Minute Taker
“Epic, otherworldly sounds in an intimate show, with digital trickery frami… Read Full Bio ↴“Epic, otherworldly sounds in an intimate show, with digital trickery framing trad folk singer-songwritery fare." - The Guardian
"McGarvey is a young singer/songwriter with that rarest of things in the genre; imagination." - Clash
"An undiscovered hidden gem" - The 405
"His latest album Last Things is a beautiful collection of electronic-orientated pop songs that sound like old recordings that have been rediscovered and restored by a renegade computer; glitching and looping." - Planet Notion
"McGarvey has locked himself away in his bedroom and crafted songs of true otherworldly magic and splendour. Bursting with beautiful acoustic melodies and hooks." Manchester Evening News
Minute Taker is the new pseudonym of Manchester-based alternative songwriter/producer Ben McGarvey. In 2008 Ben released his debut album Too Busy Framing to critical acclaim. Primarily recorded in his parents’ basement using an old piano, a PC and various gadgets, the resulting album was described by Manchester Evening News as “bursting with beautiful acoustic melodies and hooks”, and was recently declared "an underrated hidden gem " by The 405.
Minute Taker adopts a more expansive, electronic-orientated approach that could be described as dark dream pop with elements of glitch, industrial and lo-fi, drawing comparisons to James Blake, Bat For Lashes, Grimes, Björk and Thom Yorke.
New Album "Last Things"
Last Things, the album, will be released on 15th April 2013. Songs such as Merge, Alkali and Echo 2 (which has been regularly featured on Manchester’s BBC Introducing) are loaded with distorted beats, sweeping synthesisers and dense vocal layering. Conversely, on other tracks, live instruments occupy the foreground with stark piano and string arrangements - such as Tin Box and Somewhere Under Water which garnered a short-listing for Mojo Magazine’s 2011 New Voice Award. The clear threads that run throughout are the emotive melody lines and existential themes. Layers of floating vocal choirs, glockenspiel inflections and found-sounds form an ambient and often otherworldly back-drop.
Other Projects
Over the last few years Ben has produced material for other Manchester-based artists (We Are Willow, Kathryn Edwards, Butler Williams), composed soundtracks for several short-films (Owens Productions' Copain series) and is currently writing the music for a very dark musical theatre production written by graphic novelist Ravi Thornton. Ben also writes and performs with folktronic outfit The Spiels, which he formed in 2010 with Canadian singer-songwriter Ryan Lamey. Now a 5 piece band The Spiels released their debut EP Nightvision Part 1 in February 2013.
Minute Taker's new album Last Things will be released on 15th April 2013.
"McGarvey is a young singer/songwriter with that rarest of things in the genre; imagination." - Clash
"An undiscovered hidden gem" - The 405
"His latest album Last Things is a beautiful collection of electronic-orientated pop songs that sound like old recordings that have been rediscovered and restored by a renegade computer; glitching and looping." - Planet Notion
"McGarvey has locked himself away in his bedroom and crafted songs of true otherworldly magic and splendour. Bursting with beautiful acoustic melodies and hooks." Manchester Evening News
Minute Taker is the new pseudonym of Manchester-based alternative songwriter/producer Ben McGarvey. In 2008 Ben released his debut album Too Busy Framing to critical acclaim. Primarily recorded in his parents’ basement using an old piano, a PC and various gadgets, the resulting album was described by Manchester Evening News as “bursting with beautiful acoustic melodies and hooks”, and was recently declared "an underrated hidden gem " by The 405.
Minute Taker adopts a more expansive, electronic-orientated approach that could be described as dark dream pop with elements of glitch, industrial and lo-fi, drawing comparisons to James Blake, Bat For Lashes, Grimes, Björk and Thom Yorke.
New Album "Last Things"
Last Things, the album, will be released on 15th April 2013. Songs such as Merge, Alkali and Echo 2 (which has been regularly featured on Manchester’s BBC Introducing) are loaded with distorted beats, sweeping synthesisers and dense vocal layering. Conversely, on other tracks, live instruments occupy the foreground with stark piano and string arrangements - such as Tin Box and Somewhere Under Water which garnered a short-listing for Mojo Magazine’s 2011 New Voice Award. The clear threads that run throughout are the emotive melody lines and existential themes. Layers of floating vocal choirs, glockenspiel inflections and found-sounds form an ambient and often otherworldly back-drop.
Other Projects
Over the last few years Ben has produced material for other Manchester-based artists (We Are Willow, Kathryn Edwards, Butler Williams), composed soundtracks for several short-films (Owens Productions' Copain series) and is currently writing the music for a very dark musical theatre production written by graphic novelist Ravi Thornton. Ben also writes and performs with folktronic outfit The Spiels, which he formed in 2010 with Canadian singer-songwriter Ryan Lamey. Now a 5 piece band The Spiels released their debut EP Nightvision Part 1 in February 2013.
Minute Taker's new album Last Things will be released on 15th April 2013.
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Minute Taker Lyrics
500 Breakups You don't have the right To visit in the middle of…
A Crowd Of Ghosts Now the past is all you have You're left behind with…
After The Rain After the rain has gone We find ourselves Some sky above Lik…
Former Selves I meet a primitive version of me I find him wandering…
Hearts Lost in these farcical social scenes Our hearts are as dark…
In Slow Motion So slow This tape Moves Through the frames A flash The image…
Just an Echo It's just an echo It's just an echo The end of a…
Lead You Home When you're out in the cold I'll be close Don't be afraid…
Merge When you lie here by my side Our bones will curl…
Mirror Time and space Our love transcends Find your way To me again…
Nostalgia The feeling comes As fast as it goes It warms me up And…
Not Afraid Ooooo Ooooo Ooooo Ooooo Surrender Your state of winter Embr…
Running up That Hill It doesn′t hurt me Do you want to feel how it…
The Darkest Summer All of the years that went by Carried away with the…
Wild Things In the end When it's over Nothing more Left to say Still the…