Following the release of his latest album ‘The Meaning Of Light’, we caught up with New Zealand singer-songwriter Torn Chorus to find out more about what goes into his eclectic sound along with some of his key influences. If you like the picks below be sure to check out the lead single from 'The Meaning Of Light' 'Time I Wasn't Here' at the end of the article.
1. Midnight Oil - Read About It
"Midnight Oil have always been one of my favourite Aussie rock bands. I really love their clean crisp guitars and vocals along with strong melodies and tight song structure. The intro to this particular track inspired the beginning of my new track, Time I Wasn’t Here."
2. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Free Fallin'
"The guitar riff in this Tom Petty song was a key influence on my previous album track, 'Brave New World'. I especially the sound of his 12-string Rickenbacker guitar and I’ve been using this guitar on my last few tracks to create a rhythmic backdrop to the melodies."
3. The Stranglers - Peaches
"In my early band days, I played bass. One of the most powerful musical influences that shaped my playing style was The Stranglers, who used the bass as a lead instrument. You can hear this influence in Time I Wasn’t Here as well as on another recent album track, 'The Meaning of Light/Rhythm of Sound"
4. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
"Another of my favourite bands is Pink Floyd, and I especially like this track. David Gilmour’s guitar playing has strongly inspired the development of my lead guitar style and you can hear the band's influence on my album track 'Now I Have You'."
5. Eric Clapton - 'Five Long Years' & 'Have You Ever Loved a Woman'
"This is a double-barrelled reference as the video to the original recording of Have You Ever Loved a Woman is not inspiring, but this recording is a great example of Clapton’s powerful blues guitar and singing, also shown in the live version of Five Long Years, starting at 38 seconds into the video. Clapton has also been influential in helping to develop my lead guitar style, which you can hear particularly in my album track, 'River of Tears'."
Watch Torn Chorus 'Time I Wasn't Here'