August 2011
88 posts
BCH Pick Of The Week
First there is a drone. An ethereal hum. Then comes an acoustic guitar riff not dissimilar to “Needle and The Damage Done”. As Neil said : “It’s all one song.”
For all the hoo-ha about the death of the music industry and the demise of tangible recorded music, there is little talk of the growing redundancy of the band. The rise of the All Seeing One Man Band is well upon us. In my treks across the sprawling badlands of Band Camp, I discover so many musicians whose bedrooms are not just their creative habitat but also their recording studios, their mixing desk and, quite possibly, their stages. Whether the technology has encouraged these solitary beasts to proliferate or merely provided us access to their output is another discussion, but it is intriguing to observe.
Recently I saw one of these creatures in public, in full flight. With a guitar, several dozen pedals and an electronic noisemaking machine of some sort, this fellow built a full band sound that was mightily impressive. Other bands on the bill squirmed. Rightfully so. Of course the band-the group, the ensemble, the collective- will never disappear completely-just as books never will-however I would suggest we will see more and more of super talented bedroom musicians smoking muddled bands from the stage.
So to the pick. Sandy Gilfillan records this beautiful bedroom music under the name Yes Know. It is lovely folky ambience, it is all space and light and enveloping electricity. It is the sound of an artist performing his craft. There’s a draw to this music, a lulling vacuum. It’s hard to define. You know it when you hear it.
BCH Pick Of The Week
Last Saturday night I was being led astray by some reprobates and found myself perched on a set of stairs looking down on Terrible Truths. They are a great band to watch, with the two lead singers set face to face as they exchange lyrics, overlap lines and harmonise. It was an engaging set but in a somewhat different way than other enjoyable musical performances. It felt as if Terrible Truths were taking the unexpected route within these songs-though it isn’t a truly original sound (such a thing does not exist) there was a sense of fun within the unusual structure of the songs, enhanced by a highly propellant energy. I like a band that subverts your expectations, without blatantly doing so. I had a grand old time and it wasn’t just the Tecate and bottom shelf herbal stimulants talking.
Terrible Truths are on SA based FAUX FRIENDS label. The band comprises of members from Rites Wild, Bitch Prefect and Dud Pills, who are all worth lending you ears to. Clearly there is a scene going on in Adelaide, and a dang good one at that.
And just look at this beautiful vinyl wouldya:
