London indie types The Maccabees have spoken about their collaboration with rapper Roots Manuva.
With their second album ‘Wall Of Arms’ The Maccabees arrived as critical darlings. The indie group’s mature songwriting and lush orchestration marked them out from the herd as something very special.
However the band then threw fans a curveball. Teaming up with UK hip hop star Roots Manuva, a re-worked version of ‘No Kind Words’ was released earlier this year.
Strangely, it worked. Bass player Rupert Jarvis told ClashMusic the story behind the collaboration. “Basically, we listened to the album last year and there was one track which we thought would sound great over ‘No Kind Words’. We approached Roots Manuva’s management about getting hold of the vocal stems, and Felix put together this bootleg.”
“We sent it to Roots Manuva and he sent back a message saying that he liked it, but he wanted to write his own lyrics. He put some of his own vocals on top, so we sent over our stems and he recorded a new vocal part. It sounded great. It was ridiculous that he even agreed to do it. He came down to the rehearsal room and played it live with us. It was such a great experience. To think that we’ve worked with Roots Manuva – bizarre!”
Continuing, the bass player explained that it was a refreshing change for The Maccabees to work with the rapper. “I guess it helps. It’s tricky sometimes when you’re trying to record an album, but overall it helps. We all write different styles of music, and when you bring it together I think that’s what gives us such a unique sound compared to some other bands.”
“Through our random influences we were able to bring it together. I would say it helps. It would be boring to make the same kind of music every time, or if we all listened to the same thing.”
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