Low-Noise

Released in 1999, the film Magnolia was film written, directed and co-produced by Paul Thomas Anderson. The movie is an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of happiness, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley. The script was inspired by the music of Aimee Mann, who contributed several songs to its soundtrack.

Anderson met Aimee Mann in 1996 when he asked her husband, Michael Penn, to write the score and songs for his film, Hard Eight. Mann's songs had been featured on soundtracks before but only incidentally. Anderson encouraged her to write songs for the film by sending her a copy of the script.

The soundtrack album, released on Reprise Records, features Mann's songs, as well as a section of Jon Brion's score together with tracks by Supertramp and Gabrielle. Reprise released a full score album in 2000.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

Mathew Woodall

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Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of English singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole in under thirty minutes.

Cole was the lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989. Since then he has enjoyed a prolific solo career with his first album 'Lloyd Cole' being released in 1990.

'Downtown' from his first album was featured in the 1990 film Bad Influence. 'Pay for It' from Cole's 1991 album 'Don't Get Weird on Me Babe' was also featured on the soundtrack of When the Party's Over. 

In 2023, Cole released his twelfth album 'On Pain', featuring songs recorded in his attic (which brings to mind the first line of the 1982 Adrian Gurvitz hit 'Classic). Four of the songs on the 'On Pain' album were co-written by founding Commotions members Blair Cowan and Neil Clark.

Cole is now based in Easthampton, Massachusetts.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

Mathew Woodall

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of English singer-songwriter Peter Skellern in under thirty minutes.

Peter Skellern rose to fame in the 1970s and had two top twenty hits on the UK Singles Chart: 'You're a Lady in 1972, which typifies his signature use of brass bands and choral arrangements and 'Hold On to Love' in 1975. In the 1980s, a decade before the Gallagher brothers, Skellern formed the band Oasis with Julian Lloyd Webber and Mary Hopkin. He also established a long standing musical comedy partnership with Richard Stilgoe.

You're a Lady has been covered by many artists including Brigitte Bardot, Davy Jones, Dawn, Johnny Mathis, Hugues Aufray and Telly Savalas to name a few.

On her 1985 BBC TV comedy series, Victoria Wood performed an affectionate parody of Skellern's musical style, accompanied by a brass band and choir, in a song entitled Skellern in Love.

Skellern died in 2017. Since 2019, fans have crowdfunded CD reissues of his back catalogue. Two compilations have been released so far: The Complete Decca Recordings (2019) and The Complete Island and Mercury Recordings (2021) by Mint Audio. These collections feature all of Skellern's albums and singles from 1972 to 1982 (except music from the Happy Endings TV series). In 2024, another crowdfunding campaign was launched on Kickstarter to release the Happy Endings soundtrack on CD.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

Mathew Woodall

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of unique English singer-songwriter Julia Fordham in (just over) fifteen minutes.

Fordham's professional career started in the early 1980s, when she was known as Jules Fordham, singing backing vocals for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde. In 1988, she released her first album on Circa Records. Her second album, Porcelain, followed in 1989. It was Fordham's only album to chart on the US top 100. In 2014, Fordham, now based in California, returned to the UK to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Porcelain. She performed the album in its entirety, accompanied by her long-time pianist and producer Grant Mitchell. The tour concluded at the Tivoli Theatre in my home town, Wimborne.

From 2018-19, Fordham toured with Beverley Craven and Judie Tzuke (Tzuke is also featured in this podcast series). The three artists also released an album 'Woman to Woman' to coincide with the tour. In 2019 Fordham released the album Magic, written for and dedicated to her daughter Marley.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

Mathew Woodall

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of American singer-songwriter Natalie Prass in (just over) fifteen minutes.

Prass grew up in Virginia, where she met fellow musician Matthew E. White. They played in a band together in the early 2000s, then White moved to Richmond to study jazz. Prass’ own journey took her to Berklee and Middle Tennessee State before she settled in Nashville. Eventually she reconnected with White, who was still based in Richmond and was working toward the launch of a record label called Spacebomb. The rest, as they say, is history...

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

A huge thank you to the wonderful Heather Murray.

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of French musician Nicolas Godin in (just under) fifteen minutes.

The French electronic music duo Air was formed in 1995 by Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Godin was born in Paris and studied architecture and Jean-Benoît Dunckel was a mathematics student.

To begin with, Air was a solo project. Godin, an amateur musician, was asked by a friend to compose a song for a compilation to be released by Source, a small French independent label. 'Modulor Mix', a tribute to Le Corbusier, was recorded on Godin's Portastudio, and appeared on the Source Lab album. With several remixes, it was re‑released on British label Mo' Wax in 1996.

In 2015, Godin released his first solo album Contrepoint (Because Music), inspired by the music of Bach. Godin also composed the soundtrack for French series A Very Secret Service (2015–2018) and his second album Concrete and Glass was released in 2020.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

A huge thank you to the wonderful Heather Murray.

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of Max Richter in (just under) twenty minutes.

Richter was born in Hamelin, Germany and grew up in Bedford, England. He studied composition and piano at the University of Edinburgh and at the Royal Academy of Music. After completing his studies, Richter co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble Piano Circus. He stayed with the group for ten years, commissioning and performing works by minimalist musicians such as Arvo Pärt, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Julia Wolfe, and Steve Reich. The ensemble was signed to Decca/Argo, producing five albums.

Richter now arranges, performs, and composes music for stage, opera, ballet and screen. He has collaborated with many other musicians, as well as with performance, installation and media artists. He has recorded eight solo albums, and his music is widely used in cinema.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of The Blue Nile in (just under) twenty minutes.

The Blue Nile were a Scottish band, specifically three Glasgow natives: Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph 'PJ' Moore, who had graduated from university there. Following support from artists such as Rickie Lee Jones and Peter Gabriel, the group received critical acclaim, particularly for their first two albums A Walk Across the Rooftops and Hats. The group took their name from the title of Alan Moorehead's 1962 book (a sequel to The White Nile), the two books making up a history of the Nile River. 

In 2019, the band's major label albums were re-issued on vinyl and in 2020, High was released by Confetti Records on vinyl and double CD.

Taylor Swift referenced the Blue Nile on her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, where the band feature in the opening lyrics to the track Guilty As Sin? This track appears to be a break-up song, based around Swift's brief relationship with the 1975's singer Matty Healy. Healy has also spoken of his love for the band.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

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https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of The Clash together with their 1979 album 'London Calling' in (just under) thirty minutes.

The Clash achieved critical and commercial success in the UK with the release of their eponymous debut album and second album Give 'Em Enough Rope however, it was their experimental third album London Calling, released in 1979, that earned them popularity in the United States.

Produced by Guy Stevens at Wessex Sound Studios, the album bridged the traditional punk rock sound with a new wave aesthetic. London Calling also reflects the band's growing interest in styles beyond their punk roots, including reggae, rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock.

The album artwork was designed by artist Ray Lowry and was an homage to Elvis Presley's self-titled debut album.The cover features a photograph of Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass (now on display at the Museum of London) against the stage at the Palladium in New York City on 20 September 1979. Pennie Smith, who photographed the band for the album, originally did not want the photograph to be used as the image was not in focus.

In 2004, a 25th-anniversary Legacy Edition was released with a bonus CD and DVD in digipack packaging. The bonus CD features The Vanilla Tapes, missing recordings made by the band in mid-1979. The DVD includes The Last Testament – The Making of London Calling, a film by Don Letts, as well as previously unseen video footage and music videos. London Calling was among the ten album covers chosen by the Royal Mail for a set of Classic Album Cover postage stamps issued in 2010.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

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https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall

A (relatively) in-depth analysis of the 1981 album 'Face Value' by Phil Collins in (just under) twenty minutes. 

Face Value was an instant commercial success and reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. It has since sold over 1.5 million in the UK. The album received widespread praise from critics and launched Collins' solo career whose commercial success would ultimately outstrip that of Genesis. Its lead single 'In the Air Tonight', released in January 1981, reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart and became known for its distinct drum arrangement.

During a break in activity from Genesis Collins set up a Sequential Prophet-5 synthesiser, piano, Roland CR-78 drum machine, and an 8-track tape machine in his bedroom, and recorded a collection of demos with backing tracks, pencilling early lyrics. He was not concerned with the quality of the recordings as what may have lacked in the recordings would have been salvaged with the emotion in the songs. There were numerous times where he stopped recording earlier than planned as the ideas were not working in the studio, leaving him to resume the following day. Collins based the majority of Face Value (and many subsequent tracks) on the divorce he had endured, and used his solo career as an outlet for his feelings.

In January 2016, Face Value was reissued with bonus tracks and new photography in the style of the original but featuring the face of a now sixty-five year old Collins.

In this episode I am in discussion with Dr. Andrew Webber.

https://buymeacoffee.com/lownoise

Why buy me a coffee?

Low Noise is proudly ad-free. If you would like to to say thank you for any of the content you have enjoyed (and help support the continuation of creating more), the above link provides a way to make a small donation of your choice (I also function on coffee!).

Feel free to leave a note with your donation to let me know what you enjoy about the podcast or any topics you would like me to discuss in the future.

Mathew Woodall