Crime And The City Solution Shine

I could have picked Paradise Discotheque which is one of their last records and it’s really, really great but Shine is succinct and is great from start to finish. There’s a great sense of space on this record that’s fantastic but the thing that I’m most drawn to is the melancholy on some of those songs. But it also has a cinematic quality. ‘On Every Train (Grain Will Bear Grain)’ is a really sad song but it has a sort of imagery that has a dignity to it. It’s hard to put your finger on but it’s really compelling.

Also, the way Simon Bonney sings in relation to the music with his phrasing is unique and really compelling.

The last few years, there hasn’t been anything to derail me and I’ve pretty much set aside all the extra-curricular stuff that has taken my time and attention away from my music in the past. I enjoy making music now. I’ve always been a fan and enjoyed listening to it but I haven’t always enjoyed the process of making it, especially in a live setting, but now I really enjoy that as well. I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunity and in previous times maybe I haven’t been able to fulfill that opportunity. It seems crazy that I’m still making music and it seems just like yesterday that I was just a breakfast cook.

To be able to sit here and talk about my favourite records – if I think about that – as part of what I do for a living, well, what could be better?