Labels: Loveboat
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Hey this is really nice. Getting sent vinyl for review is always a nice thing, let alone a 10″, or one that turns out to be a good listen! These are two Italian bands playing spacey post-rock and they make for a good matchup.
Giardini di Miro kick it off with two songs. The first is called “A New Start For Shoegazing Kids” which is a fun title. This is a moody and evolving instrumental number – they build a sonic wall but it is not imposing or noisy. A mix of guitars, pulsing electronica and a steady drumbeat. I often despair of instrumental guitar music that so desperately requires vocals but mark this – Giardini most definitely do not need vocals, they let their instrumentation weave the sound. Very atmospheric. The second track is slightly different, it is a much sadder sounding and is more a long the lines of the Mogwai stuff that I like. Pretty. It was recorded live for radio, and an Italian guy comes on at the end and says stuff. I am pathetically mono-lingual so have no idea what he is saying, probably: “I bet some stupid English kid reviews that song and says you sound like Mogwai because he is musically narrow minded and has few points of reference”.
Deep End provide the workouts on the other side of this record, bringing two songs of their own peculiar brand of indie rock. They also have a slightly spacey sound, but they bring vocals to the mix and are a lot more melodic. They plug away with repetitious, occasionally Slint-esque guitar work to gently nudge you a long. It’s vaguely mathy, some of the rare bouncier moments even bring to mind the Van Pelt. Fuck yes, more bands need to sound like the Van Pelt. I love the echoey guitar sound this band have going at times, very hypnotic – Antarctica is another random band name I will throw into the mix.
I enjoyed this, and it’s pretty different from stuff that I listen to recently – so both bands get the “good uns!” rating. Roight smart.