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Terry Miles' love of music is almost geek-like in its magnitude. The man lives and breathes for harmony and a beat, and has literally given up a good chunk of his life to listen to and create music. The Vancouver-based musician is the sole force behind Saturnhead, a crisply melodic project with whom Miles has just released a new album, Saturnhead, California. The album is a marathon run of almost two dozen near-perfect pop songs that off Miles' frighteningly genius-like sense of structure and melody, and the influence of his impeccable music collection. Think of the Beatles, the Beach Boys, KISS and Redd Kross all rolled up into one coherent package that manages to sound sparkly and new. Oh yes, Terry Miles is obsessed with his records, and it shows.
"Honestly, I think I was raised by music, because my parents weren't around all the time," he says. "It's all I really remember - which album coincides with which time period. Way back in elementary school, I can't really remember the school or the people, but I can remember the records I was listening to. I loved the Beatles, oh, and KISS. I have to admit that guilty pleasure. But it was mostly pop stuff and obviously AM radio that I was into."
Today, as a grown-up, not much has changed. As we spoke, discs by the Olivia Tremor Control, Robert Pollard, the Lilys and the almighty Kinks sat snugly in Miles' CD carousel, and he freely spoke of his giddy anticipation for new releases by the Apples in Stereo, Pavement and Belle and Sebastian. "I listen to music all day long," he sighs. "I love it so much. New music and old music and new, old music."
After spending his childhood glued to his hi-fi, Miles thought he better take a crack at writing his own songs. Oddly enough, despite his early love of records, Miles was a late bloomer when it came to composing his own songs. It was not until after his high school graduation (fun fact: our boy Terry spent his formative years right here in Calgary. Pop wizardry can indeed grow out of the prairies. Who knew?) and a move to Vancouver that Mr. Miles wrote his first real songs.
"It started out with me knowing that I was supposed to write songs if I wanted to be in a band," he says. "Over the last few years I've been writing because I can't buy the albums that I want to hear, so I have to make them myself. So, I write albums rather than songs, that's my worst habit."
Saturnhead, California and it's predecessor Introducing... Arizona's Thin Mistake were almost completely written, produced and played by Miles himself, with a full Saturnhead band backing him at live shows. Miles as Saturnhead grew out of his old power-pop band Cinnamon, as a fun side project designed to entertain his friends. Eventually, the side project became more interesting and important than the band, and Miles was on his own. But, despite his abandonment of a traditional band situation, his expansive views of songwriting, and solitary recording practices, Miles swears that he isn't a control freak. Rather, his obsession with music simply drives him to be the guy who does it all. "I would consider writing with someone else if that person had a big enough record collection or a grasp of music," he says. "I find that a lot of musicians I know like to go out and have a social life, so they can't really listen to near the amount of music that I do, so it's hard to relate. I would love to write with someone, but I've never really met anyone like that."
Is Terry Miles just an obnoxious music snob who needs to step away from his four-track recorder and get a little fresh air? No, he is just an honest guy with an enormous passion. And if his affliction results in music as good as the songs on Saturnhead, California, then, by gum, here's hoping that he stays good and obsessed for a long time to come.
Reprinted from the Calgary Straight, May 27 - June 3, 1999 edition.
