THE PANICS
‘CRUEL GUARDS’ – TRACK BY TRACK by Jae Laffer
1. GET US HOME
We wanted to record a song to open the record which was sweeping and epic. The Ennio Morricone vibe that comes with this was deliberate - I think the song sounds like a bunch of us riding over a hill into a dusty town. I peppered the lyrics with vague references to landscapes. It has a real sense of mystery and drama to it.
2. RUINS
This is a break up song, but it’s full of imagery and the honest lyric ‘You know I’m not the one that you’re looking for.’ It has a certain resignation to it – a sense that the character in the song knows the relationship is coming to an end. The strings came from Myles sampling different orchestras and this song has a real classic sound to it. Hopefully it doesn’t come across as being pretentious. I loved those Britpop anthems like The Verve ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ where the strings drove the song, rather than just being thrown on at the end.
3. CREAKS
I created a little scene with this song. It’s about leaving someone while they’re sleeping. The creaks mentioned in the lyrics are the little creaks in the floorboards that I have to avoid to leave without making a noise and waking her up. It’s a pumped up song though – we’ve never been afraid of big choruses. My dad was always playing Manfred Mann records when I grew up, which inspires me when writing songs.
4. DON’T FIGHT IT
This is a big song with a big chorus. I wanted this to be a simple bittersweet pop song. The organs sound like gospel organs, and it’s really uplifting. It’s got a catchy chorus and it’s got old style verses where I just rap along. I like to think that people can listen to this and understand the lyrics without having to interpret the lyrics.
5. FEELING IS GONE
This is the simplest song I’ve ever written - it’s a three chord wonder. It’s nice to break the record up with a really basic song like Feeling Is Gone. Again, it’s another bittersweet track. I like writing about the dark things – whether it’s something that comes from the dark corners of the mind late at night or something bad from your past that comes back to haunt you.
6. CRUEL GUARDS
This is the darkest song on the record. It’s haunting and it’s a whole bunch of imagery about society. I was having panic attacks for a while, which I was eventually medicated for. I wanted to write a song that reflected the really bad moments in the day when everything seemed really bad. It’s weird because whenever we play live, this becomes a singalong.
7. LIVE WITHOUT
This song has so many words in it. It was stuff that was floating around my mind at the time I was writing it. It’s a thumping song based on relationships. I know that’s a cliché, but that’s what pop music is all about. I created a bit of a backdrop to the song by spitting out line after line that didn’t necessarily connect, but they work on their own. The lyrical rhythm has a real hip hop feel.
8. SOMETHING IN THE GARDEN
It has a sample from an Aboriginal choir in it, which sounds great. We recorded an instrumental of this and it comes across like a spaghetti western with these big guitar solos over the top. Lyrically, it had a real storytelling vibe. I was listening to a lot of Nick Cave at the time and it was inspired by the ghosts you create in your head when you’re on your own for a long time. I liked putting a few dark characters in the song too. It’s very oppressive and desperate sounding.
9. CONFESS
It’s got a bit of a Kate Bush feel to this because there’s lot of wood instruments underneath. It’s really simple but it’s been expanded with different instruments. It’s a very gung ho song.
10. SUNDOWNER
This was musical jam that expanded into something bigger. We wanted to write a song that closed the album in a dramatic fashion. I’d found out that the word Sundowner was an old term for the first drink of the evening after a long day at work. I really liked the imagery of that.
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Sleeps Like a Curse 1. One too many itches |
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The Panics new album “Sleeps like a curse” was recorded at Megaphone studios in Sydney with Australian producer Tim Whitten. Tim has produced albums by The Clouds, Powderfinger, Art of Fighting, The Go Betweens, The Necks, 78 Saab and worked in England with The Smiths. The songs on “Sleeps like a Curse” were written and demoed in Manchester, England late last year following a series of overseas shows. Jae Laffer lead singer, guitarist and keyboard player says “Johnny Cash influenced a lot of our 'Crack in the Wall' record and some of the new album as well. We'd been bouncing the songs around during our time in England. There are some big piano songs on the new record, “Keep an Eye on Me' is full of big grand piano stabs. ‘The General Calling’ has a late night “white album” feel , kind of 'Happiness is a warm gun', there’s also a bit of Led Zeppelin in there somewhere as well. The rest of the album is more upbeat, lots of slide guitar and hand claps, with bits of Motown and Dylan. “It’s not a thing” pretty much sums up the Panics summer in England. There’s some American west coast mid sixties influence in the song; the band was listening to quite a lot Buffalo Springfield and the Byrds when we were living in England working on new songs, this may have rubbed off a little”. |
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Crack in the Wall 1. Southern |
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Crack In The Wall was recorded in the summer of 03/04 at Kingdom Studio. The rear cover of the album is a photo taken in the recording room of the studio, where the record was made. Kingdom Studio is an old converted Masonic hall in Perth. Opening track "Southern" is the only track recorded outside Kingdom, being recorded on a domestic four-track machine. Mainly written by the Wootton brothers. "Cash" is the first single from the record and is a band composition. Written around the time of Johnny Cash's death, the title stuck from that period. "In Your Head" is one of Jae's track's that was later fleshed out by the band in the studio. Jae's uncle, Richard, had his debut in a studio environment doing takes for the accordian part, adorning the middle of the song. Freya Mengler lends backing vocals also. Only the second time people outside the band have played on a panics' track. "Like An Aching Lung" and "Close Enough Ain't Good Enough" are also tracks Jae had pretty much finished before the band added their take on the album versions. Listen to the end of "Close" to hear the ambient sounds of outdoors and the kitchen area, where the band wait impatiently to add thir parts to the track. "Lost In Green Eyes" is a band track that we started demoing late last year. It started coming together just after the prior album's release, in August. Like a lot of the material on the record, the track is pretty much the band playing live. This one is take one. "Crack In The Wall" is a personal favourite of the bands' and is one of the few times we , "made it up as we went along". Listen for the old slightly out of tune piano and an 80's gadget called a "pan-scan" which is the flickering type effect at the end of this title track. |
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A House on a Street in a Town I'm From 1 This day last year |
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Through August and September last year we put together tracks in a basement in Heaton Moor, Manchester. As you may know, we were invited there by Mark Coyle. For a month we were locked away, only surfacing for scant nutrition and sleep. This was the beginning of "a house on a street in a town I'm from". The Heaton Moor studio was a converted cellar/bunker underneath a house. We started work on four tracks. "How's it feel" "Silence on the street" "Out like a light" and "Don't be kind". These tracks were recorded by Wayne Edwards and Gary Whelan with engineer, Birdy. The songs would later be reworked at home here in Perth. "This day last year" was recorded between Poons Head in Fremantle and the Wright Street studio. This is a different version to the e.p 2 one. "Kid you're a dreamer" was, (as mentioned in the last release blurb) recorded partly at the hyde park hotel. We used the grand piano in their function room. The drums and bass were recorded in a converted Masonic Hall that is now a studio. The remaining voice/instruments were recorded at one of our impromptu house/studio's. This one was producer Stephen Bond's on Harley St. Highgate. "Monkeys in the hallway" was done at another Highgate house/studio on Stirling St. This also happens to be The Panics current HQ. Make what you will of the title. "More than you wanted to know" was written and recorded in two days by Jae at the above house. This could be our next single. We had a guest Cellist on this one, Tristan Parr. My brilliant career is one of the first tracks the band ever put down. Recorded primarily at Survival Studio in Perth it was finished on Stirling Street and re-mixed at Loop Studio's in Leederville for the album. The guitar was put through a leslie speaker, which is a speaker that actually rotates in a big box. Happy ending is a Wootton Bros production with Jae guesting some "rain" vocals. 'Silence on the street' was re-recorded between Harley/Stirling St. One of the last tracks finished for the record. I remember the harmonies from about four in the morning. Give me some good luck was re-mixed and partially re-done (some drums) on Stirling St. Originally recorded one street down on Wright St. in Highgate, this was the original House/Studio. It also boasted the second largest hangovers. No flashy stuff. Think take-aways and instant coffee. 'Only a thought', was recorded at both Kingdom (Masonic Lodge) and Stirling St studio. Drums and bass at Kingdom. Cello again by Tristan. The rest of the fruit at the house. "Fire on the hill" was recorded in the same fashion as "only a thought". Re-mixed at Loop studio, Leederville, by Jeremy Allom. 'I give in' is a Harley St. job. We did some fun stuff with the keyboards. We set up two guitar amplifiers at opposite sides of the house and had the rhodes organ going through them with a tremolo pedal running through. It was very Twin Peaks. The cover artwork is a collation of band family photo's and a.m studio scrawls. That's all. |
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Kid You're a Dreamer 1 Kid you're a dreamer |
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Kid You're A Dreamer is the title of the third release. We've broken the format of the prior e.p's. This is a single b/w two tracks. The album is still coming, due for release early March. These songs have been recorded recently in Perth. The Manchester material will be on the album. Kid You're A Dreamer was recorded in Kingdom Studio and at The Hit Factory with Stephen Bond. The Drums and Bass Guitar at Kingdom, The piano was recorded at the Hyde Park Hotel with the remaining instruments and vocals completed at The Hit Factory. Fade-out. I Give In was written by Jae, backed by a very subdued Panics. This track was recorded entirely at The Hit Factory. Alma is a reference to a show Jae played @ a psychiatric hospital in december 2002 (it also coincidentally relates to the area where we have done most of our recordings, in the Mt Lawley/ Highgate suburbs of Perth). This track was Myles' project, with Bass guitar added later. |
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EP 2 (self titled) 1. This Day Last Year |
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We've kept a theme going with the second e.p. It's five songs again. The album won't follow this, it's just a way of continuing an idea until the album. We worked with Steve Bond, Sid Eaton and Rob Grant in the track recording stage, then, just Steve and Sid in the production stuff. Again we mastered the disc at Poons Head, in Fremantle. This Day Last Year was recorded first at Poons Head (Drums/Bass) then the remaining instuments/vocals at The Hit Factory (RIP) in Highgate. How's It Feel was recorded in Sids' attic in Mt. Lawley, nice and raw. Jae did the vocals/acoustic and Piano. Drew put down a guitar track and Myles did the percussion stuff. Mushroom Cloud is a Wootton track, Myles, Samples. Drew, Guitars. Ghost Song was recorded in Sids' attic. This song was everyone thinking up different ideas, under the influence. The Way Home was begun at Poons Head, like track one, and completed at The Hit Factory. The photo's on the cover come from the same person's photo album as the last e.p. The photo's of the band were taken from a whistle-stop tour. The film clip for This Day Last Year is again put together by Nick Maher. |
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EP 1 (self titled) 1. Give me some good luck |
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My Brilliant Career and the basic tracks to Four Walls were recorded with Adam Keane at Survival Studios. Then some other bits and pieces were overlayed, strings and stuff in Gooseberry Hill by a friend named Digby at Tavistock Mansion. The final bit of Four Walls was done by Stephen Bond in Highgate. Steve pretty much completed the EP with Mark "sid" Eaton. We recorded both Give me some good luck and Wake Up from start to finish at Steve's house. The CD was then mastered at poons head in fremantle by Rob Grant. The artwork was done by Drew Wootton. The film clip for Give me some good luck was by friend Nick Maher, consisting of footage from a gig at the Hyde Park Hotel in April 2002 |
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