(thanks to Lee B for scanning the mag)Track by Track: Straight To The Heart
From Gay Times Maganize
Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer - This one was with the Freemasons. I think it's quite a theatrical love song really. I was playing a bit of a diva but it's quite fun. It's one of those things where you've got to take on a slight alter-ego.
Bittersweet - It's a genuine raw emotion when something's intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When we've been doing it acoustically it's actually quite romantic. When it's got all the bells and whistles it sounds a bit more saucy.
Off And On - A track with Calvin Harris, it was originally written with Roisin Murphy for her record but for one reason or another she felt it didn't fit. Ordinarily I’m a bit squeamish about taking on songs that I didn't write. But I think you've always got to think that you can bring something to it.
Revolution - Working with Cathy Dennis was brilliant, I'm a big fan of hers. It's probably one of my tougher songs. It will be a single, it has a different sound to it. I don't know if I rap exactly in the verses but it's quite sort of aggressive and monotone there. It's with this guy called Greg Kurstin who's a really good producer in LA and Cathy does things that you don't think of doing, like in this song I name check 'Murder On The Dancefloor'
Starlight - I did this with Richard X and Hannah Robinson and it's one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a soft of wistful sadness like Giorgio Moroder's always really good at that. This song has definitely got that feel.
Magic - Again with Hannah and Richard, and another love song. Sometimes when I'm writing songs I get imagines in my head and with this one I'm always riding a horse, it sounds a bit like I'm galloping somewhere. In the video I've got to do it on horseback.
Synchronised - One of a couple of slower numbers which is about trying to get back in tune with a lover you but you probably won't ever do it, so that's got sadness too. I'm always drawn to sad things. It’s actually really hard to write a happy song I find. I have tried it on many occasions and you do achieve it sometimes but it's actually that sadness and heartache and unrequited love have got built-in interest I suppose, a bit more depth.
Cut Straight To The Heart - Another slow one, I did this with the lovely Ed Harcourt, a really talented singer/songwriter. This is a really melodic song. He's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody, I think that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric that does exactly what you want it to but he's really good at that.
Dial My Number - A song about a text stalker that I have. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts, sending me jokes, sending me my lyrics. Not particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it started off as an idea of a song about someone that you're saying "you might have my number but it doesn't mean that anything's gonna happen, so don't get your hopes up."
Homewrecker - Another song with a weird subject matter - you can probably guess what Homewrecker's about! (laughs) It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're really just oblivious, they're just so happy to have the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and they'll go "Yeah but she's just a good friend" and you're like "Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on". Not on!
Under Your Touch - A song which is quite a saucy love song really. It's just about fancying someone, which is always a good subject matter.
Scene - I did this one with Joe from Metronomy. Actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone. It was written quite early on. It was quite quirky and different and it's just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here, try something just a bit to push me a bit I suppose so it was a really important track to write.
(I know Not Giving Up On Love isn't mentioned here, but Sophie says it's on the album. No reason to worry. Sophie said this about the song in a radio interview - "Boom – Boom – Boom – Boom - Boom - like fairground music. I mean that in a good way. I worked with a trance DJ called Armin van Buuren. I am pleased with that one. It sounds like authentic trance. I would never have thought in a million years I would do a trance record. But like everything I do it’s all about melody and song, so it just happens to be a trance record.")
Bittersweet - It's a genuine raw emotion when something's intoxicated you and you can't really do anything about it. When we've been doing it acoustically it's actually quite romantic. When it's got all the bells and whistles it sounds a bit more saucy.
Off And On - A track with Calvin Harris, it was originally written with Roisin Murphy for her record but for one reason or another she felt it didn't fit. Ordinarily I’m a bit squeamish about taking on songs that I didn't write. But I think you've always got to think that you can bring something to it.
Revolution - Working with Cathy Dennis was brilliant, I'm a big fan of hers. It's probably one of my tougher songs. It will be a single, it has a different sound to it. I don't know if I rap exactly in the verses but it's quite sort of aggressive and monotone there. It's with this guy called Greg Kurstin who's a really good producer in LA and Cathy does things that you don't think of doing, like in this song I name check 'Murder On The Dancefloor'
Starlight - I did this with Richard X and Hannah Robinson and it's one of my favourites. I love it in pop music when it's got a soft of wistful sadness like Giorgio Moroder's always really good at that. This song has definitely got that feel.
Magic - Again with Hannah and Richard, and another love song. Sometimes when I'm writing songs I get imagines in my head and with this one I'm always riding a horse, it sounds a bit like I'm galloping somewhere. In the video I've got to do it on horseback.
Synchronised - One of a couple of slower numbers which is about trying to get back in tune with a lover you but you probably won't ever do it, so that's got sadness too. I'm always drawn to sad things. It’s actually really hard to write a happy song I find. I have tried it on many occasions and you do achieve it sometimes but it's actually that sadness and heartache and unrequited love have got built-in interest I suppose, a bit more depth.
Cut Straight To The Heart - Another slow one, I did this with the lovely Ed Harcourt, a really talented singer/songwriter. This is a really melodic song. He's one of the best lyricists I've ever worked with. I know a lot of people who are good with melody, I think that's one of my strong points. But lyrics, it's just really tough to get a lyric that does exactly what you want it to but he's really good at that.
Dial My Number - A song about a text stalker that I have. I've never replied to them but they send me these texts, sending me jokes, sending me my lyrics. Not particularly sinister, but kind of annoying. So it started off as an idea of a song about someone that you're saying "you might have my number but it doesn't mean that anything's gonna happen, so don't get your hopes up."
Homewrecker - Another song with a weird subject matter - you can probably guess what Homewrecker's about! (laughs) It's about girls who flirt with your boyfriend right under your nose which is very annoying. And sometimes they're really just oblivious, they're just so happy to have the attention that they don't really realise that they've crossed the line and they'll go "Yeah but she's just a good friend" and you're like "Yeah but I saw the way she laughed at your jokes and I saw the way she put her hand on your arm when she was telling a story and it's not on". Not on!
Under Your Touch - A song which is quite a saucy love song really. It's just about fancying someone, which is always a good subject matter.
Scene - I did this one with Joe from Metronomy. Actually, Scene was a very instrumental track and it really set the tone. It was written quite early on. It was quite quirky and different and it's just made me think that maybe I've got to try some new stuff here, try something just a bit to push me a bit I suppose so it was a really important track to write.
(I know Not Giving Up On Love isn't mentioned here, but Sophie says it's on the album. No reason to worry. Sophie said this about the song in a radio interview - "Boom – Boom – Boom – Boom - Boom - like fairground music. I mean that in a good way. I worked with a trance DJ called Armin van Buuren. I am pleased with that one. It sounds like authentic trance. I would never have thought in a million years I would do a trance record. But like everything I do it’s all about melody and song, so it just happens to be a trance record.")
7 comments:
Very nice article! it gives an idea about each song of the album. So most of it it uptempo and just 2 slower tracks! fair enough! I didnt want it any other way!
It seems Revolution will be her next single in July *fingers crossed* and seems also that Magic could be after it as she's already imagining the video!
As for the Armin track, if we were to count on what she said, that only means that it will be a bonus track on one of the album's edition! IT BETTER BE THE CASE!
"Not Giving Up on Love" could be a hiddentrack, UK or iTunes only bonustrack. What a pity... Can't wait to hear her new tunes
This sounds so damn amazing, I'm willing to bet it's going to surpass TTLF in terms of brilliance.
(I still don't understand why she didn't bring Roisin back on Off&On for a duet, that would be awesome !)
Wow!! ^^ I cannot wait any longer for that album!! It's going to be huge & amazing!! ^^
Thanks, Kau for sharing this with us! =) I am so excited about this album!
My pleasure Wex. I was waiting for this write up to be out. Thanks to Lee B for the scans
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