Yorkshire indie-rockers The Cribs are back with their sixth album, For All My Sisters, another infectious collection of pop- tinged guitar anthems. The trio – twins Gary and Ryan Jarman and younger brother Ross – recorded the album in New York with Ric Ocasek, the ex-Cars member known for his production work with Weezer.
Why did the group choose Ocasek to helm the project?
“When I look at the stuff Ric’s done, there’s a few records I really like and he’s also done a bunch of different bands," says affable frontman Gary. "But one of the key reasons was because of his work with The Cars. We also had this idea that he’d be the ideal producer for a band like us, because The Cars had some really big pop hits, but realistically they were quite a peculiar proposition.
“They weren’t really a straightforward band, they were quite weird. So the idea of working with someone who’d made hit songs while coming from a non-mainstream place, that was something we always hoped and assumed would work for us.”
There was certainly a good omen for the band very early in recording. Literally on their first day of making the album, the band ran into Dave Grohl, with whom they’d previously performed at a show in Ireland.
“We’d just got there and set up the drums and a couple of other things,” recalls Gary. “Then we told the studio engineers we were going out to get some pizza, and bumped into Dave Grohl immediately at a crosswalk just outside the studio, as you do. They only time we’d ever played together was in Ireland, I think in Belfast. So we got chatting, and he was like, ‘Can I come back to the studio with you guys?’ We were like, absolutely – you’re not going to say no to that.
“He was great, we just hung out and chatted. Obviously we were big Nirvana fans growing up, so it was a brilliant way to kick off the album. It was funny, though. Having told the guys in the studio we were going out to get pizza, we turn up five minutes later with Dave Grohl!”
Though he retains his strong Yorkshire accent, Gary has actually been based in Portland for nearly ten years. He moved to the city to play with his wife, who is the bassist for Steve Malkmus & The Jicks. Previously, of course, Malkmus was the frontman for US underground legends Pavement, whom The Cribs listened to growing up.
Gary reveals that the Jicks actually rehearse in his basement, and acknowledges it is slightly odd to have alt.rock royalty playing in his home on a regular basis.
“It’s weird in some ways,” says Gary. “When The Cribs first came out, people would compare us to Pavement, although I never really saw that. But there have been a few funny moments. I recorded a bunch of demos for their previous record, and I’ve actually just produced a song for them, in the basement! They were doing a Grateful Dead cover for a tribute record and I did that for them. It is kind of weird when I’m recording and mixing people who were from the generation before me, but it's great.
“I have to say, that’s one of the great things about Portland – I feel like I’m part of a community of people that I admire. But really, with Steve, I’m recording them and I’m going, ‘This is cool.’ Then I’m picking up his fucking used earplugs off the floor and I’m going, maybe this ain’t so cool!”