coxy's blog

2 years. That's how long it's been since one of my favourite bands released any form of music to the public. In fact, it could well be longer. It was worth the wait though, and Encyclopedia (the band, not the book) has changed a lot in that time.

Benjamin Wood and Oliver Herdsman started Encyclopedia in 2004 and the Yeovil duo could be found playing local bars, pubs and venues throughout the United Kingdom with a Creative MP3 player as a backing track. If you hang out in the same haunts as I do, you can ask people about Encyclopedia and many will tell you their fond memories of the upbeat synth-based sounds of the band, most of which can be heard on their debut album 'So Hot Right Now'.

Fast-forward to 2009, and you'll find that there are five people in Encyclopedia - that's potentially two and a half times more rock 'n' roll. With the arrival of Adam Clements, Nick Jacobs and Sébastien Renaud - and the death of the Creative MP3 player - you'll hear a new sound in their latest single 'Hilary'.

"I wrote the A Side ['Hilary'] on a train ride home from my last gig with the band Tellison, last October. I knew when I first played it to Sebastien it was gonna be a rocker." tells Benjamin Wood - giving a little insight of the wizardry that goes into making an Encyclopedia hit.

"It's a song about love at first sight, being in Tellison and my dislike for the NME. There are also notable mentions for Yeovil Town goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar and Somerset's finest export, Burrow Hill cider. We're releasing this single on our own T-shirt Records label and have spent the past few weeks hand making, crafting, cutting, sewing, stapling 300 limited edition covers, for 300 limited edition 7" black vinyl records."

As with every Encyclopedia production, lots of effort has gone into the release. Buying a physical copy of the single, you don't just receive the music - each set includes the record in a custom made and hand-crafted sleeve, a booklet with the guitar tablature, lyrics to the A Side and one of 300 red Encyclopedia picks. Oh, and a B Side, MP3 versions and a third track.

"Inside the booklet you also get a code which scores you a free download of both tracks, plus a bonus track called 'Hello' recorded during the same sessions. The B Side is a re-recording of the track 'Get A Drummer'. You've probably already heard a couple of versions of this song, both not quite doing it. Well this time it does do it, I can assure you. It's about big record deals and "making it", two things I lost interest in long ago."

'Hilary' is due for release on the 27th July 2009 and is available on Limited Edition 7" Single from the official Encyclopedia Store and also as a high-quality digital download from Bandcamp. You can stream the single for free at Bandcamp, Last.fm and thesixtyone