Ross Arthur has released his new single ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’.
The Edinburgh singer-songwriter creates a cross-genre blend adapting acoustic, pop and rock which has gained him over a half a million streams, views and downloads.
To celebrate his new single release, ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’, we caught up with Ross to discover 5 tracks that influenced ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’.
Biffy Clyro- Spanish Radio | Listen via Spotify
Biffy Clyro are my favourite band, they have been since is was 13. I always try to be original, but I think their influence within my sound can easily be heard. ‘Spanish Radio’ reminds me of ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’ mainly because of the trumpets. If you listen to many of my songs, and many of theirs, I’m sure you will find a correlation between the fact that I cannot sing without my accent and neither can Biffy frontman Simon Neil. They are also guitar-driven and the guitar is my only instrument (excluding vocals).
The Barenaked Ladies – It’s All Been Done | Listen via Spotify
The BNLs are a huge part of the catalogue of music I listen to. I was aware of a couple of their famous tracks ‘One Week’ (I cover this one at gigs, along with the rap!) and ‘If I had a Million Dollars’ from family parties growing up. These guys are sometimes considered as “something your Dad would listen to” – indeed, that’s how I know them.
In fact, when I was 19 I took my parents along to see the band at The Queen’s Hall and I gatecrashed their private after-party! I remember when I first sat down to properly listen to them. I was 18, on the bus heading to a dead-end job and I put on their 19 track ‘The Greatest Hits – 1991-2001’ album. I was stunned. Absolutely shocked. It’s rare that you like every single song on an album – nevermind on first listen! What surprised me the most was how eclectic their writing was They go from quirky, comic songs (which are still intelligent musically) such as ‘Be My Yoko Ono’ to heart-tingling ballads such as ‘Call and Answer’. So to pick one song out of their back catalogue is too much of a challenge – and that’s exactly what inspires me about them. When I write, if it sounds too much like something I’ve already done – I scrap it. I understand that this article is to introduce readers to my new single ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’- but PLEASE if you’ve not listened to this album, do so – and get in touch with me and let me know if I introduced you to a new favourite!
The Katet – Wastemonster | Listen via Spotify
This band influenced ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’ in a big way, particularly with the brass section. The Katet are a local Edinburgh band (a shapeshifting-pop-funk-rock-jazz-fusion monster of an act). Mike Kearney fronts the band and he is an extremely talented musician, writer and an all-round great guy. ‘Guillotine’ by The Katet is another album that blew me away on first listen. Jazz music isn’t a genre of music I could say is a particular passion of mine. However, this album (although the roots come from Jazz and some of the branches go that way) blends pop/funk and even rock genres – songs like ‘Everything Is Not Going To Be OK’ demonstrate this perfectly. Mike Kearney arranged the prominent trumpet & trombone parts for my single, and The Katet brass section are actually performing on it. ‘Wastemonster’ is an interesting song which has many layers to it – and the middle eight of this track actually reminds me of the middle eight in my song. You can see the Katet’s involvement in my mini-documentary about the making of the single via YouTube!
Frank Turner – Long Live The Queen | Listen via Spotify
Despite the name, this song has nothing to do with Auld Lizzie. Frank Turner has been a huge influence on my music from day one. As mentioned earlier, the music of Biffy Clyro is intertwined in my music – at least, sonically – whereas Frank Turner has just as much influence in other areas. Frank was the foundation, inspiration and starting point with many things to do with me and my work. His ethos, his live performing, the way he connects to thousands through his lyrics and the energy he puts into everything he does. You might not hear many similarities between ‘Long Live The Queen’ and ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade’ but it’s the first song that ever brought tears to my eyes. The first song that gave me tremendous, mole-hill goosebumps and made me listen to and think about the lyrics on first listen. No, I don’t think ‘Bitter Lemons’ will have that type of emotional effect on you, but I hope that anything I write will resonate with someone, somewhere!
McFly – Obviously | Listen via Spotify
McFly are probably a surprise addition to the list, but they do have a part to play in my new single. Around the time I was writing the song, I had been learning ‘Obviously’ for my cover song set-list that I perform in bars and at weddings etc. I suppose, it could have been thousands of bands, but it was this song that gave me ideas for chord progressions for ‘Bitter Lemons’. The first two chords of (the chorus) in my song go from ‘E’ to an ‘Ab’. Which- without the capo on- is the same as the ‘Obviously’ choruses’- ‘C’ to an ‘E’.
You can stream Ross Arthur’s new single ‘Bitter Lemons, Sweet Lemonade via Spotify below: