You
slip Radio for Cats into the player and think: Does this mean
Neil Luckett, known for his work with modern-rock trio tvfordogs,
has really been a folkie all along? And it turns out the answer is
yes and no. Long an admirer of 1960s folk guitarists Bert Jansch,
John Renbourn, Davy Graham, and Nick Drake, Luckett likes to
write melodic rave-ups on acoustic guitar and then amp them up for tvfordogs.
The acoustic versions are his little secret. But Radio for Cats
is no mere “tvfordogs unplugged,” no demo session. It’s a reimagining,
a reinvention. We sat down with Luckett for a cuppa on the eve of the
record’s release.
You cite some interesting influences. Were you thinking of them as you recorded this record?
Sure. And others, too. Their use of acoustic guitar is so imaginative -- textures and dynamics a lot of modern acoustic guitarists just don’t use. The songs don’t really fall into that ‘60s Brit-folk style, but I think they work well that way. The one track that has those echoes is “Roadsong,” which I wrote right at the end. I wanted something more akin to a Renbourn accompaniment. That one has a story, which might have been a subconscious response to the style.
Were you trying to create something “personal,” or were your goals more musical?
The recordings evolved from archiving sessions I had with engineer/producer Oliver Goodall. I had played a number of solo acoustic gigs out of necessity, and enjoyed doing the songs that way. I decided to record a few. Once I had done six or seven, it was sounding a bit like a record, so I recorded some more and expanded it into a full album. The recording is more personal due to the exposed nature of the sounds. It’s more subtle without a band, more intimate.
Do you see Radio for Cats as part of tvfordogs or separate?
Both, really. These are mostly tvfordogs songs, but I play them solo. It’s interesting to be re-recording some of the songs now for the upcoming tvfordogs album. The new recordings are very much informed by the acoustic versions.
The record has a longing quality. How much of it is “in character” and how much is autobiographical?
I write autobiographically but obliquely. I don’t really play devil’s advocate. Even when I write from my perspective, I am aware it is constantly shifting and evolving.
Has the experience of making Radio for Cats influenced your ideas for the next tvfordogs album?
Definitely. It’s a bit more organic and earthy, with stronger nods to artists of yesteryear. The big change is in the singing. I am using my voice differently, more dynamically, since doing Radio for Cats.
Hear Neil Luckett interviewed by the Monks Media Radio Network.
Neil Luckett / Radio for Cats
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press....
"Brits tvfordogs escape a hasty CMJ-rock lumping by redrawing '90s grunge with emo and blues-rock brush strokes, but no vacuous Nirvana clone, this – Neil Luckett’s vocals have an elastic, grown-up quality that does for alt-disaffection what Sevendust does for nu-metal, leaving pretension and dullness behind for use by the less fortunate. '100x' successfully executes a hybridization of Death Cab daisy-scented candle cut with Simon and Garfunkel Barcalounger-pop, but that’s their plush side – for the most part it’s substantial power and indie exuberance reined in capably and conscionably -- i.e., it’ll probably be overlooked by Pitchfork-thumping scene-finks but could certainly stand the test of time." Eric Saeger, Skope Magazine
"This is a British power trio who bounce gleefully from style to style, sounding one minute like a punked-up Rush -- 'The Universe Is Blue' opens this disc with a virtual Geddy Lee homage -- and the next like slightly less obtuse early R.E.M. ('Natural Science Fiction,' 'Be Careful'). It's all solid indie guitar rock in character, but there's a steady evolution through this album in terms of sound and approach. As the heavy opening pair give way to 'Roller' and 'Everlasting Sun,' Luckett and company focus increasing attention on melody and vocals rather than crunch, revisiting Nirvana-esque heaviness only briefly ('Monolith') before turning out a startlingly effective pair of ballads in '100x' and 'Drive.' As if to illustrate Luckett's propensity for throwing rocks at convention, the final third of the disc is highlighted by the thundering, propulsive theological query 'Where Is Your God?' and the nightclub jazz-pop outro 'Time To Go.'" --Jason Warburg, The Daily Vault
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