Metamatic Forums News and Announcements John Foxx news Interplay

Pre ordered my copy, love everygreen, great stuff

I've pre-ordered my copy too. I have to say that Evergreen sounds fantastic. One of the best things John has done for years in my opinion. I'm really excited by this release. All bodes well.

Evergreen is a nice track.
Pre - ordered Interplay too.

"Evergreen" sounds awesome, this album could turn out to be one of John's finest yet.

Fingers crossed all.

There's a real sense of excitement coming through the posts

Pre-ordered and...well...Blimey Guv...

I've not seen this amount of speculation/love/hype/andgeneralwell-being about a new release since...hmmmm...dunno...Protection?...Blue Lines?...insert name of an extraordinary album here.

That's not to be cynical - I'm just talking about the weight of expectation on this album.

Mind you, that's not our fault per se.

Those of us who went to the Roundhouse last year, and then watched and re-watched Brian's wonderful Youtube clips of various tracks coupled with stuff like September Town* and Everegreen...well...it's practically the Third Summer of Metamatic Love...innit?

I feel kinda distant to the whole project - maybe because the gestation has been so long. But I also feel so close to it too; because I heard, up close and personal, versions of Watching A Building On Fire and The Good Shadow - weird situation.

Interplay promises so much adventure; because it's the promise of Foxx's 1980, re-programmed by someone almost half his age for 2011.

And that has got to be a good thing.

Oh Yes.

I'd of ordered the t-shirt version but they ran out of M

Postscript -

There are some people out there who are fed up of collaborators.

Well - I'd like to present a well reasoned argument...but I can't so I'll just give them a good old fashioned V-Sign and say "B0ll0cks to the lot of 'em!"...

...and on the basis of Evergreen and Proustian rememberences of things past like me being very p!$$ed whilst hearing Watching A Building On Fire and The Good Shadow live at The Roundhouse...I'd like to say...

"Surrender! Surrender infadels to the collaborators!"

After all...what's the worst that can happen?**

* * * * * * * * *

*I genuinely can't remember the A-Side...

**"A-ha Mr Foxx you have invaded my secret underground lair! A Swiss plastic surgeon worked on me for six months and now - no-one will know the switch that has taken place - and I VILL ROOOL ZE VURLD HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"So how come you look like the pr!c& out of Slik?"

"HA! Foxx! You are trying to rile me, but my laser beam will rid you of such thoughts! Odd Job! The Laser! Now! So Mr Foxx - do you expect me to talk???"

"No Mr Ure I expect you to die...I have already seen the plans for 'Project U-Vox'; vinyl and plastic will not help you, it will only seal your fate...even if it is designed by Peter Saville..."

"Damn you Foxx! DAMN YOU!!!!!!!"

John Foxx will return in Casino Royale...

It's send you mad.

And this is before the album is even out!!

I think there's a lot of buzz about this album for a couple of reasons--at least from an American perspective.

While it's true that we don't have the full album yet, we've heard quite a bit between the singles that have been released and the songs played at the Roundhouse gig. From what's been heard so far, this seems like an album that will appeal more to those who have a great nostalgia for 80s music (I hesitate to say 30-40 somethings, because there is a younger crowd into this as well). Yes, I know some of you will disagree with the idea that this album is "retro", but I would maintain that it is in some respect--I don't think it can avoid a "retro" feel because they're using retro equipment. I can tell you that I've sent links to the clips from this album to different friends, and they have been more excited about this than anything else John has put out in the last 10 years.

I like a lot of what John has put out in the last 10 years, but I think a lot of it has niche appeal. I'm not sure quite how to explain that--he's made a lot of music designed to be played with films he's put together, and other projects often border on the "ambient". (That word is awkward and doesn't really do justice to his work. But it's hard to put a label on what's different). This is the rather long way of saying that Interplay promises to have a broader appeal, outside of John's usual devoted audience. I don't think we have to worry about it being over-hyped; whatever criticism one may have of John's work, it's never sloppy. Everything has to be just right. And one of the most appealing things about his work is that it consists of well-crafted and thoughtful songs regardless of how they're labeled, not cheesy synth-pop that is only appealing when you've been drinking heavily in an 80s nightclub.

(And...just to be clear...I'm not suggesting that those worried about too much hype are accusing John of sloppy or half-baked releases. It's just an observation about his work).

The other reason for the buzz would have to be social media. Steve is doing a pretty good job of creating a lot of buzz for this album--he's finally posting more to Twitter, and you're hearing a lot about this in a LOT of different news sources. This is an age where such discussions go viral, so it's not surprising that more people would be talking so much about the album.

In any case, it will be interesting to see how this album sells as compared to others--if all of the hype ends up affecting the actual sales.

Can't get onto Townsend ....

Seems OK to me...

Rob