ARTIST SPOTLIGHT - BISHOP MOROCCO

In the autumn of 2008, two old friends from Toronto met under the grey skies and never-ending drizzle of Groningen, a town in the northern Netherlands. Jake Fairley had spent the previous six years in Berlin, riding a wave of European techno hits. Jim Sayce was in Toronto, pursuing graduate studies while playing in such bands as Tangiers and the Deadly Snakes. The reunion resulted in a new project and a self-titled debut album: Bishop Morocco. The first few minutes sound like a guitar-driven quirky techno attempt aimed at the dance-pop crowd but quickly blossoms into the ingeniously crafted album that it really is, brimming with the things you want to hear. Pop is here. Want to dance? It’s here. Duane Eddy on acid? It’s here too. Gloomy goth sound? It’s all here.

Jim and Jake were nice enough to take a few minutes and answer a few questions.

Which song on the album surprised you? By that I mean: was there a song that was “average” going in, but sounded so much better as a final result?

I guess that would have to be "Last Year's Disco Guitars." It went through a ton of versions, with lots of different parts being added and taken away. It's a perfect example of how it is often most effective to reduce a song to its most raw elements and work from there. "Goodbye Night" was like that too. The bass line is the only thing we kept from what would have been a completely different song.

Where did the name Bishop Morocco come from?

It's a Catholic school near where we grew up. We didn't go there though. All the boys had mustaches at 14.

Where did you come up with the sound for this record? Are there a few influences that come to mind? How much of that “sound” is imported from your overseas experiences?

I think being in Groningen while we made the record was a good thing; we had lots of free time, and not a lot of distractions. We got caught up in the quirks and weirdness of a small town, while at the same time got immersed in the details and textures of our album. We went into it with the intention of it being quite introverted and spooky. It's funny how it ended up being much more friendly and touchable than we intended.

Does it bother you that writers and critics compare your sound to others and come up with artists and eras within which to describe you?

People either think you sound like The Beatles or Joy Division. As long as people aren't too mean, I don't care what they say. We are not any kind of purists in regard to our gear or our influences. Nor are we young and hungry kids looking to get praise, jumping on shit just to get ahead. We write our songs and produce them in our own way. We do what we do.

Did you guys really meet up in the Netherlands and start making music? Was it chance happening or an arranged meeting? Were you aware of each other’s work before meeting? Are you really old friends?

We did indeed live there. I understand the skepticism though. After all, why would two able-bodied men choose to live in such a place? Although I cannot answer that question, I can say that we were there, that said place does exist, and that an album was made. Our studio was the children's room of a small family row-house near a canal. Our fridge was always full of beer. Sometimes I made Bolognese, and sometimes Jim made a curry.

Who’s the coolest person ever to tell you “I really love your music”?

Josh (Reichman) is pretty cool. Sebastian (Grainger) and Eva(Michon) might even be cooler. I guess we work well in that market.

Bishop Morocco take elements of the 60s and the 80s and create a delightfully dreamy album. The dark and gloomy vocals are the icing on the simple, yet elegant musical tracks, whose stylings are reminiscent of every great harmonizing vocal group from years gone by.

Bishop Morocco are part of the Hand Drawn Dracula Showcase at NXNE 2010, Thurs. June 17 at the Drake Underground.