Labels: Dustpunk Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This is some pretty interesting stuff, not that I really am that capable of describing it properly. It’s a mix of spacey
post-rock guitars and electronica interspersed with that whirr-click-buzz stuff you get on chilled out electronica records.
It actually works a lot better than I was expecting having read the press release. The first track introduces you to the sound with lots of fuzz going on whilst the whirrs and clicks buzz around over the top. The recording is a bit low-key and doesn’t let the more melodic side shine through at all times (though it has a much better effect on headphones on my stereo), maybe that’s the plan. I’d like to hear this stuff let the soundscapes breathe a bit more, because at present the whirr-click-buzz kind of suffocates things. “Thrash Waltz” does have some nice twinkly guitar parts in particular. “aod” has some nice chimey things and a sad / wintery feeling to it, kinda Mogwai-ey, especially with the build up in the guitars.
The part that amused me most about the press release that came with this though was “people who advertise 65daysofstatic on
their flyers write these things”, and it is followed by 6 descriptions fried up by indie wankers who long to write for the
NME, you know the drill, they write stuff like “This sounds like REM playing golf on Mars with their left leg tied behind
their back whilst being fucked up the arse by Richard Branson”. Yawn (p.s. please use this description in your next press
release). These people should write what it sounds like, e.g. it has guitars and electronics and is a bit fuzzy like. Maybe
no-one will come to the gig, but at least you won’t be a wanker! Someone wrote: “Like Slipknot eating Slint” for fucks sake.
I’ve never heard Slipknot but whoever wrote that has never heard Slint.
Anyway, enough of that. I enjoyed listening to this, they’ve blended the styles pretty well and are onto
something. As ever the key for good instrumental music is that you can answer the question “SHOULD THEY HAVE SOME BLOODY
WORDS EH?” in a negative fashion. Which is true of this release. 65daysofstatic would probably be good fun to go along and
see live where they probably fiddle with their laptops and stroke their chins a lot. I’d still put on something like Arovane
or Mogwai before I put on this, but that could apply for 99% of the records I get sent for free. Whatever, this is better
than the vast proportion too. Nice!