In SWT’s Sequential Listening series, an artist sits down with us, and we collectively examine their album track by track, in the order the artist intended. The discussion will include inspirations, recording and production techniques, notable collaborators, and more.
First up is an artist we’ve introduced you to via our Singles Spotlight feature on his song, “Spectrum Boy”: MV Wells. The project is the moniker of Chicago singer-songwriter Mikey Wells, who has been part of local bands such as NE-Hi and Spun Out. He’s also the cousin of Joshua Wells, who is a name I’ve seen pop up frequently while covering Chicago artists. And a name you’ve likely came across if you follow Chicago music.
If we hadn’t already been hooked by the single “Spectrum Boy”, we surely would with this press release description of MV Wells music: “It’s a melody-forward mix of indie rock and orchestral pop, pulling from Nilsson, Bacharach, and early Lennon. Should land if you’re into Electric Light Orchestra, Nick Lowe, or The Beach Boys.”
On Friday, May 29, MV Wells will release his debut album Le Dauphin (pre-save on Spotify here). One look at the colorful and thought-provoking press photo and album cover, and we’re more intrigued:
He’ll support the release with a short tour, which you can find below:
May 30 – Chicago, IL – Color Club (w/ Molly Carberry, BES DJs)
June 2 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
June 3 – St. Louis, MO – The Sinkhole (w/ Makes A Difference)
June 5 – Kalamazoo, MI – Glow Hall (w/ Hot Girls, Queenie T & The Frogs & Toads)
June 6 – Detroit, MI – Outer Limits Lounge
SWT caught up with Wells recently to delve into his album Le Dauphin track by track.
“Stone That Was Thrown”
This is kind of the seed of the record and probably why it’s the first track. For years, I was kicking around an idea of doing a solo record with a lot of emphasis on classic pop songwriting a la Harry Nilsson or the Beach Boys — this song is the first one written from that jump-off point. Additionally, it’s kind of an appetizer to what the rest of the record has to offer: vocal hooks, odd little left-field production bits, and some more orchestral and brass-based instrumentation. That’s Joe Lill on the flugelhorn. Once you flugelhorn, you know you’re in for something interesting!
“Love Unseen”
My big ode to Burt Bacharach. I became obsessed with his record Reach Out over the last few years, and this was almost an attempt to write my own kind of Bacharach-type pop standard. I put this together on a beautiful piano at this place I was staying with my wife a few summers ago, a house built by Frank Lloyd Wright. There was an amazing garden, and the architecture was obviously impressive, so the environment definitely helped sculpt the song. Lyrically, it’s kind of a collage of different French history and film influences, and the character Le Dauphin makes an appearance, which is the title of the album. It’s also a part of the inspiration for the album artwork by Paul Whitehead. I got in contact with Paul after opening for Marshall Crenshaw in Evanston, IL, at Space a couple of years ago. MC’s guitarist, Fernando Perdomo, recommended him to me, and I was already a huge fan of his work with early Genesis and Van der Graaf Generator, and we hit it off during our creative meetings. He really captured the different scenes and themes from the album as a whole in his artwork. The strings: violin by Olivia Love and cello by Ben Kalb, respectively. Joshua Wells, who happens to be my cousin, recorded this record, played drums, and crafted the string arrangements (along with the vibraphones you can hear in the bridge). He did a myriad of other instruments on the record – he was super integral to the production.
“Dreaming About You”
Started out as a few different songs that I ended up working out into this R&B/Disco tune. The top is very Bill Withers (at least in my head), and then it kicks into a full ELO-type swing with these great orchestral stabs. Lyrically, it’s about an out-of-work artist who’s still famous but kind of washed up, so he’s hiding his identity a la Pink Panther or Hard Days Night: broke, disheveled, and a bit jaded. On the other side of it, it’s a sort of romantic love song, ups and downs, sadness and joy – I think that speaks to the dynamics of the tune.
“Tropic De Novo”
A boss nova number that I had for years. It’s about being a latchkey kid in the 90s – I loved TV and, like a lot of kids, planned my days around the TV Guide. I decided to make up a fictional Western TV show called “Tropic De Novo” to represent that, so you get some of that imagery in the lyrics. Again, a lot of fun sound effects with the production and lush harmonies done by myself and Joshua Wells. The vibraphone makes its return, as well.
“Spectrum Boy”
I always wanted to make a gospel song that was really positive and humanist, but that could also be maybe heard on mainstream radio. All the tunes are kind of designed to be played on the radio or on a turntable, y’know? This is the closer to side A. Josh Wells on drums and Chris Sutter on bass: the beat is huge, kind of like a train, and we threw a little Duane Eddy guitar in there to make it a bit more rock’n’roll. There’s a lot of call and response, too – so think of “Instant Karma” for the new millennium. Some sonic freakiness in there by Sean Page, for the heads.
“A Lovely Sin”
I wrote this song when I was about 15 or 16, and I rediscovered the demo a couple of years ago and was happily surprised that it held up. I tried my best to update it, but all the changes and lyrics are still the same. It’s definitely a love song, but maybe if Joey Ramone wrote the lyrics. Kind of tongue-in-cheek and a bit odd. There’s a fair amount of longer, moodier numbers on this record, which was the intention, but I thought this tune added a nice, sunny respite. Again, this is the top of side B, and it’s a song best played through a turntable or on the radio while driving on the highway.
“Killing Time”
I played this tune on the guitar for a long time and one day decided to play it on the piano, and everything kind of clicked. It’s probably the most Americana I get on Le Dauphin and also has that dash of Bacharach at points. A lot of this record is about loneliness – mostly the everyday loneliness that everyone feels. That’s a theme throughout the writing that I think the piece communicates well – the kind of universal experiences we all have. On the flip side, the other theme is yearning for joy and human interaction, which is also universal. For me, the bridge in the tune reflects this sentiment, both musically and lyrically.
“I Won’t Say”
Definitely a tribute to Plastic Ono Band-era John Lennon, as well as Sinead O’Connor in so many ways. I love how it builds slowly and is gentle but still has this intensity. One of the very few lead guitar bits I decided to include on the record. I’m mainly a guitar player, but I wrote the majority of the material on the piano or a keyboard to try different things rhythmically and melodically. Josh and I really teased this up into a heady prog-jam a la Floyd or King Crimson by the end. I asked an old acquaintance Caleb Westphal to play saxophone in the outro. We went to see Steve MacKaye, who played sax on The Stooges’ Fun House, in Milwaukee about a decade ago. I wanted that feel, that Steve MacKaye style, and Caleb did a great job capturing that spirit. Probably the noisiest and most chaotic part of the record, but the track starts so smooth and pleasant.
“Farewell”
I wrote this track the day after my grandpa died; he meant a lot to me- it kind of just came out, y’know? I wanted to include this, not just as a farewell to him, but to anybody that has passed and the folks dealing with grief. There’s that universality in the human experience, which again, is a vein through the material. We cut a quick demo, and that’s a large part of what you hear on the track. Later, we were in Palisade Studio with Eric Rasmussen and kind of “orchestral-ized” it by adding a grand piano and tom toms as fake timpani to get that theatrical theme to match the rest of the record. I like this one because it feels raw and emotional and simple. A great way to end the album, as a whole. Farewell!
You can follow MV Wells on Instagram and listen to his music on YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp, and Apple Music.
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
