Joe Peacock is a singer and songwriter that has been writing and releasing music for a few years.
He is a regular on social media, often showing off his talents on the extremely popular Twitter #Murderedsongoftheday where he will play a song related to something relevant going on at that point. It’s good fun and many of the cover versions are excellent indeed.
I’ve been listening to Joe’s work for a couple of years, as he was directed my way from my other half (Old Indie Kid) who had met Joe back in their Uni days.
Joes is an interesting fella, having lived in Russia for over 5 years and actually came back before it all went to pieces again. He currently resides in the West Midlands.
Musically I think Joe can be best described as Graham Coxon and Robert Wyatt playing in the Pixies.
He writes alt-indie music that deals in interesting subjects away from Cigarettes and Alcohol. His most recent release was called Radioactive Hybrid Terror Pigs know less, about the literal fallout of the animals around the Fukushima disaster I believe. His last album was called Mirror Neuron Generator and mixes up the styles and genres of Indie into something quite unique and different.
As well as all of this, he has teamed up with the great indie producers out there Joe Adhemar who helped produce the album and also did a Covid Party single with Mintball, called Corridors which was a Funk/Talking Heads banger about Ministers breaking Covid rules during lockdown. It must be heard.
Where individuality is scarce in any music scene, Joe shows it is possible to write and release music that challenges and rewards the listener with each play.
Recently I asked Joe all about Mirror Neuron Generator so over to the man himself.
Mirror neuron generator – what’s it all about?
My new album almost completely discards the guitar in favour of exploring beats, baselines and synths. I would say the influences on there range from 70s disco, through some of the darker 80s synth pop, into trip hop, trance, techno, ambient, even very slightly jazzy touches.
Every song tells a different story, but to bring them together I use the concept of music trying to get you to put yourself into the positions of the people in those songs – mirror neurons are a very important part of the brain. They seem to help us understand others by mirroring their feelings and actions, creating empathy or the desire to change how we do things.
In terms of who I write about on the album, it’s quite an odd cast of characters!
- 100 doors, the first single and album opener is based on stories of the Cumaean Sibyl, who is one of the most famous prophetesses of ancient legend, but is basically about our desire to have someone to tell us what will happen in the future, especially when you’re going through dark times and want easy answers.
- The haunted everything is much more modern – it’s about the slender man and the chaos that was caused when people started believing something that was made up and posted on the internet.
- Inquisitor is about Tomás de Torquemada, whose job title is in the name of the song – I am not a fan of what organised religion has done over the years, so the whole witch-hunt, burning people at the stake aspect is just the most obvious manifestation of that.
- Trace is a song about the origins of art and that desire to preserve someone’s image to remember them when they’ve gone.
- Forgiveness powder is about a woman who was tricked into poisoning her father by this toxic guy who persuaded her it was a magic powder that would make him soften his position on letting them marry.
- Enheduanna and Mass Exodus are also bang up to date in their references! An ancient Egyptian priestess who was really badass and wrote some great poetry made a good subject for a Boney M kind of disco number, I thought. Hypatia of Alexandria met a really tragic end and the mob again was whipped upon by religious zealots who pretty much destroyed an incredibly enlightened city with a brilliant library and the best academics. It feels like what’s happening now with the rejection of “experts” and deciding to listen to pub philosophers who only base their opinions on what they’ve seen with their own eyes.
- Calypso through the oceans is about Jacques Cousteau and the amazing work he did in bringing the beauty off the oceans and the need to protect them to the attention of people throughout his life.
The other two are more based on personal experience.
Inner spaceman is about having to deal with what’s going on in your head when you’re own your own (and in this case that was chemically enhanced – a particular event at uni) and using music to help calm you.
This is not a good idea is a reflective anthem type of song. It’s when you look at the stupidity all around you and just go WTF! How can anyone think this is the best way to do things?
There you go then – that’s not about Gin & Tonic is it!
Finally Joe is about to release his first new song of 2023 – On Fire Again which is sure to give him a greater audience – it’s a prime Coxon/Albarn type banger from the post Parklife era. Its sure to catch fire once released so go check it out.
You can follow Joe on Twitter @joe_peacock
Bandcamp https://joepeacock.bandcamp.com/
And obviously on the old Spotify but please if you like his music – purchase on Bandcamp as it makes the biggest difference.
I hope you enjoyed this little introducing section……more to come I hope.
Happy 2023 and Much Love.
Michael
The Rebirth Of Cool 