continued from page 26
“Handsome” and “Radio Bikini.” I wanted
to show another side of my voice, but I was
also petrified of losing it or killing it. But
people should be able to listen to a
Vaccines song and know that it is one just
by the sound of my voice. I mean,
Radiohead is this band that’s constantly
evolving, but what ties them together more
than anything is that – as soon as you hear
Thom Yorke’s voice – you just know it’s
Radiohead. So no matter the mood of the
song, I decided, people should be able to
hear it and know that it’s The Vaccines. I
think by hiding my voice the way I did,
everyone that was able to connect with us
in the first place probably lost that connec-
tion that they initially felt.”
Young – who often collaborates in
songwriting sessions for other artists –
enjoys pondering on the artistic dilemma
of pushing the envelope at the risk of
offending your fan base. At what point
does, say, a genre-jumping composition
turn from a bold experiment into shame-
less self-indulgence? And who would be
the arbiter of such pronouncements? The
artist? The audience? The profit & loss-
concerned record company? “I think that,
first and foremost, you have to be fulfilled
by what you’re doing,” he notes. “If you’re
cheating yourself, then you’re cheating
other people, and other people can see
straight through that. But equally, it’s a fine
balance, because any artist would be lying
if they said that they didn’t want to be
loved and appreciated. So it’s a fine line
you walk, because music is entertainment
as well as art, and you need to please your-
self as well as please other people. But with
this record, we really wanted something
that was focused, but that also had this pri-
mal urgency.”
Mission accomplished. The only
unusual aspect of Combat Sports is the title
itself, which was rooted in – believe it or
not – an actual studio fistfight between
Young and Cowan that went down on the
last day of recording. Just looking at
Cowan, he’s not someone you’d want to
get into it with – he’s one of those wiry
guys that would probably come at you like
a spider monkey. “Plus, he boxes and is
into Krav Maga and all this Israeli stuff,”
says Young, regretting the fisticuffs. “But
we hugged it out, and we got an album
title out of it. I can’t even remember why
we got into it now. And Freddie’s my
brother, and I love him.
“But when you’re like caged animals
for 15 hours a day in a studio with no win-
dows, and you’re working on something
that you care so deeply about, we do fre-
quently argue,” he concludes. “And actu-
ally, when bands stop arguing, I think
that’s when bands split-up because it’s
almost like they stopped caring. So when
Freddie and I argue, its’ always because
we’re arguing very passionately over a cer-
tain creative decision.”
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Tobias Music Showcase
Acclaimed performer, artist and producer
Gurf Morlix
at Tobias Music
Friday April 6th
8:00PM performance
Limited Seating.
Advance tickets recommended.
Phone for more details.
Doors open 7:00PM
photo by Geoff Appold
music from his
Performing music from his latest album, "The Soul & the Heal", and
er, artist
perform
TX
,
Austin
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40 year career, Tobias Music presents this legend
.
Lounge
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Perform
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Catch his only Chicago-area appearance in early 2018.
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Tobias Music 630-960-2455
5013 Fairview Ave • Downers Grove IL 60515 www.TobiasMusic.com
march
2018
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