Anthony Atkinson: Best And Less.

Ben Kweller

Anthony Atkinson plays The Zoo on Saturday.

Those amongst you who’ve attended one of Candle Records fine roadshows in the past would be well acquainted with Anthony Atkinson. As frontman and tunesmith for The Mabels, his songs made more than a lasting impression on those fortunate enough to bear witness. But as time marched inevitably onwards, The Mabels ceased to be. Not exactly a good thing if you were a fan of the band, but then again, if you’re a fan of Atkinson’s songs you’ll soon get a glimpse of work currently being recorded for a new solo album.

“I started recording last week,” he confirms on the phone from Melbourne. “Just a couple of days putting down some guitar and voice for about five songs, and I’ll go back in about two or three weeks for hopefully another five and a bit of a tinker around. I’m doing it in segments over a couple of months to hopefully have done by the end of march.”

A change in pace from the way Mabels records were made.

“Mabels records were done in a bit more of a block. We tended to not really be a studio band in that we’d bring gear and take it away again. The last record (Closest People) was done in a house up in Mt Dandenong, and went away for a week and a half to get out of the city. I found doing it by myself, getting people in is a bit more up in down in terms of who I want to play on it, and when they’re available. And it gives me more of a chance to work out what I want to do.”

Do you think this is giving the songs more room to live and grow between sessions? Are you able to listen to something a couple of weeks old and re-assess where you’re wanting to go with it?

“Definitely,” he enthuses. “I think that’s one of the main reasons for doing something this way. You can take stock of what you’ve done, look back, add things, take them out. It was only ten days ago that I started, but already I’m thinking more about the sound of the songs and what instruments I want on them. It gives you a chance to think if you really need as much instrumentation as you thought.”

As the adage goes, less if often more…

“That’s it. Sometimes when The Mabels recorded we’d put down everything we thought was right for the song, but sometimes it can be too much. Now I look at it and think ‘do I really need that?’ before I get stuck in.”