Interviews - Tigermouth
It's the unlikely dream of many a young and tigerish lover, on finding
themselves out of a relationship, that one day they'll make it to a
place better, sunnier and more free than their hearts last encampment,
where amidst ideal surroundings they can be themselves.
It is, therefore a tribute to Kelli Ali's magical powers of creative
visualisation that three years on from her split with 90s smart pop
phenomenon Sneaker Pimps, the former torch-kitten singer has moved on,
grown through, reached out and re-located to just a place - a perfect
musical environment where she can show her true stripes.
Kelli's re-emergence as a post-kitten solo feline was clearly meant to
be. The 2002 arrival of 'Tigermouth', her first self directed album of
pulse raising, blissful, rock'n'roll hearted, magic coated pop, had to
be preordained. Fate's selection committee has spent the last two years
making sure she had a stellar list of collaborators lining up to work
with her, a producer so passionate about her songs he couldn't bear to
let them be passed to Madonna, a new recording environment in L.A.
which would illuminate the work, and an overbrimming headful of
inspiration about, well, love, freedom and true magic.
"Having made this album in L.A. I can look back and know what happened
with Sneaker Pimps was definitely right," reflects Kelli. "And being in
a totally different environment and having the sun, made the album a
completely different creature. I don't think I could've written things
like 'Kids' in London."
The road to Kellifornia stretches back to late 90s London. On the verge
of beginning work on a second album, the boys in Sneaker Pimps
suggested that since Kelli was doing too well as the band's defining,
spikily sensual edge and all round millennial X girl icon, she should
leave. Kelli was surprised but not dismayed, seeing the split more as
an opportunity to put an already half-formed plan into action, than as
an obstacle to her musical path.
As the Pimps' vocally distinctive and alluring, half Indian, half Irish
focus, the ex-punk minx from the suburbs of Birmingham wasa known and
reckoned all over the world. With Spin Spin Sugar and 6 Underground
from the 1996 album Becoming X, Sneaker Pimps had already conquered the
UK and blown up globally, making major inroads in the US and Japan.
Their tracks were snapped up for movies, stars queued to get into their
gigs, and Kelli was the face on the covers.
A few songs were written in London during the first post-split year
while contractual matters relating to the Pimps were tied up. During
this process Kelli took the opportunity to learn about oriental
philosophies. kung fu, meditation and ancient magic. When her kung fu
teacher told her about the strength point on the hand called the
'tigermouth' the word stuck with her.
"At the time i felt like things that i had said had got me into
trouble," recalls Kelli. "So 'tigermouth' had a lot of real poignancy
and meaning to me, just relating to getting in trouble for things that
you feel and believe and say, and the whole imagery was so exotic."
'Tigermouth' was one of the earliest songs written, but the creative
process didn't get into full flow until Kelli had met and clicked with
US producer Rick Nowells, whose previous musical clients include
Madonna and Dido. After an initial try out, with Kelli lugging her
sequencers round to jam with Rick in London, the action moved to L.A.
where the main body of the album was recorded thoughout 2001.
"I wrote a lot of songs with Rick that I hadn't actualy imagined
writing before," explains Kelli. "But i knew that i wanted it to be
dramatic and i knew that i wanted it to have it's roots in a lot of
rock'n'roll that i like."
The raw impetus of a newly liberated Kelli, free to springboard off
eclectic musical taste spanning The Doors, punk rock, Japanese
composers, Lil Kim, Bjork and Ennio Morricone, blends with the
expertise of major players on 'Tigermouth'. Bowie and Bjork
producer Marius De Vries came in to help shape 'Beautiful Boy' and
'Sunlight In The Rain' and elsewhere Pascal Gabriel added his
touch. The Doors drummer John Densmore dropped by to play on
'Kids' which benefits from a mix by Sabres Of Paradise luminary and
Primal Scream collaborator Jagz Kooner. Since Kelli also worked
on a track with the Scream's Andrew Innes and joined up with funk
legend Bootsy Collins to record 'Zero Gravity' for his solo album, the
guest list could've been far longer.
"I've just been lucky enough to meet with some great people," says
Kelli. "But it's always been the kind of thing where you meet people at
parties...I guess I go to a lot of parties!"
'Tigermouth' prowls far and wide. There are brazen hits, dappled
electronic ballads, mutated R'n'B cuts, deep love songs, oriental movie
scores, hallucinatory trumpet wig outs, turbo funk anthems, psychobilly
updates and tabla 'n' orchestra tableaus.
There's a vivid narritive in the songs and their background.
"There's a story throughout the whole album which is all about being
young and feeling love and just about being free," says Kelli. "I don't
like too much talking in riddles, I like to listen to songs and feel
that someone hasn't tried to mince words too much, in order for the
tracks to be too clever. If i'm going to be writing music then I want
to be quite clear about what I want to say. I kind of liked the idea of
it being pure and being just what it is."
Out of the soulessness and bleaching sunshine of L.A. Kelli has
conjured a series of beautifully cut scenarios that some how come
together in one picture with universal pop music as it's soundtrack.
'Kids', a tale of obsessive fan worship was inspired by watching hotel
TV and falling for Paul Newman in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. 'Teardrop'
adapts a country'n'western 'get outta town' theme to express solidarity
with a sister who's been messed with. 'Fellow Man' plays with the
imaginary thoughts of a hooker and her trick. 'Angel In L.A.' reflects
on Kelli's experience of meeting one (without wings). 'Paper
Moon' takes as it's starting point the thoughts of a court lady in 'The
Tale Of Genji' by Murasaki Shikibu. 'Inferno High Love' deals with
arcane knowledge too dangerous to pass on in a biog.
"I do believe a lot of things around are so mysterious, certainly
things around me are, so i just love all that stuff," says Kelli. "I
love to read about ancient rituals and magic, and it's like you can
keep them alive in some way through music, because i think a lot of
young people appreciate magic and stuff, but it's not made acceptable
anywhere. There's not many magical people around."
For the time being there's enough proof for the existence of magic in
the fact that Kelli Ali has found a unique path out of the confusion of
90s British pop to the high hills of her current, sundrunk, cork
popping, widescreen, accelerated, epic, head over heels, loved up,
spellbound and spellbinding music. If 'Tigermouth' is a pop record that
was meant to be, it's author is now confirmed as a singer who was meant
to endure.
"I think in some ways it has to be a little easier for me this time,
because back then I didn't know exactly what it involved," concludes
Kelli. "I think this is going to be fun and it'll be great but i
wouldn't really want to do it if it was just going to be easy."
It's a jungle out there, but the chemical generation sweetheart has
evolved. No more an ex-Brum punk turned marionette of hip, we're now
staring into the jaws of something quite awesome, a fully formed,
high-flying, magician songwriter, hopeful romantic, friend of angels
and tiger-girl, burning right, burning bright.
