Minute Taker

Minute Taker

Minute Taker performing live in Manchester, October 2012
Background information
Birth name Ben McGarvey
Genres folktronica, dream pop, alternative, synthpop
Occupation(s) singer-songwriter, musician, music producer
Instruments vocals, piano, synthesizer, guitar, glockenspiel,
Years active 2008–present
Associated acts The Spiels
Website minutetaker.net

Ben McGarvey, known under the stage name of Minute Taker, is an English singer-songwriter, music producer and multi-instrumentalist whose style has been described as folktronica.[1] To date he has released 2 albums; Too Busy Framing (2008) and Last Things (2013). McGarvey also composes for theatre and has been a member of Manchester-based alternative folk-pop band The Spiels.

Early life

McGarvey grew up in Telford, Shropshire.[2] His interest in music began at the age of 12 when he started playing an old piano in the basement of his family home. After having some music lessons he decided that he preferred playing by ear and began writing his own songs. He studied popular music at college where he became interested in music production and was "really fascinated by the way production elements could be used to add layers to songs and bring them to life". He then went to university to study contemporary music.[3]

Too Busy Framing (2008–2009)

Following university McGarvey moved to Manchester where he wrote and recorded songs in his bedroom. In February 2008 he self-financed his debut album Too Busy Framing (released under his own name). Clash described the album as "carefully constructed, layered compositions with as much in common with Múm as David Gray and his ilk".[4] Manchester Evening News described McGarvey's songs as being "full of strange, hypnotic loops and samples, and the lonesome, existential imagery of his lyrics brings to mind a young Morrissey".[2]

McGarvey has described how he sampled gay porn movies for one of the album's songs "Lust", "creating the song's rhythm section from sounds created during intercourse".[5]

Another of the album's songs "Disjointed" references serial killers Fred and Rose West. McGarvey has said that the song was written "from my perspective as someone who, at the time, drew a parallel between the story of Fred and Rose and my own relentless search for a partner".[1]

In 2013 The 405 retrospectively praised Too Busy Framing stating that "As far as debut albums go, it remains an underrated hidden gem and continues to age rather well."[1]

The Spiels (2010–2013)

In 2010 McGarvey formed a band called The Spiels (an abbreviation of "glockenspiels"[6]) with singer-songwriter Ryan Lamey. The pair originally met when Lamey recruited some of McGarvey's backing band members for his own solo project.[7] They later came to work together when Lamey replied to an advert McGarvey placed on Gumtree looking for musical collaborators[8] and the project evolved into a 5 piece band[6]). Manchester Evening News described their music as "alternative folk-pop of infinitely dark hue" comparing their work to that of Arcade Fire, Kate Bush and Antony and the Johnsons.[7]

The Spiels released their debut EP Nightvision Part 1 on their own record label Octagonal Records in January 2013.[9]

Last Things (2012–2014)

In 2012 McGarvey re-emerged as a solo artist under the adopted psydonymn of Minute Taker with a 4 track EP of new material Postlude.[9] In reference to his change of artist name McGarvey revealed in an interview with The 405 that "I never really felt comfortable using my own name". He described how he'd spent time working in offices as a Minute Taker and was drawn to the name because it simultaneously sounded "mundane and fantastical."[1]

On 15 April 2013 McGarvey released his second solo album Last Things on Octagonal Records. In an interview with Gay Times Magazine McGarvey revealed that he had actually finished the songs for the album 2 years previously but had struggled to settle on a final track list due to him having produced a much larger body of songs in varying styles; "it really took me a while to decide what was the right direction for this album, which has turned out to be quite dark and electronic."[5]

The front cover artwork of Last Things features a fully clothed McGarvey submerged in water. In reference to the concept behind the image and the album itself McGarvey disclosed to Notion Magazine that "Narcissism and the pursuit of the ideal self in a partner are themes that I've explored with a lot of the songs on this album. You can never quite bring this ideal into focus because the ripples of the water distort the image in all manner of ways, leaving your mind to fill in the gaps.[10] McGarvey has also said that the album is "really all about the last things we face on a day-to-day basis, from the smallest to the largest degrees of loss, whether it be the end of a relationship or letting go of a dream."[1]

McGarvey provided interviews with several publications including Notion, Attitude,[3] Gay Times and The 405. The latter featured 2 new videos of McGarvey performing "Somewhere Under Water" (from Last Things) and a cover version of Pet Shop Boys' "Heart" using piano, voice and various electronic instruments including a synthesizer and a loop pedal.

2 promotional singles from the album were released; "Merge" (March 2013) and "Let It Go" (April 2013).[11] McGarvey also performed a concert at Manchester's 3 Minute Theatre to mark the launch of the album.[12]

Last Things received favourable reviews from various online publications including Red Online,[13] Fashion Soundtrack,[14] Trendland,[15] Chasseur Magazine[16] and Right Chord Music who named Minute Taker "Artist of the Week".[17] As part of a feature on Minute Taker, Notion described Last Things as "A beautiful collection of electronic-orientated pop songs that sound like old recordings that have been rediscovered and restored by a renegade computer; glitching and looping."[10]

In February 2014 the 405 premiered Alkali, Minute Taker's first music video and the third single from Last Things. The Alkali video incorporates clips from the 1922 expressionist film, Nosferatu, interwoven with degraded self-portrait footage and silent film-era narrational captions.[18] Skeleton Dance (the b-side to Alkali) has been played by Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 Music.[19] Robinson also played Merge as part of a Kate Bush special show, citing McGarvey as a new artist who has been influenced by Bush's music.[20]

HOAX My Lonely Heart (2014)

McGarvey composed the music for a stage musical Hoax: My Lonely Heart which was shown at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre in June 2014. Written by award winning author Ravi Thornton, HOAX is a cross-media project consisting of the stage musical HOAX My Lonely Heart and accompanying graphic novel HOAX Psychosis Blues. The musical, which was directed by Benji Reid, was described on the Royal Exchange Theatre's website as "a dark musical fuelled by those most destructive of tendencies: love and self-sabotage".[21] The story is based on the experiences of Ravi Thornton's younger brother Roabbi (aka Rob) who committed suicide in 2008 at the age of 31, after having suffered a long battle with Schizophrenia.[22][23] McGarvey created the music live on stage using a loop pedal, piano and vocal harmonies to accompany the actors who sang the lead parts.[1]

To Love Somebody Melancholy (2015)

McGarvey premiered his latest work, an audio-visual performance, To Love Somebody Melancholy at Chorlton Arts Festival in May 2015. A collaboration with illustrator/animator Ana Stefaniak, the show was described by the Chorlton Arts Festival website as "a story told through a contemporary song cycle and projected photographic animations, exploring the melancholic temperament of artists."[24] Time Out Manchester included the show as one of their top recommendations for the festival.[25]

Live performance

Despite indicating in 2008 a preference towards sharing home recorded performance videos on YouTube rather than actually playing live, McGarvey played a show at Night and Day Cafe, Manchester in December 2008 which was selected by The Guardian as a "pick of the week" and described as "Epic, otherworldly sounds in an intimate show, with digital trickery."[26]

In 2013 McGarvey made use of a loop station in his live performances which he said "allows for a live set to become a series of recordings, created live on stage".[1]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Shows

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Davidson-Vidavski, Doron (28 March 2013). "The 405 meets Minute Taker".
  2. 1 2 Sue, David (17 October 2008). "Manchester Evening News: McGarvey is Ready for the Big Escape".
  3. 1 2 Attitude, _ (2 May 2013). "ATTITUDE: Minute Taker Interview".
  4. ↑ Issue 27, Clash (June 2008). "Too Busy Framing Album Review".
  5. 1 2 Gay Times, Magazine (June 2013). "Meet Minute Taker".
  6. 1 2 Horwood, Matt (16 January 2013). "Tomorrow's Music Tonight: VIVA meets The Spiels".
  7. 1 2 Sue, David (24 August 2012). "Manchester Evening News: The band adding a dark side to Pride".
  8. ↑ Davidson-Vidavski, Doron (8 May 2012). "Listen Up! Music Interview: The Spiels".
  9. 1 2 "Octagonal Records". April 2013.
  10. 1 2 Preston Caroll, Joe (11 April 2013). "Planet Notion Interview: Minute Taker".
  11. ↑ "Minute Taker premieres lyric video for "Let It Go"". AltSounds. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  12. ↑ "Manchester Evening News: Gig Picks – Minute Taker". 15/02/13. Retrieved 21 October 2013. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ↑ "Minute Taker – Last Things Review". Red Online. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  14. ↑ http://fashionsoundtrack.com/2013/08/20/interview-minute-taker/
  15. ↑ http://trendland.com/minute-taker-last-things/
  16. ↑ "JUKEBOX : MINUTE TAKER – LAST THINGS". Chasseur Magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2013.
  17. ↑ http://www.rightchordmusic.co.uk/artist-of-the-week-minute-taker/
  18. ↑ Watch "Alkali", the new video from Minute Taker – 405 Premiere http://www.thefourohfive.com/tv/watch-alkali-the-new-video-from-minute-taker-405-premiere
  19. ↑ "BBC Artists – Minute Taker". Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "#KateBush6Music with Tom Robinson". BBC. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
  21. ↑ Royal Exchange Theatre website. "Hoax: My Lonely Heart". Retrieved 18 December 2013.
  22. ↑ http://www.a-magazine.co.uk/the-royal-exchange-presents-hoax-my-lonely-heart/
  23. ↑ http://thegoodreview.co.uk/2014/06/hoax-my-lonely-heart-royal-exchange-studio-manchester/
  24. ↑ "To Love Somebody Melancholy". Chorlton Arts Festival Website. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  25. ↑ "Critics' Choice: "To Love Somebody Melancholy"". Time Out. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  26. ↑ The Guardian, The Guide: North Edition (27 December 2008). "Pick of the week: rock and pop".

External links

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