Chris Simpson Interview

Chris Simpson has been releasing music now for almost 15 years. He started with the band Mineral (1994-1998, two LPs), then the Gloria Record (1998-2004, two EPs and one LP), and now Zookeeper (2005-present, one EP and one LP). He is the lead singer/songwriter/lyricist/guitarist for all three bands. Recently Chris sent me four mp3s from an upcoming Zookeeper album and we did this interview to go alongside them. You will find these four brand-new Zookeeper songs on his Myspace site, but here for FREE (downloadable) at the bottom of this page.

AP: So these four songs are apparently from a new upcoming Zookeeper album, when can we expect its release? What label are you working with this time, if any?

CS: We aren't currently working with any label. We're trying to finish this record on our own budget/time scale, which is not necessarily the ideal way to work. The record should be expected as soon as it's finished.

AP: These new songs seem much slicker, more produced and with more intentional arrangements than first two Zookeeper releases, the EP and “Becoming All Things.” Was this intentional? Or is this just my perception?

CS: This is just sort of how things have been turning out. Originally, we wanted to record live but were in a small environment and were forced to multi-track. This leaves open the possibility of more focused production of each track.

AP: How has the songwriting process for you changed over the last 15 years, moving from Mineral to the Gloria Record and now to Zookeeper?

CS: It doesn't really feel like much has changed. Just trying to keep yourself interested sometimes necessitates moving through different eras and moments and possible inspirations. Basically, it feels just as difficult as always.

AP: You have always written what seem to be very personal lyrics, from GJS to I Was Born in Omaha to On Madison Way. Are your songs truly autobiographical? Would you mind explaining the lyrics or meaning behind one of the new songs? (My personal favorite of the new tracks is Mama Jean.)

CS: Interestingly, Mama Jean is one of the few non-autobiographical songs I've written, but I don't really know a whole lot about who it is about. I remember writing it and having a realization of the song, seeing it come very quickly, and knowing I'd need to clear my calendar for the night to deal with the documentation of the song. But it seems to be about dreams.
As for writing autobiographically -- in the Mineral and Gloria Record days, to some degree, it seemed to be the only way I could write. It's exciting to be able to experience some kind of freedom from that, although I think it still may be a very valuable way to write. It's hard to fault the honest approach -- writing what you know about -- but there's a point at which that seems uninteresting. And even if a little guesswork is involved, it seems more interesting to write about characters.

AP: Recently on MySpace you announced that a Japanese label is putting out a Mineral 7” compilation. Do you have any more info regarding this? How did this come about more than a decade after the breakup of the band? I have to admit that I think MD and February were two of the best songs Mineral ever released and it will be nice to be able to listen to them on CD for the first time.

CS: To clarify, this is not a collection of 7-inches, but both full-lengths and the 7-inches and a few covers -- a comprehensive release. Which is only supposed to be available for sale in Japan, but I'd think you'd be able to find it online once it's released. It happened because someone expressed interest in it happening. There seems to be an assumption that offers are turned down on a regular basis -- but an offer every 15 years or so is probably more realistic. February/MD is probably my favorite Mineral work -- I love that 7-inch and that period of time.

AP: After being in two rock bands, what is it like to play folk music? Do you see yourself playing in a rock band again?

CS: Yeah, that's funny. To me, Zookeeper is a rock band, but I definitely understand what I think is meant by the idea that it's folk as compared to rock... if, say, Mineral or The Gloria Record were rock. But it all feels the same to me; particularly this newer stuff. Zookeeper has rock songs and then sort of more atmospheric songs. It doesn't seem like Zookeeper is folk, per se -- but maybe it is and I just can't see that. I saw a DJ Shadow in-store where he said that someone asked him how he referred to his music, and he said something about how he grew up listening to hip-hop and loving hip-hop, so it would always be hip-hop to him, the same way whatever Eric Clapton did would probably always feel like blues to him. So maybe whatever I make will always be rock to me.

AP: Turn Off the Radio just named The Gloria Record’s Start Here the album of the decade for 2000-2009. What are your thoughts on this and the perception of the Gloria Record’s legacy?

CS: I think that's great. I don't know that I have a perception of people's perception of the legacy of The Gloria Record. I'd bet Start Here sold fewer copies than any other potential album of the decade. Ever. But it is awesome to make your list.

AP: What are your favorite albums of the decade?

CS: Favorite albums of the decade -- Well, I really like the Broadcast records, particularly HaHa Sound. I continue to enjoy the records that The Innocence Mission puts out. I really loved the first Beirut record and the EP that followed. DJ Shadow's Private Press. Wilco -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The Radiohead records this decade have all been very good. I feel like I'm missing things that would be obvious if it was five years ago.

AP: What are your top 5 albums this decade released by friends or former band-mates?

CS: I would have to say (in no particular order):
Zykos - Keep It Light EP (Good friends with all of them from way back. Various members have played Zookeeper shows and played on recordings.)
Brazos - Phosphorescent Blues (Friends -- Martin is a great songwriter.)
Alex Dupree and the Trapdoor Band - Los Meridanzas (Alex Dupree -- Zookeeper clan. Alex regularly plays and records with Zookeeper and is a very gifted songwriter. Some of his bandmates play on Zookeeper stuff as well.)
Sad Accordions - Bad Year for the Sharons (Zookeeper clan. Seth Woods and Ben Lance regularly play and record with Zookeeper, and their other musical projects [including SA, Whiskey Priest, and Booher & the Turkeyz] are all fantastic. )
The Frames - For the Birds (Odd connection there. Was always a fan of their music. My then-girlfriend/now wife used to edit a music magazine and befriended their then-manager. Put us all in touch and found out Glen was a fan of Mineral. The Gloria Record played shows with Glen and one with The Frames on a midwest tour back in the day. Glen is still one of my favorite performers.)

New Zookeeper songs:

MP3: Mama Jean

MP3: Mary in the Morning

MP3: Rosemary, Etc.

MP3: Hey Boxer/Kid Gloves

Top 50 Albums of the Decade

I have been hinting at this post for awhile now, and originally thought I might wait awhile longer before posting it, but here you go, my favorite 50 albums of the decade. Lots of other blogs and magazines have been doing the same thing, and I had intended to make this post a little more fancy, but in the interest of time, I am just going to put it up. I am also working on my best of 2009 list, and a variety of interviews, and they are more important.

When I decided to make a list of my 50 favorite albums of this decade, I needed some way to narrow the field. So I made a rule than an artist can only have one album in the top 50. This way more great albums are mentioned, and my favorite artists don’t dominate the list. This is also why I decided to create my favorite 20 artists of the decade list, to mention all those other great albums. That said, here we go:

(**own on vinyl; *vinyl exists but I don't have it yet)

50. Cat Power- You are Free (2003)**

49. This Beautiful Mess- Temper The Wind to the Shorn Lamb (2003)*

48. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova- Once Original Soundtrack (2007)**

47. Radiohead- Hail to the Thief (2003)*

46. The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)*

45. Patty Griffin- 1000 Kisses (2002)

44. Wilco- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)*

43. Rosie Thomas- These Friends of Mine (2007)

42. Cursive- The Ugly Organ (2003)**

41. Starflyer 59- Leave Here a Stranger (2001)*

40. Mogwai- Mr. Beast (2006)*

39. Explosions in the Sky- The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (2003)**

38. Sleeping at Last- Keep No Score (2006)**

37. Coldplay- Viva La Vida (2008)**

36. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)**

35. Pinback- Summer in Abaddon (2004)**

34. Mindy Smith- One Moment More (2004)

33. Brown Feather Sparrow- Wide Awakens Everything (2003)

32. Manchester Orchestra- I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child (2006)*

31. Blindside- A Thought Crushed My Mind (2000)

30. Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea (2003)**

29. The New Pornographers- Twin Cinema (2005)**

28. Tegan and Sara- So Jealous (2004)*

27. Eisley- Combinations (2007)

26. mewithoutYou- Brother, Sister (2006)**

25. Sixpence None the Richer- Divine Discontent (2002)

24. Lovedrug- Pretend You’re Alive (2004)*

23. Brandtson- Send Us a Signal (2004)**

22. Pedro the Lion- Control (2002)**

21. Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American (2001)**

20. Luxury- Health and Sport (2005)

19. Tess Wiley- Super Fast Rock’n’Roll Played Slow (2007)

18. Jeremy Enigk- World Waits (2006)

17. Fiona Apple- Extraordinary Machine (2005)**

16. Fair- The Best Worst-Case Scenario (2006)

15. Arcade Fire- Funeral (2004)**

14. The Anniversary- Designing a Nervous Breakdown (2000)**

13. Mates of State- Re-Arrange Us (2008)**

12. Sufjan Stevens- Illinoise (2005)**

11. Cush- Cush (also referred to as "New Sound") (2000)

10. Over the Rhine- Ohio (2003)* (this is #1 on my vinyl want-list and would pay a lot for it)

9. Poor Old Lu- The Waiting Room (2002)

8. Elliott- False Cathedrals (2000)**

7. Foutains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers (2003)

6. Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism (2003)**

5. Nada Surf- Let Go (2003)**

4. The Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl, Vols. 1 and 2 (2001)**

3. Sunny Day Real Estate- The Rising Tide (2000)**

2. Thrice- The Alchemy Index, Vols. 1-4, (2007)**

1. The Gloria Record- Start Here (2002)**

Making the decision for number one was far easier than I expected. It was my #1 album of 2002, and has stuck with me, musically and lyrically. The Gloria Record's Start Here is a flawless album, and was the pinnacle, and unfortunately final, release from the Gloria Record discography. My next post will be an in-depth interview with the lead singer/songwriter of the Gloria Record, Chris Simpson. Stay tuned...

Dustin Kensrue - This Is War

This is the video for Dustin Kensrue's This is War, an original song of his off his Christmas album, This Good Night is Still Everywhere (on eMusic).

There is a great, brief interview with Dustin about the song's meaning on AntiMusic; and here are the lyrics:

This is war like you ain't seen.
This winter's long, it's cold and mean.
With hangdog hearts we stood condemned,
But the tide turns now at Bethlehem.

This is war and born tonight,
The Word as flesh, the Lord of Light,
The Son of God, the low-born king;
Who demons fear, of whom angels sing.

This is war on sin and death;
The dark will take it's final breath.
It shakes the earth, confounds all plans;
The mystery of God as man.

Best of the Decade: An Interview with Scott Hunter

As I have mentioned previously, I am working on a variety of posts to wrap up this decade in music. That started earlier this week with my top 20 artists of the decade. Today we have a short interview with Scott Hunter, lead singer of Poor Old Lu, Turn Off the Radio's #1 artist of the 1990s. Poor Old Lu did released one album this decade, The Waiting Room, in 2002, and you will find it high on my list of albums of the decade (which will be the final "decade" post, the last week of the year.) I also hope to interview a few more artists this month about their favorites from this past decade.

AP: What are your favorite albums of the decade?

SH: Here are my top 15:
15. Muse, Absolution
14. 16 Horsepower, Secret South
13. Editors, An End Has A Start
12. Switchfoot, The Beautiful Letdown
11. The Fire Theft, The Fire Theft
10. Jimmy Eat World, Bleed American
9. Radiohead, In Rainbows
8. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. Sunny Day Real Estate, The Rising Tide
6. Neko Case, Middle Cyclone
5. Silversun Pickups, Swoon
4. Fiona Apple, Extraordinary Machine
3. Coldplay, X&Y
2. meWithoutYou, Brother, Sister (tie with Catch For Us The Foxes)
1. Over The Rhine, Ohio

AP: What are your favorite five albums from this decade released by friends or former bandmates?

SH:
Starflyer 59, My Island Having not been much of a Starflyer fan over the years, I was pleasantly surprised to hear My Island. The recording is great, the songs are well-written, and some of those melodies are almost obnoxiously catchy! Best of all, this album has helped me to track back and enjoy many of their previous releases.

Fair, Best Worst-Case Scenario What can I say here? To say that I "know these guys" would be a bit of an understatement. That said, this is a wonderful album -- from the album artwork down to the near perfect production.

Telecast, The Beauty Of Simplicity Josh White was our worship leader for a couple of years, so a few of these songs were very familiar to me before this album was released. It's not only an extremely great "worship album", it also happens to be a tremendous album all-around.

Sunny Day Real Estate, The Rising Tide
Truth be told, though, I was never really a fan of Sunny Day. In fact, it wasn't until getting a copy of The Fire Theft (which is great) that I worked back to the later Sunny Day catalog. Sadly, this album tends to be dismissed by longtime Sunny Day fans (and the band, perhaps), but I think it's the best work they've ever done. Perhaps the best Jeremy Enigk project ever.

For those "not in the know", Jeremy and I met back in junior high -- before Sunny Day, Poor Old Lu, or any projects of that sort. Our early incarnation was called "Tears Of A King" with Jeremy and I sharing vocals, Nick (Barber) on bass, and Aaron (Sprinkle) handling the rest. Fun times!

Acceptance, Black Lines To Battlefields (tie with Phantoms)

A strange addition to this list, since I'm really not much of an "emo" fan, but Acceptance had a unique sound. Definitely very "of the day", yet different... energetic, talented, and well written. My early release, unmastered copy of Black Lines to Battlefields was thoroughly played through.

AP: Could not agree more that that My Island is great Starflyer album, despite many fans disliking it. If you don't know, Aaron Sprinkle, lead singer/songwriter/guitarist for Fair was the guitar player for Poor Old Lu, and Nick Barber, Fair's bass player had the same role in Poor Old Lu. Another note, the artwork for the Best Worst-Case Scenario, designed by Invisible Creature, won a Grammy.)

If you would like to check out Scott's best of 2009 list, go to his blog.

Artists of the Decade

I am in the process of creating a variety of lists to sum up the 2000-2009 decade in music, and the first of these is my top 20 favorite artists of the decade. In order to make this list, the artist needed to be active for most of the decade, with frequent album releases and touring. For each artist I am listing all of the studio albums they released this decade. (I am not listing live albums, b-sides, EPs, etc.) I am also including my rankings for each LP the year it was released. One of the reasons I created this list is because on my upcoming top 50 albums of the decade I limited each artist to only one inclusion.

Thrice
2001- Identity Crisis
Top 10 of 2002- The Illusion of Safety**
#2 of 2003- The Artist in the Ambulance**
#2 of 2005- Vheissu**
#1 of 2007- The Alchemy Index Vols. 1 & 2**
#3 of 2008- The Alchemy Index Vols. 3 & 4**
Top 10 of 2009- Beggars**

The Appleseed Cast
Top 10 of 2000- Mare Vitalis**
#1 of 2001- Low Level Owl Vols. 1 & 2**
Top 10 of 2003- Two Conversations**
Top 10 of 2006- Peregrine**
Top 10 of 2009- Sagarmatha**

Jeremy Enigk
#1 of 2000- Sunny Day Real Estate- The Rising Tide*
2003- The Fire Theft- The Fire Theft
2003- United States of Leland movie score
#3 of 2006- World Waits
Top 10 of 2009- OK Bear*
2009- Sunny Day Real Estate Diary** and LP2** reiusses & tour

Aaron Sprinkle
Top 10 of 2000- The Kindest Days
Top 10 of 2001- Bareface
#2 of 2002- Poor Old Lu- The Waiting Room
#1 of 2006- Fair- The Best Worst-Case Scenario
2010- Fair- Disappearing World to be released on February 9

Mates of State
2000- My Solo Project**
Top 10 of 2002- Our Constant Concern**
2003- Team Boo**
#2 of 2006- Bring it Back**
#1 of 2008- Re-Arrange Us**

Death Cab for Cutie
2000- We Have the Facts and We are Voting Yes*
#3 of 2001- The Photo Album*
#3 of 2003- Transatlanticism**
Top 10 of 2005- Plans**
2008- Narrow Stairs*

Nada Surf
Top 10 of 2003- Let Go** (released in 2002 in Europe)
Top 10 of 2005- The Weight is a Gift**
#2 of 2008- Lucky**
2009- Vinyl Box set containing all 5 LPs

The New Pornographers and Neko Case
(I am cheating by combining them, but oh well)
2000- NC- Furnace Room Lullaby
2000- TNP- Mass Romantic*
2002- NC- Blacklisted
Top 10 of 2003- TNP- Electric Version**
Top 10 of 2005- TNP- Twin Cinema*
Top 10 of 2006- NC- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood*
Top 10 of 2007- TNP- Challengers**
Top 10 of 2009- NC- Middle Cyclone *

Jimmy Eat World
Top 10 of 2001- Bleed American**
Top 10 of 2004- Futures**
Top 10 of 2007- Chase This Light**
2009- Clarity** vinyl reissue (#1 of 1999)

Over the Rhine
Top 10 of 2001- Films for Radio
Top 10 of 2003- Ohio*
Top 10 of 2005- Drunkard's Prayer
2006- Snow Angels*
2007- The Trumpet Child**

Sufjan Stevens
2003- Michigan**
Top 10 of 2004- Seven Swans**
#1 of 2005- Illinoise**
2006- Songs for Christmas 5CD box set

Eisley
#2 of 2005- Room Noises**
#2 of 2007- Combinations

Tegan & Sara
2000- This Business of Art (don't own, never heard)
2002- If It Was You*
Top 10 of 2004- So Jealous*
2007- The Con**
2009- Sainthood* (yet to purchase, soon!)

Tess Wiley
#2 of 2001- Rainy Day Assembly
Top 10 of 2004- Not Quite Me
#3 of 2007- Super Fast Rock'n'Roll Played Slow

Starflyer 59
Top 10 of 2001- Leave Here A Stranger*
2003- Old
2004- I am the Portuguese Blues
2005- Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice**
Top 10 of 2006- My Island
2007- Ghosts of the Future** 10 x 7" vinyl box set
Top 10 of 2008- Dial M**

Arcade Fire
#2 of 2004- Funeral
Top 10 of 2007- Neon Bible

Brandtson
Top 10 of 2002- Dial In Sounds**
#1 of 2004- Send Us a Signal
Top 10 of 2006- Hello, Control

Fountains of Wayne
#1 of 2003- Welcome Interstate Manager
2007- Traffic and Weather

Mindy Smith
Top 10 of 2004- One Moment More
2006- Long Island Shores
2007- My Holiday
Top 10 of 2009- Stupid Love

Coldplay
2000- Parachutes*
2002- A Rush of Blood to the Head*
2005- X & Y*
Top 10 of 2008- Viva la Vida **

COMING SOON

This page is coming soon. Working on it!

Birthday music

Music I got for my birthday: The Crucified- The Complete Collection (2 CD/ 1 DVD) The Beatles- The White Album (2 CD) Brown Feather Sparrow- Brave (iTunes gift card) Sojourn- Advent Songs (Free on NoiseTrade) Andy Zipf- The Cowards Choir EP (Free on NoiseTrade) Katie Herzig- Weightless (Free on NoiseTrade) I was led to Andy Zipf because he is in a new band called the Lost Chorus. I became aware of the Lost Chorus because the band was started by Dirk Lemmenes (Stavesacre & Focused), Ryan Dennee (Stavesacre) and Alex Albert (Project 86). They have one song on Myspace, it is pretty good. Apparently those three guys had been jamming for together for awhile now, writing instrumental songs. They added Andy, who I was previoulsly unaware of, to be their lead vocalist. You can learn more about him here. I had been wanting that Brown Feather Sparrow album for awhile now. I have their first two LPs, and they are excellent. I discovered them in 2003 when I saw them perform at Flevo Festival in the Netherlands. They are Dutch, and I would compare them to Over the Rhine or Rosie Thomas. Brown Feather Sparrow has better lyrics than both of those artist though; in fact they have better lyrics than most artists, period. Brave was released in 2008, but I never bought it because it has no US distribution and would have cost me about $30 US for the CD and shipping. It eventually appeared on iTunes, and today I finally took the plunge since I got an iTunes gift card for my birthday. If you like mellow indie rock, no one does it better than Brown Feather Sparrow.

Misc. music news

1. Sixpence None the Richer is set to record their next album in January 2010 with producer Jim Scott. For info on Jim Scott, check this out. His list of credits is at the bottom of that page, and it includes Johnny Cash, Wilco, Counting Crows and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In other Sixpence news, their best album, "This Beautiful Mess," just became available on emusic.

2. Fair finally has a release date for their second LP: February 9, 2010. It has taken them over two years to record, mainly due to the other things their band members are involved in. Fair is of course Aaron Sprinkle, Erick Newbill, Joey Sanchez and Nick Barber. Their debut album was my #1 of 2006.

3. Just found an informative interview with Myk Porter, of Brandtson and now Swarm of Bats. If you don't want to read it, the summary is that Brandtson is dead and Swarm of Bats is the remaining members full-time project. They have samples on Myspace which honestly sound terrible. They have recorded an 8-song EP to be released soon-ish, and I'll probably buy it out of loyalty.

4. Tess Wiley has been recording with the band Leeland P. I have never heard of them until now, but Tess posted two songs on her Myspace page, and they are terrific. The band has apparently been around for awhile, and this new album with Tess will be released next year.

5. My most recent purchases:
Built to Spill- There is No Enemy ($2 on Amazon MP3 with coupon through Friday)
Thao- Know Better Learn Faster (emusic)
Mates of State- Re-Arranged Remixes vol. 1 (emusic)
Led Zeppelin- Mothership (used 2CD set)
Mae- (M)orning EP- (Amazon MP3)
Flaming Lips- Embryonic (CD)
Avett Brothers- I and Love and You (CD)

Album of the Decade?

I am working on three lists to publish before the end of this year- best of 1996, best of 2009, and the top 50 albums of the decade. Would love some feedback on that last one- what is your favorite album of the decade (2000-2009)? Please leave a comment!

Zookeeper (Chris Simpson)

Zookeeper posted four new tracks on Myspace today from an upcoming record (which I knew nothing about until today). The songs are outstanding. From a production sense, they are light years ahead of the the first Zookeeper LP and EP.

If you don't already know, Zookeeper is a folk/country project from former Mineral and Gloria Record frontman Chris Simpson. He has always been one of my favorite lyricists. I have mixed feelings about his solo work though, it has always sounded unfinished in a way. Good songs, but I don't really enjoy the way most of them are recorded.

However, these tracks are more refined, especially the first, "Mama Jean", which musically is the best Simpson song I have heard since the Gloria Record days. (Although it and the other songs sound NOTHING like the Gloria Record.) Anyway, check the songs out here.