American music has never sounded as good as California's Annie Barker.
Now we love Myspace, albeit we were a bit late on the scene but now we are quite addicted. With just a couple of clicks on strangers faces you can be looking at a punk in Battersea one minute then the next you’re looking at some pretty woman from California who has worked with Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins and cites Slowdive as an influence! This is exactly what happened to us and we ended up quite taken by Annie Barker, a quick myspace message and several weeks later (thanks to the postal disputes) we had Annie’s album ‘Mountains and Tumult’ on the shadders stereo. We do really like the album too, it has an air about it, the music does have a great atmospheric presence about it and Annie’s vocals can be striking at times (possibly a little too striking on occasion) but at others very lush. It does have real songs on it too, which may sound a bit weird but a lot of the original shoegaze bands the music and structure came first and lyrics almost didn’t matter. So the fact Annie has managed to the get the sound right along with writing proper songs with meaning is no mean trick. Also hats off to Annie as this is no shoegaze tribute album, it’s obviously her own work with her own personality and stamp all over it. As it became obvious that this was quite an album we felt that we needed to know more, another myspace message or two later and Annie had agreed and then fully answered our twenty questions. So who is Annie Barker then?!
Q1, First and foremost who is Annie Barker?
A musician A feminist A leftist A humanist A yogi A vegan A lover
Q2, You’ve got an album out entitled ‘Mountains and Tumult’ to those new to Annie Barker what does it sound like?
Mountains and Tumult is a mixture of Dream Pop and Brit pop/rock song structures with lyrics that are raw and bitingly honest.
Also what’s the title mean?
Mountains and Tumult describes the ecstasies and tremulous path of self-discovery. The song Mountains and Tumult is more specifically about the dysfunction’s of a terrible relationship and the highs and lows in that dynamic.
Q3, Now it’s quite reasonable to say it has quite the celebratory producer in Robin Guthrie (of the Cocteau Twins fame) how did that come about?
First off, Robin makes himself very accessible to his fans, after and sometimes before every concert he's mingling, so I had met him after a show and that broke the ice for later when Robin and I met in Los Angeles at Guitar Center. He was looking for a piece of gear and I had been having issues with my mic and I went right up to him and told him that he needed to produce my songs. After I sent him the tracks, he said he liked them and “would be happy to work on them.”
How pleased were you with his input?
Robin is simply magical in the studio. How easy was it when you were making your debut album to work with somebody who does quite easily fall into the legend category? He's probably the most easy going man you'll ever meet. It was absolutely wonderful. The only time I had butterflies was when I was singing in an isolation booth, and from the control room was Robin's voice, telling me to "take another one" or "that was great".
And lastly did you in true fan style get him to autograph one of his albums!
No, but one of the first things I did when I got to his studio was take pictures of all of his electronic gear.
Q4, Am I right in assuming you didn’t take the easy road when making the album and built your own studio and you and Robin played all the instruments rather than having a ‘proper’ band?
I don't know which is easy road. I tried using hired guns to play my stuff and it was impossible to convey the emotional and compositional complexity to guys who were just trying to make a quick buck! Whereas going into the studio, learning the programs inside and out and taking my time to lay out the tracks to my best ability and then send them to Robin to have him do the same was time consuming but so much more rewarding. Both sound difficult, but the second bore way more benefits and I'm still a fan of what we created ourselves.
Q5, Also you chose to set up your own record label ‘Beautiful Revolution’ rather than take the conventional route of signing to an established label. Was this always the plan or did you find it difficult for a label to release something that is a little bit different to the norm?
Yeah, when Bjork's label told me the record didn't fit in with their schedule of releases, I knew I needed to put this thing out myself. Also Robin has helped me quite a bit by digitally distributing my record on his label Soleil Apres Minuit.
Q6, What is you favourite Annie Barker song on the album & why?
Sausage Fingers I'd have to say. When we were recording it, Robin and I knew we were capturing a magic that was so electric, we were both grinning from ear to ear. It also contains a lot of “You’ve got balls, girl. Use them.” As Robin so eloquently put it.
Q7, How can we get hold of the album either in CD or digital format?
Digitally you can get the album at any major, and some minor, download sites. You can purchase the cd from either my myspace or my website.
Q8, The album has quite an unusual cover photo, what are you wearing and is it something you wear often or is it too uncomfortable?
I had a metal bodice made for me by metal sculptor Bruce Gray. He used a piece of a propane tank that had been riddled with bullet holes at a shooting range and fit it to my body. I wanted something that symbolised urban decay as well as a hard shell that I was trying to break free from. This record is about transcendence, and I wanted the cover to represent that. Through the difficulty of self-discovery, we shed this outer shell to a more human, beautiful state.
Q9, Do you do many live shows and how would you describe the Annie Barker live experience?
Like I said earlier, getting musicians who understand this music is difficult. Sure, a lot of people have heard of the Cocteau Twins, but being able to play like Robin, that’s something else altogether. So I’ve finally comprised a band of extremely tasteful players and am very excited to get out and play these songs live. As an experience for the audience, it’s more singer/songwriter than shoegaze and more shoegaze than singer/songwriter.
Q10, What was the last CD / download you bought and was it any good?
Radiohead ‘In Rainbows.’ This record has saved my life.
Q11, What’s your view on Radiohead allowing fans to pay what they want for their new album?
I think they’re genius.
Do you think it’s just a marketing ploy and how much would you pay for it?!
Radiohead doesn’t need a marketing ploy. Also they aren't the first to do this, there's a digital label that started the same thing a couple of years ago. I paid 6 pounds sterling.
Q12, You have quite an unusual CV in the fact you were a child TV star and actress before becoming a singer / songwriter. How did all that come about and why did you decide on music?
My parents got me into acting when I was three. Music and singing was what I always did for me, it was what kept my soul happy. So when I had to make a choice between the two, I chose music which had always kept me sane.
Q13, For somebody who lives out in California you love some very good British music; Slowdive, Smiths, Ian Brown, Richard Ashcroft, The Sundays, My Boody Valentine to name but a few. How did you come to love British music and how does it influence your music?
The ethereal stuff came along with being a Cocteau Twins fan. I got into the CT's when I was younger; a boyfriend tried to get back in my life by telling me I needed to hear them. I ditched the boy, but held fast to the CT's. The other brit rock stuff I was introduced to when I studied abroad in England for a spell. My best friend at Uni introduced me to the music of all the bands he had plastered on his walls. And I love the song structures these bands use; they keep your interest, so I use these kinds of chord progressions in my songwriting.
Q14, What do you most like to write song lyrics about, are they autobiographical or do you prefer to story tell?
Most of my songs are autobiographical or a mixture of auto with stories from other people’s lives. I find the most tantalising lyrics are those that are most personal. Sometimes what we can’t say in life fits perfectly into a song. What is most personal is most general.
Q15, What possessed you to entitle a song ‘Sausage fingers’!?
Hehe, I think part of it was the shock factor. Also, the origin of that song was a bit catty. But as I delved deeper into my issue with Ms. Sausage Fingers, I found another layer of insecurity in myself. Women constantly compare themselves to other women, “how do I compare to her, do I look like that? Better, worse?” Sausage Fingers is an insult.
Q16, In one of your songs you seem to have a pop at our Chris Martin of Coldplay fame, is this right and what’s it all about?
It’s not a pop at Chris; it’s a pop at rock critics. If you follow the rest of the lyrics they say, “who’s hands are in those critics pockets?” This song came out of my frustration at the music industry when a rock critic for a major newspaper said that Coldplay was revolutionary because they combined beauty with rock and pop. Um, hello????
Q17, What song by anyone other than yourself would you have most liked to have written and why?
Marianne by Tori Amos. That song is so pure and raw, it makes me cry every time.
Q18, What’s the worst thing you’ve read about yourself (is it the Enya comparison) and does it ever bother you?
The Enya thing was something an acquaintance said after having a few drinks. The worst so far has been that I would be good for Celine Dion fans. That person clearly has a very limited imagination.
Q19, I assume that there is an Annie Barker website, myspace and face book page. What can we find on them? (You can shameless plug the addresses if you wish!)
www.myspace.com/anniebarker www.anniebarker.com Shit I guess I need a facebook page, huh? My username is Annie Barker. You’ll find samples of songs, pictures, links to purchase albums, etc. Soon I’ll have t-shirts up.
Q20, In ten words write your own press release (swearing is definitely allowed!)…
Fuck, ten words? Annie Barker resensitizes you using beautiful and thought provoking tunes. Ha!