Tim Clarke (Summon the Birds)
1. What are your top five albums that were released in 2017? (In order 1-5)
- Chad VanGaalen – Light Information (Sub Pop)
- Art Feynman – Blasting Off Through the Wicker (Western Vinyl)
- Grizzly Bear – Painted Ruins (RCA)
- Richard Dawson – Peasant (Weird World)
- Machine Translations – Oh (Spunk)
2. What band did you discover in 2017 (can be a brand new band or an older band) that had an impact on your life? What made them significant?
I think that would be Melbourne band RVG. Early in the year I heard them on the radio a lot and I couldn't work out if it was a band from the '80s or a new band. There was something about their songs that just felt so classic-sounding and open and honest. I saw them live a few months ago and they were just brilliant. No frills, just great songs played well. Romy is such a great songwriter and vocalist. I can recommend their debut album, A Quality of Mercy, whole-heartedly.
3. How will you remember 2017? (In terms of music)
An embarrassment of riches, one that only really takes on personal meaning through attentive engagement.
4. What can we look forward to from you in 2018?
Our new album, Blood Love, will be released on Hidden Shoal in February. We've been working on it for years and we're all extremely proud of it. Fingers crossed it reaches some appreciative pairs of ears.
5. What records are you looking forward to most in 2018?
If Kevin Shields is to be believed, there'll be a new My Bloody Valentine album next year, which I'm very excited about. The prospect of a solo album from Radiohead's Ed O'Brien is intriguing, to say the least. New albums by my old '90s faves The Breeders and Belly are also piquing my interest. Plus new ones by Porches, Field Music and, hopefully, RVG. There's always loads to look forward to.
6. For most, 2017 will be remembered as a year of political and social conflict. How does that cultural atmosphere influence your own music or artistic life?
It doesn't directly, but I'm sure there are subtle influences at play. For example, we wrote the song "Funeral for a King" a few years ago and it talks of a ruler's "childish anarchy," which seems to allude to Trump, even though the song wasn't written about him at all. The horrible things that have happened in 2017 aren't unprecedented, necessarily – we're just inundated with news about them via social media. I am concerned about the future, but that just makes me more motivated to create music that connects with other people in some small way.
