Old ladies congratulate me in the supermarket: TLOBF meet The Phoenix Foundation

Released in the UK earlier this year, The Phoenix Foundation‘s fourth album Buffalo has made a modest name for the New Zealand band over here, picking up good reviews with its bright, accessible grown-up pop. We took the current temperature with guitarist/vocalist Luke Buda.

It’s been a long road to recognition in the UK. About bleedin’ time?

Well, we’ve been around a long time in New Zealand but only just arrived in the UK, so the actual road really only began in mid-2010. It’s definitely nice that when we decided to visit, the people seemed to dig it. Just looking forward to coming back in May.

Buffalo was initially pegged as a shift away from the straight rock of (third album) Happy Ending. Do you think you achieved that?

I think we did, but I don’t think we’ve finished – we’re already keen to start the next one, and that will be different again, I hope. We didn’t actually decide to make Happy Ending as straight as it is (and of course, when I say that, it’s nowhere near as straight as the “straights”), it just happened that we had some pretty rocky tracks. But with Buffalo there was a conscious choice to get away from the rock. Isn’t there an old adage that says an artist is never quite as weird as they like to think they are? We’re trying to change that. Hopefully the next one will be another step up. This leads me to digress a little bit about the internal power struggle in our band between the pop sensibility and the weird, and whether there is more integrity in just following what naturally comes out of you to its natural conclusion, or deciding to push things into slightly more uncharted territory. Hmmm. We’ll see what happens.

Are you happy with the way the record’s been received?

Certainly. Although a funny factor has been that in NZ there were some pretty crap reviews because people were disappointed with that it was different from Happy Ending. It’s been an interesting exercise as it’s our fourth album in NZ and so perhaps it was time for people to start complaining (our first three enjoyed a pretty smooth ride with the press; maybe that’s the pattern anyway – your first three get a bit of grace). So it’s interesting that our worst-reviewed album in NZ got some pretty awesome mass respect and big-ups from the likes of the Guardian and the Independent. Shows you how fickle all of that is, I suppose.

How did everyone working on solo projects affect the creation of the album?

Only positively. More collective studio time. More experience points. Also, it’s like a palate cleanser. When we do a Phoenix Foundation album, everyone gets their unreasonable “irritable with other dicks in the band” thing going on and then you go off and do your own album and remember what the pros of being in a band are. It’s healthy.

You picked up an NZ Music Award last year – that must have been a big moment?

It was a big moment for our parents… Yes, it’s definitely nice to get an award, especially as we’ve been finalists before and not won anything, but ultimately, by this stage, we’re all pretty much professional music industry cynics. Usually, I spend my time at the awards bitching with the other losers about how shit all the music that’s winning is. But the award certainly helped raise the profile in NZ – old ladies congratulate me in the supermarket. Well, one did. Once.

The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo

What else stands out on the NZ music scene right now?

Lawrence Arabia, Connan Mockasin, Mint Chicks and Liam Finn.

You’ve just been touring the UK – how did you find that? How do audiences compare with those at home?

We had a great time and look forward to coming back in May. It’s hard to compare audiences with NZ ones as in NZ we’re old news and people sing along and recognise the intros etc, whereas here we are NEW! It’s certainly been fun pleasantly surprising people by NOT SUCKING.

While you were away, there was the earthquake back in Christchurch.

Yeah, some of my family are down there. They’re all alive but the situation is awful. My aunt’s house is right next to a half-collapsed church and it may be months before she can even go in. One of my friends lost his third studio in six months; another couple of friends had just finished building their house about a month before the quake hit and now it’s gone.

You’ve toured with the Finn brothers and Split Enz. Have you always been fans? Or is that a NZ rite of passage?

If you put Split Enz into the context of 70s small-town New Zealand, you too will feel awe. Guys with make-up? It’s surprising they made it out alive.

Again, on all things Finn – you’re recording in Neil’s studio, and we’ve heard it’s something special.

We haven’t actually recorded there – yet. Planning on doing the next album there. It’s just a wonderfully designed and kitted-out space with an amazing 70s NEVE console custom-built for The Who. It’s luxurious without being ostentatious. Really looking forward to hearing the Telefunken mics through the Pultec pre-amps. How nerdy do you want me to get?

What are your influences, old and new? We’re hearing a mix of alt.country and classic US west coast rock in there, maybe a dab of Dylan…

Bit hard to not be influenced by Dylan, isn’t it? There’s certainly a love of all the greats, ie: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Dylan, the Stones, The Smiths, The Cure, Pixies, er, Radiohead, Beck, Sigur Ros etc. Sam (Flynn Scott, vocals/guitar) has more of an interest in “cruising” the blogs and getting excited about the hot new bands, which is probably important as 1 in 100 are pretty good. I’m much more suspicious of any hotly touted new thing. Conrad (Wedde, keyboard) just listens to Danzig and Keith Jarrett. Conrad is also the person who introduced me to the world of obscure records. Recently he made me a mix CD for my birthday of awesome B-grade prog like Beggars Opera, Magna Carta, Jade Warrior and the rest of the unforgivables. Also soundtrack music: Blade Runner, Paris, Texas, Twin Peaks. I love the way Julee Cruise is both totally schmaltzy and creepy and weird and interesting too. Personally, I like listening to some slightly questionable stuff: Electric Light Orchestra, for example…

About the only criticism I’ve seen of the album is leveled at the lyrics of ‘Orange & Mango’. Defend them!

People need to lighten up. Also, I’m really disappointed that everyone has a hang up about the chorus when the opening line is “Santa’s danglies smell like candies / Junkies mending auntie’s panties”. Surely that is much more worthy of righteous lyric ire?

What’s a buffalo doing on the sea floor?

Dunno. You’ll have to ask Sam. Something about how when we first be jammin’ the track, Sam was singing about one of Conrad’s tracks, “I’m on the Sea Phone / Calling the plankton home!” (‘Sea & Phone’ is an awesome track from Conrad’s solo album Bronze, which is a baroque duet for the Sea and the Phone) and Con did not like it, so Sam put the sea floor theme with the fact he thought the track had a stampeding vibe.

And what’s next for TPF?

We are touring the UK in May. Then as many festivals as we can get. Then when we come back to New Zealand we will go to Roundhead (Neil Finn’s studio) and record! Hopefully release an album next February and then, probably… Wembley?

May
13 – Great Escape Festival (HMV Next Big Thing), Concorde 2, Brighton
15 – Joiners, Southampton
16 – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
21 – Masque Loft, Liverpool Sound City Festival
23 – The Duchess, York
24 – The Cluny, Newcastle
25 – Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
26 – Art School, Glasgow
28 – Dot to Dot Festival, Bristol
29 – Dot to Dot Festival, Nottingham
30 – Dot to Dot Festival, Manchester

June
01 – Jericho, Oxford
02 – Scala, London