Ed Harcourt - London, UK, Summer 2002
By: Toby L
The last twelve months have proven most interesting for one Ed Harcourt.
In the midst of a particularly fiery summer in 2001, the UK-born solo-artist found himself on a debut headline-jaunt around Britain, playing to audiences of around a couple of hundred people. Fast-forward to the end of the year, and he's garnered rave reviews in the press over numerous single-releases and has received a Mercury Prize nomination for his first full-length LP, 'Here Be Monsters', the realised follow-up to a self-produced bunch of home-recordings that formed Harcourt's inaugural effort, 'Maplewood'. With a sell-out performance at London's grand and towering Shepherd's Bush Empire venue to boot, what originally began as a critic's favourite soon transcended into the hearts of the record-buying public, his widespread appeal soon confirmed.
With this achieved in his native land, however, there's still the small matter of reaching the rest of the world; and, seemingly, this is going well, too. After just a couple of weeks in the States prior to today's meeting, his album was number six in college-radio's favourite new discoveries. Couple this with overseas festival appearances, and around hundred-thousand record-sales worldwide, and you've got yourselves a talent enjoying success that others can only dream of.
But, today, at a return-performance at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire as a promotional-appearance for a popular magazine-title, Ed's clearly not in the brightest of spirits. Although polite, he's honest that certain recent personal circumstances have left him wanting an especially emotional performance this evening.
'Tonight,' he enthuses, with wide open eyes, 'is gonna be full-on; it's gonna be very rock 'n' roll...' He then backtracks on himself, showing a more tender side. 'But, well, with very nice, pretty bits in between.' He then looks up and smiles warmly.
And this is Ed Harcourt's music perfectly summed up: unexpected, with twists and turns that take the listener on an emotional rollercoaster; whether you're laughing at the cheeky, playful romance of 'She Fell Into My Arms' or wallowing in the bleak, morbid troughs of 'Beneath The Heart Of Darkness', the overall effect is similar: you're dazzled and paralysed by a voice, whose owner possesses a gift unbeknown to music-audiences already; classic, yet simultaneously advanced, he's capable of anything.
And, for many, the arrival of his next second album proper has been an appetising proposition. But how long do we have to wait?
'The album was finished a few weeks ago,' Ed announces excitedly, whilst sitting on the second balcony of tonight's venue, looking out towards the stage with a rigid anticipation. 'It was all done at Real World Studios - Peter Gabriel's studios - and we did it with a guy called Tchad Blake - an American engineer and producer, who's done Tom Waits, Ron Sexsmith, Soul Coughing, and American Music Club; he's working with Low at the moment, too, but has done people like Sheryl Crow before, so he's worked with mainstream stuff as well... Sonically, he's amazing.'
He once again backtracks on his prior comment. 'I don't really pay too much attention to someone's history if I'm working with them, though; if I get on them, that's the most important thing.'
Ed then laughs to himself, dwindling on the subject. 'I'm not usually a fan of producers in general,' he erupts suddenly, explaining his amusement. 'Because I think many of them are more concerned with their own personal desire to make something rather than work alongside people; it's almost as if I should just say, 'OK, I might as well do everything myself,' so, at least, if it f**ks up, I can blame it on me. But you do need someone who can keep you in control, and who can be an outsider, who doesn't know all the work you've done and the way you work, and that can have an alternative perspective.'
'An alternative perspective', huh? But just what would such an implementation be utilised on for Ed's second full body of work - and just where is Harcourt's new direction heading in the next LP?
'Lyrically,' he grins darkly, 'I'd say it's love and death... There are a lot of ghost-stories, surrealism, and dreams.'
'Let's see,' he continues, expanding on the content developed. 'The first song is called 'Bittersweetheart', and it's just a very nice love number really, quite Beach Boys; the second one starts with a pump-organ, and is called 'All Your Days Will Be Blessed': it's very Beatles-y, kind of talking about how it's always raining in England; the first line for that goes, 'With beady black eyes, the bluebird has died,' which is interesting... The next one is called 'Ghost Writer', which I'm not really sure how to... It's kind of like electronic with Latin parts to it, and it's quite (Captain) Beefheart in a way, and Beck-ish...'
He stops momentarily, asking himself, 'What's after that?' He pauses, and persists. 'Oh yeah, 'Birds Will Sing For Us', which is kind of like a country-song... Then, there's 'Sister Renee', and we've got a 23-piece orchestra on two of the songs, and that's got it on there; one track's incidentally got like a woodwind, the orchestra and percussion, too and it creates this huge sound, creating a Broadway-meets-Mercury Rev type-thing... The last song actually is very long and very big... Aside from that, there's loads of trumpets, and a bow-saw on one of them, which is called 'Angels On Your Body', though that probably won't make it on the final album...'
You marvel at his flourishing creativity and seemingly unending energy, but has he ever contemplated a break..?
'I work very hard,' he confesses, adding peculiarly, 'It keeps my mind off other things...'
Right... And what's been the most rewarding aspect of your work thus far?
'I would say touring around the world and conquering things,' he muses to himself. 'Like that aspect where people hear about me or hear me on the radio and think, 'Urgh,' and then they come and see it live or something and see what it's all about, and then they change their minds and enjoy it... Also, I enjoy the fact of having been able to make what can be classed as 'intelligent pop-music.'
You don't mind being classed as 'pop music', then?
'F**k, no,' he exclaims. 'Pop music used to be stuff like Beach Boys, or whatever, but, today now, it's boy-bands and nu-metal: everything's like, 'Find the market that's demographically driven, then make music.' It's style over substance. I don't have limitations to what I write, I write whatever's in mind; every song is a reaction to the last one.'
Well, if you look at things in such a light, then are you disappointed at your single-results thus far; do you wish that you had earnt stronger chart-positions?
'Yeah,' he spits vehemently. 'I mean, God, I've written really poppy songs - 'Apple Of My Eye', 'She Fell Into My Arms' - they are both really melodic tracks, but some UK radio-stations didn't playlist them at all - why didn't they?! If they had been playlisted, they'd have been top-ten singles...' He breathes in, clearly frustrated. 'But, I shouldn't be bitter about it.
'With 'Apple Of My Eye', admittedly, even when it was re-recorded, the superior version of that song is the 'Maplewood' version: the four-track, lo-fi, sleazy, gospel version. The latest one we did of that song I truly regret, I didn't pull it off - I so could have, but I didn't... The good thing I guess is that I'm learning from that - this next album is, OK, is a lot different, but it's a seriously deep, deep album. It's intense in parts and, lyrically, it's just... There's black-humour in there, and there's a song called 'Undertaker Strut', which is quite funny, and 'Jet Setter', which is about, when you're a rock-star, people expect you to act like a rock-star, or people expect you to be something you're not; the song is just getting rid of the whole bullshit of it - I mean, rock-stars thinking they're better than anyone else: it's bollocks.'
Do you believe that you're better than anyone else?
'No! But I believe I'm f**king good; I've got confidence in myself and belief in what I'm doing, and I'm arrogant at the best of times.'
You not worried about coming across as arrogant?
'No, not at all... I think it's more interesting in pop-music anyway when there are flaws in the personalities doing it, or when there are characters, rather than be like (puts on weedy voice), 'Oh, we just like our music and if anyone else likes it, it's a bonus...' That's rubbish.'
Wow; didn't see this all coming, eh? Either everything said thus far is just part of Ed's current stance on private events - or it's him stepping forth and confessing his true beliefs, unashamed, honest, and constructive. And, if so - respect to him for it; how many musicians strive to entertain such truths in interviews - and just how many are so honest with themselves about their positions?
'I've become mates throughout everything with loads of great people,' Harcourt offers out of the blue. 'The nicest people I've met are probably Starsailor, Elbow and Doves: all that kind of northern end of it, actually... I just love performing. It's nice to be liked, but it's also kind of nice to divide people... I'm quite perverse in that way... That's why it's so funny if someone gives me a bad review of a single and they say, 'This is mediocre, middle-of-the-road,' and I think, 'Well, that's great - you haven't even heard the other stuff when it's more complex and confusing.
'There's a side of me that would like to hook a 16-year-old girl into hearing a poppy track like 'Apple Of My Eye' who likes that and then buys the album and gets into something more powerful like 'Beneath The Heart Of Darkness', or a 45-year-old muso who loves '... Heart Of Darkness', but hates 'Apple...' at first, but then starts listening to it in context with the album and begins to appreciate it more...'
He becomes more conclusive and direct. 'I am trying to make pop-music interesting; there are people that do it, like Moby and his most recent song ('We Are All Made Of Stars'), but I can't stand watching him speak - I loathe it... As it happens, that's a good pop song, and stuff that Beck also does, too.'
So, when you take into consideration yourself as a potential popular artist, how do the current album-sales make you feel?
He sighs. 'It ('Here Be Monsters') should have sold 300,000...' He then laughs. 'It should have sold a f**king million!'
Although he speaks comedically, his point still stands firm. 'Everyone who makes records wants that (success) - why put it out if you don't want it sold!? It's just bullshit when someone says, 'Oh, I don't have an ego,' because it's like, 'Yes, you do - you're releasing your songs to the public; you're airing your dirty laundry - you have a f**king massive ego! Any artist has one - painters, writers... They do their thing and it makes them feel good when people like it.
'I don't think this new album's as commercial as the first one... Personally, I think there's about four or five singles, but - who knows; who knows what could happen?'
Well, if you were in control of what could happen next - what would you opt for?
'Simple things,' he breathes outs. 'I'd like to get on 'Jools Holland' (UK TV-show), and conquer America, but in a really alternative way... I don't want to slag anyone off; I do love England, but... The great thing is I've had support from great writers, the press has been great and has really helped me - I just need to get on to radio now... There's never been a hype thing with me; it's hard when you're a solo-artist. I shouldn't worry about having a hit - but I do, because it makes everything so much easier, and takes the pressure off and you can experiment even more.'
Fittingly, anyway - experimentation seems to be the order of the day for record number two - but when's the world gonna get it?
'It comes next year,' Harcourt states dreamily. 'Which is a while off yet, but I want to do an album a year...'
Ed suddenly becomes withdrawn and mysterious. 'I want people to take it home, listen to it on their headphones, lie in bed, turn the light off and get sort of drawn into my little world and connect with it, via maybe what they've had happen in their lives, and be able to relate to the sort of things I'm saying... And listen to it over and over again, because every time they listen to it, they may find something new. I actually get lost in it...'
You've heard the man - get lost within it yourself. And you may just find something truly beautiful.
Artists in this article: Ed Harcourt