Jimi Goodwin
Transmission Received
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NATN: How much time was spent working on this album?
Jimi Goodwin: From January 2001, if you like, to January 2002, so a year. But bearing in mind that we came to the States twice last year for two months. So, you know, all told, reasonably 10 months, which in Doves world is good! Very good [laughs]. As in quick, and not being a sack of shit! Obviously, the first one took a long time, because you have that time, don't you? When you're sort of in development. And this one, obviously, we were very keen to.. it being 2 1/2 years for England anyway since Lost Souls now, we've had time to get some new material out and start writing again. But we just did so much gigging. It's a problem that a lot of bands get, you know? It's like saying, enough is enough. Now we're moving on.
NATN: Did the visits to North America break up the momentum of the writing/recording process?
JG: You know, we were frightened of it being that way. But in actual fact, it was fantastic. I mean, we had such a ball doing America. We're quite sort of cautious and cynical. We really didn't think audiences would understand Lost Souls or get it. So when we didn't come there, everybody around us was tearing their hair out, like, "come on, lads!" And we had just started this album, so that was another reason not to come. Let's go maybe when the next one is done. Not arrogantly, but we just felt maybe it was a bit counter-productive. So, when we went in February, we were like, "thank God we did this!" I think it definitely informed the LP.
NATN: Didn't the band play some of the album tracks live the last time it was the States?
JG: Yeah, "Satellites" and "New York." "Hit the Ground Running" is a B-side from "There Goes The Fear" in the U.K.
NATN: Were there other tunes that were done and just not performed?
JG: Let me think now. They were written. I think "There Goes The Fear" was embryonic; lyrically, it wasn't finished. By the time we came back out in June, I think we had "The Fear" down, we had "New York" down, we had, um... let me think. Well, I guess four of them were, if not recorded, mapped out and ready to go.
NATN: What are some of the newest songs that made the final cut?
JG: "Caught By The River" is pretty much one of the last ones we did. "The Last Broadcast," literally I tried about three different vocal melodies and lyrics for that one. And then head-in-hands one day, Jez was like, "come on, man, just do something off the top of your head right now." I was sort of thinking Dylan, um, "Isis" off Desire. Sort of like storytelling. Yeah, it just sort of happened. So that's good. The song itself had been around musically for like eight months.
NATN: You came up with the vocal melody on the spot?
JG: On the spot, if you like. We all wrote lyrics for it. A lot of times, words come out as you form them. Not just me, but when Jez and Andy write. You do a demo and you start hinting at things. Your mouth is almost forming things for you and filling in the blanks.
NATN: Is there any particular reason why most of the newer songs are at the end of the record?
JG: It's kind of a coincidence. We [only] had "Caught By The River" [done] right when we finished [the album]. That one took about a half-an-hour to write really, which is great. Quickest on the album, I'd say. We kind of figured that we didn't want to end it like Lost Souls, on a really down tip this time. That one seemed a bit of, you know, a positive way to finish the album. There are some things you kind of earmark. The content is really important, obviously. All of us agreeing on the order of the tracks and how it should flow is really, really important, and also quite difficult to get right.
NATN: There must have been many different proposed running orders.
JG: Mmm hmm. "Words" presented itself and it was like yeah, that's a good starting place. The introduction as well, when [producer] Steve [Osborne] was working on "Caught By The River" in another room, we were in another studio across the way called Real World, tying up odds and ends and touching up a couple of vocals. We always said we wanted an intro, something instrumentally to open the album. So Andy had an old sample we used from the Sub Sub days on a mini-disc, and we were like, "right. let's get this relentless thing that keeps smacking you around the chops; this sort of droning, hypnotic thing." Certain things become obvious and other things you have to really work at.
NATN: How does this band write music?
JG: Sometimes it's from the ground up. "Caught By The River" is an example of when I tried to write something else -- a change for a song that was not getting anywhere, and suddenly I hit upon these three chords and came up with a melody. "Satellites" was Andy with a rough demo and a drum beat and his vocal melody, and we all worked on it. "The Fear" is Jez's music and Andy's lyrics. "Friday's Dust" is just straight from my house. It's good. And it's easy sometimes, collaborating like that. It's just the way we do it, and we have to do it like that. Even if one person doesn't write a thing on one song, they'll still be credited as a writer, because chances are they will help in the production of it and bring things to it.
NATN: Do you hear specific differences in the sound of this record as opposed to the last one? Your singing seems a lot more assured.
JG: Yeah, people have been saying that. Maybe it's just because we turned the vocals up [laughs]. With Lost Souls, maybe it was shyness and maybe a little bit of mystery. Or being comfortable being a musician, first and foremost. Maybe it was like.. we used to like the New Order thing where Bernard [Sumner] would have his vocal just like another instrument in the track. So that was kind of something we did. But I guess not consciously. Friends told us they couldn't hear the vocals in Lost Souls and that they had to struggle to hear the lyrics. We were like, yeah, but we like that! This time, it was like, let's just turn them up. Maybe it was more confidence and not wanting to bury ourselves so much -- letting the words be heard loud and clear.
NATN: The sound seems much more varied, with songs like "Sulphur Man" and "There Goes The Fear."
JG: Yeah, well, we just like the production to be as interesting as it possibly can. But not for gimmick's sake. If a song requires just being straight-ahead voice and guitar, then we'll do that. We don't just want to be an indie band. I hate the word.
NATN: How do you decide who is going to sing a particular song? Is it based on who is bringing the lyrics in?
JG: No. Sometimes I'll just go, look man, your original demo is fine. Look Jez: you've got charm, man. Listen to "Words" -- you sound great. I'm not going to sing it. I'll have a go; they'll say, well, okay, you give it a try and let's see. I'll bust a verse and a chorus down and just see how it sounds. We'll all do it on certain tracks. "The Fear" was hard. It's quite low for me, and I just couldn't put any energy into the chorus. We tried Andy singing the chorus and we tried Jez. All three of us are in there.
NATN: So there's a take of you singing "Words?"
JG: Yeah. It's probably recorded over by now, but maybe in the ProTools system somewhere there is something like that! It's trial and error, really.
NATN: What are the plans for the rest of the summer? I assume you'll be coming over to the States.
JG: We are. We're coming over in June.
NATN: And what about playing European festivals?
JG: Yeah, we certainly are. We're doing Glastonbury again, which will be great. We're doing T In The Park in Scotland, which is always good. We're doing Benicassim in Valencia, which is fantastic. We'll be doing the States and Australia. I can't complain, man. It's good!
NATN: How did you choose "There Goes The Fear" as the first single?
JG: Well, the man at the record company floated it. Obviously we have to approve things like that, but we thought, why not? We just like the idea of messing with things. It's quite interesting. "Pounding" I think is next.
NATN: That's a song I think would be even more appealing to a U.S. audience.
JG: Yeah. maybe. Maybe. It's got a Motown-meets New Order vibe.
NATN: Have all the new songs been played live yet?
JG: No. "M62" isn't done yet. When I get back from holiday, we're going to tackle "Sulphur Man." You can't go too mad and do every song on the album, because people still want to hear Lost Souls, you know? It's a bit of a half and half at the moment, but I'd say it will be more Broadcast heavy. We'll do "Satellites," "New York," "Sulphur Man," "Friday's Dust," "Pounding," "Words," and "Caught By The River." At least six or seven right now.
NATN: Does that mean you'll be lengthening the duration of the set?
JG: Well, I think about an hour-and-15-minutes with encores is about right, man. We don't want to fucking bore people our outstay our welcome. We'll keep it nice and intense for like 60 minutes and then do three encores. That's our vibe.
NATN: Is it important for Doves to continue plugging away in the States?
JG: Yeah, of course it's important to us, but we're not going to break our backs doing it anywhere in the world. We're willing to work and play live if people want us to play live.
NATN: Overall, were you satisfied with the response here last time around?
JG: Oh, yeah! Blown away. Word of mouth was very important to us, because we got zero radio play in the scheme of things. We just didn't bribe the right people! That's how it works, isn't it? That's the vibe I get. Tickets to the fucking final and all that!
NATN: Well, things seem to be looking up a bit. Bands like The Strokes and White Stripes are starting to get some airplay on mainstream rock stations.
JG: Good for them! That's a good sign. Let's get rid of some of that cock rock shit.
NATN: What have you been listening to lately?
JG: I dig the Strokes and White Stripes. We all love our hip-hop when it's good: Mos Def and some of the more intelligent stuff. Oh gosh. Right now I'm listening to a guy called Richard Holly, who is in Pulp and used to be in the Longpigs. He's got an album out that's beautiful. He sounds like Morrissey one minute and Chet Baker the next. I Am Kloot and Elbow's last album I'm still rockin'. There's a few right now.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"