London-based singer/songwriter Chris Townsend kicks off 2012 with his new EP entitled Electric Pylons. A follow up to Chris' 2008 debut album Copenhagen; Electric Pylons was recorded at Modern World Studios, Tetbury, Gloucestershire and is produced by Greg Haver, known for his production work with the Manic Street Preachers, Mel C, Super Furry Animals, and Catatonia.
"The EP itself was recorded in just a week!" says Chris, "It was a long week though. We worked really hard from 10am each morning to 2-3am each night non-stop to get everything done."
How Chris Townsend's Fans Helped Finance The Electric Pylons EP
Chris says the preparation of the Electric Pylons EP took a lot longer, with Chris sending Greg Haver demos for two months before deciding to go ahead with production in August 2011.
Chris then had to find money to finance the recording, which he did through a platform called Pledgemusic.com, this enabled friends and fans to raise funds for the recording.
"The Pledgemusic campaign lasted 60 days," Chris recalls. "So between August and October, I was working hard to fund raise the money I needed to record and release the EP. I hit my target in early October, which was great and I am so grateful to all the people that pre-ordered the CD and other exclusives that were offered.
Chris Townsend Displays Diversity On Electric Pylons EP
The Electric Pylons 5-track EP is a collection of catchy melodies that highlight Chris's diversity as a singer/songwriter: "It's very important to me that my songs don't all sound the same. I try hard to use different styles and sounds as much as possible without making things so different that they don't hold together well."
The opening track Painters Brush features driving guitar riffs set against a distinctive piano sound and features feel good lyrics that name check music legends Tom Petty and Buddy Holly.
The haunting Electric Pylons is a gentle ballad with intricate guitar work from Chris. The track recalls a point when Chris lived in Paris and regularly travelled back to London on the Eurostar to visit his girlfriend. “When I was on the train in France, I remember always seeing the electricity pylons rush by as the Eurostar was going along and that was the inspiration behind the start of the song" he says.
Chris Townsend Closer Features Infectious Guitar Riffs
There are two further strong melodic upbeat tracks with the inclusion of Home Tonight, which recalls feel good melodies popularised by The Lightning Seeds and Squeeze and Stone By Stone featuring a solid piano lead and double tracked vocals.
The heaviest track on the collection is Closer which fades in with a pulsating infectious guitar riff. Featuring all the hallmarks of an 80s indie track Closer has an almost anthem feel with Chris demonstrating an ability to project his voice in two different styles.
"I like quite a range of music and so experimenting with my own vocal range is nice as I'm able to reflect that.” says Chris, “Closer is difficult to sing though, because of the very high parts, so I do have to concentrate quite hard when I'm doing it live and make sure my voice is in good shape to hit the high notes. Its lucky that music venues aren't full of smoke anymore otherwise that would be a nightmare for that song!"
Download The Electric Pylons EP By Chris Townsend from iTunes
All in all, the Electric Pylons EP is one of the freshest and exciting sounding releases of the moment and deserves repeated listening. Chris plans to tour the UK, Europe and US with the EP during 2012.
The EP is currently available to download or to purchase from Chris Townsend at his official website or alternately on iTunes.
- Thanks to Chris Townsend for talking to Suite101 about his music.
