Hit The North: Klang, You did it Right

Of its many achievements, perhaps the greatest is the way in which Klang!, the marvellous debut album from Coney Island Sound, manages to disguise a great deal of weighty subtext in a dizzily joyous and feather-light form. Mainman Ewan Gordon has been kind enough to let us in on some of the influences (from Charles Schultz to Delia Derbyshire; Steve Reich to Trumpton) that informed the record’s construction.

‘Introducing Mr Kellogg’
Introducing Mr Kellogg kicks off proceedings and revolves around Casio and Fender Rhodes with drums and strings in support. It’s an upbeat summer tune and the first track to feature some archival sound. In this instance it’s Charles Kellogg and some of his Vaudeville bird impersonations from an old cylinder recording. I was influenced by bands like The Books in terms of adding found sound or unusual sources.  
‘Schroeder’s Cat’
Schroeder’s Cat is all about the toy piano as played by Schroeder in Charlie Brown. It’s the jingling and slightly klanking toy like quality of the sound that make this song evocative of childhood or at least some of the music that accompanied the shows of an ’80s or ’70s childhood. I’d been influenced by guitar player Freddie Philips whose music for shows like Camberwick Green and Trumpton used early multitrack tape techniques.
‘Romaji’
Romaji means Romanized Japanese, in terms of the written word and I guess reflects a wish to get the record released in Japan. The main instrument is plucked piano supported by Moog bass-synth. The shuffly rhythms come from a mixture of Pick Up Sticks from an old 1950s game and a vintage cr78 drum machine.  
‘The Lemonade Song’
The lemonade fizzes come from a recording of pouring through a Kaoss Pad and the music is a patchwork of chopped up guitars and synths. The voice comes from an old cylinder recording of Vaudeville entertainer Cal Stewart speaking as his Uncle Josh character. Talking about making lemonade seemed to fit this mix and give things an Avalanches-type feel.  
‘Science and Health’
The name was borrowed from a Delia Derbyshire piece written for a radio documentary series. It felt appropriate for playing around with synthesisers a little. The song revolves around plucked and chopped guitar and a delayed Moog effect, the drums are a mix of Cajon and playing my knees, a trick inspired by Buddy Holly’s Everyday.  
‘Klang!’
Klang! starts with the sound of a speeded up Air Hockey puck from a Scarborough arcade and takes in Melotron, Moog and Theremin whilst the piano hammers out the main rhythm. It plays around with acoustic guitar loops before finishing with a slightly tropical flourish at the end  using a Juno synth to try and make steel drums.  
‘Holmpton’
Holmpton is a quiet Yorkshire coastal village and this accordion-led tune is somewhat evocative of the coast. The synths build up the croscendos of sound towards the end but there’s also some twinkly music box and toy piano in there too contrasting in quieter moments.
‘Kiss And Fly’
I spotted a sign that said ‘Kiss And Fly’ at San Francisco airport and felt that it would make a nice title. The tune features Tenori on which I used to control a piano which hopefully gives a little bit of a Dave Brubeck or perhaps Steve Reich feel. The woodwind builds and, amongst the chopped instruments, a Theremin takes over to give a little vintage sci-fi flavour to finish.  
‘Nautical By Nature’;
An accordion and found percussion-led nautical tune that’s maybe been influenced a little by Moondog. Things get chopped and edited towards the end as the synths and guitars build to a more glitchy finish, a little like an electronic hornpipe.  
‘Life In A Northern Town’
Another appropriated title, this begins with snippets of overheard conversation in a Cleethorpes charity shop. Some have said there’s a travelogue feel to this and over the 10 minutes or so you’re taken on a journey mainly by piano and string arrangements. The tune resolves and we drift off into a music collage at the end then back to the shop and a motorcycle passing in the background.  

Klang! can be downloaded from coneyislandsound.bandcamp.com