The eccentric and deliberately unpredictable UK singer/songwriter Cosmo Jarvis has a chat to our Editor in Chief Larry Heath. Cosmo will be in town to support his new album, Think Bigger. Here’s how it went down.
Hello Cosmo! We’re excited to have you back in Australia! Let’s talk about your last time here first up – what were your experiences down under last October?
Good time, good shows, awesome people and crew, A lot of good Chinese food and good radio.
What are you most looking forward to about being back? Anything you didn’t have time to do last time?
I’ll be grateful however it goes out there, unless an angry terrorist group hi-jack the plane I get on or something like that. I’ve got a lot of other stuff to work on when I’m there so I don’t think I’ll have much disposable time.
You’re here on a whirlwind promotional tour for your highly anticipated third album Think Bigger. How do you feel the album compares to your earlier works?
A tad more cohesive in sonic consistency but deriving from the same intentions for songs I maintained whilst working on those older pieces of work. I think it may be a little easier to listen to for industry types. I prefer it to any of my previous albums for sure. I think the songs are better on this one in a lot of different ways. It’s still as diverse as the last ones.
I love the artwork, and how you can read the title a few different ways – eg big thinker. Or maybe that’s just me?
Holy Shit I never thought of that. I just noticed that ‘Bigger’ had enough letters to fit around ‘Think’ like that I guess. It also made the work ‘Think’ actually physically Bigger than the word ‘Bigger’ and ‘Think’ is a pretty enticing word anyhow and is used a lot in advertising so I figure my managers took to the idea because my previous choices in artwork hadn’t proved beneficial to their ‘shifting of the product’. I like it though.
Who designed the cover?
Paul Chessel is the design Guy. I Took a ton of Black and White photographs when I was in NYC at CMJ last year. I gave them to him and eventually after many possible options were discussed we collaboratively arrived at the present cover design.
Who did you work with on the record and where did you record it?
I recorded it all mostly in my bedroom in Paignton, Devon, U.K. All except for Harry Meads playing the drums for “Train Down Down”, “Sunshine” and “Tell Me Who To Be” which I recorded at PMC rehearsal Studios, Plymouth. Strings for “Train Down Down”, “Tell Me Who To Be” which were recorded in Bristol and were arranged by a guy called Jeremy Holland Smith. I used my housemates as backup vocalists on “Sunshine” and some guys from my town George Wills and Gabriela Kosmaczewka who helped out by Playing violin and cello on “Love This” and “Hopeless Bay”. I tried to play everything else and produced and mixed it on an pirate copy of Adobe Audition 1.5.
Where did you spend the majority of the time writing the record?
On the Toilet. Or my bedroom.
Do you ever write while you’re on the road?
Always – few of those ideas see fruition. Occasionally they can be quite O.K though.
You’re 22 and have released three albums… And you seem to be doing a million things on top of this – films, touring… do you ever get to sleep?
it’s no burden and I really have nothing else of any interest that I would like to waste my existence on.
How does it feel to have this sort of body of work to rest on though?
It’s just work like anyone else and anyone who loves working is never done working so it kind of means nothing. I get to hate my work very quickly after it is born so I just kind of don’t think about the past too much.
What do you hope people take away from a Cosmo Jarvis live show?
A good time with some good grooves and different music played in a good, musical and genuine way. I guess its always good if you can nail the mood of a song perfectly so me and the band kind of just keep trying to do that.
The last time we spoke we talked a lot about film prospects… What’s the latest on that front, particularly The Naughty Room?
Well It’s done finally – had a press screening last night at the 20th Century fox screening in London and the reaction was much better than I expected, in fact I think they liked it which is great. Me and the cast are trying to get it shown in independent cinemas across the U.K but it’s early days for that in terms of information at this stage. It will definitely be available to most people in most places in physical and digital form. I am also in the early stages of getting my shit together for my next film A Band On Hope which will probably be made in a similar way to The Naughty Room but just much more organised and a few less things left to chance, but still plenty enough. So yeah – film wise just working on that at the moment, I’ll keep you posted.
What else is next for you and when will you be back in Australia for a proper tour?
Fo’ Sho’ in December.
Have a great time back in Australia, congratulations on the album, and best of luck with it and the film!!
Thanks a lot man, cheers!
———————————
Cosmo Jarvis Tour Dates!
Sydney:
Wednesday 25 July – 2SER RADIO (the loft courtyard)
Friday 27 July – The Roxy Hotel, Parramatta
Sunday 29 July – Bucklers Canteen, Bondi
Monday 30 July – The Newsagency, Marrickville
Melbourne:
Friday 3 August – Pure Pop, St Kilda
