#something super relevant to today's political climate and it's expressed really well in this song.

[paintpanic]

Malevolent gods

Are better than none

[theseventhhex]

James Interview

James

‘Living In Extraordinary Times’ follows the release of James' recent ‘Better Than That’ EP, the band’s first new music since their hugely successful 2016 album ‘Girl at the End of the World’, which debuted at number two in the UK album charts, second only to Adele – their highest debut entry in nearly twenty years. This is the band’s 15th studio album, and delivers the same vigour and urgency as its predecessors, a fusion of social commentary and personal reflection, covering everything from the current political climate in America in frustration-charged times and eternal optimism for better change. Simply put, this iconic outfit remains as important and relevant as ever. James’ knack for super-skilled musical arrangements and significant messages shows no signs of weariness… We talk to Jim Glennie about improvisation, meditation and Man City…

TSH: The remarkable consistency from James is so prolific and impressive. How does it feel for you to continue to have a unified band chemistry in the wake of yet another top release with ‘Living In Extraordinary Times’?

Jim: Everything feels fantastic. This whole recent period has felt so good for James. We’re constantly writing songs which serves as a key essence and factor that keeps us going. We love writing - it’s kind of our life blood. We’ve actually written throughout the summer and we’ve even written for the next record. It’s just what we do; just like authors writing new books - we just love writing new songs. There’s no stopping us.

TSH: There remains a hunger to still be creative and relevant rather than a heritage band?

Jim: Absolutely. The last thing we want is to get up onstage and run through rehearsed versions of the best of our material. We love expressing ourselves creatively because it signifies the cusp of where we’re at with our perspectives. We grab the spaces that we can when we’re together and we work relentlessly.

TSH: As opposed to the Scottish Highlands you found yourselves working in Sheffield this time around?

Jim: Yeah, we did the whole of this latest record in Sheffield in a studio called Yellow Arch. Everything worked out geographically for us. We were doing some festivals throughout the summer and Sheffield was sort of in between where we were at. We liked the city and the people and went there a few times and found that the place suited our purpose.

TSH: Tim’s mentioned that the process in forming these songs was ‘magical’?

Jim: Yeah, and I guess that’s because we just have a really good way of writing. We get into a room and just play. We switch on the drum machine and we record everything. We plug away for hours and hours and days and days. Along the way, we get into weird places, odd sections and strange headspaces, but the chemistry is always pleasing, and as Tim said, this time it felt magical.

TSH: Does starting with improvisation allow you all to excel?

Jim: Yes, and that’s the exciting part. Seeing the songs emerge is great. We just jam and spontaneously play - we listen to one another and things just appear - it’s really pleasing. All the songs have a life of their own and our process is never calculated. We simply piece our varied compositions into songs and journeys unfold. This way of working can be time consuming but the spontaneity of something appearing in the room that could potentially be special gives us such a buzz.

TSH: Tim’s lyrical style and overall songwriting is absolutely exceptional and so affective. As his close friend, what’s it like to see his comprehensive mastery close up?

Jim: Tim is such an amazing lyricist and he is totally underrated. For us, to come up with such great music and have Tim’s substantial, meaningful and impactful content added on top is truly incredible. It’s also great to play these songs to people live and hit home these powerful lyrical messages. Tim’s stuff can sometimes be quite obscure and he can also nail between the eyes too. It’s amazing how he layers up the lyrics and adds a unique depth and complexity to his writing. It’s wonderful.

TSH: What stands out most when you overlook a song like ‘Many Faces’?

Jim: That song feels like one of James’ journey songs. It involved a fair bit of improvisation and some chopping and changing. It’s more of a linear song and it’s going from section to section. With that one I feel like we found an area with which we hovered over and found some sweet spots. Also, it’s a song with some amazing lyrics to reflect the times of today and musically we get behind it with passion when we play it live.

TSH: I wanted to get your views on some past James hidden gems. Firstly, ‘Play Dead’ - a song that comes out of left field and displays a distinct new depth to your sound at the time...

Jim: That song is post ‘Wah Wah’ actually. When we did that record with Brian Eno and Markus Dravs it opened up a lot of new doors for James. We brought in these mad sonic shifts to our songs and what came in the wake of ‘Whiplash’ onwards was us trying to sort of implement new sonics and ideas. I think it was Dave who had the beginning jam of that song at his home studio and he did some of the mad stuff that’s on there - including the chopping up and sparseness of the beginning arrangement. When he played it to us we just thought it was brilliant. That one takes off as a more traditional James song towards the end; it becomes more lush, it sounds big and has some strings incorporated too. Looking back, it was a transition period for us in seeing how our songs could be messed up and taken away from a traditional format using technology. It was a very exciting direction to take.

TSH: Also, talk us through what you recall about the band fleshing out the excellent ‘Five-O’...

Jim: You know, I actually don’t know why we called it ‘Five-O’ - I recall it was something to do with Hawaii Five-O, and I’ve not got the foggiest beyond that. We still play that track live with Brian Eno’s vocals recorded. I remember Brian Eno layering up the backing vocals and he just has the weirdest voice; it’s very odd, thin and not that pleasant to the ear initially, haha! However, when you layer it up, it sounds great and it also cuts like nobody’s business. His vocals don’t have a deep rich resonance to them but they consist of a very frequency driven sound. His style was brilliant and worked so well on that song. I remember Brian Eno loved that song and he was steering the ship on that one in our rehearsal room in Prestwich in Manchester - it was one of the songs that pulled him in. What I love about that song is that it just comes straight out of the blocks and never eases up. It’s like everyone piles in at the beginning and we keep going - it’s like a steam train!

TSH: Does meditation help to keep you centred amidst all the bedlam in the world?

Jim: Yes. I meditate often and it stops me from going mad. I used to meditate for three hours a day and even now I still love doing it. I don’t know if it’s the same as spirituality but it does me the world of good and it’s my refuge from my ever chattering nonsensical brain. I guess the world in general feels very uncertain and chaotic but this current record is actually about a positive change that we feel is coming. It’s something we were really keen to get across. It’s not an album that reflects on the rubbish going on in the world; instead it touches on a period of change that’s coming. I don’t know what the change is or how it will manifest itself but I am hopeful we’ll unite and see the light very soon. Sometimes it feels like things have to get really bad before they get good. I guess you have to have hope that we’ll start to do things in a way which is less selfish, less destructive and less harmful. It’s about having belief that amidst all the chaos goodness will prevail.

TSH: James are renowned for their stunning live offerings. How does it feel for you to connect with audiences the world over for countless years?

Jim: Performing live for James is just the most incredible and amazing part of doing this. We simply love connecting with our fans and performing for them with dedication and devotion. Having a direct two way response with the audience feels like such an amazing achievement. Of course we like to change our set and offer some variety because performing live for us often means doing things we’ve not done before. Overall, it’s amazing to tour the world and have new fans and old fans joining us. Playing live will always allow us to feel liberated and satisfied with our craft.

TSH: Being a Man City must also leave you feeling very satisfied?

Jim: Haha! Being a Man City for the last seven years or so has been incredible and so much fun. I sometimes go to the games with my son too. I was born in Moss Side a mile from Maine Road and all my adult life I’ve suffered Man United wining everything. However, with Pep Guardiola on board and our rich owners, it really is a special time for Man City fans. I am just so pleased to see how amazing we are playing - the football is world class and there is so much quality in the team. We have some incredible players, especially in midfield. It’s a joy to watch such a beautiful style of football. Long may it reign.

TSH: For the band’s future preferences, what sort of aspects do you hope to maintain and stay true to?

Jim: You know, I feel like we’re always trying to prove something - it feels like we’re pushing ourselves to achieve something, but we‘re not sure what that is. Maybe it’s this unknown exploration that drives us in a way. Nonetheless, I am so proud of what we’ve managed to do to date and the whole band remains determined and optimistic about continuing this journey. It’s always exciting for us to get back into the studio to discover and unravel what the next step for James will be. Our next step is never a response to what we’ve done before; we don’t have a concrete plan of where we want to go. It’s normally a new connection or a reaction to something - we don’t have any control over it and we don’t consciously analyse things - we like to just let things evolve naturally. We just get into a room and something always happens. I guess the day it doesn’t click for us might mean the end for us. However, right now it feels like we’re able to get together and still do what we need to do. Ultimately, you get what you’re given. We’ve made a career of doing things with this in mind and we’ll continue to do so as we look ahead.

James - “Moving On”

James - “Born Of Frustration”

Living in Extraordinary Times