Three Music Thingz with phoneswithchords
My my my, it's another rendition of Three Music Thingz, the blogseries where I ask musicians for three thingz that are essential to their music-making.
Today we have phoneswithchords! We last saw phoneswithchords (the solo musical identity of Tennessee artist Arthur Alligood) on the pages of this blog as part of a dual interview with A Place For Owls' Ben Sooy about their collaborative project phoneswithBen. Now Alligood has a new album out called The Speed of Time via Totally Real Records, which he recorded entirely himself, and co-produced with APFO's Nick Webber.
ohitsjustjohnny
If I could use a single word to describe The Speed of Time, and phoneswithchords' music in general, I would probably say inhabited. The warmth of the instrumentation (the candied buzz of "Poor Progress"; the cozy Beach Boys-esque harmonies that flood the end of "My Only Answer"; Doug McCarthy's dynamic drums on "Bitter Blink") and the profound simplicity of the lyrics ("You can’t take the risk out of love...that’s just part of it" is a standout) both contribute to the sense that this album is not a arms-length project created in a vacuum, but one that exists as a reaction to and reflection of the world around Alligood. It's alive, it's lived-in, and there's plenty of wisdom to be found sandwiched between all those crackling guitars and quilted vocals.
Now we've got the official phoneswithchords Three Music Thingz ready 2 go...let's check it out...
- Crappy, overlooked instruments.
These are my favorites. The guitars that are sitting in a corner…that people use for decor or whatever. These are the ones I want to play. These are the ones I want to make records with. Sure I’d love to have a nice instrument, but I just can’t afford one. And to be honest I’m not really drawn to nice instruments. I’m drawn to the thing that everybody else has written off. I think this is a core principle for me even beyond music. - Obscure, gospel album covers.
I go to Goodwill and just look for the most crazy covers in the stack. It’s amazing. I have several that don’t even feel real. They’re so bad, but they’re also something else which I still can’t name. I listen to the music sometimes, but mostly I just like looking at the covers and reading the credits on the back. I have learned that Gospel bassists often have the name Leroy. And none of these albums are on streaming. Trust me I’ve looked. Makes me wonder how much of today’s music will be lost in the future. No matter what we think nothing is permanent. - Voice memos.
Phones with chords…as in that riff that I just wrote, but I don’t have the energy or time to flesh it out, so I bank it. 30 seconds is all I need. I’ll come back later. Common labels include: “2nd fret capo killer riff” and “5th fret capo C shape picky.” There has been no more revolutionary invention for the songwriter than the smartphone voice memo. At this point, I wouldn’t know what to do without it. Right now, I have over 1000 ideas just sitting there. In my pocket. What an absolute bonkers time to be alive making music!
Thank you phoneswithchords! Listen to The Speed Of Time and check out his link aggregation.
Thanks for reading I Enjoy Music! If you like it, tell a friend.
