By Anthony Bromberg
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
Talking on the phone for over an hour with the 23-year-old
Welshman, Matthew Jay, on what was for him a Friday night, gives
off the sense that he hasn’t yet completely reconciled his
small town upbringing with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
He dismisses any idea of an inflated ego when he talks humbly about
his own music, but then switches gears revealing his brash,
courageous idols like Muhammad Ali, and, yes, Liam Gallagher of
Oasis. Â
Last year Jay released his debut album, “Draw,” and
made it to the United States on tour. His progressive pop songs,
tinged with retro flavor and heavy rhythms matched with his airy
voice, garnered significant acclaim and comparisons that frequently
held him up as a happier Nick Drake. He is currently writing songs
for a followup album and hopes to make it out here to the United
States on tour again within the next year.
Jay speaks in a high and unassuming voice, and with less
assurance than when he sings. His interests and styles are
particular to his Welsh upbringing and the British pantheon in
which he lives. He doesn’t think hair could possibly look any
better than Keith Richards’ circa 1972. He grew up on Oasis
and Nirvana, and thinks Liam Gallagher is one of the best rock
singers of the ’90s. His first love was soccer, but after
realizing he wouldn’t make it on the playing field, he turned
to the music business and has been perfecting his craft ever
since.
“I’ve learned so much over the last two years, and
how things work and the mistakes I’ve made and not to make
again,” Jay said.
One of the biggest crash courses in music politics Jay had was
his U.S. label’s problems with the first track on
“Draw,” his first album. The song, called “Four
Minute Rebellion,” contained expletives which was
subsequently left off the American release.
“Yeah, that was proper twisting. They wouldn’t
release it, a bit of a shame,” Jay said. “I regret that
actually I’ve got to be honest. Sometimes you’re put
under a lot of pressure to do certain things, and I was just keen
to put a record out in the States. Because a lot of people, even if
they’ve made a record in Britain, it doesn’t always get
released out there. I’ve learned my lesson now. I’m
just going to say “˜fuck’ on every track, they
can’t take them all out.”
While Jay is now prepared to be more astute in his dealings with
the record industry, he still has a bit to learn about balancing
the rock lifestyle with everything else. Playing cricket with a
member of the most acclaimed band in the world certainly stood out
in Jay’s head. He wasn’t awestruck by being on the
field with Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, but instead by the
man’s musical ability. For Jay, as he saw O’Brien smash
the cricket ball, the impressive feat was that O’Brien found
time to maintain such a high level of skill at the sport.
Working out these subtle nuances of life are secondary to the
music.
Jay’s musical evolution began in a household filled with
instruments and a family who toured together. At a later age, he
turned to the acoustic guitar and songwriting, which was the
emphasis of his first album.
“I dig Bowie, and even Eminem and people who play a
character,” Jay said. “(For “˜Draw’)
sometimes I would try and think in someone else’s
perspective. Sometimes I would try to work out what I was thinking
at the time. There’s nothing more interesting to me than how
human beings interact. That’s “˜it’ for
me.”
The sound of the album “˜Draw’ can be traced back to
the cultural and musical influences with which Jay was surrounding
himself. Moving away from home and toward the music industry, Jay
chose Nottingham instead of London for his base and its strong
connection to dance and acid house.
“As soon as that hit me, I wanted to get that across as
much as I possibly could, and still be a singer-songwriter,”
Jay said. “Rhythm is just as exciting to me as melody. And my
experience playing with my family is getting people dancing.
It’s important making someone move with music.”
Another important musical reference point for Jay is his
increasing interest in the hip-hop, R&B, and rap genres.
Primarily through Lauryn Hill’s solo work, Jay has become
infatuated with the intricate production styles of people like
Missy Elliot and Timbaland. His favorite song from
“Draw” is the complex repetitious number,
“Remember This Feeling,” because of its progressively
layered harmonies and rhythms that reflect a hip-hop
sensibility.
He plans on incorporating even more of this style into his
sophomore effort, though he’s not ready to freestyle on a
song quite yet.
“I’ve got to perfect my flow,” Jay said.
Jay wants to write 10 good songs for the next album that some
day his grandsons won’t have to be ashamed of. He’s
also looking forward to coming back to the United States later this
year or early 2003. Hopefully, his tour will include a stop in Los
Angeles, though Jay noted he’ll probably need to rent a car
as he learned last time that no one walks in L.A.
“I did have a nice gig out in L.A. in this house on the
hills somewhere,” Jay said. “I can’t remember
where it was. There were all these large film people and rock
‘n’ rollers. Everyone seems to be coked up there. It
was quite an education.”