Published: April 12, 2009 7:47 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight April 2009 Edition
Mark Northfield
Mark Northfield the album ASCENDANT now on sale
available at Rough Trade, CD Baby, emusic and iTunes
In this next spotlight, Junior's Cave interviews Mark Northfield who undoubtedly has managed to capture songs that are both romantic and dark in nature. In his music, he will create a mood that will have music lovers asking and wanting more. In this recent spotlight, I had the pleasure to speak with Mark about his music and being an indie artist and Record Label Owner.
Isaac: How do you sum up 2008 for Mark Northfield?
Mark: Highly manic, but observed in slow motion.
Isaac: Describe the music scene in the United Kingdom.
Mark: In one paragraph? As variable as anywhere else, I'll bet. Not being the typical gigging
type (too many singers to juggle) I can hardly give you a well informed answer. The BBC
still rules the radio roost; indie record shops are still struggling against the might of
the Internet; festivals still seem to be thriving. Sorry I can't be more precise than
that.
Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008 as a group?
Mark: Independently releasing the album (despite various delays en route) and stepping boldly
into the minefield of self-promotion. That was quite enough for one year. I don't like to
rush things.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry
and why?
Mark: This Mortal Coil and Stephin Merritt for giving such fine and stylish lessons in how to
create multi-vocalist projects; ABBA and the Pet Shop Boys for perfecting heartache and
desperation beneath a shiny pop prism; Kate Bush and Radiohead for general maverick
greatness; Philip Glass and Gavin Bryars for making genuinely accessible (yet deep)
modern classical music without slipping into triteness.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry?
Mark: Eloquence, otherness and romanticism... Who says indie music can't be inspirational? A
definite love of the album as a form, even as file-sharing and shuffling try to render it
extinct. After all, random juxtaposition is great, but artists (and listeners) who are
able to think bigger, should.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and
why?
Mark: Well, me being me, I would mainly want to work with certain exceptional (if not
particularly well known) vocalists. John Grant, the lead singer of The Czars (now
defunct), would probably be top of my list. His take on Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren
is utterly spellbinding; even more so than Liz Fraser's version; amazing.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Mark: Primarily piano/string led alt-pop with a definite classical edge, drawing on a friendly
collective of vocal talents and musicians. Rufus Wainwright/Divine Comedy/Pink
Floyd- esque, allegedly. I might add here that I hate categorization and categorization
tends to hate me, because what I do rarely fits neatly into the proscribed boxes on music
websites. What should be a plus (being unusual) turns into a minus far too readily (not
being predictable enough). Hey ho. It's a cruel world.
Isaac: What is your definition for Rock Music?
Mark: You mean what do I consider Rock Music to be, presumably? I think I might be tackling
that on the next album, so feel free to wait and find out! :-) For the more impatient
among you I'll stick my neck out and suggest that Rock Music is a figment of our
imagination, like, say, the War On Terror (RIP) but with guitars, obviously.
Isaac: What has been the inspiration behind your album Ascendant?
Mark: Firstly, I decided I just couldn't cut it as a singer/songwriter (my singing is pretty
average at best) having recorded an album some years back called Anachronisms which I
then felt unable to release. I bumbled around for a while before finally realizing that I
knew plenty of singers from varied musical backgrounds and that this was the best way
forwards for me: benevolent musical dictatorship. This led me to take a cue from the
aforementioned This Mortal Coil (with a little more of a theatrical/cinematic slant) and
other producer/collaborators in devising a bleakly atmospheric classical song-cycle of
sorts for various singers to perform. Nothing too austere or impenetrable for the regular
indie-listener, hopefully, and using original songs rather than covers.
The songs on Ascendant are paired in terms of subject matter, dealing consecutively with
memory, time, loss and mystery. The ninth and final song, a duet entitled Luco, lightly
touches on each of the four subjects. Each one is introduced by a rearranged/re-voiced
theme drawn from one of the others. For instance, were you curious enough to want to
listen to the whole album twice in a row, you would find the theme from the last song
introducing the first. Therefore, even if you hate every single song, there's still
musical puzzle fun to be had. One can also contemplate the relation of the light bulbs on
the cover artwork to the songs if really desperate... Win win!
Isaac: what have been some of the rewards of having your own Record Label (Substantive
Recordings)?
Mark: `Mainly doing exactly as I please. I'll state for the record that I'm not against the idea
of being signed to a suitably supportive indie label, because doing everything yourself
is undoubtedly hard work, especially with my current full-time job as a dance-class
musician to maintain. However, this was the best way for me to get things up and running.
We'll see where the future takes me.
Isaac: What can fans expect from Mark Northfield in 2009?
Mark: Some choreography and short films before too long, then maybe a gig or two in the summer if (and it's a big if) I can gather enough of the contributors together. The next album
is being gradually conceived and will be recorded before the end of the year, all things
being well. I'll blog any significant updates in due course. It won't be as slow and
melancholic as Ascendant simply because I don't like the idea of being pigeonholed too
firmly; that said, it will be just as precisely arranged and harmonically exquisite.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans…
Mark: How depressingly rock n roll... Ahem. How about: 'We know where you live. (Except for the fans.)'
