Tells (band)
Encyclopedia
Tells are a British experimental band formed by the former core members of Delicate AWOL
, Jim Version and Caroline Ross.
with art-rock, jazz
and improvised structures. Their music has a strong textural basis with a loose approach to rhythm. Vocals can be either melodious, murmured or incantatory and are inspired by Ross' devout love of traditional vocal music (including English, Indian, Scottish and Bulgarian forms). The band's press release commented "the majority of tracks wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack to a 21st century take on cult horror flick The Wicker Man".
/post-rock
band Delicate AWOL
together in 1998. Over the course of six years, the band released two albums and numerous EPs and evolved from an abrasive urban indie sound to a looser, groove-and-ambient orientated approach drawing on jazz and psychedelia.
Following Delicate AWOL's relocation from London to Aberdeenshire in 2004 the band began to disintegrate. Bass player Michael Donnelly, percussion/synthesizer player Ben Page and drummer Tom Page eventually returned to London to join Rothko
. Reduced to a duo, Version and Ross discovered that the new music which they were making did not suit the former band format. They dissolved Delicate AWOL and formed Tells as a looser collaborative project with themselves at the centre. Based at their own residential Steadling Studios, and now involved in various local community activities, they began to record new music with additional contributions coming from local musicians and volunteer workers. The project thrived on this situation with Ross reporting "two of the band members are 17 years old, and one is 61!"
The album received positive reviews, being hailed as "a beautiful post-rock/avant-jazz masterpiece that will give your ears a real workout ", "a pure gem to warm the cockles ", "(a) remarkable album... bigger than the sum of its influences ", and "slowcore's finest edition since Low ". Even some of the less enthusiastic reviews found the album intriguing - in one instance it was described as "ambitious, if patchy... a school orchestra playing a Mars Volta
song".
In June 2006, Ross mentioned future plans for a piano-and-vocal album and a four-song download EP (neither of which have yet materialised).
, and Caroline Ross has recorded a collaborative album with Rothko called A Place Between (2005).
Ross has also recorded two tracks for Susumu Yokota
’s Distant Sounds of Summer
album and worked with Mark Raudva (Shriekback
) and Mountain Men Anonymous. In 2009, she joined the live lineup of Brighton band Woodpecker Wooliams, singing and playing "flute, glock, omnichord, cheese-grater etc."
Jim Version has engineered and co-produced various records by other artists at Steading Studios, including albums by Bonnie Prince Billy
, Alasdair Roberts, Kitchen Cynics, Scatter, Hookers Green No1, The Great Depression, Tanakh
, Eric Euan, Donal Brown and John Kenny.
Delicate AWOL
Delicate AWOL were a British experimental rock band active between 1998 and 2005. The band were notable for their cross-pollination of various musical forms , for their links with British post-rock band Rothko, for their activities in promoting the London underground music scene of the early 2000s,...
, Jim Version and Caroline Ross.
Sound
Tell's sound mixes aspects of avant-garde folk musicFolk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
with art-rock, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and improvised structures. Their music has a strong textural basis with a loose approach to rhythm. Vocals can be either melodious, murmured or incantatory and are inspired by Ross' devout love of traditional vocal music (including English, Indian, Scottish and Bulgarian forms). The band's press release commented "the majority of tracks wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack to a 21st century take on cult horror flick The Wicker Man".
Emergence from Delicate AWOL
Jim Version (guitar, piano, vocals, instruments, production) and Caroline Ross (vocals, bass, guitar, flute, percussion, instruments) had formed art rockArt rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
/post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
band Delicate AWOL
Delicate AWOL
Delicate AWOL were a British experimental rock band active between 1998 and 2005. The band were notable for their cross-pollination of various musical forms , for their links with British post-rock band Rothko, for their activities in promoting the London underground music scene of the early 2000s,...
together in 1998. Over the course of six years, the band released two albums and numerous EPs and evolved from an abrasive urban indie sound to a looser, groove-and-ambient orientated approach drawing on jazz and psychedelia.
Following Delicate AWOL's relocation from London to Aberdeenshire in 2004 the band began to disintegrate. Bass player Michael Donnelly, percussion/synthesizer player Ben Page and drummer Tom Page eventually returned to London to join Rothko
Rothko (band)
Rothko were a London-based instrumental ambient group. The group mainly used bass guitars and keyboards to create their soundscapes. They derived their name from the painter Mark Rothko...
. Reduced to a duo, Version and Ross discovered that the new music which they were making did not suit the former band format. They dissolved Delicate AWOL and formed Tells as a looser collaborative project with themselves at the centre. Based at their own residential Steadling Studios, and now involved in various local community activities, they began to record new music with additional contributions coming from local musicians and volunteer workers. The project thrived on this situation with Ross reporting "two of the band members are 17 years old, and one is 61!"
Hope Your Wounds Heal
Tells released their debut album, Hope Your Wounds Heal, on Fire Records in 2006. Contributors on this record were Ryoko Toyama and Laura Desbrisay (backing vocals), Philip Johnston (bass) and (flute), Neil Scolley (drums), and former Delicate AWOL member Jo Wright (trumpet).The album received positive reviews, being hailed as "a beautiful post-rock/avant-jazz masterpiece that will give your ears a real workout ", "a pure gem to warm the cockles ", "(a) remarkable album... bigger than the sum of its influences ", and "slowcore's finest edition since Low ". Even some of the less enthusiastic reviews found the album intriguing - in one instance it was described as "ambitious, if patchy... a school orchestra playing a Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
song".
Current/future activity
Having left Scotland in the late 2000s, and with the band now divided between Cheltenham and London, Tells are currently on hold but plan to record more material in the future.In June 2006, Ross mentioned future plans for a piano-and-vocal album and a four-song download EP (neither of which have yet materialised).
Related projects
The members of Tells maintain a link with RothkoRothko (band)
Rothko were a London-based instrumental ambient group. The group mainly used bass guitars and keyboards to create their soundscapes. They derived their name from the painter Mark Rothko...
, and Caroline Ross has recorded a collaborative album with Rothko called A Place Between (2005).
Ross has also recorded two tracks for Susumu Yokota
Susumu Yokota
Susumu Yokota is a prolific Japanese composer.Yokota is well known in the English-speaking independent music scene for his albums of experimental ambient music...
’s Distant Sounds of Summer
Distant Sounds of Summer
Distant Sounds of Summer is an album released in October 2005 by Japanese electronic musician Susumu Yokota and London-based ambient band Rothko. It features all four tracks released on the Waters Edge EP, a 2002 collaboration between the two artists....
album and worked with Mark Raudva (Shriekback
Shriekback
Shriekback are an English rock band, formed in 1981 in Kentish Town by Barry Andrews, formerly of XTC and League of Gentlemen , and Dave Allen, formerly of the Gang of Four , with Carl Marsh, formerly of Out On Blue Six soon added to the line-up. They were joined by Martyn Barker on drums in 1983...
) and Mountain Men Anonymous. In 2009, she joined the live lineup of Brighton band Woodpecker Wooliams, singing and playing "flute, glock, omnichord, cheese-grater etc."
Jim Version has engineered and co-produced various records by other artists at Steading Studios, including albums by Bonnie Prince Billy
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
, Alasdair Roberts, Kitchen Cynics, Scatter, Hookers Green No1, The Great Depression, Tanakh
Tanakh (band)
Tanakh is the name of a musical collective from Richmond, Virginia as well as a reference to the music produced by the group. The collective was formed in 2000 by its primary songwriter, producer and recording engineer Jesse Poe.- Background :...
, Eric Euan, Donal Brown and John Kenny.