DEBUT ALBUM 'ASLEEP ON THE DRAGON' OUT NOW ON VALVE
LAST BRISBANE SHOW - 12TH NOV WITH SLUG GUTS, WHITE COP, MANIC EYES
DEBUT ALBUM 'ASLEEP ON THE DRAGON' OUT NOW ON VALVE
Available on the Consume Records site.
Rave Magazine:
"When D.Black started making music on acoustic guitar, a whole bunch of other people wanted to get involved too, including Bris-indie identities such as AxxOn’s Tom Hall and I Heart Hiroshima’s Susie Patten. And thus we have the debut album by Secret Birds, where Black, Hall, bassist Pat Wright and John Steel Singers drummer Ross Chandler make a surprisingly cohesive blast of sinister, doomy psychedelia. The darkest number is the first track Zone In/7th Pillar, but its drone rock sheets of sound are actually quite digestible if you’re in the mood.
Elsewhere, Lame Child places spooky English folk vocalisations against garagey psych stylings. Another highlight is the epic End Of Heaven, a blend of tripped-out guitars, free jazz saxophone and, ultimately, tranquillity. It’s a record that may well find an audience among fans of the likes of Sunn O))) and Slint, as well as contemporary sonic travellers such as Growing. Despite its many experimental trimmings, Asleep On The Dragon also manages to sound like a raw, visceral rock & roll record. Crank this up and you’ll feel strangely good." - Matt Thrower, ravemagazine.com.au 12/10/09
'DOUBLE SNAKE HOLLOW' CASSETTE SOLD OUT
ON WEIRD APPENDAGE
3 TRACKS, 32 MINS,
EDITION OF 40.
"When sounds gets sciencey, don't think Bunsen burners and bubbling liquids; think Secret Birds. The band itself is an evolution of the facets of the Brisbane music scene (in layman's terms - lots of dudes from lots of other bands) - they have 4, sometimes 5, sometimes 6 members - and they don't say so much as boo. All guitars, all drums and some keys, there surely must be a science to sounding so very hypnotic, so very down-tempo and so very intoxicating.
Double Snake Hollow is the bands debut cassette! With just three impressive tracks winding up both the A and B sides, title track Double Snake Hollow is thick and heady with vibrating reverb. The minimal, nihilistic sound of The Wizards Cloak beats down on your eardrums in a similar rhythm to rain trickling down a lonely sewer, and then, right about the time the folk-like guitar solo chimes in - the water reaches the depths of release (!) bursting into a river, and you, just like the rain, float away down a winding stream.
Look, it's all very mysterious and you really need to see-it, hear-it and feel-it live for yourself. BYO umbrellas, life jackets, hallucinogens."
Double Snake Hollow is the belated debut release of local atmospheric doom rock collective Secret Birds. It consists of three elongated pieces of music, each with sparse, lethargic rhythms and a focus on esoteric melodies drawn from chaotic oscillations. The tracks move structurally forward via the swelling of synthesised sounds and treated guitar lines, while samples, squeals and squalls add a rich textural depth. The result is a series of slow-burning soundscapes ripe for synaesthesia.
The atmosphere in The Wizard’s Cloak – for instance – ripples with arcane power amidst a nightmarish sense of bewilderment. The plucked acoustic outro is inversely a youthful daydream of hope and trepidation; and more vivid for it. My only complaint is that the EP comes on tape, which as a medium is both low fidelity and inconvenient to use. I mean, limited run physical product is great and all, but the format partially stifles what is otherwise a fantastic release.
Secret Birds had the job of following up Triad, and did so by putting on one of their best shows. The band doesn't seem to be morphing from one gig to another as much anymore, having settled into a fairly steady lineup of two guitars, bass, drums and keys/ambience. It's difficult to explain the difference between a good Secret Birds show and a poor one - they all tend to consist of two or three lengthy jams based on a handful of heavy guitar riffs.
I suppose it all comes down to the effectiveness of the riff and the aptitude of the guitar noodling around it. For this show the riffs were at the higher end of the quality scale, and the band seemed to be really well in sync. In fact, for once it seemed as though Secret Birds weren't just jamming on a riff, instead playing actual compositions that were stretched out over extended periods of time. Maybe the songs that they played at this show were no less structured than previously, but the differences between sections were less subtle and the band moved between them more tightly. Whatever the reasons, the general consensus seemed to be that The Rational Academy had their work cut out for them to meet the standards that had been displayed up until that point in the evening.
before-hollywood.blogspot.com
SECRET BIRDS T-SHIRT
So myspace has decided you cant sell stuff up here anymore, send us a msg if you want on, $15AUD + $5 postage.
PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR SIZE: WOMENS SMALL, MENS SMALL, M OR L
"For a while now, Secret Birds have been one of the most interesting bands in Brisbane to watch on stage. With two drummers, a keyboardist, a guitarist and a bassist, tonight’s set is no exception. Secret Birds seem to have a simple premise: heavy, hyponotic riffs over ridiculously powerful drumming and tonight’s set is a great example of it." - fasterlouder.com
"Their droning soundscapes dominate the room, but the noise-rock of Secret Birds seems to serve as a background annoyance for much of the crowd. The impressive twelve-string electric wielded by one of the guitarists suits their style well. A seated drummer provides a more deft touch, allowing a second percussionist to thrash away on tom and snare. Their lengthy pieces progress with a nod and a yell from lead guitarist D.Black, who contorts amid the apocalyptic squall of sound. Though their doom-rock is slightly out of place in this environment, the delivery is mature and exhilarating." - Rave Magazine
Past Shows:
2009
May 18th at Step Inn w/ Triad + Rational Academy
May 11th at Rics
January 24th at The Zoo w/ Bone Xyster
January 22nd at Step Inn w/ Mystic Eyes
2008
December 20th at The Zoo w/ IHH, Sekiden, Del Toro
November 28th at The Zoo w/ Pivot and My Disco
October 25th at Ric's w/ Anchorage
October 5th at Audiopollen w/ Black Vitamins and Black Birches
September 20th at the Globe w/ Laura and Del Toro
September 19th at Bon Amici Cafe, Toowoomba w/ Blank Realm
September 13th house show w/ Good God
August 28th at T+G w/ Anonymeye
August 3rd at Ric's w/ Diamond Sea
July 11th at the Globe w/ Gray Daturas and Candlesnuffer
June 21st at Ric's w/Blank Realm
June 7th at Tongue and Groove w/Rational Academy
April 24th at The Zoo w/My Disco
April 17th at Wolfgang w/ Die!Die!Die!
March 20th at the Troubador w/ Quebec
March 8th at Ric's with No Anchor
31st January at the Zoo with Scul Hazzards
5th January 2008 at Ric's with Feathers
2007
31st December at Rosies with Influenza
23rd November with Vulture Culture
17th November House Show Petrie Tce with Ghosts of Television
16th November at Ric's with Ghosts of Television
15th October at Ric's with Nikko
20th May at Ric's with Anonymeye
2006
8th July at Ric's with Crab Smasher
20th Jun 2006 at Ric's with Qua + Kes
Brisbane outfit Toy Balloon will release their debut album Toy Division on
November 8 through Lofly Records, and to celebrate will perform an east coast
launch tour throughout November.
Formed in 2007, Toy Balloon was
originally a fledgling two-piece made up by Nimai Etheridge’s uniquely melodic
wall-of-sound guitar and Greg Cooper’s beautiful sequenced electronic
compositions. The band have since matured into a four piece featuring Chloe
Cooper (Mr Maps) on key boards and Ben Green on drums.
The album was
recorded and mixed at the Lofly Hangar in Brisbane, a DIY performance space that
Toy Balloon has been an integral part of creating. Fostering emerging artists
and left-of-centre music, the Hangar acts as a performance space, recording
studio, and meeting place; and has resulted in a record with a rich, layered
sound reminiscent of New Order, Mogwai, Boards of Canada, and LCD
Soundsystem.
Catch Toy Balloon launch Toy Division at a venue near you
this Oct/ November.
TOY BALLOON TOUR DATES:
Brisbane- Thursday 29
October- The Zoo, Fortitude Valley w/ Moon Jog, Tin Can Radio and Doom
Doom.
Sydney- Wednesday 4 November- ‘Upstarts’ at Spectrum, Darlinghurst
w/ Convaire and Black Bear Brown Bear
Sydney- Thursday 5 November- Oxford
Arts Factory, Darlinghurst w/ World Champion and others
Melbourne-
Saturday 7 November- Pony, Melbourne w/ Love Connection and
Aoi
Melbourne- Sunday 8 November- El Joyero, Melbourne
Toy
Division is released November 6 on Lofly Records, with distribution through MGM.
Hi and thanks for dropping in to X & Y Bar - hope you can come visit for real sometime soon. X & Y Bar has live original music seven nights plus Brisbane's hottest DJ's 'til late.
DEBUT ALBUM 'ASLEEP ON THE DRAGON' OUT NOW ON VALVE
So myspace has decided you cant sell stuff up here anymore, send us a msg if you want on, $15AUD + $5 postage.
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