Interview: Fanfarlo

Fanfarlo, for us, has been one of the most impressive acts of the year so far. Their debut record Reservoir has been a regular feature of our playlists for most of 2009, and recently they decided to give it away for just $1. We caught up with the band to talk about the Arcade Fire, festivals and Neil Young.
1. Fanfarlo has been getting a lot of good press of late, and deservedly so. But a lot of it seems to compare you to the Arcade Fire. Do you see that as something that positively or negatively affects the way you are perceived as artists? Are you getting tired of that comparison?
There is always going to be certain bands that all other bands get compared to, whether they sound like them or not. Arcade Fire is one of those bands. The fact that we draw from the same inspirations isn’t going to help of course. Of course we’re tired of the comparison, but ultimately they make good music so it’s a flattering thing.

2. What’s the story behind the album title Reservoir?
I went through an obsession with lakes, and in particular with reservoirs. Originally I wanted to make a whole album about a reservoir but really the only song that remains from that idea is one of the older songs on the album, “Ghosts”, which is a ghost story about a reservoir. So I guess the title “Reservoir” is a reference to that whole idea, but also reservoirs and lakes are just immensely magical, and in some cases terrifying.

3. You’re giving the album away for just $1 via your website. How did that plan come about?
We just figured that $1 is about what we would make off each record if we were signed to a major label, so since we’re doing everything ourselves at the moment, why not just let people have it for that much for a while. The response has been pretty spectacular, about 10,000 people went for it the first week and there’s no sign of it stopping. Basically, we’re doing it because we can.

4. We caught you performing at SXSW earlier this year. You’re also lined up to play a bunch of festivals in the UK as well. Do you treat playing festivals differently than playing club shows?
Festival shows are very different to club shows, for many reasons. People just behave and respond in a very different way at festivals, you’re often playing in the daytime etc. What’s cool is that festivals are able to put smaller bands on big stages, but I’m not sure if what that adds to the experience makes up for what you lose in intimacy.

5. Would you consider performing in India any time soon?
Yes of course. No one’s invited us so far though.

6. Top 5 songs on your iPods right now.
Side A of After The Gold Rush

Download ‘Luna’ from Reservoir.