Sound & Vision with Benjamin Spike Saunders

Benjamin Spike Saunders’ EP, Tonsil Wife, is a fine showcase for his brand of lo-fi, scuzzy pop.

Lead single, Delicate, is one of a number of highlights from the collection, which was recorded almost entirely on his iPhone. Having loved the EP so much, we caught up with the singer/songwriter to chat influences. These are his Sound & Vision picks:

THREE ALBUMS I LOVE:

This has been hard to whittle it down to just three albums, but I’ve gone for ones that have inspired me musically to the point I’m at now.

1. PJ Harvey – 4 Track Demos 

This record is as raw as it gets, made entirely on a 4 track tape machine Peej had to be so selective over what makes the cut and what doesn’t. The recording style and the acceptance of human error make this such a delight to listen to.

2. Sigur Ros – Takk

Please excuse me for what i’m about to say, but Takk is a PURE SONIC DELIGHT ON AND IN MY EAR HOLES. It’s the album that keeps on giving, the more you listen to it the more you hear tiny details you’ve never heard before….eg. ”OOOO A MAN JUST SNEEZED IN THE SECOND VERSE AND NOW THERE’S A XYLOPHONE PLAYING THE EASTENDERS THEME”. Also it makes me cry every time.

3. Nick Saunders – Resonance

So, this one is a special one for me – this record has been made by the very man who made me (though he used a Lowden Acoustic Guitar to make this record and I’m almost definite he made me with his penis). Sorry Dad, I know you’ll be reading this but this is going to get very soppy very quickly….lyrically, it’s beautiful, the guitar work is gorgeous and it’s such an honour to be the spawn of this talented man. He has also been lumped in with the arguably more talented mathematic based rapper of the same name on Spotify; not my dad but worth a listen.

ONE IMPORTANT FILM:

I’d love to rattle off a bunch of cool art house films that would make me sound like, “wow, this guy knows what he’s on about” but instead I’m picking School Of Rock. I have so much love for this film and can honestly do a one man performance of the whole thing. If this film didn’t exist then I don’t think I would have played music and also would have never witnessed the world’s worst keyboard solo from Lawrence (right at the end of the film in the credits when they’re playing It’s A Long Way To The Top – ACDC, if anyone likes that solo then they’re WRONG). Let’s rock, let’s rock today.

A BOOK THAT HAS STUCK WITH ME:

The Daydreamer – Ian McEwan

My Dad gave me his copy when I was younger and I’ve read it time and time again. The book is made up of 6/7 short stories all following Peter, a small boy. Each chapter is based around a subject that Peter swaps bodies with, this can range from their pet cat to a middle aged man. It’s super weird and a very amusing read, highly recommend.

ONE SONG THAT I LOVE:

Katy J Pearson – Tonight

It was only released only a few days ago and my girlfriend showed it to me as we were making a giant paper mache mouth. The song is arranged beautifully with strings and brass bleeding in and out through sections and her amazing vocal delivery glues the whole thing together. It blends melancholy and upbeat in one meat little package (*neat). Also, the video is wonderful, made up from gorgeous 8mm footage of the sprawling countryside interspersed with (I can only assume) a highly choreographed dance routine. Big fan.

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