Track By Track: Higher Authorities – Neptune

 
Music

Higher Authorities are the result of a great bit of musical dream-teaming. The band is made up of Ade & Hartley (taking a sabbatical from their day jobs in surgical krautrockers Clinic) working with Britain's very own titan of wyrd dub, Adrian Sherwood. The results on debut album Neptune are what you'd expect – pulsing kraut dance meeting cavernous psychedelic space, shot through with a peculiar sense of Britishness; the album is most reminiscent of the quirky, sinister atmosphere of a deserted pleasure pier.  

We decided to let them take us by the hand and lead us through Neptune…

1/ Another time, Another place

All the Neptune songs we're recorded in a run down house in Crosby, Liverpool.
The house backs onto a park, which made us really aware of the seasons and time
The song is about escaping an abusive relationship and even more so about enjoying yourself.

2/ Twilight (in luminous lodge)

Twilight covers the destruction of ourselves as a race and the planet.
But still with a cocktail party feel.

3/ Colour

Is about being out of your tree and feeling wonderful. No guilt or recriminations.
Adrian Sherwood who mixed all the Lp songs, made a nice weird dub of 'Colour'
which we put the original vocals back over. That took the song in a different direction
and gave it a life of it's own.

4/ And why not?

Probably the gentlest song on the album. It has a similar theme to 'Colour' but from
a next day perspective. It's set in the summertime and always cheers me up.

5/ The Clone

Quite a bizarre collage on ageing and loving someone too much for your own good. Some inspired
trowel digging sounds over the coda.

6/ If

My favourite song on the album. It's about giving people enough rope. I'm not sure
that works anymore as people are so rabid and can't admit being wrong. But still
we can dream.

7/ Monocle Man

Another Adrian Sherwood dub, that we preferred to the original song. It all seems
on the verge of falling apart and things randomly appear and disappear. That felt quite
apt for the way we live today. I like the meltdown bit in the middle, always makes me smile.

8/ Abracadabra

A subtle dance floor number, with a gymkhana baiting theme. We're fans of magic and it's possibilities.
Say no to the Cheshire set.

9/ Decades

This reminds me of the theme from 'The Love Boat'. The chorus then slips into a nauseatingly destructive
funk take on the Magical Mystery Tour album. We both hate The Beatles and I think we did
a great job with this one.

10/ Neptune

A really beautiful song by Hartley. Futuristic but longing for a past and security.


Neptune is released on April 20th via Domino. Order a copy from over here and get a free pack of Higher Authorities Rizla. Can't say fairer than that