The Aliens: We Believe

With one sentence John Maclean denies any extra-terrestrial motivation behind the naming of his band, The Aliens, instead suggesting the moniker as metaphor for their craft; “We’re not really interested in the ‘little green men’ scenario, but like David Bowie used to suggest, it’s nice to look at the world through alien eyes because you see things differently, and I think we try to produce something different with our music.” With the next sentence, he performs a complete volte-face, hilariously so, by revealing that “Gordon [Anderson] does believe he had a UFO encounter in France when he was younger and that he was actually abducted by aliens.”

So there’s certainly still some eccentricity involved in being an Alien, a band on the cusp of releasing their second LP Luna after 2006’s well-received debut Astronomy For Dogs, but this should be expected for three guys (Maclean, Anderson and Robin Jones) who previously bestrode the music scene as members of the Beta Band (though Anderson did depart after the release of the first EP). Their on-stage alter-egos Nighthawk (Anderson), Pungous Nightbread (Jones) and Eddie Candles came about because “Gordon was writing a superhero film script at some point and Nighthawk was his character who cycled through the night solving crimes. It’s just a bit of fun really”.

Video: Setting Sun

So, if there’s a tinge of madness, there is also an abundance of effort. Signed to EMI for the first album, Maclean explains with relief how things are so much better now they’re recording for their own Pet Rock Records label. “There was a lot wrong with EMI, for starters. I think it was just a good time to get out of there because the big record companies really are struggling. To be fair, EMI never pushed us, ever. People there were more worried about keeping their jobs rather than promoting the records, so it was nice to get out and start working for ourselves. People say ‘oh, you’ve got a lot more creative freedom now’, but that’s not really the case. We’ve always done what we wanted to do. Obviously money is tighter when it comes to gigging and recording and we can’t afford to be completely indulgent. It’s liberating however in that everything is of a certain Aliens style and quality because you’re giving of yourself and not relying on other people to care so much about the product.”

Astronomy For Dogs introduced us to a band masking straightforward rock anthems with a myriad of genres and musical twists and turns. It was an accomplished debut which tantalisingly hinted at much more to come. Will Luna live up to the expectation? “I don’t know if every band says the same, but this record is definitely a step up for us. We just recorded in Gordon’s studios in Fife and had a lot more time to deconstruct the tracks and be at one with them.” So how has this increased independence impacted on the overall sound of the album? “The first record had quite a straight drums, bass, guitar, sound because that’s all we could do. But this record we’ve been able to make a lot more beats, and give it more of a contemporary sound. There’s still the retro element, but there’s more of a mixture in this album.”

After their less than joyous experience with the major labels, Maclean and co. note with interest trends in the industry; particularly the emergence of download sites - such as the Skinny-affiliated TenTracks due to launch next month - which directly reimburse the artists for every download of their music. “I think that if more people follow the TenTracks mould then it will be great for bands. When you’re on a major record label, and you’re not really earning much from the sale of your music, rather just the advances you get, you don’t pay much attention to how much stuff is getting downloaded for free. When you’re on your own little labels, and you’ve spent a lot of money and effort putting a record together, of course you want to be able to sell and earn money so you can go off and make another one. I’m more frustrated than ever that people don’t go off and buy music, but that’s just the way the world’s going.”

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But does he really believe that people can be persuaded to abandon the notion of building up their music collection for free? "I think if they realise it’s not just going to a big record company, and that the record company is not just going to spend it on taxis and cocaine, that it’s going to be spent so bands can make another record then I think they would buy. All our fans on our messageboards buy a couple of the records because they know we’re getting the money and they feel like they’re buying into the whole cause. If we can convince more and more people to do that, then that will be a great thing.”