, England formed in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples took on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006, but more permanently the following year...
, The Field Mice
The Field Mice
The Field Mice were an indie pop band on the indie label Sarah Records. Initially a duo from South London suburb of Mitcham comprising Robert Wratten and Michael Hiscock, their first EP, Emma's House, was released in November 1988, and reached number 20 in the UK Independent Chart...
, The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy
The Dream Academy was a folk rock band from England, comprising singer/guitarist Nick Laird-Clowes; multi-instrumentalist Kate St John; plus keyboardist Gilbert Gabriel. They are most noted for their hit single, "Life in a Northern Town".-History:Laird-Clowes and Gabriel met each other in the late...
, early High Llamas, The Pernice Brothers
The Pernice Brothers
Pernice Brothers are an indie rock band. Formed by Joe Pernice in 1996 after the breakup of his old band, the Scud Mountain Boys, and including Joe's brother Bob Pernice , the band recorded their first album, Overcome by Happiness, for Sub Pop in 1998...
, late Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
and Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
.
History
Cane and Russo had known each other for many years before they began working on any music together. Having grown weary of their experiences with band politics, they formed Palm Springs, writing and recording songs at Russo's home studio. Their concept followed no "big master plan," but used various signature sounds, one of which was the joining of the aforementioned "car boot electronica" – low-fidelity or kitsch instruments such as the MelodicaMelodica
The melodica, also known as the "blow-organ" or "key-flute", is a free-reed instrument similar to the melodeon and harmonica. It has a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key opens a hole,...
and Casio VL-Tone – with acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
and Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
sounds such as slide guitar
Slide guitar
Slide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
. They wanted to bring a dark and melancholic feel to the music, while maintaining the hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
s and accessibility of the popular song. Cane has described his "great love of songs that can be sung, songs that stay with you. Going right back to The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
and Motown and all the way through classic country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
songs as well. […] I never wanted to be consciously abstract, but I like the idea of bringing abstract sounds into a song that is basically ‘pop.’ That defined things for us." In order to maintain complete artistic and creative freedom and to avoid having to pursue a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
, they also created their own independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, Random Acts Of Vinyl.
Over the course of the next two years Cane and Russo enlisted the help of a number of friends and local musicians to record their songs. Among them were producer and singer-songwriter Kah and cellist Alice MacGill, a music graduate of Goldsmiths' College. They also joined the duo for live performances. Tragically, while on holiday in Thailand, MacGill was killed by the Indian Ocean Tsunami that struck Ao Nang beach in December 2004.
Cane and Russo accompanied the release of their second 7" single "Echo of Me
Echo of Me
"Echo of Me" is the title of a song, included as the A-side of a 7" single, and the second to be released by the British band Palm Springs on their Random Acts of Vinyl label.- Accolades :...
" with a live performance at Brighton's Hanbury Ballrooms in October 2005. They formed a backing band for the concert from drummer Grant Allardyce, cellist Mark Jesson, violinist Anna McInnery and keyboard player Micky Buccheri. Paul Pascoe, the engineer at Church Road Studios who had worked on all their recordings, played bass and Kah again sang backing vocals. Later in the year, during a trip to Germany, Cane visited Berlin record shop Mr Dead And Mrs Free, and left them copies of the singles. Dead & Free passed copies on to their friend Wolfgang Doebeling, the editor of German Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine. Doebeling has since been a strong supporter of the band, featuring their music in Rolling Stones playlists and playing it on his Roots show for Berlin’s Radio Eins.
The full-length LP, No Hurt Like a Broken Heart
No Hurt Like A Broken Heart
No Hurt Like a Broken Heart is the first studio album by independent rock band Palm Springs.-Background:The record is Palm Springs' debut full-length album, the culmination of three 7" singles – "Tender Remains", "Echo of Me" and "Softly to Fallen" – all of which were released through their own...
, was completed late in 2006. It was fully released in the UK and Europe in March 2007, distributed by Cargo Records. The album was dedicated to MacGill.
Cane and Russo immediately began work on new material – including a short session of demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
recording in the coastal village of Pagham
Pagham
Pagham is a coastal village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England, with a population of around 5,500.-Geography:The village comprises three main areas:*Pagham Beach, coastal area, developed in the early 20th Century,...
. Neil Cantwell joined as a regular keyboard player. In 2008, after another visit to Pagham, the band continued to record and perform shows in Brighton, London, Paris and in Germany, including a 25th anniversary concert for Dead & Free, with Les Homme Sauvage and Fran Healy & Andy Dunlop from Travis
Travis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
.
The band played at the opening night of the 26th Haldern Pop Festival
Haldern Pop
Haldern Pop is an annual German open air music festival. In 2008 it will be held for the 25th time. It takes place in Rees-Haldern .-Focus:...
in Germany in August 2009. Second LP The Hope That Kills You
The Hope That Kills You
The Hope That Kills You is a studio album by the band Palm Springs. It is the band's second long-playing record, featuring earlier singles "I Start Fires" , "Blood and Water" and "Free Atlas" .-Track listing:#"I Start Fires"...
followed in January 2010.
7" singles
- Tender RemainsTender Remains"Tender Remains" is the title of a song, included as the A-side of a 7" single and the first to be released by the British band Palm Springs on their Random Acts of Vinyl label....
/ Fall Morning (2004) - Echo of MeEcho of Me"Echo of Me" is the title of a song, included as the A-side of a 7" single, and the second to be released by the British band Palm Springs on their Random Acts of Vinyl label.- Accolades :...
/ After Honey (2005) - Softly to FallenSoftly to Fallen"Softly to Fallen" is the title of a song and included as the A-side of a 7" single by the British band Palm Springs."Softly to Fallen" was the third single released by Palm Springs and attracted praise from German Rolling Stone magazine, where at the end of the year, the editor positioned it at...
/ Sense Of Wonder (2006) - I Start FiresI Start Fires"I Start Fires" is the title of a song and included as the A-side of a 7" single by the British band Palm Springs.The fourth single by the band, "I Start Fires" was described as "the most ambitious and self-confident release to date". It is expected to appear on the band's new LP The Hope That...
/ Twilight Of A Star (2007) - Blood and WaterBlood and Water (song)"Blood and Water" is the title of a song, included as the A-side of a 7" single by the British band Palm Springs. The song was originally released in 2007 as a single-sided, ultra-limited edition 7" single commemorating the 1000th edition of Wolfgang Doebeling’s Roots radio show on Berlin's Radio...
/ Stop Making Plans (2008) - Free AtlasFree Atlas"Free Atlas" is the title of a song, included as the A-side of a 7" single by the British band Palm Springs....
/ Shared History (2009)
Studio albums
- No Hurt Like a Broken HeartNo Hurt Like A Broken HeartNo Hurt Like a Broken Heart is the first studio album by independent rock band Palm Springs.-Background:The record is Palm Springs' debut full-length album, the culmination of three 7" singles – "Tender Remains", "Echo of Me" and "Softly to Fallen" – all of which were released through their own...
(2007) - The Hope That Kills YouThe Hope That Kills YouThe Hope That Kills You is a studio album by the band Palm Springs. It is the band's second long-playing record, featuring earlier singles "I Start Fires" , "Blood and Water" and "Free Atlas" .-Track listing:#"I Start Fires"...
(2010)
External links
- Official Site
- Official MySpace page
- [ No Hurt Like A Broken Heart at allmusic.com]
- Rank Records Berlin
- Cargo Records
- Music For Alice - commemorating the life of Alice Macgill