Alan Edge - Vocal and Brassy noises; Tommy Anderson - Electronic and Percussive noises; John Ayers - Electronic and Woodwind noises.
Influences
Tom Waits, Captain Beefheart, Squarepusher, Sun Ra, Add N to (X), Homelife, The Residents, Prince, Slick Rick, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Charles Mingus, Gwilly Edmondez, John Cage, They Might Be Giants, Scott Walker, The bulBS, The Fall, Tim 'Love' Lee, Old Skool Jungle, Ornette Coleman, MushiMushi, Super_Collider, Fog, Coldcut, Funkadelic, Os Mutantes, B52s, Roland Kirk, Super Furry Animals, Albert Ayler, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Herbert, Mugison, Matmos, Stereolab, Black Dice, Animal Collective, Anti Pop Consortium, Kool Keith, Beck, Miles Davis, Sly & the Family Stone, Boredoms, Cornelius, The Big Bopper, you know the usual stuff...
What we have been listening to this week:
Sounds Like
"this is a band primarily about texture and swing, and to say that they’re influenced by old-school R&B means they draw energy not from Curtis, Isaac, and Marvin, but from Muddy, Wolf, and Guitar Slim. The monstrous grooves that power tracks like Animal Man Robot, Molder, and Troglodyte, electronic as they may be in nature, are pure booze-soaked, sin-and-grin handclappin’ fare from the days when the blues plugged in and moved north, and it’s to The Guessmen’s great credit that these rhythms’ immersion in hi-tech sampling sonics doesn’t feel forced or gimmicky. Edge, Anderson, and Ayers use electronic processing to sully and crack their sound sources, making something grimy, alien, and new from them in a manner that recalls, again, RZA’s application of out-of-tune pianos and dramatic kung-fu strings to sewer-dwelling, frightening ends on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). This is high praise in an era when slapping together a hook from one song with a hook from another can make anyone on Earth the next MySpace mashup king, when more than ever the trend of recognizable, boring sampling (rather than the sort of inventive mutation practiced by the afore-praised) is easy and en vogue."Twisted Ear.com
"If you like your music odd, you will appreciate this record. BFTB is slightly traumatic at times, but that is what makes it great. Music is a psychological experience. It SHOULD be fun, strange, dark and malevolent. Like a homicidal Hot Chip, The Guessmen will fuck you up! On the dancefloor! Aeow!"Subba-Cultcha.com
"absolutely wild!... passionate, energetic, gifted, committed, dangerous and full of life. You cant ask for more than that" Tom Robinson, BBC 6Music
"This Newcastle trio have a kind of old school approach... hauled in to the 21st Century on rollerskates. At times they almost resemble the Residents at their danciest" The Wire Magazine
“Guessmen nail fat pop choruses to rowdy dancefloor organic/digital hybridised belters, cementing them into their weird rag and bone musical world. With an alleyway lyrical eye for demented characters this trio pilot the line between cartoon, narratives and character pieces. Helmed by characters with sharp collars and bloody knuckles, their chip-and-pin medicine show molarises genres till only the vitals remain.
"Guessmen are exuding a joy through this album despite its noir threads. With the continual shitstorm of disposable pop music continuously restarting itself, instead of remonstrating with it or taking shelter, Guessmen are punching their weight in tunes.”brainwashed.com
"Delightfully woozy"Gideon Coe, BBC 6Music
"there is a whole lot of electro-psychedelic and jazz infused madness that give substance to the pop hooks and riffs that makes this record instantaneously catchy"allgigs.co.uk
"They certainly can’t be compared to any other bands as there is simply nothing to compare. They are unbelievably original and construct each track delicately but with such ease you know that they are professionals at what they do" themusicmagazine.co.uk
"The trio keep things from getting predictable whilst simultaneously deploying the secret pop hooks that may just be the key to their whole sound. Nothing is ever the same twice, but BFTB still manages to hang together with enough identifiable cohesion to keep things from being on the wrong side of random. Neat trick, that." Rock-a-Rolla Magazine
"It’s as if Guessmen have tried to stick as many sounds as possible on every song... why this band aren’t as big as, say Klaxons, is genuinely beyond me" Sunday Sun
"If you haven’t seen or heard Guessmen before, here’s a quick lesson. Distorted beats, fat bass-notes rumbling your guts, blasts of trumpet and bassoon, songs about mermaids and all-day breakfasts and one of the bestest frontmen that you’ll ever see." NARC Mgazine
"Somehow, Guessmen merge Aphex-mangled mechanics, Herbet-like saxophone swells and Beefheart-y word weirdness into a storm that goes bump, blip and bang on the night." PLAN B magazine
"they ably prove that they bang like the highest heeled unshaven Warp signed glam band ever"brainwashed.com
"a worthwhile ramshakle blend of electro blues and fuzzy junk yard funk"DJ magazine
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My left eye opened first, the right was going nowhere fast. I realised I was still suspended and the candles were dying and desperately holding on for one last mambo.
I could taste the batteries and smell the tin, the new skin was healing well and the new hair was growing back much thicker than before.
“It’s a flash of colour in an otherwise grey world”, a voice said from outside.
“We’ve all been there, and if we haven’t, we should.” Said another.
The dust had settled hard in its own peculiar way and the crows were now making themselves known. Wagons roared through the wilderness, wasting no time.
There were no footsteps, chains or puddles to remember, just the fading light and me. A warm wind introduced itself to my neck followed by what sounded like a three part whistled harmony that calmly screamed “We Are Guessmen, You Are Safe With Us.”
New Album, Back From The Bins available Now! On vinyl or CD. Buy CD:
Buy Vinyl:
Download:
Purveyors of Post-Everything Nonsense Funk
With their pop game sharpened to a fine point, Guessmen are exploring the noir-cartoon world of vocalist Alan Edge's head making them an appealingly dark-and-day-glo experience. The music forms like a murder of clouds stamped with an indelible paperclip-and-biro tattooed hooks, the thick synth melodies coming on like tar flavoured honey.
Discography: 2003 Animals in Suits 12 Track CD Album (GM)
2004 Spaceship 12 (Tummy Touch) Touch Tones Vol. 2 CD Compilation (Tummy Touch) No Thunder No Rain, No Rain, No Sun EP (GM) Diesel U Music CD Compilation (Stefano Checchi Records)
2008 Back From The Bins 13 Track Vinyl/CD/Download Album on Co.Lab ..
Black Balloons/Death By A Thousand Lashes Ltd Editition Heavyweight 7" Single (coming February 08) on Co.Lab
it's rimini summer party time again! this time we bring Sneak Thief over to present his all live analogue set for the first time in England! live support from rimini's own Fiero Fuxx and two of Newcastle's finest and wisest, Suono's 586 joined by Tadge playing an eclectic selection from their rather extensive record collections in the cinema space get there early. this will sell out. it's gonna be hot!
We get to play with the awesome Mogwai signed 'Errors'! at THE END on wednesday. contact www. getinvolved. co. uk for guaranteed entry cos its selling out fast. -faz
Room 1: Disco Dancing, dressing up, huge prize tombola, new Caster Sugar visuals by Ratty, and run through a maze! with
FOOD SOUNDSYSTEM LIVE!!! www. myspace. com/freshoutofdeathsoundsystem 'All the dance music genres having a scrap' plus Debbora Sim and quite possibly Dinosaur World keeping it fun fast and dancing all night!
Room 2: The Cinema Films all night from Brooklyn artist and film maker Torsten UN:ART:IG. Grainy and noisy featuring live footage of the New York noise scene, the last days of CBGB, Old School Hip Hop shows, Black Dice, Lightning Bolt, Die! Die! Die!, and many more. For a preview: http://www. youtube. com/unARTigNYC
Room 3: The Weird Cafe Last time we took over the star and shadow, the foyer was lit only by a strobe and everyone had a headache. This time it will be similarly dark and strange, with flashing light displays, the buffet of sweets and cakes, neon tables, candles, a giant pyramid of caster sugar boxes, chandeliers, and much more!
£5 to get in, Saturday June 14th 8pm till 2.30am don't be late!! message us for guaranteed entry list xx
Moose Factory wants to know...how did your gig go last night? There's still time for us to help plug your upcoming gigs by sending us something to review and upload. Cheers!
Hey guys were gigging this thursday at the end in newcastle. guaranteed class night- vessels are playing! oh, and we should have our new sexily packaged EP for sale.
GET INVOLVED Present...
VESSELS FLOWERS OF EVIL RYOGA JONNY PHONIC
5th June@THE END -----------------------
More Info: ---VESSELS---
The experimental rock band from Leeds have recently played with iLiKETRAiNS, Oceansize, Youthmovies, Red Jetson and Jeniferever amongst others and are set to play Bestival in September supporting the likes of MY BLOODY VALENTINE and APHEX TWIN!!
"Dynamic post rock which stalks around your room before launching itself through a window." - Steve Lamacq
AN ABSOLUTE MUST FOR FANS OF: EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, SIGUR ROS, DO MAKE SAY THINK, MOGWAI, iLiKETRAiNS, 65DOS.
Hey Guessmen please be aware that Stig Noise Sound System / Class-A-Audio gig at the Foundry in that London on the 31st has been cancelled due to licensing shenanigans. However there are more chances to get your Stig on in London via:
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