Campbell Sibthorpe: Tour-Guide to ‘Ytown’
Sometimes when you're going forward, it's important to know where you've come from. 'Ytown', the new release from Campbell Sibthorpe explores his past by way of a love letter to the town he grew up in - Yatton. That's right, I haven't heard of it earlier. A Google Map search throws up a quick fact, 'Yatton is a village and civil parish within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located 11 miles south-west of Bristol. Its population in 2011 was 7,552.' So there we have it, don't say you don't learn something from Moths and Giraffes on occasion.
'Ytown' begins with 'The Sun Appeared'. The brief opening soundscape is quite unlike the rest of the EP, it sounds almost as if you're being dragged back in time. This gives way to the sound of an acoustic guitar and Campbell Sibthorpe's soft but striking voice. There's a vocal harmony here too, and just the right amount of reverb. The sound of birds transports you to Sibthorpe's location.
Whilst this short track serves as an introduction to the entire EP, 'Father Carpenter' is certainly a full story in itself. The opening lines attest to this, 'Behind the mushroom trees and clover field, there is a story in the bark unseen, let it be believed.' The track is a full band arrangement, featuring drums, both acoustic and electric guitars and backing vocals to Campbell's lead. There is another field recording here too if you listen closely.
'Pastel Porcelain' is the first track Campbell released from Ytown. The track overall has a softer feel when compared to its predecessor. There are no drums here, but there is piano and strings. Sibthorpe's use of backing vocals is sparse, but vital. The lyrics are so poetic and beautiful, the second verse reads, 'Quiet corridors, where I admire the whisper through a veil of your hair, it’s auburn and the birds sing .'
I love the freeing feeling of 'Good Lord', with Campbell's soaring voice and the accompanying instrumentation lifting you up, 'I am free falling, like a bird. I am daydreaming my way to hell.' There's percussion, full drums, keyboard, electric guitar, and considerable talent too. The way it's all mixed together is done for maximum emotional impact, and I'm totally here for it (play it loud). The lyrics to Good Lord have the air of being inspired by the sometimes directionless feeling of growing up. 'Who am I, good lord?'
The first thing I ever saw or heard of Campbell Sibthorpe was his video to 'Dandelion', where he graciously shows us around Ytown and all the good spots it has to offer. The opening lyric is more sombre though, 'If only I could be free, as blossom on the tree, weathered but still intact, what an inward dream. How does it feel? How does it feel?' It's important to note that Campbell's sister provides backing vocals across this work. As well as using the field recordings made in Yatton, he also uses the local church's pump organ, all three of which bring a little bit more of Ytown to Ytown. The way the music lifts up with Campbell's line 'I want to breathe', takes my breath away. Imagine letting that wash over you in a live venue with a full band. Sublime.
The EP concludes with the two-part 'Strawberry Line'. The first part begins with piano across a rhythmic acoustic guitar. It has the air of sadness, like we're now leaving Ytown behind and all the memories that come with it. The sprinkle of drums in here with keyboard is well placed. This track reminds me of the Brian Wilson produced 'Let's Go Away for a While' by The Beach Boys.
Whilst Part 1 was an instrumental, this one has vocals once again. 'I did it to myself, I hid in my own doubt, will I ever leave this wicked town? Am I another tale I will tell?' Campbell Sibthorpe's own promotion of Ytown has been excellent, including a couple of these stories from Yatton about the people who lived there. I'm left with the feeling that this release could've been album length, there are so many more stories to tell and ways they could've been told. Perhaps there is still more to come.
It was a pleasure putting some questions to Campbell, talking about all things Yatton including his production on the EP, the involvement of other musicians and the memories of not just him, but the other characters of Ytown too.
1. Your new EP 'Ytown' is all self-produced, what is your recording process like?
Recording ‘Ytown’ was a relatively slow process, though it was accelerated by the fact I had committed to not shaving until the record was finished…a horrible beard can keep anyone on task!
For the most part, the songs were mapped out early on and so it was just a case of working through the plan until the framework was locked in place. Once the song was formed I would look at the list of sound ideas I kept and start working through them, throwing them at the track and seeing which of them would stick. I think in the same way my writing heavily revolves around editing, so does my producing. For me, it’s about being your harshest critic and knowing when to push for more and when to stop.
2. You used the pump organ from the village church on your EP, was it always part of the plan to include a piece of Yatton on Ytown?
It was always part of the plan to try and get as much of Yatton onto ‘Ytown’, whether that was from the pump organ or the field recordings or just deciding to produce the record from my room. It was all intended to create an atmosphere within the project that I felt the listener could easily inhabit.
3. Field recordings play a part of Ytown, what are some of the recordings you made?
I’ve always been a really big fan of making field recordings and I love the potential they have to bring a listener closer to a feeling or an environment you’re trying to create. With ‘Ytown’, this was exactly how I wanted to use them. I wanted to transport the listener into the village to hear the birds in the woods next to my house, people walking the park, trains leaving and my dad talking in his shed. All these snippets of the village are details that if you listen out for widen the environment in which the record lives.
4. Aside from your sister on backing vocals, did anyone else contribute to the making of the EP?
It became a little bit of a von Trapp Family situation when I asked my Dad to add drums on ‘Dandelion’, but my mum didn’t get involved, so that was the end of that. On ‘Good Lord’ and ‘Father Carpenter’ drums were remotely recorded via skype at Vajberiet Studios in Sweden by Markus Göranson and played by Johannes Trossö Lindsmyr, as well as strings by Mirjam Simonsson and Joel Göranson.
5. I saw your video of you adding the 'YT' carving to the tree, would you tell us more about Father Carpenter?
‘Father Carpenter’ was written as an ode to my Dad who was a carpenter and furniture maker when I was growing up. We’d often watch episodes of Ray Mears' Bushcraft show together and the next day I’d head to the woods with my friends and try and use everything I’d learned the night before. There’s a line ‘Father you carved our names into the tree’ that I sing which recalls a moment during a birthday party where my Dad carved the initials of me and my friend’s names onto a tree. ‘FC’ is written retrospectively from that memory; imagining what passersby would consider of these names. When I was back in the village one week, my Dad and I headed to the same tree and added the initials YT. It was a big moment for me to have the name of the record next to the tree that inspired the EP.
6. The artworks for 'Pastel Porcelain', 'Dandelion', 'Father Carpenter' and 'Good Lord' are all photographs, would you tell us about those?
All the single artworks are old family photographs I found in my house when I was trying to find a way to tie all the singles together. ‘Pastel Porcelain’, is a photograph of me and my sister out in the snow on the old street I grew up on. ‘Dandelion’, is me asleep on the table after eating some food. The ‘Father Carpenter’ photograph is of me and my dad when I was younger and clearly a test subject for my grandmother’s knitting projects. Finally, ‘Good Lord’ is of me on my first day at school.
7. I love your video for 'Dandelion', what's your favourite dish from Cheung's?
I grew up with the son of the Cheung family so when we were kids we’d often be behind the counter eating up what we’d been lead to believe was the highest calibre of chicken chow mein and had been created especially for us… I’m pretty sure it was just the normal chicken chow mein, but it’s worth a bite if you’re driving by!
8. Your previous EP, 'Sky Lily' was released on CD, can fans expect Ytown to receive a physical release too?
I hope to release Ytown on vinyl and CD eventually but for the time being, they’ll be some merchandise available soon.
9. You've posted a couple of extraordinary Ytown stories on social media, where did you find those?
Surprisingly, my village has a local historical society, and for many years during the ’80s and ’90s the society used to publish little yellow zines with stories, artefacts, and census’s from the village that had been passed down from families during the 1800s to 1900s. I found one of the zines in the charity shop one day and fell in love with them.
10. Finally, what's your favourite memory from growing up in Yatton?
Heading to the Yatton Fish Bar with my friends and then sitting in an empty co-op car park with a few beers.
Find Campbell Sibthorpe @campbellsibthorpe on instagram and facebook, with @campbellsib for twitter. Alternatively, travel to Ytown for details of his current whereabouts.
