Red Bulletin UK

JACK ANTONOFF
Sounds
sublime
The world’s hottest music
producer reveals four
songs in rock history he
wishes he’d produced
When music artists such as
Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde
and St Vincent feel like they want
to sonically break the mould, they
call Jack Antonoff. The 37-year-old
New Jerseyite earned his stripes
as guitarist/drummer in indie-pop
band Fun – biggest hit: 2011’s
multi-million-selling single We Are
Young – before making his name
as an innovative producer. The
predominance of percussive
tunes with acoustic guitars and
big choruses in the pop charts
is testimony to his influence. To
celebrate the recent release of
Take the Sadness Out of Saturday
Night – his third album as synthpop
act Bleachers – Antonoff picks
four tunes that sound perfect to
his ears. bleachersmusic.com
CARLOTTA KOHL MARCEL ANDERS
The Waterboys
The Whole of the Moon (1985)
“One of the most perfect
songs ever written. But that
aside, the production of it
carries so much joy; it’s so
alive and bouncy. I would never
have thought those sounds
would match the yearning
and near-rage of [the song’s
protagonist], who just can’t
get what someone else has
– but, against all the odds,
they do. It’s the hallmark of
amazing production: ‘How the
fuck does this work?’”
REM
At My Most Beautiful (1998)
“This is a pure love song
talking about counting
someone’s eyelashes. The
hook is: ‘I found a way to
make you smile’ – such a
simple lyric. And there are
these chamber Beach Boys
elements: tubular bells and
timpani. All the magic of
falling in love is wrapped
up in there. How the fuck
they did that I’ll never know,
but they really bottled up
that feeling.”
Fiona Apple
Limp (1999)
“This is from her When the
Pawn… album, produced by
[US singer/songwriter] Jon
Brion. There’s no better drum
sound and no better playing
– it’s [legendary Californian
session drummer] Matt
Chamberlain. The outfit that
the song is being held in, the
darkness and rage and all of
the percussion… I think there
are two kits at one point, and
they’re panned all crazy. It’s
just a masterclass.”
The Mountain Goats
San Bernardino (2008)
“There are these pizzicato
strings and then the occasional
long swells. It’s the most
genius backdrop to [frontman]
John Darnielle telling the story.
I love it because it makes me
think, ‘Jesus Christ, who
thought of that?’ And I’m good
at the craft. But we’re all trying
something way bigger than
that to capture a feeling that’s
theoretically uncapturable
unless some of this weird
magic happens.”
THE RED BULLETIN 15