Graham Richardson, the musician behind Last Days, successfully captured our attention with the release of his mesmerizing 2006 debut "Sea" (n5MD). While this album may have come from nowhere, much was expected of Richardson for the 'difficult 2nd album stage'. "These Places Are Now Ruins" (read our review), though, passed the test with flying colours, revealing itself to be amongst the most poignant records of 2007. In this interview, Richardson discusses its autobiographical nature and where he considers his home.

Would you say that "These Places Are Now Ruins" is more autobiographical than the narrative on your debut "Sea". If so, what signaled this change in tact?

Yes it's more autobiographical; 'Sea' was more of a fantasy with some personal aspects. I think it was inevitable that I made an album with the 'ruins' theme, it's about my feelings for home which have been something I think about a lot and something I needed to write about, I think I exorcised some ghosts.

How relevant is the title of the 2nd album to the themes that run through it?

The title is very relevant; it's indicating a place and time when I lived at home until I was 19. Whenever I go back there, the effect home has on me is no longer the same, I could be anywhere, the 'ruins' in the title are metaphorical describing how memories and feelings over the years have disappeared and the word 'home' means little to me, so the places I knew might as well not be there. The tracks are all about specific events or memories during these years and places.

Can you describe Last Days is no more than five words?

Alone and searching

Could you enlighten us on some of the more interesting track titles, most notably " A Storm Tore This House", "Points Bridge" and "Two Halves Of A Line". Where did you take your inspiration from?

I worry some people might find the longer track titles a little pretentious or unnecessary but they're there for a reason. The inspiration for most tracks on this album is memories, 'Points Bridge' is simply a place I used to go as a child, and it's one way in out of the village I grew up in.

'A Storm Tore This House' is about how personal issues or problems can feel like they have destroyed everything around you leaving you with nothing, but hopefully as most of us know, things always seem to have a way of working out for the better.

'Two Halves of a Line' is about the time and distance between two people who miss each other and can't be together for one reason or another.

You have been based in Edinburgh for a while now. Do you consider this home or, as the album suggests, are you longing to return to the places of your childhood.

I long to be near people who are important to me, not places. I don't consider anywhere geographical as home.

After working with n5MD for a 2nd time, it's safe to say you are happy there. Do they give you complete creative control?

It's the first deal I've had and yes I'm very happy there. So far I've had complete control over every aspect of my work including the artwork for the albums, I've never been asked to change a thing which for me is really special.

Has living in Scotland's capital Edinburgh, which is famed for its stunning architecture and unrivalled culture, aided your creativity?

To some extent yes, I seem to be more productive in the winter and here is a pretty cold dark place during those months. I think any city would help me make music, there's always a sense on anonymity and insignificance in a city which makes having a voice important, and so I think that might make any kind of artist productive. There's so much nature to escape to a few minutes away, surrounding hills and the sea keep this place from feeling too claustrophobic.

In terms of instrumentation and recording techniques, in what ways would you say "These Places..." progresses from "Sea"?

The recording was pretty much the same; both albums were made in my kitchen mostly with a microphone guitar and software. The only additions to the new album were electric guitar and some drums.

Some tracks feature field recordings, such as the nightlife sounds of Edinburgh in "Reasons to Go". Were these aspects intentional or did it just happen naturally?

It's a bit of both; I really want to create something human, something with sounds that anyone can connect with. I'm making digital music and I'm always aware of how sterile it could sound, I think field recordings really help to give some reality. I would say it's natural or at least it feels right to me to use them in the places I have. I think the field recordings are essential and something I will always include.

On "A Storm Tore This House" it features scratching effects that were created by recording yourself kicking timber across a floor. Without giving too much away, is there any other unusual techniques employed in "These Places..."?

I usually start tracks then decide they're hopeless, I'll find them again weeks or months later and tear them apart, reversing, stretching, transposing until I have something I'm happy with. Some of the sounds you can hear are voices from a radio play, dry spaghetti, rice, my garden and biro pens.

Having read a number of reviews, all pointing to different influences. Who do you consider to be a contemporary of Last Days?

I think my music would sound very different if I had never heard Sigur Ros, Jasper TX, Eluvium, Khonnor, Namelessnumberheadman and The Blue Nile. All of these artists have some aspect I want to include in my music. I'm influenced not just by artists I like but also artists that have introduced something new to me.

With the name Last Days, do you feel that the music you compose should be based around reflective or nostalgic themes or are you looking to move into different areas in the future?

I don't want the name 'Last Days' to become some kind of albatross, it's true to say I began recording with this name with the vague intention of documenting the last days of memories or events but it think it's naive for me to have this in mind every time I make music. It would certainly limit what I could create.

I don't intend to force anything, I wouldn't do something different for the sake of it but I never really know what I'm going to create when I sit in front of the computer or pick up the guitar.

The direction might change in the future but I'm never too conscious of this.

Some tracks on "These Places…" convey a sense of hope amidst the reflective aspects. Was this something you were trying to convey?

Yes absolutely, I love abstract or monotonous music but I also have a love for strong melodies and uplifting tunes, essentially the kind of person I am dictates what the music sounds like, I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic and I want to create music that reflects good and bad things in life. I think it's a good idea to have the last few tracks fairly positive just so things feel resolved and the journey has ended with a bit of hope.

If you were to choose one song that reflects Last Days frame of mind when writing and recording, what would it be?

I haven't made that one yet! But perhaps 'The Safest Place' is pretty close.

Two albums within a year of each other, can we expect Last Days to continue in such a prolific manner?

I hope to make one album each year or whatever feels natural to me without being lazy or rushing things. I have the convenience of working alone, there's no band, no rehearsal time, no live shows so I don't think it's too optimistic to have that kind of output.

Do you have any thoughts on the next chapter for Last Days?

I've started a few new tracks, I'd like to finish 2 or 3 and then decide what I think it sounds like and what direction it should go in. I'm really hoping to get a cello and some female vocals or spoken words on the next album; I have spoken to people briefly about this so I hope it works out. I seem to have a love for movie soundtracks at the moment so perhaps there will be a theme running though it. I think perhaps there was enough doom on the last one so it might be a little more melodic... it's a bit too early to say really.

When we last spoke, you confessed to a love of textural music like Port-Royal, Sigur Ros and Slowdive. Has your tastes changed in the past year and if so, how has this manifested on the new album.

The truth is I've heard very few new albums this year; I haven't listened to much music at all. I can't find any explanation for this but I don't think my taste has changed dramatically, I think I'm slowly moving away from dream-like ambiance and more toward lo-fi or folk where things, I feel, are a little more realistic.

If you were given the chance to collaborate with any artist in the world, who would you choose?

Piana singing perhaps?! I'm a bit of a recluse, collaborations don't appeal to me but to use an orchestra would be a dream. I'm currently working on music for some pieces of video art for someone which is very exciting to watch take shape. A movie soundtrack is one kind of collaboration I would be interested in.

It's getting to that time of year again. Any thoughts on album of the year? Also, what has been your biggest surprise and biggest disappointment?

I mentioned I've not heard much new music this year, but I was hugely impressed with the epic45 album 'may your heart be the map' it's exactly the mix of acoustic and electronic I crave for these days.

I really wasn't expecting Radiohead to come along with something so easy to get into which includes so many strong tunes, I think it's not so much of a development as a step backwards but if I'm honest it's what I wanted to hear from them so 'In Rainbows' is one of my favourites this year (read the Angry Ape review).

With OiNK being shut down and Radiohead experimenting with distribution methods, what do you think is in store for the music industry in the future?

I can't see illegal downloading or file sharing disappearing anytime soon. I think in time it's inevitable that a physical version of music will be an obsolete idea but it might be kept alive to some extent by a few people (like me) who like the artwork or something tangible. It's a generational thing, I doubt my grandchildren will have available to them any physical format at all and they will have nothing to miss and no reason to be unhappy with that, just like children today don't miss cassettes - they don't know what they are.

With OiNK or any file sharing network being shut down doesn't mean the demand for free music will go away, it just moves the people along temporally only to find other home until the next time they're shut down.

Artists can only make money as long a record labels are willing to pay them, if albums are not sold then maybe a time will come when no money at all can be made from music. I don't think Radiohead are necessarily a good example of a new way of thinking because only a handful of bands of their status could make money from the sheer volume of copies sold, despite little promotion and only 68% of customers paying anything. For small bands this kind of arrangement would be impossible if they wanted to make a living.

Perhaps we might end up with a generation of artists who only make music for the love of it and money will be permanently removed from the equation, half the bands in the NME would no longer be fiercely promoted by large labels and would disappear which might not be such a bad thing...