13. The ChillsSubmarine Bells
A lot of people might pick Kaleidoscope World for Martin [Phillips] because it does have some of his classic songs on it, but I just thought Submarine Bells was an absolutely wonderful collection. A lot of Flying Nun bands for one reason or another didn’t get a chance to embrace studio production with a producer who ups the ante a little bit, but The Chills did with this record and the next one. Martin was aiming high, he was ambitious for the way the record could sound, and I thought there were a few amazing songs on it, and some extraordinary words.
The song ‘Submarine Bells’ is one of my favourite songs, with a beautiful arrangement that evokes the underwater, and the deep south of the South Island. I wanted to give Flying Nun a nod, especially in the context of Martin currently enjoying a good vein of writing and getting new material together. He’s been shut away down in Dunedin for a long time, not that visible, and having a bit of a tough time of it, so I’m really happy he’s into a good vein, and I’m just putting this in as a nod to that.
