Tokenview - iTunes Single of the Week!
Sydney’s Tokenview have all of the ingredients for a phenomenal musical feast. Friends with Australia’s musical elite, extensive performing experience, a savvy approach to online marketing and social media and of course - brilliant songs. They have been showcased this week by iTunes as the free Single of the Week download for their track, ‘What Can I Do’ and if you have a listen, you’ll become as excited as we are for their upcoming album due in August. We caught up with frontman Ed, for a chat about directions, musical discovery and obscure dancing styles.
1. Congrats on your upcoming album which features the likes of Wally de Backer (Gotye and the Basics), Washington (JJJ Unearthed winner) and Midnight Oil’s Rob Hirst! How did these collaborations come about?
Just us inviting friends whose music we admire to come and help us make the best album possible. We’ve toured with The Basics quite a bit – they’re good mates. Our manager and I received a tip that Megan Washington was amazing, so we went and saw her in a little bar in Melbourne about a year ago. She sang in front of roughly 15 people and it was completely mesmerising. We needed a female voice for a couple of tunes, so we asked her and she said yes. Thrilled to see her star rising so quickly as of late. Rob Hirst is a close friend of DC (producer of our 2 EPs) and I’ve met him a bunch of times. We needed a bombastic percussion solo on one song, so we gave him a buzz. A consummate gentleman and a hero of mine.
2. How would you describe Tokenview’s sound to someone that hasn’t listened to you yet? What can we expect from the upcoming LP and a Tokenview live show?
An exploration and celebration of rock music and its various forms. We love 60s harmonies as much as we love all the decades that have followed. We make pop music, but hopefully pop with a little thought behind it. Most of the songs on our record segue into each other, and hopefully it’s a bit of a trip for the listener. Although we take music extremely seriously, our live show is centered around being as much “fun” as possible. Hard to describe. Come say hello.
3. I heard that there’s an interesting story behind the artwork for your upcoming album, can you tell us about that?
We’re still in talks with the photographer, but if it comes through it’ll be amazing. My old man bought a print a couple of years ago in New York that I fell in love with. I googled the photographer and found the whole series of photos. They’re basically shots of these wild horses on an island off the coast of Nova Scotia that are among the most striking images I’ve ever seen. We’ve chosen photos for the album booklet that, purely by coincidence, loosely match the themes and lyrics of the songs. It’s difficult to explain but when you see the photos, you’ll immediately see the appeal.
4. You’ve embraced twitter and other types of social media, have you found these platforms to be beneficial?
We were reluctant at first, because we didn’t like the idea of small bands being self-indulgent and telling people what they ate for breakfast. But ultimately, these mediums are a great way of interacting with others in that direct, basic human-to-human connection kind of way. Plus, they are what you make of them. I could tweet about my breakfast, or I could tweet about a great film I’m really passionate about and want to share with people.
5. What Aussie and International acts are exciting you at the moment? How do you find these acts – are you a fan of music blogs?
Can’t speak for the other boys but at the moment, in terms of larger international indie stuff, I’m really enjoying Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, Phoenix, Elbow, The National, M83, Silversun Pickups and so much more. Locally, Bertie Blackman’s new album sounds really interesting. I think Paul Dempsey and Sarah Blasko have really beautiful new songs. Saw Tame Impala live recently and thought they were awesome. Bought Leader Cheetah’s album and digging it.
As for the second part of your question – I am indeed a blog reader. I read Pitchfork regularly, though mostly as a news source. I don’t agree with their reviews all the time. Joe Hardy and Angus @ Twelve Major Chords are two quite prominent Aussie bloggers who are friends of our’s. I read their blogs. There’s always so much good music to be found for those who seek it out!
6. Finally, how should a punter dance to Tokenview’s music (if at all)?
Awkwardly, but completely without abandon! Many dancers have graced our shows, and non other impressed me more than the guy who cleared a space to start doing push-ups.
Get your copy of Tokenview’s EP and the free single, ‘What Can I Do’ from 
