Meanwhile, a dim yellow light creeps down the apartment hallway, spilling out from the bathroom door. In this tiled haven, a glassy-eyed Michael Tomlinson stares at a crumpled pad of paper covered in a soup of potential lyrics. Things were supposed to be a little bit easier, but this was just an average night for Yves Klein Blue as they recorded their debut album Ragged & Ecstatic.
When Michael hopped on the phone to speak with FL, the whole process had faded into an exhausting daze. Ragged & Ecstatic was no longer the subject of creative toil, but a complete work. Inspired by the seminal member of ‘the beat generation’, Jack Kerouac, the album captures the spontaneous ecstasy of every experience; from the beautiful to the gritty and confronting.
"Ragged & Ecstatic, the name, really hit home because it describes the recording process. When we got to the record studio we thought we had it all worked out. Now we feel exceptionally proud of the record. We didn’t really think that we had something of this kind of level in us. There are times in this record that we wonder if it was really us.”
Over the last few years the excitement surrounding this unique four-piece has reached fever pitch. To avoid their name would require burning all street press that crosses your path, disconnecting the internet and punching your computer screen. Interestingly enough, Brisbane’s finest did pretty much that as they embarked upon writing and recording their hotly anticipated debut. “It was a hugely comforting process. We just started searching every element of it. Between the studio and our apartment the songs just went around in our heads all hours of the morning.”
When listening to Ragged & Ecstatic, it’s hard to ignore the carefully crafted lyrics. “Lyrically the inspiration has come from people around me always. What they’re saying, what they’re not saying. There are certainly a few songs that are based on acoustic guitar. We wanted to push the lyrics to the fore, so we could emphasize what was meant.”
A great deal of the excitement that surrounds Yves Klein Blue is the result of a thirst for something different. Ragged & Ecstatic is rich with ideas and diverse subject matter, driven by raw experience. “I think the focus is intensity of emotional reflection. Digital Love is about meth-amphetamine; we play that with a lot of aggression. We try not to play anything without emotion. The whole album is not necessarily positive.
“If there was a theme throughout the record it is about living in the period of time from when I was 18 to when I was 22. That’s a time when I wasn’t really sure what my purpose was in the world and I also felt kind of frustrated with people around me. There were things that would infuriate me but no one else would notice. It is very easy to not feel anything intensely. It is easier to ignore problems. I was kind of coming from a theme of self determination or apathy or hope. I was very conscious of trying not to speak on anyone’s behalf and trying to present my own take. I’m more concerned with finding the right answer than convincing people that I’m right. I try not to preach.”
After a short two week break, Yves Klein Blue now have to switch hats from composers to performers. They are about to begin a tour of the nation to celebrate their album release.
“Looking back, it had been really non-stop. It doesn’t really seem like that much hard work because we really enjoy what we are doing. People get jobs in law firms and work their asses off, so we consider ourselves lucky. We are very pleased to be on the Splendour bill again and we are very keen to go overseas again. We have been incredibly fortunate with the support we have received from people. It is people that will decide if we tour for the next two years. It’s no longer entirely up to us.”
Ragged & Ecstatic is out Friday 26 June through Dew Process/UMA. Yves Klein Blue begin their national album tour this week, winding up at Byron Bay for Splendour In The Grass.
Published @ www.fasterlouder.com.au
Link: http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/features/19045/Yves-Klein-Blue.htm
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