Get The Band Back Together is an album by Neil Jarvis. Perhaps best known as being in the Manchester band Sprinters, this album is the third solo album under the Neil Jarvis name. Prior to this Sprinters released two excellent albums, 2017’s Sprinters and 2019’s Struck Gold. Neil’s earlier solo albums were recorded the same way as this one was, on a 4-track cassette recorder. Weekends (2012) and Halloween Summer (2014) featured lo-fi, psych/surf influenced sounds that were sometimes experimental. Get The Band Back Together is more acoustic based, but it still features the sometimes haunting nostalgic feeling that is present throughout all of Neil’s songs.
“Spring, Again” starts off Get The Band Back Together. It is very much a soundscape recording as it features the sounds of someone walking outside and unlocking or locking doors before entering a fenced in area. Acoustic guitar fades in with dusty lax rhythms. The title track blends acoustic guitar, fuzzy electric guitar and looming, ethereal synthesizers. With lyrics such as “And I know you’ll never be the same/And I know we’ll never be the same,” they express a feeling that many people can relate to. The song shows a complexity and duality of two different feelings. One of the joy of a reunion and the other of how that even when this does happen, things just won’t be the same. In the opening moments of Get The Band Back Together, Neil Jarvis shows the listener how he is a master of his craft. “Green & Blue” brings forth acoustic guitars mixed with psych inspired surf riffs. The song features a more introspective mood. Without the drums, Neil’s voice with its reverb effect produces a melancholic feeling, one that is also positive looking towards something new and unexpected.
“Old House” features just an acoustic and vocal track. The reverb on Jarvis’ vocal this time adds more depth to the track. Although it has been compared to Daniel Johnston, the track feels different than Johnston. With lyrics such as “I’ll be here with you/Through the seasons/And through/In this old house,” and “The sun keeps on shining on us/And as sure as the rain keeps on falling on us,” Jarvis creates a character driven song that gives character to an old house as the main character in the song stays there with the house displaying a sense of isolation and togetherness. “Yosemite” features a drum machine and layered distorted psychedelic guitars. Lyrics such as “California/Your burning/Thought I’d warn ya/Don’t disappear” pop up through the haze of guitars and float back down again in this atmospheric track that adds more musical currents to Get The Band Back Together’s aural aesthetics.
“Song For David Berman” is a track influenced by Berman’s music and is directly influenced by the song “People” from Berman’s band Silver Jews. Featuring acoustic guitar and synthesizers that add character in the background, the song with lyrics such as “They say that you shouldn’t crest too soon/They say that you shouldn’t peak too soon,” contemplates the death of Berman by putting it in a larger context. The lyrics are repetitive and effective as they provide a deeper poignancy. “Near Miss” brings more ambiance to the dynamics of Get The Back Together. The reverb and echo present in this song seem to recall a Kurt Vile influence. You can really feel it on this song with its sparse open space sounds that provides the intimacy of seeing an acoustic musician at a small club, minus the people. “Jingle” is a short instrumental piece featuring acoustic guitars and cinematic sounding synthesizer. “Courage” features harmonica. In a more folk-like setting, Jarvis applies the harmonica to his nostalgic melodies in this song that call for bravery in difficult times.
“Time” ends Get The Band Back Together. This track tackles the “time is on our side” cliché, showing the opposite as it puts a spin on it calling for change before you regret it. In this subtle arrangement, Neil Jarvis wraps up Get The Band Back Together. Recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder during lockdown in April 2020-June 2021, Get The Back Band Together takes Jarvis’ earlier tried and true method of recording/writing songs, but adds a sense of maturity and poignancy that sets this collection of songs apart from both Sprinters and his earlier work.
Grab a cassette/digital copy of Get The Band Back Together on the Neil Jarvis Bandcamp page:
Continue reading for an interview that Revolution Rock did with Manchester musician Neil Jarvis:
RR: Let’s Get The Band Back Together was written during lockdown and recorded to 4-track like your first few solo albums. How did it feel to return to this recording method after using the standard band/studio approach for the most recent Sprinters albums?
NJ: It was fun. Recording in a studio can be very long winded and you really need to be patient with it. The last 2 Sprinters albums took a long time to record. Recording at home is a much easier process and you can write a song and have it finished the same day. I much prefer it organic that way and having more control of the sound
RR: Let’s Get The Band Back Together was written during lockdown and recorded to 4-track like your first few solo albums. How did it feel to return to this recording method after using the standard band/studio approach for the most recent Sprinters albums?
NJ: It was fun. Recording in a studio can be very long winded and you really need to be patient with it. The last 2 Sprinters albums took a long time to record. Recording at home is a much easier process and you can write a song and have it finished the same day. I much prefer it organic that way and having more control of the sound
RR: What inspired the songs on this album. Were they written prior to the lockdown or during and do you think any of them might appear with Sprinters during live shows in the future?
NJ: All the songs were written in lockdown. I recorded an acoustic version of "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth during the start of COVID and really liked the vibe. I think I decided at that point I wanted to make an acoustic record. It is definitely a pandemic album as cliche as that sounds. Pretty much all the songs are inspired/galvanized by it in some way. I doubt Sprinters will be playing any of the songs from it though. But I would like to play some solo shows at some point.
RR: Last time we spoke you said that your solo stuff was a bit more experimental than the Sprinters material. Do you feel that is true of Let’s Get The Band Back Together?
NJ: Not really for this album. Once I decided I wanted to make an acoustic record, I was aiming to make something more sophisticated. In my head at the time I was thinking I wanted to make something like "Sea Change" by Beck. It didn’t really turn out like that in the end though.
NJ: I’ve definitely learned not to think too much about the songwriting process. I was very precious about it for a while and would often not finish songs because I didn’t think they were good enough. I’ve learned to persevere and finish stuff. As this was just me on the album it was very much a loner thing; recording in my spare room at home. Half of Halloween Summer was a band playing together so I guess that was different. Some of these songs seemed to come really quick too. I would start them with lyrics in mind and they would come together very fast. None of the songs were work in progress songs that I wrote and worked on over time - like a lot of the Sprinters songs.
RR: I wanted to ask about a few of the songs on Let’s Get The Band Back Together, “Let’s Get The Band Back Together,” “A Song For David Berman” and “Green & Blue.” What inspired these tracks?
NJ: With "Get The Band Back Together" I had had the title in my head for a few months and at first wanted to write a Jeff Tweedy-esq kind of tongue in cheek track about getting an old band back together, and make it kind of funny. When I actually sat down to write it, it was around the time of the vaccines being rolled out, and it ended becoming something else entirely and more of sentiment of it’s time to return back to normality. But it’ll probably never be the same.
"Green & Blue" is about getting through the last summer. We have an allotment behind our house and that saved us during the first major lockdown. We spent most of our time there in summer. It was at the time when you couldn’t leave your garden. The green and blue is a metaphor for that but also finding new unexpected freedoms.
"Song For David Berman," is really a eulogy to David. The lyrics reference the Silver Jews song "People."
‘‘People send people up to the moon
When they return, well, there isn't much
People be careful not to crest too soon’’
RR: I wanted to ask about a few of the songs on Let’s Get The Band Back Together, “Let’s Get The Band Back Together,” “A Song For David Berman” and “Green & Blue.” What inspired these tracks?
NJ: With "Get The Band Back Together" I had had the title in my head for a few months and at first wanted to write a Jeff Tweedy-esq kind of tongue in cheek track about getting an old band back together, and make it kind of funny. When I actually sat down to write it, it was around the time of the vaccines being rolled out, and it ended becoming something else entirely and more of sentiment of it’s time to return back to normality. But it’ll probably never be the same.
"Green & Blue" is about getting through the last summer. We have an allotment behind our house and that saved us during the first major lockdown. We spent most of our time there in summer. It was at the time when you couldn’t leave your garden. The green and blue is a metaphor for that but also finding new unexpected freedoms.
"Song For David Berman," is really a eulogy to David. The lyrics reference the Silver Jews song "People."
‘‘People send people up to the moon
When they return, well, there isn't much
People be careful not to crest too soon’’
His death really stayed with me and I had the idea from hammering Silver Jews and the Purple Mountains record for weeks. The song is a twist on "People" and I think that’s really what tragically happened to David.
RR: Follow up to the previous question: What did David Berman's music mean to you? What stood out about his songs/poetry, and has it inspired your own song writing?
NJ: I always loved Silver Jews. I’m a huge Pavement fan, and that’s where the link came, but David’s lyrics really stood out to me. I was actually blown away by his final music he did with Woods, "Purple Mountains." It was my favourite record of that year and when he passed I was in total shock. The song "All My Happiness Is Gone" is really something else. His lyrics directly inspired "Song For David Berman."
RR: You mentioned that the album’s cover is from the last live gig you were at before the pandemic. What do you remember of that gig and do you remember taking this photo at all?
NJ: I think the photograph was taken by accident on my old film camera. I had accidentally clicked when I was putting it away (it’s an old point and shoot camera) The show I think was the last Sprinters show we did in Manchester in March 2020, which also ended up bring the last live show I went to. The rest of the tour was cancelled. When I decided to go with the album title, I found the picture and thought it fit nicely.
RR: How do you think the process of writing/performing/recording with Sprinters will change now that you have created this new album entirely as a solo artist? Are there experiences from this creative process you will be applying to the next sessions with Sprinters?
NJ: I actually scrapped the third Sprinters album and started again. I realized it sounded too much like the first 2 records and wanted to do something different. I’ve been - trying - to write on a synthesizer and trying to work a new sound whilst also keeping it within a Sprinters style. It would be good to return to tape for this next album as it sounds so much better. But maybe not on the 4-track, but on a reel-to-reel or 8-track. 4-track recording definitely had its limitations. But I think none of us want to spend 12 months recording a new album (like we did on the first 2) we want to get it done fast next time.
RR: You mentioned that the album’s cover is from the last live gig you were at before the pandemic. What do you remember of that gig and do you remember taking this photo at all?
NJ: I think the photograph was taken by accident on my old film camera. I had accidentally clicked when I was putting it away (it’s an old point and shoot camera) The show I think was the last Sprinters show we did in Manchester in March 2020, which also ended up bring the last live show I went to. The rest of the tour was cancelled. When I decided to go with the album title, I found the picture and thought it fit nicely.
RR: How do you think the process of writing/performing/recording with Sprinters will change now that you have created this new album entirely as a solo artist? Are there experiences from this creative process you will be applying to the next sessions with Sprinters?
NJ: I actually scrapped the third Sprinters album and started again. I realized it sounded too much like the first 2 records and wanted to do something different. I’ve been - trying - to write on a synthesizer and trying to work a new sound whilst also keeping it within a Sprinters style. It would be good to return to tape for this next album as it sounds so much better. But maybe not on the 4-track, but on a reel-to-reel or 8-track. 4-track recording definitely had its limitations. But I think none of us want to spend 12 months recording a new album (like we did on the first 2) we want to get it done fast next time.
Show 893 Playlist (Originally Aired On July 31st, 2021)(Neil Jarvis, The Wipers, Protomartyr):
2. Real Sickies - Give and Take
3. OBGMS - Outsah
4. Jesse Fellows - (The) Fly
5. Heavy Manners - Flamin' First (2021 Fresh Mix)
6. Torres - Last Forever
7. Torres - Hug From A Dinosaur
8. Alan Vega - Nothing Left
9. Neil Jarvis - Get The Band Back Together
10. Neil Jarvis - Green & Blue
11. Neil Jarvis - Song For David Berman
12. La Luz - Watching Cartoons
13. Mario & Maria - What I Like
14. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Nocturne Child
15. The Descendents - Like The Way I Know
16. Dead Fibres - Secret Handshake
17. Fitness - Theme II
18. Ryley Walker - Striking Down Your Big Premier
19. The Lee Harvey Oswalds - Not You, The Blonde
20. The Wipers - Window Shop For Love
21. The Wipers - Mystery (4-Track Demo)
22. Mannequin Pussy - Perfect
23. Worry - Acapulco, 2 AM
24. Anxious Pleasers - What Do You Care About
25. Amyl & The Sniffers - Guided By Angels
26. The Armed - An Iteration
27. Metz - Sugar Pill
28. Greys - Minus Time
29. Protomarytr - Born To Be Wine
30. Protomarytr - Too Many Jewels
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