MAKING MUSIC

Matthew Jay's acoustic sketches Two of the best... When Matthew Jay's debut albumlive outfit. I'm a white boy with an Draw (Food/) came outacoustic guitar and it's hard to get Richard Hawley's late night music last April to much critical acclaimaway from that one, but I'm gonna Possibly the least celebrated buting-something romantic and not in the UK, the 22 -year old singer -try some other things: a bit of elec- most striking of the new Britishhit everyone over the head with asongwriter from Nottingham wastric guitar, a bit of hip -hop, what- singer -songwritersisSetanta- fuzzbox." widely compared to US songwriterever-I'm a closet rocker." signed Richard Hawley, writes Cullen says:"Ithink what Elliott Smith, writes Menno Visser. A good example of Jay's experi- Adam Howorth. The -bornRichard has are his melodies, Although Jay says: "I'm not famil-ments with other genres was the artistenjoyedstintsinthewhich are more like [those of] the iar with his work-I think we justWhite Label 12 -inch which went as and Pulp but it is as a'50s-and he's not like an awkward share influences." a promo to clubs, featuring a remix solo performer that he has begunsinger -songwriter." As to Hawley's of the singer's Drawing Circles by to grab media-if not yet commer-peers, Cullen says, "Tom McRae is Nuphonic dance act Fug. "I wanted cial-attention. over-angsty, Ed Harcourt-I can to write a song which you could "His management sent me asee the talent. Matthew Jay I'm sing along to in a club which was- demo tape-I didn't know he wassure will be dropped imminently. n't too 'corny housey' ", Jay says. "It in the Longpigs-and I was listen-Major labels can't develop artists." sounds much better than on the ing thinking it's another fucking Despite the gentle nature of his radio because it's louder and they demo," remembers Setanta manag- music, Hawley has enjoyed a mod- compress my music on the radio ing director Keith Cullen. "I wasicum of daytime airplay. "Coming too much." thinking of throwing in the towelHome was C -list at Radio 2, and While Jay is currently in the with the label. The way thingsSteve Lamacq [BBC Radio 1 DJ] studio recording his new album, he went with the Divine Comedy ithas played it and booked him for a supported Starsailor across Europe got more expensive and risky andsession," says Cullen. in October and November with his "Among thecurrentBritish new loud live outfit Moonlanding. troupe we like at Radio 2 is Richard Although the single Call My Hawley," says Cohn Martin, the AC - Name Out was C -listed at the station's executive producer, music. BBC's national CHR-outlet Radio 1 "Just where did he get that dark Jay was immediately put in thein December, Jay is struggling for 1950s teenage angst from? Does heNew Acoustic Movement box, aairplay in the rest of Europe. For have a Dansette and a pile of dusty description he is uncomfortableexample, Luc Tirez, programmer 45s at home? The great thing about with. "The only people who men-at Brussels -based Flemish alterna- Richard is he hasn't forgotten to tion the New Acoustic Movement totive station Studio Brussel, says: include the melody with the words." me are journalists," he says. "Call"We nearly didn't play Matthew "Therecord[came]outin it something-that's fine-but IJay because it's a bit too classic AmericainJanuary andhe wouldn't be in that bracket for therock for our day programming and [recorded] the second album innext album. When I started, it'sso it's not a priority. We play this January and we're putting it out injust that I didn't have a band and kind of singer -songwriter material June" reports Cullen. '!Our ambi- it'sdifficult to write songs on amainly in a specialist show called tion in the UK is 10 to 15,000 sales, electrical guitar if you don't have aRock Bottom on Sunday evening." 60-100,000 worldwide. He's going they fulfilled their contract and we to be a very prolific artist." didn't want to keep them. To me As with any artist worth his Singer -songwriters at a glance the artist I want to be involvedsalt, Hawley doesn't feel part of a DAVID GRAY PrizewithThe HourOf with is one who can build a body ofnew singer -songwriter movement. After years spent recording in his Bewilderbeast (XL). A new single work-[who's] not dependent on a"There's not that much that I could bedroom, Gray signed to East West Silent Sigh isto be released on hit single-building up a good cat-be part of," he says. "I feel musical- two years ago and has now sold over March 25, taken from the sound- alogue that will continue to sellly isolated." Musically isolated per- 2.6 million copies (excluding the US track of the movie About A Boy. over time." Fortunately, when hehaps, but good enough for his label and Ireland) of his fourth album listened to the demo, Cullen knewbossKeithCullentoadmit, White Ladder which he recorded at he had found that artist. "I was"Richard helped get me inspired home in 1998. A new album from really excited," he says. about music again." Gray is due out later this year. "Playing on my own came about because I had some studio time in a local studio, so I went in there with Simon & Garfunkel for the MTV a couple of crates of lager," Hawley generation, the duo hit gold with tells M&M. "I'd never done anything The Optimist LP (Source) last year. on my own-always worked on other people's [records]. I never dreamed of singing-I discovered I could but I'm always wary of `LSD'-Lead Singer Disease. But I actually quite enjoy it now." The result of his early TASHA LEE endeavours was a self -titled mini - The delicate, mesmeric tones of album released through Setanta on Tasha Lee were spotted by BMG April 23 last year. "The intention BEN & JASON Music Publishing at the end of was to do the mini -album to get the Another duo, this time signed to Go! last year, signing her to a pub- ball rolling," says Cullen. "We more Beat who split their time writing for lishing deal. She currently has an than achieved what we needed to Martine McCutcheon. Their single I album ready to be licensed. achieve." Explain is released on February 26 The next step was to record a in the UK. BETH ORTON full-lengthrecord,Late Night Folk singer from Norfolk whose Final, which came out six months TOM MCRAE debut album, Trailer Park, came out later on October 15. "I wanted to Vicar's son McRae is proving popu- on Heavenly in 1996. Her last create something really gentle," lar both in the UK and the rest of album was Central Reservation, continues Hawley. "Fred Neil, Europe with his eponymous debut released in January 2001. Gene Vincent. A lot of old `shite'- album. Scott Walker, a lot of cheesy '60s Notable mentions also go to kindred stuff. I'm going back to my roots,- BADLY DRAWN BOY spiritsTravis(Independiente), what I listened to with mum and The stage name of Damon Gough Elbow (V2), Coldplay (Parlophone) dad when I was a kid. I wanted to who won the 2000 Mercury Music and Starsailor (Heavenly). do something with some mean-

MUSIC & MEDIA MARCH 2,2002