Hailing from the mysterious neuk of Fife on Scotland's wild, but picturesque East Coast, superb singer/ songwriter JAMES YORKSTON quietly came to critical prominence following the release of his 2002 debut album, the mellow and deliciously emotional "Moving Up Country."
He's kept moving since then, playing a key role in the continuing development of Fife's wonderful artistic community, the Fence Collective, and is about to release his consummately lovely second album "Just Beyond The River" on Domino. Just the opportunity W&H needed for an in-depth conversation with the man himself? You said it.
James is friendly, chatty and excellent company. There's also a wise head on his young shoulders and a fiery determination is never far below the surface as we talk over the next half hour or so. He's talking to us in a London cafe, but has to catch a train, so - thanks to the advantage of the mobile phone - we end up walking and talking with him.
The obvious place to start is Yorkston's magnificent new album "Just Beyond The River". It's every bit as warm, organic and possessed of a homespun magic as "Moving Up Country", but this writer was surprised to discover Four Tet's critically acclaimed electronic wizard Kieran Hebden was in the producer's chair. How did you come to link up with him?
"Initially it was through Domino," replies James (the two acts are labelmates - ed). "When I first started working with Domino, I got a lot of their CDS and heard Kieran's stuff with Four Tet and so on. I really liked them, and apparently the feeling was mutual."
"So," he continues, after a brief pause, "Lawrence (Bell, Domino boss) said I should meet him and it was obvious we were going to get on well. Actually, we were initially gonna go with Simon Raymonde (ex-Cocteau Twins bassist) again as he produced "Moving Up Country", but he thought it was a good idea we go with Kieran as well, so everyone was happy with the idea and it's worked out really well."
Agreed. Though I'm pleased that - rather like Brian Eno did with the Talking Heads' "More Songs About Buildings & Food" - he's left the band generally unadorned; ensuring the wildness, organically warm feel and slightly untamed qualities of The Athletes' music remains ragged and intact. I assume an electronica-style makeover was never on the cards?
"No, I wasn't interested in that kind of approach at all," says James, stamping quickly on that one.
"That was never an issue from our first meetings. We went to have a drink - well, I did, Keiran doesn't drink - and discussed it, then I went round to his house to listen to some music. I played him some stuff I liked as well and we clearly had common goals as we were already talking about using banjos, bouzoukis etc. Keeping it warm, organic and simple."
Right. Well, instead of a remote Scottish farmhouse where "Moving Up Country" was fashioned, you this time decamped to Bryn Derwen in North Wales, where several of my other favourite people (Michael Weston King, Jackie Leven etc) have previously recorded. What was it about this location that made it attractive?
"Well, Domino wanted a posh studio, and I wanted a cottage(laughs). So Bryn Derwen was a compromise of sorts because it's a big cottage, but kitted out with lots of expensive equipment. It's removed from any big towns, so it's great for chilling out and thinking in a creative fashion. Simon Raymonde was instrumental in suggesting it, and when we went down, we all liked it straight away."
From what I hear, the band have all been listening to a diverse selection of music during the album sessions: Faust being one of the names referenced. That's a surprise to me: are you a closet Krautrocker, James?
"There's no closet about it at all, mate!" responds James proudly.
"I absolutely love them. Actually, I pay far too much money on Ebay for their stuff," he laughs again.
"My favourite is "Munich & Elsewhere", that's just brilliant. I'm wearing a Can t-shirt now while we're talking! In fact, I wanted "Just Beyond The River" to be a cross between Can and Planxty."
That's some aspiration! Talking of infamous folk names like Planxty (who of course featured the young Christy Moore), I know another legendary traditional singer Anne Briggs is important to you, isn't she? She's not as exalted as, say, Sandy Denny, is she?
"No, but Anne Briggs is incredible," James enthuses.
"I'm a huge fan. She was the first unaccompanied trad folk singer I really got into. This was a decade or so back, and I love the purity and space in her music. Her phrasing has also been a major influence on my singing. Not that I sound like her or anything (laughs), but she's crucial to me. Martin Carthy, too."
We're talking about some of the figureheads of the 60s British folk scene here. Your music is often referred to as 'spearheading a new young folk sound' or some such guff. How does all that hyperbole sit with you?
"It's something I don't even think about," says James dismissively.
"I mean, musicians just don't bother with all that crap. We don't sit on the train thinking, "wow, we're off to a gig and we're spearheading the new folk movement, isn't it great?". That's just ridiculous. We just get into the music we're doing. OK, I grant you, that sort of label is probably more accurate than pigeonholing us with "New Heavy Metal sounds" or something, but it doesn't affect me at all."
"I mean," he continues, "There's no way I'd ever compare myself with people like Martin Carthy, because that's way off, I'd never be that good. Besides, music's not a competition - not to the people who love it, anyway."
Very well said, indeed. Actually, you've been instrumental in the development of the similarly anti-commercial Fence Collective from Fife. They're a good example of how people can still operate independently in an increasingly corporate world, but are they as relaxed a bunch of people as we tend to think?
"Yeah, I seldom see any money from them!" replies James, laughing heartily.
"No, joking apart, it's brilliant, a really creative outlet for loads of people. For instance, I was up in Fife recently playing with The Concretes, Pip Dylan, King Biscuit Time and more and we all played together, joined in on each other's stuff. It was fantastic."
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Is it really a situation where you have an agreement and there's no contract as such, rather like the way the earlier, trailblazing indies like Factory used to operate?
"Yeah, yeah, it is a kind of equivalent of that kind of thing, and while I can only speak for myself, I think it's a very relaxed aesthetic, and they're great fellows, very nice to work with. I mean, I can turn up and watch King Creosote a few feet away from where he's playing and that's great, exciting and a real education too."
Do all the Fence-related artists feel removed from whatever's happening in Glasgow and the cities?
"Oh yeah, they don't care about all that," says James emphatically.
"Certainly for me, as a member of the collective I feel a strong affinity with that worldview. I mean, we're all failed musicians in the virtuosic sense and that's very liberating because if that's the case you just start doing music because you love it and you don't give a shit about success. Just do what you want. That's been my philosophy and I think the Collective share a similar ideal. It's great for creativity, removes all the bullshit that goes with this."
Talking of virtuosos - or lack of them - who's the great banjo player who's all over "Just Beyond The River"?
"It's me!" James fires back.
"Well, Faisal (Rahman) plays it on "Hotel", but other than that it's me. Doogie (Paul) plays it live, except on "Banjo#1". But I really think the banjo's the most wonderful instrument going."
Yeah, I think it's under-rated. Certainly, there are people out there from Neil Young to The Boggs who have been making it cool again, but there's still a bit of a stigma attached to the poor old banjo, isn't there?
"Too right," agrees James. "I turn up for radio sessions with one sometimes and you can see their faces drop, y'know. They'll go "oh right, yeah, good to see you" and you can tell they're really thinking..."oh shit, he's got a banjo!" (laughs)".
Another new album track the instrument features on is "Shipwreckers". That's a song that struck me straight away as a standout. There's real grace and danger about it...
"That's about a place in West Cork (near where this writer lives) called Baltimore, which is famous for sackings and shipwrecks," reveals James.
"I was staying with a friend in the area, it's a place I go to regularly, and he told me a true story about the place being a shipwrecker's coast, so in the song that's combined with an evening I spent with my girlfriend in Baltimore. I love the place, I'm very happy and at home there. It's one of the places I love most in the world."
Well, the area's certainly rich in folk tradition, but - like with "I Know My Love" on "Moving Up Country" - the Athletes also make a couple of traditional (I think) British songs ("Edward" and "The Snow It Melts The Soonest") very much their own on the new album. Where did you learn these versions from?
""The Snow It Melts The Soonest" was from the Anne Briggs version," says James.
"We wanted to do it for ages, but we could never seem to get past her version, or Eliza Carthy's...or Dick Gaughan's for that matter. So we had to come up with a way of putting something new into it. We got there in he end, though, and I love it because it really catches The Athletes at full pelt."
Yeah, it's got a intensity even The Velvets would approve of...
"Thank you," replies James. "On the other hand, "Edward" was a bugger to sort out. I learnt it from an Appalachian folk singer called Jean Ritchie, but there are loads of different versions of that song. I think it's actually a Scottish song, but I've also heard it may be Irish, so I couldn't definitely pin down its' origins."
OK, well James, you have a train to catch, so we'd better let you go. Before you disappear, though, let's put you on the spot: what's your favourite track on the new album?
"Oh God, no-one's asked me that one before," he replies, slightly dismayed.
"But d'you know...I think I have about seven favourite tunes. That might sound wanky and egotistical, but I really enjoy a load of the songs on it. I really like "Heron", because nothing happens in that song, then there's "Surf Song" because it's really beautiful; "Edward" is so intense. Actually, the one I like doing live the most is usually "This Time Tomorrow....."
He trails off.
"Oh bugger....I'll probably have changed my mind about this when I've out the phone down now...."
Not to worry, James. W&H are happy to continue this conversation any time you like. Indeed, whether James Yorkston is the 'new face of folk' or not is really so much spurious bollocks. What matters is he's right here, right now and making fantastic music we'll be listening to for years to come. "Just Beyond The River" is the place we want to be.
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