Insomnia, tinnitus and electronica had been oll portions of the dialog again in 2013 when Prog mentioned former Tiynfish frontman Simon Godfrey’s one undertaking Tnyfish and their debut album Upward push Up Forgotten, Go back Destroyed.
Tinyfish frontman Simon Godfrey has cast a novel id for his band over the last 8 years, however this summer season sees him unharness his debut solo album as Shineback. Upward push Up Forgotten, Go back Destroyed tells the tale of a lady, Dora, who has a nap situation. It’s a subject on the subject of house for Godfrey, a lifelong insomniac. “It’s nowhere close to as unhealthy because it was,” he explains, “however there are lots of other forms of sleep treatments that individuals with insomnia use.”
One such treatment is lucid dreaming. The album depicts Dora falling asleep and running a blog from her desires with an imaginary video digital camera. “She unlocks some reminiscences,” says its writer, “and issues cross downhill from there – so, a cheerful tale!”
The album comprises a couple of influences from Godfrey’s personal struggles with loss of sleep, and the title Shineback is a euphemism for the replicate he holds as much as himself.
“This can be a very private album for me. A large number of my formative years and my attitudes in opposition to existence are woven into the album.”
In a single tune, Overwhelm Tradition, Dora encounters a big membership. “In it she discovers all of the other folks in her existence that she has forgotten about who’re eternally dancing on this membership, till she recollects them after which they’re set unfastened. Those are formative years desires, my imaginings from when I used to be a 10-year-old.”
The album additionally options mysterious characters referred to as Envoys, who “act just like the police drive of the dream and information Dora as easiest they may be able to, and she or he makes her personal choices primarily based upon the place they lead her”.
Upward push Up Forgotten, Go back Destroyed is an engaging album conceptually however, as its name readily signposts, it’s rarely a cheery pay attention. Godfrey doesn’t believe himself to be a specifically depressive or unfavorable particular person and is at pains to fret that the album isn’t solely autobiographical. “Dora believes that her real-life father abuses her as a kid and she or he handiest recollects this as she’s strolling thru her dream, however there’s a twin facet to the album and the titles mirror that. The entire thought is whether or not she is imagining this or is it genuine. I’ve attempted to programme a way of duality into nearly each and every lyric.”
The album could also be intentionally structured into two portions. “I sought after the tale to spread from a story standpoint. There’s a plot building trick the place you place your persona right into a tree, throw rocks at them after which get them again out of the tree. That’s an excellent metaphor about organising your persona, hanging them right into a state of affairs after which getting them out once more. That’s why I made it in two halves – the primary part is the ‘hanging the nature into the tree and throwing rocks’, and the second one part is the ‘getting them out of the tree’.”
Godfrey additionally determined to offer the album a musical in addition to lyrical narrative. “I sought after the primary part of the album to be much more simple and poppy, with the second one part being extra complicated.”
It’s most probably, alternatively, that almost all innovative enthusiasts, together with Tinyfish’s unswerving band of fans, will in finding Upward push Up Forgotten… a difficult pay attention from begin to end. Whilst shut consideration is very important to practice the plot, musically it is a departure
from Tinyfish, particularly within the vital electronica components integrated into the album. Guitars and drums are in large part conspicuous by way of their absence.
The selection of instrumentation used to be partially Godfrey’s selection, nevertheless it used to be borne additionally of necessity on account of his affected by that curse of musicians international. “Tinnitus has been a big bugbear for me for a while, nevertheless it’s turn out to be acute over the last few years,” he says. This performed a big section in Tinyfish’s retirement from reside displays, however Godfrey has discovered a good facet to this maximum attempting of prerequisites. He realised that his subsequent undertaking could be the ultimate earlier than tinnitus introduced an finish to his musical endeavours, and located himself liberated.
“It enabled me to wreck down all of the obstacles between genres,” he says. “I wasn’t anxious about whether or not or now not I used to be singing for some enthusiasts. I used to be simply making track that I really like and experience doing.”
There’s a moment, extra prosaic, explanation why at the back of Godfrey’s sharp left musical flip. In an instant after Tinyfish’s moment album, 2010’s The Giant Pink Spark, Godfrey performed some demos he’d recorded to the band’s drummer, Leon Camfield, who noticed that the fabric appeared like The Giant Pink Spark Phase 2, and that served as a caution for Godfrey. “I determined that, reasonably than simply plough immediately forward into some other Tinyfish album and run the danger of creating the similar file once more, I might take a while out.”
He used to be impressed to reinvent himself within the approach of King Red with their varied ProjeKCts. “Shineback is the made from that departure within the hope that once we come again in combination as Tinyfish we can have all moved on as musicians and writers.”
In the meanwhile Godfrey isn’t looking for to second-guess the response of Tinyfish’s target market to his Shineback efforts. “That is essentially the most truthful file I’ve produced. I would really like other folks to adore it however I recognise it’s a difficult album for those who’re a innovative rock fan as it’s now not all about that. However my hope is that almost all enthusiasts of innovative track are enthusiasts of experimental stuff, so I depart it of their succesful fingers within the hope that they are going to see what I’m attempting to reach.”
Godfrey readily accepts that whilst stretching himself, he’s additionally stretching his herbal target market and, as a outcome, Upward push Up Forgotten… is prone to have finite enchantment. “I absolutely recognise that it’s now not going to succeed in everyone. However you already know the previous adage – if
I used to be seeking to please everyone I’d finally end up fulfilling no one. So it’s higher to carry my hand up and say that is me and for those who don’t adore it, honest sufficient. “There’s track available in the market which I don’t specifically like both, however that doesn’t imply it’s unhealthy track; it’s simply now not for me. I’m positive there will probably be a component of that with Shineback.”
Possibly essentially the most difficult facet for lots of prog enthusiasts would be the electronica components. Godfrey concedes there could also be some people who find themselves antipathetic in opposition to the programming at the album. “However innovative rock has at all times been a style that appears to the chopping fringe of generation,” he gives. “Within the 60s and 70s the most efficient innovative bands had been the use of essentially the most up-to-date generation. Such a lot of prog bands had been at the vanguard of the synthesiser motion.”
His resolution to not use his guitar right here used to be a mindful one. “There have been a few cases the place it will were more straightforward and possibly sooner for me, however I laid it to at least one facet and determined to jot down the use of not anything however my keyboard and a mouse, so as to forestall the ones acquainted chords falling beneath my palms. I believe I’ve accomplished that.”
When it got here to the needful guitar portions for the album he referred to as upon varied visitors, together with Matt Stevens (from The Fierce And The Useless), Dec Burke (previously of Frost* and Darwin’s Radio) and DeeExpus’ Andy Ditchfield. Whilst lots of the drums at the album are programmed, Henry Rogers from DeeExpus and Touchstone performs at the name monitor. “So there are sufficient conventional avid gamers at the album to make certain that it’s now not solely digital, with me clicking a mouse or the use of synths at all times. They truly upload a degree of virtuosity.” Certainly Godfrey is understated about his personal musicianship. “I’ve handiest ever thought to be myself to be a strummer and a singer, however those guys are genuine avid gamers and I like what they do.”
Upward push Up Forgotten… additionally makes handiest restricted use of Godfrey’s Tinyfish compadres. Their lyricist Robert Ramsay contributed to the album, whilst bass participant Paul Worwood seems as a voice artist. “Paul performs an overly nasty persona at the album,” says Godfrey. “It’s relatively a creepy section. I don’t know the place he controlled to tug that from!”
Upward push Up Forgotten… can have handiest simply been unveiled, however Godfrey is already giving idea to Shineback as a unbroken outlet for his solo paintings. “I really like the speculation of compartmentalising my tasks, and there are a few different tasks which I would possibly embark upon with separate names. However there will probably be some other Shineback album if time items itself.”
Alternatively, his instant precedence is to regroup with Tinyfish to start out writing a brand new album. “So long as we’re developing track then there’ll nonetheless be a Tinyfish. I recognise that our reside act used to be an important a part of who we had been, nevertheless it wasn’t the be-all and end-all. Possibly we will put in combination some acoustic displays and even perhaps one day, when the generation is extra mature, I will be able to stroll again on degree with an electrical guitar. So long as the 5 people are within the studio making track in combination, Tinyfish is alive and kicking.”
Godfrey could also be down, however he’s maximum under no circumstances out.
