Start Again
Rhubarb
Brisbane band Rhubarb is a work in progress and every new release marks the incorporation of new ideas and an expanded song writing craft. Brothers Steve and Dave Drinkall still make up the backbone of this four-piece unit and the new album Start Again sees them redefine themselves once again. I got in touch with the band to get some comments on the band’s latest long player.
Accident
“This song, as well as Self Control and The City Life were based on simple guitar riffs that Caleb had been working on in his studio leading up to rehearsals. They were basically starting points that needed plenty of work from the whole band to make into strong and effective songs. Dave hit on the chorus one afternoon with the band while trying to work something out and the song came to life. It is deceptively simple but stands up to repeated listens. It has become one of the bands favourite songs on the record. The guitar solo on the album version was actually done with Caleb’s voice through a vintage keyboard and some guitar pedals. He could not get the sound he was after on the guitar so tried recording a version with his mouth and it ended being exactly what was needed.”
Self Control
“This was one of the quicker songs to come together for the record. The intro riff was something Caleb has been fiddling with in his studio but hadn’t pursued any further. When it was played with the band, the song came together over the course of about two hours. Apart from being tightened up a little, the format has basically remained unchanged from that day. The main chorus lyric arrived that day too. The verse melody was originally far more monotone and regularly spaced. The band hit on what they were searching for months later when Steve was bashing out some phrasing ideas in the studio. The verse had been the hardest thing to write but is now completely at home in the song.”
The City Life
“Again, this was a guitar riff that Caleb had pounding around in his head and was reluctantly showed to the band (he thought it was too rock). It was initially just jammed on a few times without too much progression and had a different and inferior chorus to the final album version. The true chorus came from trying to find something that worked around starting on a D major chord, which had always sounded strong. As is often the case, after trying complicated versions that didn’t work, a simple chorus appeared that was perfect for the song. It has become one of the highlights of the live set.”
Start Again
“Along with Puerto Rican B and Let You Down, this was one of the songs written in the first creative sessions for the record. This song was based off a verse guitar riff that had no chorus or additional parts. The band worked through multiple choruses until they settled on one of the simpler ideas and now it is hard to picture anything else being there. The final chorus is based around a simple, repeated vocal line and a jarring melodic guitar line, the latter coming into reality only towards the end of recording.”
Breakdown
“This is based around an idea that Dave brought to a song-writing session. He had the basic chorus idea and came up with the pre-chorus. Over a few hours working with the band, most of the basic ideas were formed. Caleb started hearing a guitar line in his head and once that was worked out, the main intro riff had been born. The crazy outtro was a result of Caleb and Dave trying to take the song somewhere completely different and the “na nas” were an instinctive idea that enhanced the final album version.”
Hey Girl
“Hey Girl started as two guitar chords with a few repeated lyrics. Dave and Caleb finished the bulk of this song over a few acoustic song-writing sessions and the format came really naturally. The verse was so simple that most chorus ideas that were written just didn’t work – they either sounded out of place with the feel of the verse, or they were bland. Something more unusual was needed and that arrived after revisiting the song a few times.”
Let You Down
“On Slow Motion, the band made a conscious decision to take their foot off the accelerator. It was a measured and highly layered sound. This album, the direction was a conscious decision again, but in a back to basics way. The album was going to be a straight up guitar rock record with parts the band can play completely live. This is the only song on the album that heavily includes external players. The brass is pumped way out into the front of the mix to add excitement and energy. It has become a real feature of the song and really brought the groove breakdown sections to life.”
Porto
“This was really the first track off the rank for the band. It is by far the oldest track on the album, originally coming to life around two years ago. The main riff came about during a break in a rehearsal. Dave started playing the bass line that introduces the song and Caleb jumped in over the top with the guitar line. Both those parts have remained unchanged in the final version. The chorus has been basically left as it was too. The bridge sections were added much later as work for the new record started getting underway.”
Feet On The Ground
“Feet On The Ground was another song that started as a really strong verse without any other parts. Again it was only after multiple attempts at a chorus that the final version appeared. It was built around a bass line that Dave started playing and when the guitar chords were played over the top, the song clicked.”
Far To Go
“This was the only song that was completely written before the band got to play it. It was also written for Caleb’s voice and as a result, sounded better with Caleb singing the final version. The song was basically fleshed out during a song-writing session and has remained pretty similar to its’ original arrangement. The brass in the bridge was added to support the anthemic and epic feeling of the song.”
Thanks guys.
Rob Hudson
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