Special Patrol - Interview

Special Patrol have been diligently producing articulate and affable folk rock tunes for many years now, with the likes of 'Changing Emily' and 'Hey, Good Try' garnering nation wide respect as well as consistent radio airplay. Three years since their last album, the acclaimed Handy Hints for the Undertaker, the band have re-emerged with a new album, produced by Australian luminary Jonathan Burnside. Gravel-voiced head patroller Myles Mayo answered a few questions for me in the lead up to the new album...

Your last record was very much a concept album; is there any overarching theme or recurring idea across the new one?

This time there is no concept in the story or lyrics. Each song stands on its own. With this album we concentrated on creating a sound for the whole album. We referenced a lot of our favorite artists in the sounds and textures. There’s a bit of Beach Boys, a bit of The Beatles and even a bit of Leonard Cohen. But I guess it mainly sounds like us.

And also after writing such a thematically cohesive album with Handy Hints, do you find you are more aware and sensitive to the interactions between songs that make up an album?

I have a short attention span when it comes to listening to new music. Once I get into an album I think I do dissect it and analyze it more than your average listener. I was talking to my Mum this morning about the split in music listeners. I think 70% of all listeners listen first to the music and 30% of all listeners listen to the lyrics or the story first. (Warning: I have done absolutely no research to support these statistics) I think I fall into the lyrics category. I was saying how a good friend of mine does not even know the words to his favorite song, which is "Light My Fire" by The Doors so he obviously falls into the music category.

Over the years the band has had a pretty fluid line-up aside from you and Rob. How much collaboration is there with the members that pass through on each album?

There is always a lot of collaboration with the members that pass through. This way each album has a fairly distinct sound. Each member piles their ideas in and then we weed through them during and after the demo process. On this new one Paul Vallen who was on guitar at the time brought some old sounding backing vocal ideas and string arrangements that definitely flavored the album in his own way.

Special Patrol have emerged as something of an elder statesman in the Adelaide scene, and stuck to a consistent musical identity in the midst of constant break-ups, new bands and trend jumping. What are your observations of the Adelaide music scene over the years, and what do you think of the current state of it?

I think the Adelaide music scene seems to be quite healthy. There are some great bands around and everyone seems to be supportive of each other and all the young bands seem to be making friends and putting on exciting and creative shows together.

What’s behind the manikin dominated album art? Any deep symbolism or does it just make for a nifty cover?

That was Rob’s idea. You’d have to ask him his thought process behind that one… I shudder to imagine.

Finally, what albums are you currently into?

I cried the other day when I heard the Mike and the Mechanics song " In the Living Years". Its just so sad how he never got to tell his father that they "don’t see eye to eye". It gives me goose bumps when he goes up high and screems "So say it, say it, say it, loud…. Say it clear… you can listen as well as you hear."

Other albums include Post War by M. Ward, The Best of The Carpenters, Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan, The Best of Bill Withers. And I recently bought the Santa Claus single written and performed by K.B. Wilson (Kevin Bloody).

Special Patrol's 4th album The Stranger's Dozen is out in shops and online tomorrow, August 14th.

Special Patrol - Right On

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