Is there a play on words behind "Instamatic Lovelife"?
"Instamatic" is a word that Kodak invented in the late 60s for the first
snapshot camera. That is where I took it from. It is a composition of the words
"instant" and "automatically". I think it suits the album because it could be
listened to as a snapshot of a lovelife.
Do you agree that "Instamatic Lovelife" seems to reflect different
situations of a relationship although there are more downs than ups in this
lovelife?
I think you are right that there are maybe more downers than uppers, but I didn't
pretend that it should be a perfect lovelife. Does this exist anyway? I also
like to make happy songs about being sad ... like "Sad And Done" ... I like
the contrast.
How did you get in contact with the City of Prague Philharmonics?
I was doing some arrangements of strings in 2002 for a Danish band called Amstrong.
And we did the overdubs with the Prague Philharmonics. I felt completely in
life with those "real" strings, and therefore I decided to use them on my own
album.
The instrumental "Air Labrador" would have devided a vinyl
record into an a- & b-side back in the old days. Is there a certain concept
on how you chose the order of the album?
In my opinion an album should start out with very strong and catchy songs. Then
you can put more long-growing-songs in the middle, and then end again with more
catchy tunes. So that is what I have tried to do on this album.
The keyboard sound and your vocals on songs like "Sunday Girl"
and "Freeway To Mars" are very close to the pure pop of the Lighting Seeds.
I love Ian Broudie and the Lightning Seeds.
How do you explain the recent success of Danish bands in Europe?
Well, I think it is always been there but we haven't believed in ourselves.
While the Swedish bands really believe that they are the best popacts in Scandinavia.
We have problems because the taste of the Danish people is very bad in general,
not only their taste in music. So it was hard to get through with our music
in this mainstream market. But within the EU, travelling started to become a
lot easier and the bands discovered that there is more interest. People make
no difference if the bands are coming from Denmark, Norway or Sweden as it is
just Scandinavia. This gives us more self-confidence and a feeling that we are
all on an equal level.
Why did you start your promotional tour for the new album in
Japan?
Today there is a network for indiepop music. The Apricot Records label released
a sampler with two of our songs. This sampler ended on the desk of a record
shop in Tokyo called Apple-Crumble. The girl in this small shop started to play
it and people kept asking her like "What is that music"? She asked us to send
her twenty copies that she sold immediately. After that she started her own
record label to release our music in Japan. So we went there for a promotional
tour last year which was cool.
Are you not afraid that your music is a bit out-fashioned at
the moment?
Yeah, completely, but indiepop music has been going on for years now. A band
like Belle & Sebastian for instance is really big at the moment. So you don't
have to invent anything new or become another Franz Ferdinand. There are lots
of musicians who just do want they want to do. It is kind of a mission for me
and I don't care if it is fashionable or not. I mean if nobody takes any interest,
if nobody shows up to your gigs or buy your records then maybe you should change
something. But as long as it goes on slowly it is ok.
When did you decide to move to Berlin?
We played in Berlin twice and met some guys from the Britpop-Arsenal-Fanzine.
They were really helpful and loved our music. Suddenly I was hanging out with
all these Indiepop DJ- teams who became kind of a new family. My situation in
Denmark was also fucked up as the band's singer Sara is my ex-girlfriend. I
didn't know where to go anymore, the second album didn't sell very well in Denmark
and I was very dissappointed. But in Berlin I met a lot of people who were supporting
me like the guys from Firestation Records. It is a culture where people are
doing things because they believe in it. I really like this idea and in the
end it will last longer than the mainstream thing.
What's your favourite B-side?
It must be "Accept Yourself" by The Smiths which is the b-side of the 12' of
"This Charming Man".
Carsten Scheef
Aktuelles Album: "Instamatic Lovelife" (Divine Records)
Internet: www.labrador.dk