Perspectiva Newsky: And Also the Trees

And Also The Trees are an English rock band, formed in 1979 in the United Kingdom. They are most notable for their poetic lyrics and evocative music which is strongly influenced by their native English countryside. And Also The Trees started in Inkberrow, a small village in Worcestershire. A home demo tape was sent to The Cure which led to a friendship between the two bands.

In 1981 And Also The Trees played several shows in support of The Cure's UK tour. Their second demo tape From Under the Hill (1982) was partly co-produced with Robert Smith and Mike Hedges. Their first two single releases ("Shantell" and "The Secret Sea") and their debut album, And Also The Trees, were produced by The Cure's Lol Tolhurst and released in 1983. They got the attention of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and were invited to do a session in April 1984, which was produced by Dale Griffin for broadcast on 24 April. The EP A Room Lives In Lucy (1985) introduced the mandolin-like guitar sound which became their trademark for the next few years.

The next album Virus Meadow (1986), was followed by their first European tour, from which came the live album The Evening of the 24th (1987). Another EP The Critical Distance was released in 1987. The singles "Shaletown" and "The House of the Heart", and the next album The Millpond Years (1988) saw the usage of the record producer Mark Tibenham. Farewell to the Shade (1989), was followed by the single releases of "Lady D'Arbanville", a completely revised Cat Stevens cover and the French only release "Misfortunes". In 1990 they changed their management. The following year the band made a US tour and reactivated contact with The Cure, which resulted in the US only release of the EP The Pear Tree, featuring a remix by Robert Smith and Mark Saunders. In 1992 the band released the last album produced by Tibenham, Green is the Sea. They promoted it with a two-leg European tour including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and France.

Fan pressure resulted in a digital remastering of their singles and EPs, and From Horizon to Horizon, a CD collection of primarily single and non-album tracks between 1983–1992, was released. By 1993 The Klaxon was issued, and the following year the band toured which resulted in the release of the live album Le Bataclan and a tour video from the concert in Hamburg. In 1995 a project called G.O.L. between Justin Jones and Mark Tibenham, along with Antonia Reiner, resulted in the release of the album Sensations of Tone and the single "Soma Holiday". The album featured a cover version of the early And Also The Trees song "There Were No Bounds". The band's seventh studio album Angelfish (1996) created a British perception of "Americana". And Also The Trees live in Dortmund, Germany in 1998 Silver Soul (1998) saw references in sound and voice being made regarding Nick Cave. It was also the band's first release on their own record label. The band released an EP, Nailed, the same year as well as a video compilation. After a five year break, And Also The Trees released Further From the Truth (2003), recorded in the Worcestershire countryside and co-produced with Matthew Devenish. In 2004 and 2005, And Also The Trees played a few shows at some music festivals, such as the Paleo Festival and the Wave-Gotik-Treffen.

They celebrated their 25th anniversary with the Best of 1980-2005 compilation album. Live in Geneva (2006) showed the band in action on their Further From The Truth tour, as well as some video and film projects. The same year saw the band's singer Simon Jones releasing his collaboration project with Bernard Trontin of The Young Gods called November. Their tenth album (Listen for) The Rag and Bone Man came out in November 2007 with a new member, Ian Jenkins, on double bass. The photographs of the artwork were taken by the French photographer Jérôme Sevrette. In June 2009, the band released their acoustic album When The Rains Come. It contained acoustic versions of previously released songs and one new track.

Discografia:

And Also The Trees (1984, Reflex Records)
Virus Meadow (1986, Reflex Records)
The Millpond Years (1988, Reflex Records)
Farewell To The Shade (1989, Reflex Records)
Green Is The Sea (1992, Normal)
The Klaxon (1993, Normal)
Angelfish (1996, Mezentian)
Silver Soul (1998, And Also The Trees)
Further From The Truth (2003, And Also The Trees)
(Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man (2007, And Also The Trees)
When The Rains Come (2009, And Also The Trees)
Driftwood (2011, Mini-Album)
Untitled (2012)