In 2011, while listening to the radio, I heard Miles Kane sing "...You rearrange my mind..." I've been obsessed with this British rocker ever since. While it wasn't him who introduced me to Brit-rock, Miles Kane was an important musician who started me wanting to keep digging into Brit-rock.
Twelve years later, Miles Kane is about to release his fifth solo studio album One Man Band. Because of this, I have the opportunity to listen to him talk about his debut across the sea.
Carefully Selected New Masterpiece
Miles Kane said that he is really excited about the upcoming release of One Man Band, because he made about 20 songs for this album, but finally selected 11 songs to be included in this album. "There was loads, before going into record I had about 20 songs. I made this album with my cousin James Skelly. He produced this album with me and he's in a band called The Coral” He continued: "We went through each song and we like you know made this as good as can be lyrically and stuff like that and then we just we stuck to our guns and like instead of recording the 20 songs, we just picked the 11 that we thought were the most solid of songs that make sense and we stuck to our guns”
Regarding such an answer, it is not difficult to imagine how Miles struggled when picking songs. At this time I asked him, "Can you pick out your favourite song from this album?" Miles thinking for a bit, said, " I mean this answer will change every day. Yeah, maybe right now I'd pick The Wonder. Why The Wonder? cause it's quite got a real summer vibe. I'm just looking out my window and I'm imagining like lads and girls singing it at the gigs and stuff and like in the pub getting drunk with The Wonder"
At this moment, Miles talked about this upcoming new work, he continued: “There is another song called Baggio. That's one of my favourite things I've ever done in my life. That song and the little film I made with Robert Baggio and I get to meet him. All I just think it's so good. ”
Create With Real Emotion
Every song has meaning to Miles Kane, and I tried to ask him, "Can you describe your music?" He smiled and said, "'Honest, Powerful, and Emotional. Because a lot of my lyrics are quite emotional you know? I mean it's like they come from a place from the heart. I get whether it's a happy song or angry song or a sad song. I mean, even with the old songs I got a lot of them, I got like feelings, and it takes me back to a certain place in my mind. So, I think yeah, I think there's that definitely emotional" After Miles’ answered, I realised that even as he looks so cool, he is also emotional.
Just Do It Seriously
For the upcoming album One Man Band, Miles has begun to prepare for the promotion. On June 18, he appeared at the Arctic Monkeys London concert, and performed the band's 2007 hit single Song 505. I asked did you feel nervous about performing with them? He said: "I was dead nervous for that cause it's like obviously they're massive and you know it's like their gigs are massive as well. I mean you've just got 3 minutes that's all you've got or whatever you know so I was shitting myself to be honest .”
Hearing what he said, I asked him, are you not nervous in your own gig? You are only one person! He smiled and said, "I'm less nervous when performing solo. I don't know I guess cause it's my it's my baby. It's like it's probably where I'm most comfortable"
Towards the end of the interview, I asked him if anyone ever felt, "When you're doing something serious, you're just messing around?" He said, "I'm sure I've been laughed at a million times bro when I've been trying to be serious." Miles said that there is no textbook to teach you how to become a rock singer, you can only follow your inner thoughts and do it.
At the end the interview, Miles Kane, also shared his point of view about the theme of this issue, He said: "Isn't it 《Show and Tell》 like. If I brought my favourite jacket, my favourite painting or my favourite guitar or a favourite record, I'd show it to you. And I'd tell you why it's my favourite one, and I'd say this is my favourite cause this jacket fits this way or you know this album made me cry, this film makes me feel confident. It's like you are describing something that you love, I think.”
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ART DIRECTOR & STYLIST @lyla.cheng
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/ @dylan_sy_tang
