Interview from The Original Sin
Elsewhere in this issue (the reviewsection to be
precisely) you can read about the fantastic French Plastic Pancake-label.
A sort of modern miniature type of pop that is manufactured for
those who never give up on their daydreams. It's a sort of music
that found its roots in both Sarah and the Belgian label Les Disques
Du Crepuscule. One of the bands who are on Plastic Pancake are the
Bristol-based Marine Time Keepers. It's quite simple, if you're
into bands like Blueboy, East River Pipe or Orlando you'll fall
for them too...
HELLO, WHO ARE THE MARINE TIME KEEPERS? Marine Time Keepers
are Jason and Sam.
WHEN I HEAR YOUR SONGS - IMMEDIATELY HAVE SARAH AND ROMANTIC
POP IN MIND. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT ATTRACTS YOU IN THAT SORT OF MUSIC?
Jason : Admittedly, there were a lot of good bands on Sarah,
but we would have liked those bands regardless of what label they
were on. It was good that they were all on the same label because
it meant that it was easier to find out about them. If there was
a typical Sarah sound, I don't think it necessarily applied to all
of the bands. There were probably more bands on Sarah that we don't
sound like anyway. It's just that the few that maybe define the
Sarah sound happen to be amongst our favourite bands. So it's probably
no surprise that this is reflected in our songs. But, that's not
to say it's a deliberate or conscious thing...they just end up sounding
like that.
IF YOU DON'T MIND I'M GOING TO LABEL YOUR MUSIC AS 'SARAH-POP'
DURING THIS INTERVIEW, JUST TO MAKE IT MORE EASIER. SARAH-POP IS
A SORT OF MUSIC THAT HAS REACHED A LOT OF FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD
BUT THE JOURNALISTS ARE LAUGHING ABOUT IT...DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA
WHY??? Jason : I'm not sure that there are that many bands making
music like that in England these days. It seems to be more prevalent
in the rest of Europe and to some extent America. I think in England
when Sarah finished, a lot of the fans moved on to something else.
Also, I think it's true to say that in England a lot of new bands
do want commercial success and seem to think they can achieve this
by simply sounding like whatever happens to be the current trend.
I think many of them felt quite threatened by the whole Sarah thing.
Maybe they want music made by 'cool' people or people who lead a
rock 'n roll lifestyle.
Not people who were perhaps a bit more sensitive. That and the
fact that these were bands who dared to make the music that they
wanted to make without caring about receiving some sort of endorsement
from the music press. I'm not sure how many of those journalists
actually took the time to listen to things released on Sarah. It
was easier for them to simply dismiss it as twee nonsense and it
gave them an opportunity to show how witty they could be. Also,
it probably annoyed them that they knew that people would buy these
records regardless of what they said. I should add that there were
a few journalists who supported Sarah.
WHAT ALWAYS MAKES MUSIC LIKE YOURS SO SPECIAL ARE THE LYRICS.
YOU DON'T USE ANY KIND OF POETRY BUT YOU JUST TELL IT WITH WORDS
WE USE IN OUR DAILY LIFE AND WITH THAT IT GIVES YOUR MUSIC A VERY
DIRECT EFFECT. I ALWAYS DO SAY IT'S THE MUSIC FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE
CONSTANTLY DAYDREAMING... DO YOU AGREE? Jason : I don't think
it really has anything to do with daydreaming as such, it's more
to do with worrying about or reflecting on situations. Basically,
our lyrics tend to be about feelings and worries that many people
share...as do most songs, but, I think that by not trying to be
poetic you can escape falling into the trap of using horrible cliches.
As you say, this can give the lyrics a direct approach and to us
it makes the whole thing in some ways more honest. Which we think
is important but, that doesn't mean that any other form of lyric
writing is any less valid. I mean, I really like the way Momus writes,
especially on the 'Tender Pervert'-album. The stories he constructs,
the words that he uses and the fact that he references books and
things is, to me, very clever. But, I wouldn't feel comfortable
doing that myself and neither would Sam.
YOU MAKE MUSIC IN YOUR BEDROOM SO I'M GOING TO LABEL YOUR MUSIC
AS BEDROOMPOP. CAN YOU REMEMBER THE TIME YOU DECIDED TO START MAKING
MUSIC? WHAT MADE YOU DO IT? Sam : We've both been into music
from an early age and probably had dreams of being in a band even
then. But, I don't think it was really until we both met and discovered
that we had similar ideas that we actually tried to do what we'd
been thinking about for so long. As far as recording in the bedroom
goes...we make no apologies for this!!! (YOU DON'T NEED TO!!!-ed.)
The 4-track machine we use is very old and doesn't always work properly
but, we've found that with a bit of care we can achieve a fairly
acceptable level of quality.
ARE YOU THE KIND OF BAND WHO HAVE LOTS OF BEDROOM TAPES LYING
AROUND OR IS IT SO THAT YOU HAVEN'T THAT MUCH SONGS? Sam : So
far, I think we've recorded about 30 songs altogether and we have
quite a few tapes of ideas for songs and rough versions of songs
that are waiting to be done properly. It's just finding the time.
With both of us working the time we have available for writing and
recording is limited.
HAVE YOU EVER PERFORMED IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE OR IS THAT SOMETHING
THAT SCARES YOU? Sam : No, we've never played live. Although
we would like to do it could prove difficult as there are more instruments
used on many of our songs than the two of us could play live. Jason
: Added to the fact that Sam is not comfortable singing in front
of anyone...including me!!! I get sent out of the room when it's
time for her to record her vocals.
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO SEND YOUR SONGS TO LABELS
YOU PROBABLY ADORE LIKE SKINKHANSEN OR SO? AND IF YOU DID...HAVE
YOU GOT ANY GOOD REACTIONS? Sam : We did actually send a tape
of a few songs to Skinkhansen (in hindsight, probably not our best
songs) before we compiled a demotape to send to record labels. The
response was encouraging enough for us to feel confident in sending
the tape out to labels.
HAHA!!!...WE HAVE TO TELL IT TO OUR READERS,
NOT? BUT IS THROUGH READING THE ORIGINAL SIN THAT YOUR FIRST RECORD
HAS BECOME REALITY, NOT? SO TELL IT THE WHOLE WORLD... Jason
: This is true! The few people that had heard what we were doing
suggested that it was about time we took a chance and send some
of our songs to some labels. So our friend Richard (famous for his
Waaah!-label) started a list of labels that he thought it might
be worth sending a tape to, but he got fed up and sent us 6 issues
of The Original Sin instead.
Sam : We went through them, picking out what we
thought would be suitable labels for us. Plastic Pancake was one
of the seven we chose. Pierre Antoine of Plastic Pancake was the
first to write back and he wrote a really nice letter. He seemed
really into what we did, which to us was the main thing and he was
quite happy to release the songs in their demo format.
For us, it was reassuring that somebody would be
so enthusiastic about what we did. Jason : Which was nice. Sam :
We later learned that this wasn't just a fluke, as apart from one
poor choice, all of the labels we sent a demo to wrote back and
said they liked it. This led to us being included on a 25 Records
compilation CD.
APART FROM THAT FACT, ARE YOU INTO FANZINES THAT
MUCH? Jason : Not really. Not nowadays anyway. Maybe a few years
ago. That's not to say they don't still play an important role in
promoting unsigned bands as they obviously do. I just think too
many fanzines these days are devoted to covering bands that you
can read about in NME and Melody Maker every week, rather than those
which have yet to be 'discovered'.
YOUR FIRST (AND SECOND TOO!) RELEASE WAS ON A
7'INCH. WAS THAT SOMETHING MORE SPECIAL TO YOU? PERSONALLY I HAVE
A STRONG LOVE FOR 7'INCHES OR IS THIS AN ISSUE YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT?
Sam : 7'inches are just so much nicer and somehow more personal
than CD's. I've never owned a CD, partly because of the price of
CD's, but mainly because I think putting a record on is somehow
more exciting. If I play a record I like, it doesn't matter that
it isn't CD-quality. If anything, some things sound better on vinyl.
Jason : I think CD's are OK for albums, although I suspect that
it makes the listener a bit lazy as it's too easy to skip those
tracks you don't instantly like rather than give them a chance to
grow on you. CD singles however, are horrible things. Sam : Especially
when there's half a dozen remixes on there instead of a new song.
MUSIC AND LUCK GO OFTEN HAND IN HAND. SUPPOSE
YOU HAD A SINGLE OUT ON SARAH THEN IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT YOU WERE
A SORT OF CULTBAND. DO YOU THINK ABOUT ISSUES LIKE THESE OR ARE
THEY IRRELEVANT? Jason : I guess it's pretty irrelevant now
as I doubt if there will ever be another label like Sarah which
could almost guarantee an unknown band a certain amount of sales
and exposure. We feel lucky to be having our songs released at all.
I THINK YOU CAN'T DENY YOUR SONGS ARE BEAUTIFUL
LOVESONGS AS WELL, SONGS ABOUT DAILY SITUATIONS...ARE THEY REFLECTING
YOUR OWN LIFE OR NOT? Sam : Yes, our songs do reflect our lives.
The ones that are about our current lives are more about the insecurities
and worries that you have when you're in a relationship and fearing
that what you have will fail. Jason : Of course, others are more
reflective, but not just in terms of "love situations".
I think it's a very natural thing to write about as these things
do affect you as a person.
LIKE WITH BANDS LIKE YOURS I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU
LOOK LIKE AND ALL THAT TYPE OF STUFF AND WHEN LISTENING TO YOUR
MUSIC I CREATE A SORT OF BAND WITH MY OWN IMAGINATION INSIDE MY
HEAD. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU DO YOURSELF? (...JUST WANNA KNOW!)
Sam : If you don't know what a band looks like, then you probably
do tend to build up a picture in your mind. It would be interesting
to see your imaginary Marine Time Keepers. I suspect you wouldn't
be far wrong.
THERE ARE PLANS FOR RELEASING A SECOND SINGLE,
WILL THAT BE ON PLASTIC PANCAKE AS WELL? Sam : The second single
'Soon comes a tear' is out already on Plastic Pancake. It kind of
follows on from the B-side of the first single in the style of music
in that it uses more keyboards. We think of it as our first single
proper as the first one was literally the demotape we sent out minus
one track.
I RECENTLY SAID TO A FRIEND THAT IF YOU WOULD
MAKE A WHOLE ALBUM IT DEFINITELY WOULD BE ONE OF THE ALBUMS OF THE
YEAR!!!! DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOURSELVES? Jason : That's nice
of you to say! I don't think any band really considers whether they
are making an album of the year. I'm sure Jason Pierce didn't think
that when he made 'Floating in space'. It's not really the reason
for doing it. We don't really pay much attention to polls anyway.
They are only relevant to the sort of people who actually vote in
them. Sam : So whilst we don't think we'll be winning any end of
year polls, it would be nice to think that maybe for someone, somewhere,
ours was amongst their favourite albums of the year.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVE RECORD OF ALL TIME AND PLEASE
STATE WHY... Sam : It's very difficult to say. We listen to
a lot of different music and our favourites change depending on
what mood we're in and what we are listening to at the time. But,
if we had to choose a really brilliant album that we both love,
it would be 'Live a little love a lot' by Moose. Jason : It's such
a fantastic album. Maybe not our absolute all time favourite but
definitely worth a mention. I think it was pretty much ignored when
it was released. Maybe in about ten years or so it will be regarded
as a bit of a lost classic.
WITH WHO WOULDN'T YOU MIND TO BE ALONE WITH IN
AN ELEVATOR FOR 8 HOURS AND WHAT WOULD YOU DO THEN? Sam : It
would have to be someone very funny. Someone who could entertain
us with funny stories. Maybe Spike Milligan or Stephen Fry. Or Bill
Hicks or Peter Cook if they were still alive. Jason : Stephen Fry
reading the Peter Cook biography to us. That might be worth getting
stuck in a lift for eight hours for...
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE BAND IN THE FUTURE?
Sam : We are currently working on songs for an album for Plastic
Pancake. We just hope our 4-track holds out until we've finished
the last song. Also, we might be releasing a single on Elefant Records
and maybe some tracks on a compilation on Sandcastle Records from
America. Written by Didier Becu, Jan 2000.
MARINE TIME KEEPERS Marine Time Keepers (7'inch)
(Plastic Pancake)
Let me be a bit arrogant...An unsigned band gets a copy from The
Original Sin in their hands in where they are reading an article
about a French indielabel named Plastic Pancake. They decide to
give it a go and are sending the label some songs and hey...the
label decides to make a single with them!!! And if I listen to the
result I'm somewhere proud...thrilled to see it's possible cos Marine
Time Keepers are genius!!! If I say they were recommended by Richard
who used to run Waaaah! Records, some of you might know that this
is a band that have a bit a Sarah-sound... The music from Marine
Time Keepers is sounding so cute and it's like I'm listening to
some unreleased tracks by The Felt!!! Dreamy guitars, a very 80's
sound (...think The Field Mice, think The Orchids... play East River
Pipe... play Blueboy...aaagh, think about any band who have made
romantic popsongs in the past!!!)
Reviewed by Didier in The Original Sin, spring 99.
What's the name of the band, and how did you come up with the
name? Marine Time Keepers - Jason heard the phrase and liked
it, as each word taken separately sounds nice
What are the individual members names and what do they play?
Jason - Guitar, Bass, Keyboards
Sam - Vocals, Keyboards
How did you meet? In a shop
How long have you been together? A couple of years
Where is the band based? Bristol, England
Who or what inspired you to become a musician? Our love
of music
What bands are you listening to at the moment? Trembling
Blue Stars, Spiritualized, Moose, New Order
What are some of your favourite songs? Anything by the above
plus various songs by:- Momus, Mazzy Star, The Orchids, The Wake,
The Fall, Confetti, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Beach Boys,
Love, Glen Campbell, Bobbie Gentry, McCarthy, Beatles, St. Etienne
Do you prefer to play in the studio or live gigs? We've
never played live although we would like to, but it could prove
difficult as there are more instruments on the songs than the two
of us could play live
Where can people come and see you play? They can't yet
What do you like about being a part of 25 Records? The chance
to hear how our songs sound alongside other new bands
Do you know any of the other bands on the label, and which one's
are your favourite to listen to? We've only heard the 'Obvious'
CD and we liked Soft Cotton County & Michael Eric Dowey
What are most of your songs about? (love, partying, political,
beer, etc.) Relationships in general but not always the obvious
one
Give us an interesting story that happened either at a gig,
or while writing or recording a song. We haven't got any interesting
stories. Sorry. We've got a cat called Brian. He's a girl really.
We've got 2 other cats as well.
Do you play any weird or unusual instruments? No, but on
our more experimental tracks we've got some weird sounds out of
normal instruments
Have you been in other bands? One of us has
Do you have any interesting stories involving the police or
breaking the law? ( That we can post on the site) The other
one has
Does anyone in the band have any strange or unusual habits or
superstitions? No, but Sam still won't sing if anyone is in
the same room as her.
Feel free to contact the band at 25 Records anytime for interviews/Band
features/ gig info etc. at: 25 Records PO Box 3006, Poole, Dorset,
BH12 2HU.
write to us
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