Aereogramme Biography
“My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go”
“At the door, the curator took the old man’s hand with an extra firmness. “My heart has a wish, Father: that you would not go.” THE EXORCIST by William Peter Blatty.
Ensconced in Glasgow’s Nice N’ Sleazy, Aereogramme’s Craig B and Campbell McNeil are discussing all things related to their third full-length album while outside, the rain drums down in rhythmic, ice-cold sheets. It’s nearly four years since the release of their last long player, Sleep And Release and over two and a half since their six-track mini-album Seclusion, so it’s little wonder that the miserable conditions outside are not dampening their enthusiasm over the creation of “My Heart Has a Wish That You Would Not Go”
It’s an enthusiasm that’s both well placed and richly justified. Their new album is an intensely rewarding experience: the literate flair of the song writing, effortlessly matched by the project’s musical ambition and creative scope. Aereogramme are no strangers to ambition of course – an entirely self-sufficient collective who write, record and produce their own material, with a film and television composer in their ranks – their previous albums have always been visceral, emotional and inspiring affairs. It’s with their new album though, that Aereogramme have found their most compelling form and, through trusting their instincts and pleasing themselves first and foremost, have produced their most accessible work to date.
If not borne out of adversity, the album was certainly influenced by physical affliction: following an endless run of touring and an over reliance on the products of Messrs. Jack Daniels and Phillip Morris, Craig succumbed to a brutal throat infection in early 2005 which effectively rendered him mute for several weeks. Adjusting to his temporarily Trappist existence, Craig began writing songs for what would become “My Heart Has A Wish…” His condition would not only set the tone for his writing, it would fundamentally alter its style: previous use of quiet/loud formulas and cathartic screaming were jettisoned in favour of a more restrained (though no less powerful) approach. Craig acknowledges that his song-writing was overhauled and that it helped fuel Aereogramme’s natural evolution:
“There was no point repeating what we had already done; Seclusion was a stepping stone towards where the band was heading musically and it seemed that (my illness aside) this style was the most natural way to move forward with the new album”.
In keeping with their staunchly collaborative style of writing, Craig played the new material to Iain and Campbell and discussions began as to how the songs should develop. Immediately struck by how open to interpretation the songs were, how well suited they were to expressive arrangements, it wasn’t long before talk turned to film. Avid cineastes, Aereogramme have always acknowledged the influence of film on their work, how a masterful score can transform the message of a movie, enhance its atmosphere and resonate with an audience long after the lights have gone up. An idea began to take shape of basing the album’s music around Aereogramme’s love of film. Campbell elaborates:
“As soon as Craig played us the songs, ideas came very quickly. We wanted the album to be ‘widescreen’, for a stark panorama to unfold throughout the whole project. We decided to set ourselves an “Eno-esque” rule that each track could be included in this film, or that film – a concept album with a small ‘c’ if you like.”
With the album’s ‘leitmotive’ in place, progress was rapid. Iain spent several weeks arranging and composing much of the album’s music before they entered the rehearsal rooms with drummer Martin Scott. Fully demo-ed in one month and completely re-recorded in a single, four week session with additional member/co-producer/multi-instrumentalist/collaborator/all-round enthusiast Martin Doherty (from Glasgow’s Julia Thirteen), what emerged from the recording studio was an album as thrillingly inventive as you’re likely to hear all year.
The cinematic theme was to filter through the entire project, starting with the elegant (if somewhat elaborate) title, taken from William Peter Blatty’s horror masterpiece, The Exorcist. Craig explains the choice of title*:
“It’s a really beautiful line from the book which never made it into the screenplay surprisingly. It’s from the first chapter as Father Merrin decides to return to America and says farewell to his friend. It’s simply loaded with foreboding, resignation and hope - which seemed to resonate with our outlook going into this album, so it worked on a number of different levels.”
From the exhilarating rush of album opener A Conscious Life For Coma Boy to the sun-dappled love song of You’re Always Welcome, “My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go” navigates a course through the human condition that’s both joyous and melancholy, often at the same time. The musical references along the way are eclectically bold and fearlessly varied: the eponymously titled Running Man unapologetically recreates splashes of 80’s sci-fi electronica; the minimalist beauty of Exits recalling the work of Cliff Martinez; Finding A Light touches on the melodramatic epiphany of a Bob Fosse musical while the first single, Barriers, plunders Anne Rice’s imaginings to evoke the twisted, fucked-up regality of a vampire ball. When you add to this the elegiac exploration of wistful escapism during The Great War (Trenches) and the maddening reflections on forlorn brotherhood in the epic Living Backwards, you have a collection of songs shot through with the kind of singular ambition that puts many of Aereogramme’s peers to shame.
Complemented and capped-off by the Saul Bass-inspired artwork, “My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go” realises the full potential of a band hitting their best form: subtle and complex in equal measure. That the album clearly discriminates towards the discerning listener, is not up for debate: Craig himself recognises that it rewards repeated listens…
“It’s a fact that the album is a grower: music isn’t fast food, you should take time over it, put the headphones on, turn the lights out and the music up, escape for a while. Investment pays dividends…”
Live, Aereogramme intend to revisit the same level of ambition they strived for with the album. Swelling the ranks of the original three-piece to five, the stage show revolves (not literally, yet) around a communal percussion set-up. Gongs, xylophones, bells and other assorted musical miscellany offer themselves up in the quest to recreate the splendour of the record. Having toured relentlessly for years with a rogue’s gallery of artists, Aereogramme are aware of the fact that, according to Craig, they’ve “confused as many people as they’ve converted”.
Having put the finishing touches to “My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go” it’s inconceivable that the confusion of music fans can last much longer. The product of a ferocious creativity, flawlessly executed, Aereogramme have created an album that, while paying homage to the films that inspired it, effortlessly showcases the talents of a band at the peak of their powers.
* Given that another choice of title was “Bog Read” as in, “It’s alright, it’s a good bog read”, we can only be thankful the band plumped for the more poetic option.