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gravenhurst interview and session
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Dark and beautiful folk melodies from Warp.

Gravenhurst is the creation of Nick Talbot, a Bristolian singer/songwriter who produces folky melodies with delicate production twists. “It’s music that’s made by somebody who grew up on indie rock like The Smiths, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, and then started listening to Burt Jansch, Fairport Convention and Nick Drake,” explains Nick. “That’s early Fairport Convention, when they were actually good,” he adds. “I’m really into sonic rock music and I’m trying to make it rest easy with what is kind of folk music really.”

His new album, Flashlight Seasons, was originally put out in 2003 on his own label, Silent Age Records. Now, though, it’s being given a proper release, interestingly by Warp Records, known more for bleeps and glitches than finger-picked guitars and fragile vocals. “If you’re putting stuff out yourself and pressing 500, and then someone like Warp comes along and says they’ll press 5,000, you’re not going to say no if the terms are good. And Warp’s a great label,” he explains.

So does his blend of acoustic guitars and traditional instruments sit easily in the Warp roster? “History shows that in order for a label to survive it has to diversify. And there’s been a bit of a lull in people’s interest in electronic music,” he says. “I get the impression that Steve, who runs Warp, has always been interested in different kinds of music. Maybe he felt the best music coming out at the time happened to be electronic.”



Flashlight Seasons is beautiful, if uneasy, listening. Dark tales of “murdering f**kheads” and sleepless nights gently wash over you along with images like “the ghosts of autumn murders walk me home”. It’s melancholy but never loses hope - there’s delicate warmth to the production that makes it an uplifting listen.

Nick, however, is typically modest about his production skills. “Here’s the guide to making a Gravenhurst record,” he says. “You spend some time trying to record as a band. You realise it sounds crap, because you’re in a crap room and your equipment isn’t good enough. You give up and use one microphone and overlay everything and bung on lots of reverb so you can’t hear the neighbours shuffling around next door, and then have a conversation about how you want the next album to be recorded by Steve Albini. That’s pretty much how it works.”

The LP certainly doesn’t sound like it was that easy. So having recorded it over a year ago, what does he think of it now? “I’m still really pleased with the album,” he says. And so he should be.


Matt Walton 02 July 04
Gravenhurst – Flashlight Seasons, released 28 June 04 on Warp Records.
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