Can’t stop the Namedrops! Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand was at the studio this week, with an eye to possible future work here. He’s got a couple of great new songs he’s working on, and he let us hear them. The band was in town for a gig at the Columbiahalle, and you know I rarely get out any more, but I actually was able to see the show, which was pretty amazing. I’m getting a sense that there’s a new trend coming in pop, where more or less straightforward beats are undergoing subtle and constant shifts in tempo and feeling. It seems FF has been working so hard now for so long and they’re so locked in with one another, that these shifts, although sometimes actually not so subtle at all, seem totally natural. Pretty great. Nice guys, too. The party backstage was so free of the usual snobbery that it seemed like someone’s living room. Added benefit: I even got to exchange pleasantries with Johnny Marr, whose new band, “The Cribs,” opened.
All of this came to me via my friend and client (and friend of Nick’s) Peter Wiegand, who is set to release 3 (count ‘em!) CDs and a film (in addition to the one out now) next year. He’s also in rehearsal for a couple of major shows in the autumn, so watch out world!
Also watch for Ray Omega, a great new Berlin band whose upcoming 7″ was recently made here. I had the pleasure of mixing it, and it’ll be out early in 2010. They’ve got drive, inspiration, open-mindedness, and humour, and they write catchy booteyshaker tunes. Check ‘em out!
And where would we be without the Gestammelorchester? They’ve just returned from a fact-finding tour of the Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus, and will be putting the finishing touches on a new single featuring a totally bombastic extended band (several drummers, three bassists, 4 guitars, piano…), ALL of whom recently assembled for a TOTALLY LIVE recording session here (video/ photos soon…). I think it was the largest gathering I’ve had here to date. Loud, too!