NATIONAL JAZZ TRIO OF SCOTLAND, THE - STANDARDS VOL. III (LP)

"The group's debut recording The National Jazz Trio Of Scotland's Christmas Album, was released in late 2012, followed by Standards Vol II in 2013. Their new album is titled Standards Vol III, although the description isn't strictly accurate. "Well it's partly a nod towards the more standard way of songwriting, although structurally most of these songs aren't actually written in a similar way," Bill Wells says. "To me the best ideas are strong melodies on interesting changes, going back to the classic songwriters. It's a pretty old fashioned idea and I don't think that it's the way that most people write these days when using computers." Wells' music had always been hallmarked by a directness and economy of musical line, and the fact that his pop music is pared down to just vocals and a lean musical accompaniment is, in fact, one of its strengths. "I do seem to like a sparser sound," he admits. "For one thing, I'm not that keen on drums. There are no drums at all on Vol II. I relented a bit on Vol III, but even then there's not that much. I like things kind of light and airy. As long as they are moving along nicely and you can hear the chords, and the voice is well supported, I think that's about all you need." Wells wrote all the songs on the album with the exception of the Beach Boys' "With Me Tonight" and the lyrics to "Surprising Word", written by Saya from the Japanese band, Tenniscoats, and "Trying To Escape You", written by Lorna Gilfedder. The material on Standards Vol III hints at a diverse range of influences: the bossa nova of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the simple piano accompaniment of Brian Wilson, and the wider vocabulary of chord changes in the songs of Laura Nyro and in Todd Rundgren's earlier work. Wells also admits that some of his electronica may well be influenced by Stefan Schneider's work with Mapstation. And as he plays samples, Wells is keen that his soundworld avoids anything too generic, and that there is a little bit of grit in the mix." (label info)