One of MIMR favourite discoveries of this year has been the weirdly, brilliant sounds of Geisterhaus and MIMR spoke to Thom ahead of his show with Deco Records this saturday to share some of his favourite records.
The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster – Horse of the Dog
Twenty-five minutes of fuzzy unadulterated chaos. I think Marie Kondo must have produced it because every second sparks joy. It’s been my favourite album since I was 14 years old and I will never tire of it.
Cate Le Bon – Mug Museum
I was a bit of a latecomer to Cate Le Bon and I’ve spent the last couple of years kicking myself that I didn’t get into her stuff sooner. If I could sing and write music like Cate Le Bon, I’d marry myself and live in a shed.
The Kinks – The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
Ray Davies at the height of his songwriting prowess (and that is REALLY saying something). A great album to listen to on a sunny day when you’re feeling good or to get drunk and listen to by yourself when you’re feeling shit and want to not feel shit.
Mr. Bungle – California
A ludicrously ambitious album that skips between genres like a child playing on stepping stones. It’s so dense and fun and the musicianship blows my mind every time I listen to it. I wouldn’t know where to start making an album like this. It’s a joy.
Mclusky- Do Dallas
From Future of the Left to Christian Fitness to Mclusky, Andrew Falkous has been a massive influence on my music and my approach to making it. I used to write songs that were a lot longer and more meandering with fiddly, indulgent guitar solos (nowt wrong with all that, it’s just that I wasn’t very good at it) but Falko has really rubbed off on me over the years. I love his disciplined guitar playing, tight songwriting and sardonic lyrics and Do Dallas is probably the best example of all of those things. Geisterhaus wouldn’t exist if not for Mclusky. You could argue that would be a good thing but that would be a mean thing to say.
MIMR: What’s the latest on your music Thom?
Thom: At present I’m working on an EP based on myths and legends from around the world. I don’t want to give too much away just yet, but I’m primarily using an acoustic guitar for recording and it’s more folky and lo-fi than my previous release, Bones on Record. I’m really enjoying playing around with chord progressions and hooks and staring at walls for hours on end thinking about lyrics and what the cover art might look like. This is the funnest part of the process for me. Playing, staring and thinking.
I’m not in a massive rush to finish and release it, but I’m aiming to put out one track and accompanying video for it by the end of the year. Until then I should probably get some more gigs booked. If a promoter is reading this and wants to book me, I can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram under the handle “geisterhausss”. My credentials are as follows:
Punctual
Polite
Great eyebrows
Brilliant album released earlier this year:
Catch Thom here on Saturday: