I've been accused of gloating elsewhere. That wasn't gloating but this IS! I am intensely proud of my brother. I may be percieved as a pain in the arse about it, but tough bananas. When you have a sibling relationship with someone, especially when they are the baby of the family, as you grow up there may be tensions. But to watch that sibling grow into a strong, determined, talented, savvy man - it's enough to make your wee heart sing. I cannot say enough how proud and pleased I am that this is happening for a person I love. Go Hame!
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who are breaks co-op?...
who are breaks co-op?
Just a group my brother is in.....made ...
Just a group my brother is in.....made up of Hamish Clark (the brother), Zane Lowe, and Andy Lovegrove. They used to be into hiphop but they aged, as we all do, and now their sound is much mellower. www.breaksco-op.com
This is good news. I'd say it's a ...
This is good news. I'd say it's a pretty accessible album overall.
D'ya think it'll go down well if released in the UK, seeing as Zane is a bit of a minor celeb there?
I'm not sure, soldierboy. Zane seems ...
I'm not sure, soldierboy. Zane seems to think not, but with all due respect to him, he's not the cheeriest person in the world. Hamish can't see why not, and has recieved emails through the band's website that would indicate that there is interest over there, just through people finding the website or from English people who have been on holiday here, heard the song, and spread the word a wee bit. It IS a very accessible album - that was the whole idea this time. And Hame has no ego about it - as far as he's concerned, if the album gets taken up there and does well because of the Zane Lowe factor, then that's all to the good. EMI Australia has picked it up, and will be releasing it there in June, I think, or July. Not too sure. Either way, they're really happy it's doing so well here. It's quite interesting you know, Hame and I were talking about it today. If this had happened for Zane and he 8 years ago, they wouldn't have been ready at all. I think the older you are, the more you understand the whole process, I think.
The record is definitely growing on me ...
The record is definitely growing on me - I just gave it another spin. It may just enter my list for the year's best. I have heard numerous stations playing Otherside - including Easy Listening - and while it may seem uncool to still fawn over a former underground artist-cum-mainstream darling, I think it's great that Breaks Co-op have found crossover success. Their new sound may be accessible, but it's not dumbed-down by any stretch of the imagination.
adendum to my previous post: One ...
adendum to my previous post:
One quibble though, and this has nothing to do with the album itself, but rather the liner notes: they're a little too vague. I don't expect a lyrics sheet, but I would like to know a little bit more about each track's instrumentation. What sounds are sampled and which aren't? The notes do mention some particular samples, sure enough, but some instruments sound live (I heard a double bass on Settle Down, some electric guitar, congas and even acoustic drums elsewhere) and I'd like to know who in the band plays them. Likewise, does Andy sing everything - the notes mention some guest vocalists - but do Zane and Hamish contribute any vocals (aside from Hamish's rap)?
This is a small annoyance, but I wish there was somewhere I could get the info. ;)
Another thing - the song Duet is probably my favourite track off the album. It has this superb atmospheric sound, and the rain-sound samples and oriental-style guitar riff (live or sampled?) remind me of a film I saw earlier this week - Story of the Late Crysanthemums by Japanese director Mizoguchi (which I also recommend).
I would email Hamish if I were you, ...
I would email Hamish if I were you, soldierboy. What I CAN tell you is that Zane and Andy share singing duty. Zane sings the first two songs, and plays all the guitar on the album. I think Andy and Zane shared the rest of the instruments. But Hamish said something interesting today - that they really don't this to be that they are in this band, and each one has a job. It really is a total collaboration. But like I said, email him. He's pretty open to people doing that, and I think he's caught up on his assignments for TColl, so he should answer you.
How can I reach him? Via the site?...
How can I reach him? Via the site?
That's the one, soldierboy. He can't ...
That's the one, soldierboy. He can't access his yahoo a/c at the mo, so it's probably better to go through breaksco-op.com