Elizabeth Harper - Interview

It is the truth that we discovered the debut album by Elizabeth a few years too late but we suppose great music never grows old. We talked about future plans and the above mentioned album with Elizabeth.

Hello Elizabeth, how are you doing?
very well thank you.

Well, thanks to latest The Cure tribute compilation we discovered your music. To remind our reader, you did a really lovely cover version of "Pictures of You". So how did you get involved with that project? Are you a massive The Cure fan or it was just a clever thing to do?

Well, I am a massive cure fan, but it just came about because we knew the guys who ran the label - they had done a pixies tribute and one of the bands asked me to help out doing vocals on "here comes your man" - (the kim deal part, obviously) - so thats how the relationship got started.

So what is it with you and pictures? Every time we searched the Internet for information about you we found lots of art pictures of, well, you. Seems like camera does love you.

I do love dressing up and taking pictures. Its a little bubble of time where life is pure fantasy and thats how I prefer to live. Also its an intimate art form where you and the photographer can communicate with out saying much of anything. The camera doesn't lie - real intimacy is hard for me sometimes so communicating through music etc., is sometimes the only way I feel close to people. Sadly, thanks to above mentioned compilation, we discovered your self titled album a couple of years too late. Still, it stood the test of time perfectly well. It's an amazing record of sunny pop. What can you tell us about it now from a distance of few years?

I still love the record, it's very pure. All those songs came from a very innocent place. It was the first batch of songs I had ever written really.

If we understood correctly, there's a new record in the making? Why did it took so long?

Well since the last record I've written a ton of new songs but I had some family issues and had to go back to California for a while. I did the first record with Scott my band mate, but then we broke up (romantically, but we still play music together.) Then I got involved with another musician/producer, but Scott and I still kept trying to work together, through the heart ache which was costly as far as time goes. I am such a creature of the heart, that i tend to have faith in things sometimes to the point of naivety.. so this new record is partly produced by Patrick Wimberly of the band Chairlft, Scott Rosenthal of the Matinee, and Jorge Elbrect of Violens.
So in the end I'm lucky I got to work with three amazing producers instead of just one. So, yes, there is a new record and it will be out very soon!

What can we expect from the new records? What direction will it take?

The new record is more electronic, more keyboards, but the songs are still very poppy with the underlining dark refrain.

Upon listening to self titled we noticed that you do sing a bit Morrissey-ish as few others noticed as well! So, is it intentional thing or just a natural way of singing for you?

That was not intentional. I think at the time i had been listening to so much smiths that it must have just sunk in to my subconscious. Your primary way of distributing music and news seem to be MySpace. So what is you opinion on service like that? Also,
what is your opinion on all the release schemes going around these days? Do you think the future of music is online or that these are just clever marketing plots that work in a certain moment?

I think myspace is amazing. Why should a few people be the gatekeepers between all the bands and all the people?
But ultimately music is really corporate these days. Like, If I'm a big rap artist and I use the word Jimmy Choo in a song will they give me free pair?

Finally, what do you read and listen to lately?

Right now I am listening to New order and reading Raymond Carver.

Thank you so much for answering these and good luck!

kris // 28/01/2009