April 98

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PUT YOUR FAITH

IN THE

UNBELIEVABLE

TRUTH

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Head Radiohead's Little Brother Emulates R.E.M.

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The Unbelievable Truth are taking a low-key approach to introducing the world to Almost Here. Although the 11-song debut isn't due for release until October 20, the band's label, Virgin Records, flew the young trio over from England to perform a handful of showcases in LA and New York. The plan proved successful when, after a few modest shows, the industry took notice of lead singer Andy Yorke's rich and compelling voice as he sang his sad and stirring melodies. Oh yeah -- there's something else drawing interest to the band: The fact that Yorke's brother Thom happens to front the insanely successful band Radiohead.

Earlier this week, the three members of the band sat down to discuss their brief history and musical influences. Sitting around a table within the Virgin Records Beverly Hills office, Yorke was joined by his two bandmates, Nigel Powell (drums, keyboards, guitar) and Jason Moulson (bass). Cautiously allowing each member ample time to discuss their point of view. Yorke told the story of how the Unbelieveable Truth came to be. It all started in Abingdon England (a town near Oxford) when Yorke met Powell while they were in grad school. Neither of them had much direction as far as music was concerned, but already Powell had an interest in playing drums and Yorke had discovered his innate ability to create ambiance and convey emotion with his clear and powerful vocal chords.

"I always used to sing at the choir in school, even though at the same time I thought it was really uncool, I still did it," says the good-natured younger Yorke, whose understated looks recall actor John Cusack more than his brother Thom. "I also took a few singing lessons, but the guy who was teaching me said he couldn't really help me until I knew what I wanted to do with my voice."

During the early '90s, Yorke put his musical aspirations on hold while he actively pursued a degree in Russian Language and Literature, leading him to spend time in Moscow, where, he says, "I wrote my first two songs. I had never written before that. I was so excited about writing songs, I wrote to Nigel and suggested we get a band together when I got back."

When Yorke finally returned in 1993, Powell had been playing with Moulson. The two comprised a steadfast rhythm force that needed a singer to guide them. Naming themselves after cult filmmaker Hal Hartley's 1990 offbeat comedy, the trio spent a year or so playing acoustic gigs and recording demos. By 1997, the band landed a deal with Virgin, and entered the studio to begin creating Almost Here, which contains 11 sparsely brilliant and seamless pop ballads. According to Powell, who masterminds the musical arrangements, the minimalist approach to their debut was "a conscious, but not self-conscious decision." He knew that keeping the instrumentation reserved would create the proper atmosphere for Yorke's vocalized emotional purity to prevail. Was this approach purely accidental? Not by a long shot. As the band readily admits, it was R.E.M. that formed the foundation for the UT sound.

"It was a big moment for me when I saw R.E.M. on the Green tour in London," says Yorke, his eyes immediately sparkling at the mention of his favorite band. "Seeing Michael Stipe doing those a cappella songs made me realize you can create amazing beautiful things out the barest elements. I think both Nigel and I, independently, thought, 'Wow, that's cool they can do that sort of thing.'"

At this point, the singer is forced to leave because a death in the family has forced him to fly home early. As Yorke exits, Powell stands up to give a comforting hug to his mate, whom he refers to as his "spirit brother." Once Yorke departs, the subject of his brother -- the real one, that is -- is delicately broached. Surprisingly, Powell discusses the topic frankly, but oddly enough manages to never once utter the famed singer/songwriter's name. When asked how they intend to keep the focus on the band instead of the famous family name, Powell replies, "From the start we figured the only way to get around it was to ignore it and make the best record that was our record, which I think we've done."

Then, with a knowing smile, he adds, "We talk about it politely when asked, but we just try to avoid it." -Jennifer Schwartz (Muzic.com)

...

DAZED & CONFUSED

"We wanted to make music that invites 

you in rather than thrust itself in your face"

...

...The Unbelievable Truth seem genuinely bemused by the positive reaction they've received to date. But it seems that they have arrived in the right time."I'm not particularly concerned that it seems that the climate is right for the music like ours", says Andy in a barely audible whisper."Maybe it'll help us with the album but we've been making this music for a long time". In fact the band have been together since 1993 when Andy, as a student, took a cheap guitar to Russia ans started writing his first serious songs."I was studying in Russia for a year. I brought along a guitar for recreational purposes and I got excited by the songs I was writing so I got in touch with Nigel back in Oxford and asked him to form a band"

UT Fans Interview

1) Do you have any intentions of touring anywhere outside of Europe, other than the forthcoming Japanese tour?

N: Hopefully yes. It kind of depends whether there's any interest in us in any other countries, but I'd say it's very likely that we'll go to U.S.A. and Canada before the end of the year, and New Zealand also seem excited. We'll go anywhere that people will come to see us. J: Also we'll be doing some festivals throughout Europe.

2)Will your new album get a local release in Australia?

N: I'm pretty sure it comes out in Australia on May 11th, the same as most other places (except U.S.A. and Canada, where it should see the light of day around end of August/September)

3) What is the thing you most fear happening this year (musically and non-musically speaking)?

A: I don't have any big fears, just lots of small ones. J: No. No.

4) Why Russia?

A: I started learning Russian at school when I was 12, and visited the Soviet Union for the first time at the age of 15. There's no good reason why Russia is such an interest for me. It feels a bit strange that I'm inadvertently "selling" Russia in interviews all the time. Objectively speaking, it's a very messed-up place, still suffering under an evil and corrupt regime and still posing a major threat to some of its neighbours.

5) Who is it that likes Douglas Coupland?

N: It's me. I wasn't a big fan of Generation X, Shampoo Planet was a bit rubbish, but Life After God and especially Microserfs are amazing books.

6) Who would you list as your major musical influences as a band?

N: Ben Folds Five, Art Blakey, Phil Collins (ONLY Face Value), Elvis Costello (everything except Goodbye Cruel World and Mighty Like The Rose), Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue), dEUS, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, Faith no More (especially Angel Dust), Fugazi (Steady Diet Of Nothing), Peter Gabriel, Genesis (everything up to The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, and anything after that without singing on), Gorecki (Symphony no. 3), Goya Dress (Rooms and Katie Stood on the Benches from the album Rooms), PJ Harvey, Kristin Hersh, Hugo Largo (can anyone out there find me a CD copy of their second album Mettle?), IQ (first two albums), The Julie Dolphin, Jesus Jones (Liquidizer), Living Colour (Stain), Moonshake (Big Good Angel), Mozart (especially Symphony no. 40), Mu-Ziq (Urmur Bile Trax Vols I + II), Pearl Jam (Vitalogy and Yield), Photek, Radiohead, R.E.M. (everything except New Adventures In Hi-Fi and Monster), Smashing Pumpkins (bits of), Supergrass, Throwing Muses. And some others that I can't think of right now.

A: That's a very comprehensive answer, Nigel. I have a few in common: Hugo Largo, Throwing Muses, REM. Also Miracle Legion/Mark Mulcahey, Talk Talk/Mark Hollis. Also a contemporary classical composer called Arvo Part, but he's not an influence just someone I like.

J: I don't really feel like I have major musical influences. I feel like I take a bit of everything, really.

7) If you could cover any song, what would it be?

N: I suppose we could cover any song. I'd like to be able to do I Want You, by Elvis Costello, convincingly.

A: A Miracle Legion song.

J: Kings of the Wild Frontier by Adam and the Ants. We tried it once but it didn't really work out.

8) What were the first gigs you ever attended?

N: IQ at the old Marquee on Wardour Street on New Year's Eve 1984. I've wanted to be a musician ever since.

A: I think mine was REM at the Hammersmith Odeon on their "Work Tour". It was 2 days before "Document" was released in the UK, but most of the audience knew all the songs off the album because they were American servicemen. I was supposed to get Nigel a ticket and forgot.

J: Indie band The Bolshoi at The Marquee.

9) Which of your songs do you most enjoy performing live?

N: Who's To Know, and at the moment Landslide, because it's new and exciting.

A: Almost Here is probably the most rewarding when it works, because it's so fragile.

J: Building, just because for a long time it didn't seem that it would ever work live.

N: Actually, since Andy said that, the most magical moments live for me do tend to come during Almost Here.

10) How do you feel about all of these fans who have taken to you so well all over the world so quickly? Do you credit it to the Internet at all?

N: From Britain it's kind of difficult to tell what's happening all over the world. I hope we're touching people everywhere, and I'm excited that people are listening to what we do. I keep up with what's happening to and about us on the 'net, so I guess I do give the internet some credit.

A: Yes, I think the Internet has had a lot to do with it, but most of the interest abroad seems to have been sparked off by the Shifty Disco single.

J: It's a word of mouth thing, but, yeah, otherwise the internet had a big part to play in it.

11) Rumours have been heard about a live set to be broadcast via the web. Care to explain Yourselves?

N: We are doing just that on 22nd May (I think). We're supposed to be doing it from my bedroom, whre we recorded a lot of the album, and people will apparently be able to vote for songs they want us to do. You'll have to ask the boffins for the details.

A: Nigel knows more about it than I do.

J: Andy knows more about it than I do.

12) You seem to have a lot of fans in North America: How do your plans go as far as that side of the world is concerned? Rumours abound that Andy is non-keen on the idea of touring the US: is this true, and if so, why?

N: I think I answered this; see question 1. Do we have a lot of fans in North Amerca? I'm sure I don't know.

A: I've only been to the States once and didn't enjoy it... but mostly I get the feeling that interviewers there will only want to talk about you-know-what.

13) If you could only play/sing one song for the rest of your lives, what would it be?

N: I'll Wear It Proudly, by Elvis Costello.

J: No.

14) What is your greatest inspiration?

N: My mother.

15) Are you night people or morning people and why?

N: I'm pretty much a morning person. I've no idea why. Somebody help me.

A: I'm very a much a 3 am kind of person. I think because there are no distractions at that time and for some reason, music always sounds better when it's dark outside.

J: I suppose I'd be a morning person, stemming from having a working job and always having to be up early.

16) Did Andy ever have a Buddhist shrine in the front room of his house (which he eventually neglected)??

A: No, I think you're interpreting the song a bit too literally.

17) How long does it take you to record tracks? Can you do it in one take, or is it a case of perfectionism?

N: I have to admit I actually laughed when I saw that question. I sometimes don't believe Virgin let us get away with making such a shoddy album, in terms of perfectionism (listen with a critical ear to Forget About Me, or the drumming on the middle eight of Who's to Know, and you'll see what I mean). I like to work very fast. Either you get the feel and emotion of the song or you don't. If you don't, it'll sound like shit however perfect the playing is. If you do, you can get away with murder. I'm very wary of getting the feel, and then losing it again under insecure overdubs, so I tend to stop things as soon as they sound in any way finished (usually a song a day).

18) Who do you most admire, not necessarily in the world of music?

N: John Pilger, a political writer (see his piece on the Gulf War at the Virgin website).

A: Vaclav Havel.

19) Which, if any, is your least favourite Unbelievable Truth song?

N: Revolution.

A: It has to be either Revolution or Coming Round.

J: Revolution.

20) Does Andy have any plans to write a song/songs in Russian in the future?

A: It's so hard to write convincingly in a foreign language, even if you're supposedly fluent in that language. It's possible with prose, but with poetry or songs it usually ends up sounding really awkward. So no.

21) In your opinions, what is the best band in the world today?

N: The band we sadly can't mention.

Plus the extra question sent to us by Chris Clark:

22) Are there any artists the band would like to collaborate with and why?

N: Mike Paradinas (who is Mu-Ziq), just to find out how he does it. Peter Gabriel, to find out how anyone can work that slowly.

A: Mark Hollis. Dream on!

J: It's different for me I think, being a mere bassist. I think I'd like to work with Tony Levin, but how I wouldn't know.