4 years is a fairly long time. It’s the time between two World Cups. It’s enough time to get a degree, as well as taking a year out. It”s also nearly 5 years, which is how long it is soon going to be since Tom Vek released his debut album We Have Sound. Released to stores on April 4th 2005, it did fairly well in terms of sales for a record that recieved minimal mainstream press, charting at a very respectable #73 in the UK.
The brilliant thing about it is that, 4 years on and after repeated listenings, it’s still just as exciting and fresh as ever. ‘Nothing but Green Lights’ still buzzes with the same popping genius it always did, ‘C-C (You set the fire in me)’ is still a perfect example of an indie-pop single, whereas ‘On the Road’ is a slow burner of the highest quality. But there’s only so long that a boy can live on 10 songs that were apparently written at the beggining of the decade. Even when b-sides such as the Grand Theft Auto 4 endorsed ‘One Horse Race’ come into play, it only serves to underline how desperately a second album is needed.
Every so often a rumour pops up, and even more infrequently some truth rears it’s head – Tom was last seen in ‘Nake babes’ with Dev Hynes, with whom he released the ‘Melting Tits’ EP, which is nigh on impossible to find (if you have a copy/any songs, please get in touch). Anyway, I decided to take matters in my own hands and e-mail Tom’s PR for some kind of clarification, sending the following message:
I saw your address on Tom’s official page, so I thought it best to contact you. Of the past few months I’ve been trying to find out anything, but apart from the odd blog post claiming to have seen him on the tube or something, there’s pretty much nothing. So i’d just really like to have some idea about his second album. Is it still happening? Is he still working on it? Is he planning on touring? Oh, there’s so much. I know that his first album took years to create, but it’d just be nice to have something to cling onto.
Anyway, this morning came the fateful reply:
hi matthew
tom is still working on his second album and doesn’t seem to be in any great hurry!cheers
Hahahaha, that reply from the PR person made me laugh really hard.
Yeah christ almighty I’m getting really sick of waiting. Although what makes me more sick is people on his last.fm page repeating “we need a new album please” or something along those lines. That is in no way helpful and they can’t even be bothered writing it themselves, they just copy and paste. Morons!
But yeah great job taking some initiative on this one. It’s both good news and stale news, we’ve heard he’s been working on a new album for years, but at least now we know it’s not just an old message that’s long past relevance, and that he is; or at least his PR rep, is still alive.
Additionally, thanks very much for the B-Sides, been looking for them for ages.
I’ve got a few more if you’d like them? not on my home comp. at the minute, but I’d be able to up-them tomorrow or whatever.
let me know
Matthew
more b-sides would be awesome, thanks for the update and nice blog!
I have a listenable, but crappy bitrate copy of Tits Melting. Get in contact with me and I can hook you up.