This is a bit of a strange one to write. When I set up this blog I was keen not to cover music made by my friends, mainly because it’s such a minefield and I wanted to keep the two worlds separate. I liked the notion that music I would feature would be either from people I have no personal links to at all, or people that I know on a more informal basis. I don’t really know what I mean by informal basis but you get the picture. I think ‘acquaintances’ might be the word I was looking for. Anyway, the reason I’m starting by mentioning this is that Keeble, or Lance as I know him, is one of my oldest and closest pals. He’s also somebody that I’ve collaborated with for the best part of twenty years, and it’s no exaggeration to say that whenever I’m doing something, often one of the first questions that comes to mind is what would Lance make of this? Of course, all of this means that it’s very difficult for me to be truly objective about his work but I can’t not cover it. And that’s not because I feel I have to do so out of some kind of obligation. Not at all. I mean, I write a music blog where I cover new stuff that I think is worth talking about. What am I gonna do? The reason is simply because he remains the most talented person I’ve ever met, and also that his work is just so bloody good.

Now, for at least fifteen of the twenty years we’ve known eachother, Lance has been “working on an album”. That’s not to say that his forthcoming debut, Totemic, has anything to do with the album he was working on five years ago though, or a decade ago, or fifteen years ago. He’s never seemed to have any issues with the concept of delayed gratification, and – combined with an at-times (I’m sure he’d agree) problematic fixation on achieving if not perfection then something pretty close to it – this resulted in multiple projects getting scrapped. Whereas I’d drop an idea straight away if it wasn’t working, Lance would always persevere – in the knowledge that the idea would inevitably evolve and turn into something worthwhile. One of his strengths in many ways is that he sees the potential in things where perhaps others don’t, and – more importantly – he puts the hours in.

Okay then, that’s the introduction done. Although the album is out in the world on May 29 (the same day as the new Boards of Canada – now it makes sense!), I’ve been living with it for a few days now, trying to put my thoughts into as coherent a state as I can for a proper write-up to coincide with its release. With this in mind, I’ll save talking specifically about the record for now, but given all that I’ve blethered on about here, it will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone reading that it’s good… ridiculously good. But I’ll leave all that for the review. For a little taste of what I’m talking about, you can scroll right to the bottom and watch the clip for the opening track, Planes. Instead, for this piece, I thought it would be cool to throw some questions across to Lance about the project. Cringe-inducing as they are, fortunately he was up for it…

ISY: I’ve just written an intro piece but haven’t really talked much at all about the sound of the album, or really described the kind of music you make. I wanted to avoid just writing a load of hyperbolic shit about you, even though you know I think you’re up there in every way as a writer, musician etc. Anyway, how would you describe the music you’re making and the sound of the album?

Totemic is intended as a snapshot of where I’m at musically. I was trying to be instinctual, working on new ideas quickly, capturing songs in an early form, not overworking them, something I’ve been prone to do over the years. With that said, two of the songs were written years ago. The sound is melody driven psych pop, with simple grooves, anchored by guitars and synths.

ISY: I mentioned about how, in intervals across the 20-odd years we’ve been friends, you’ve been “working on an album”, but we’re now at a point where one that’s deemed fit for public consumption actually exists. Others have existed. I love it, by the way. I think one of the tracks in particular is comfortably in my top ten pieces of music full-stop. So, anyway, tell me about this project and specifically how you’ve arrived at the point of getting it out there…

With Totemic I wanted to distill my music into something punchy and succinct. The album was in a near-finished form in 2022, but it was too overwrought, it needed an overhaul. So I took an axe to it and recorded a new one over a couple of weeks this year. The only surviving song is ‘The Great Adaptors’, inspired by Prefab Sprout. Each song is a personal totem, a facet of who I am currently.

ISY: There’s a lot going on on the record. Musically you’re kind of all over the show. I suppose one thing we should cover are the artists you take inspiration from…

My influences are Super Furry Animals, Radiohead, Beck, Tame Impala, GUM, Todd Rundgren, Prefab Sprout, Talk Talk, Boards of Canada and of course many more.

ISY: I like to think that if I do have any readers… and that’s a big if… that they’d be interested in the gear and stuff that people use. You play everything on Totemic – well, you do everything on it – so what kind of stuff are you using?

My setup is pretty modest, a few solid preamps and lots of guitar pedals. I decided to track the lead vocals with an SM57 for a live feel, most of the pianos are a sampled CP-70 for that late 70s Genesis sound which I love. Bass guitars are Fender Jazz Bass. Most of the synths are Yamaha DX7.

ISY: And the cover…

The artwork is by Rory McQueen, I wanted something illustrative and comic-like to give the album a playful identity. The typeface is the same as the Happidrome on Southend sea front, an amusement arcade which is now shuttered down.

ISY: Okay. As is customary with these things, I can’t call it without asking what’s next…

I’m working on another project at the moment, which I’ll be mixing over the next few months. Then I’ll be working on the follow up to Totemic, which I plan on making a more expansive, diverse project with a psychedelic edge.