4. Marvin GayeWhat’s Going On
I’ve always wanted to make a soul record, and I’ve always wanted a What’s Going On-kind of record for us, a soul concept record. So the early writings on my part were supposed to be a What’s Going On-type scenario. So I was writing ‘Get My Bang’ watching footage of Black Friday and people beating each other up to get TVs. Trying to create a landscape that was reflective of these destructive and dangerous times.
That said, Wild Beasts are very much a band of four strong minds, so it was my quarter that really came along with that soul aspect. It still resonates within the album, there are still aspects of soul, I guess – Marvin Gaye, it’s almost cheesy to have it in here, because there could have been so many records. But this album has always been a shining and dazzling light for how to execute it. And for how to sing, for god’s sake.
