E-Interview - A Fine Frenzy

 

A Fine Frenzy's debut album One Cell In The Sea was released in the US, fairly quietly, in July last year and since then Alison Sudol has been touring seemingly non-stop and picking up an ever growing army of fans as she does. One Cell In The Sea is a rare album, instantly familiar yet fresh and distinctive. It's not a grower, Alison's voice is immediately capitivating and the quality of songwriting shines from the first track to the last.

With the album finally released in the UK this April and some European dates to accompany it, we caught up with Alison during her current headline tour of the states to fire some deep and inquiring, and a few completely pointless, questions at her. 

Where are you now and what are you up to?

We're in Raleigh, NC and I just woke up from a nap. A hearty Southern breakfast of ham, eggs and grits of all things completely knocked me out this morning. I never eat like that. It was amazing.

Less than a year ago you were playing small LA shows, now you’re on Letterman with a headline tour. How’s life?

Life is lovely! All our shows have been wonderful, the US tour has gone by in the blink of an eye, I'm amassing quite the garden gnome collection and right now one of my favorite movies, Stranger than Fiction is on the telly.

You spent most of last summer touring with Rufus Wainwright and Sean Lennon, how was that?

Touring with Rufus and Sean was absolutely golden, just wonderful. They are both fantastic musicians and darling human beings. Rufus was a perfect example of someone giving a thousand percent every night and being absolutely fabulous all the time. He's incredible.

Touring. Endless nights of extreme intoxication and groupies, right?

Endless nights of extreme intoxication and groupies?? Ha! More like endless nights of reading, movie watching and playing guitar... Sometimes I'll go out and get a soda with the boys. Rock and roll.

Are you finding time to write new material and what can we expect next?

I am most definitely writing! In between tours, after shows, in hotel lobbies, etc. I'm at least halfway through writing the next album, perhaps more, I haven't stacked all the songs up to see how many I've got. As soon as I have a moment at home, I'm going to jump in the studio and start working away on album #2.

What’s in your CD player / iPod?

Ray Lamontagne, Kings of Covenience, Belle and Sebastian, Dustin o'Halloran, Brian Eno, Phillip Glass, Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes, Camera Obscura, Etc.

How come you’re A Fine Frenzy and not Alison Sudol?

A Fine Frenzy is the name of the music. Once I'm all done with the writing/recording of a song and it's released, it is out of my hands. It then belongs to the listener; it tells their story, not mine.

Most people will know you from One Cell in the Sea onwards. What was happening before that?

Before One Cell in the Sea I had a nice little job, was writing songs in my parents' living room and was basically the same person as I am now, except I was home all the time and now I never am... which I don't mind too much, except I miss my apartment a bit... I was shopping for shower curtains the other day online. Perhaps that means I'm a bit homesick.

In a moment of carefree abandon you decide to record a bongos only cover. What song is it? (We’ll swap you a Snicker for a video demonstration!)

Bongos only cover... what a funny thought! I suppose it would be something like Kiss by Prince or Time of the Season by The Zombies.

Are you Mary Margaret O’Hara (one blinding album then a romantically eratic career) or Madonna (the opposite of that)?

Wow, I had never heard of Mary Margaret O'Hara until now. What a voice! She's amazing! Is there a way to combine her and Madonna? Like Mary Madonna O'Hara or something like that? I think both women are extraordinary. I plan on making quite a few albums, and of course I'd like people to buy them as well, so perhaps I'll lean towards Madonna on this one, though if I went the Mary route that would be quite dramatic and quite good for the books...

You seem very in touch with your fans, blogging and tweeting. Is that important to you?

It's incredibly important for me to stay connected to the fans. To be able to find out who the music is reaching, how it affects them and what they're going through is incredibly helpful for me as a writer. It gives me ideas, hope and inspiration.

Bass bins or violins?

I had to look up what a bass bin was... Granny Ali's not to hip with what the kids are saying these days. Violins, most definitely.

Lots of comparisons have been made of your music, but over here we reckon Carol King, This Mortal Coil and Keane. How does it sound in your head?

What lovely comparisons, thank you!!! I'm honored. It's hard to describe what it sounds like in my head. I relate to it mostly in the images that I write from. For some songs, it's a foggy seascape with a single fishing boat just barely visible on the water, a red stripe on its hull flashing brightly against the gray surrounding it. Sometimes I see trees, grass and flowers growing at super speed, rising out of the ground, blooming, wilting and dying and then doing it again. Sometimes I see animals talking to each other, they look a bit like the cartoons from the forties, very sweet and innocent. The music sounds like the soundtrack to those pictures and many others like them.

You’re in Europe and the UK in April. What are you looking forward to most (apart from the Snicker)?

Well, I'm certainly going to miss that Snicker, seeing as I didn't do the bongo demonstration (my bongo playing is atrocious), but I'll get over it, I'm sure. I can't wait to get a better look around Europe! I hope we get to sight-see a bit. I'm also looking forward to having scones with clotted cream again. I can hardly wait, in fact. Oh my, now I'm hungry.....

A Fine Frenzy are on tour in the UK and Europe in April. Full dates are;

• 9th April Point Ephemere, Paris
• 10th April, Botanique, Brussels
• 11th April, Motel Mozaique Festival, Rotterdam
• 13th April, Stage Club, Hamburg
• 14th April, Frannz Club, Berlin
• 15th April, Stadtgarten, Cologne
• 16th April, 59 to 1, Munich
• 18th April, Kaufleuten, Zurich
• All UK dates supporting Ben's Brother
• 20th April, The Joiners, Southampton
• 21st April, Zodiac, Oxford
• 23rd April, Komedia, Brighton
• 24th April, Carling Islington Academy, London

One Cell In The Sea is released on Charisma on 21st April. 

Dan MuHead

Get One Cell In The Sea from Play.com or iTunes

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