Bic Runga Biography

Neil Finn had long been a fan of Bic's music and had contributed vocals to Beautiful Collision. Talking with Bic on the Finn Brothers tour, he immediately warmed to Bic's idea to record her new album as "live" as possible - and agreed to join as pianist/guitarist with the ensemble of players she had picked from a pool of New Zealand's finest musicians.

Taking the role of album producer herself, Bic convened the band in Auckland's Monte Cecilia House in August 2005. Built in 1879, with wonderfully detailed architecture complete with parquet floors, elaborate ceiling roses, marble fireplaces and four-storeyed tower overlooking a wooded park, Monte Cecilia provided the perfect location for the month-long recording session.

Initial recording concentrated on capturing the often elusive magic of great "live takes". With up to ten singers and players recording in the room at one time, Bic's approach harked back to jazz recordings of the 50s and beyond and the timeless pop recordings from before single instrument track-laying became the norm in the 1970s. There is a natural intimacy between instruments and voices playing live in the same room that she felt could be easily lost in a modern studio setting.
page << 1 2 3 >>