Trevor Jones - The craftsman of perfect pop

Fifteen years haven't been enough to lift Miracle Mile's output out of limbo. Despite praise from British and American critics, the refined pop of Trevor Jones and Marcus Cliffe hasn't received the recognition it deserves. On the occasion of the release of his second solo album, Jones talks about the secrets and passions behind a long string of memorable songs, and shares his world of friendships, reading and a gaze turned toward a world of genuine people.

More than twenty years of musical partnership with Marcus Cliffe don't seem to have dampened your urge to seek out new sonic solutions for your music. What's the secret?

I describe us as "The Hunchback and The Scientist" - I'll let you guess which one is which. I suppose you could say, broadly speaking, that I'm the singer-songwriter and Marcus is the arranger and musician. At the root of it all is the deep friendship between me and Marcus. We enjoy each other's company, and musically speaking, we complete one another without encroaching on each other's territory. We've never predefined our roles, and so I'm reluctant to spell out our creative relationship - sometimes putting a name to something can threaten the very breath that keeps it alive. Some artistic partnerships thrive on friction to spur creativity; in our musical universe, I think "calm" represents the essence of what we do - our friendship is essentially reflected in this musical balm. Before every new album, we get together, open a bottle of red wine (or two) and let things flow, talking about our lives and our loves; we talk about what we've been listening to, reading, or what we've seen. That creates the atmosphere and the environment for whatever comes out of it.

Your voice seems to grow in intensity and expression as the years go by – is that the result of training, or a spontaneous artistic maturity?

I'm afraid my voice is what it is, and that's how it'll stay! No amount of lessons could tame the untamable. There's an old Yorkshire saying that goes "you can't polish a turd," and I think it fits perfectly here. I speak and sing in the most honest way I can. Otherwise listeners might perceive arrogance or conceit, but since our music is built on connection, it's essential that people believe me and trust my voice.

The first two albums ("Blue Skies Than This" and "God's Own Swimming Pool") no longer appear in Miracle Mile's discography – was that an artistic choice or a commercial one?

Those two albums were only ever meant as demos, made to sell at shows and to land us a record deal. A lot of those songs were remixed and became the heart of our debut, "Bicycle Thieves". I think "Bicycle Thieves" and the follow-up "Candids" need remastering. Maybe when that happens we'll include some of the unreleased tracks from those demos.

The track "Folding Street" surprised me for its raw, almost folk song-like urgency, yet at the same time for its elaborate sound and quite fussy arrangement – are you especially attached to this song, or are there others you love more on "Keepers"?

It's too early for me to have an objective view of the songs on "Keepers". They're all my children, and sometimes you love the cross-eyed one more than the pretty one. "Folding Street" does seem to be one of the most captivating; it's a favourite for a lot of people.

How much will Miracle Mile's new direction shape this record? And does Marcus Cliffe also have a solo album in the works?

I keep pushing Marcus towards making a solo album – he's sitting on a huge well of creative sap, and when his muse finally kicks in he won't be able to hide it from me, and everything will fall into place naturally. We've talked about another Miracle Mile album, but nothing is in the works yet.

Has the existence of film composer Trevor Jones ever caused problems for your artistic identity – is that why you go by the name Jones?

I have been mistaken for the soundtrack composer Trevor Jones. He's South African, and once I ate and drank extremely well at several restaurants in Cape Town by introducing myself as the musician Trevor Jones. But my little deception was uncovered when I ordered the desert instead of the dessert.

Of course I've taken that into account, but on top of everything, "Jones" also struck me as easier to remember.

The orchestra seems to play a more prominent role on this new album, while stepping away from certain more modern atmospheres has broadened the music's emotional range – how did you arrive at this new sonic setup?

For "Keepers" I wanted a sonic setup that felt like the natural evolution of "Hopeland". The content was rooted in the same environment, so we kept the same constraints we'd previously used on acoustic instruments, but with "Keepers" discord and sadness had crept into the room, and I wanted to evoke that by introducing a new element, the orchestra. Using more refined arrangements, we aimed for a sound that was imposing yet also intimate and restrained; with the strings we wanted to evoke the river and the sea, the pebble and the mountain, we wanted to capture the grandeur of the island (the album was recorded in Corsica and Portugal, ed.), especially in the final 30 seconds of the album. Only an orchestra could make that reality visible. I think Marcus did a brilliant job translating my mumblings into something articulate and captivating.

I would never choose to have my music ignored, and I don't think it's much consolation to know that plenty of excellent music goes unnoticed – but you do have to reckon with the limitations that come with it. The advantage of being independent is that you can honour your own integrity: you don't have to answer to some handler catering to corporate interests, you can develop your artistic path in the most natural way possible.

My music is, ultimately, an attempt to observe, communicate and connect with the world. I'm aware it's a humbling moment to realize we're all made of the same stuff, but it's encouraging to know that a song sounds the way you intended and that the listener has appreciated the finer details of the writing. The people who listen to music by giving it their time, taking in a sequence of songs as a whole, are the friends we lean on.

Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?

Marcus, always Marcus.

I've had some contact and we've talked about a project with David Bridie (an Australian musician and filmmaker who produces a lot of World Music, and a former member of Not Drawing, Wawing and My Friend The Chocolate Cake, ed.), but right now it's all up in the air.

As with all our projects, Marcus and I agree on the Miracle Mile artwork together. We've always used the same graphic artist, Nick Reddyhoff, in order to develop a consistent style. I chose a different artist (Barry Cross) for the solo album, to draw a clear line between the two projects.

What's the difference between your songwriting and that of today's indie scene, so full of solitary-hobos and folk-addicted types?

I want my work to endure over time, which is why I'm reluctant to tie my music to fleeting, throwaway scenes. That's probably commercial suicide, and a bit pretentious of me too, but my core value is authenticity. I think attitude is an essential requirement for much of the indie scene, where fashion, street culture and music all blend together - that attitude is what makes it marketable, but it's a passing parade, a dance I'm not willing to do. Integrity is an important value in my writing, and I take that responsibility very seriously. What I'm after is a connection with the audience, and honesty is vital to achieving that, so any stylistic pretense would diminish or distort the real meaning of my intentions.

You have a lot of fans in Italy who've been following you for years - do you think it'll be possible to see you and Marcus play a show here in the near future?

It's interesting that something in our music resonates so strongly with the sensibility of Italian audiences - Marcus and I both love your country and your culture. But I think a tour could be quite exhausting; I suspect that shows in Italy might turn into a food-and-wine carnival for us, and we probably wouldn't manage to pay the wine bill.

Your ten desert-island albums?

1. Joni Mitchell – “Blue”

2. Prefab Sprout – “Steve McQueen” (the remastered version with the acoustic versions)

3. The Go Betweens – “16 Lovers Lane”

4. Bruce Springsteen – “Born To Run”

5. Tom Waits – “Asylum Years”

6. Ennio Morricone – "Once Upon a Time in America"

7. Bob Dylan – "Blonde on Blonde"

8. Frank Sinatra “The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning”

9. Neil Young – “After The Gold Rush“

10. Elvis Costello – “King Of America”

Do you plan on writing a book?

It's already been written, and it's resting under my bed, waiting.

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