Frontier Trust - Profile

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 7 / 7 / 2008

intro

Anthony Strutt profiles new ambient and post rock label Distant Noise Records, whose releases come out once a month and which are each limited to just a hundred copies

Distant Noise Records is a small indie label, whose releases come out once a month and which are each limited to just a hundred copies.To date they have released CDRs by the following bands-Luga, Televise, Schengen, Absent Without Leave, the Static Silence, Yellow 6 and Roma Kid. The label is run by Tarl Broad-Ashman of the band, who fronts the Bristol-based project Innerise, Tarl is also Simon Gallup from the Cure’s cousin. Here are some details about the CRRs that Distant Noise has released to date : Luga/Sending Triangles ( DN001) Post rocker Luga’s Sending Triangles’ launched the label. Thisalbum is very ambient and trippy like the best of Massive Attack, Cocteau Twins and Slowdive, and with added hints of dance and nu-gaze. Televise/Secret Valentine (DN002). Televise is the project of former Slowdive drummer Simon Scott. Televise is now a solo project rather then the full on band experience that they were before. In the first six months of this year alone, Simon has released three albums alone under the moniker. ‘Age So Slowly’ opens the album. It sounds something like an intro to a Maps song, with added hints of acoustic guitar being layered over the top of drops of samples and a vocal from Simon in the style of Nick Drake. ‘Neon Stone’ is very gentle again also recalling Nick Drake, and has added a sample from Seavault, which is another band that Simon is in. The title track is haunting in tone, features the sound of an eerie church bell ringing and is a combination of a musical ‘Blair Witch Project’ and post rock with added layers of Slowdive-style guitar. The atmospheric ‘Sunn’ is a mixture of feedback rhythms and soft acoustic guitar. The dramatic ‘Loves’ combines sad Tindersticks strings with a gritty instrumental that would fit on a 1970’s slasher horror soundtrack. ‘As Flames Grow’ is more chilled out and peaceful, while ‘Uschi’ is both fiery and elegant. ‘Eight to Eleven’ is the loudest track here, sounding like another potential soundtrack. ‘Flood Out, is haunting and chilled out recalling again Slowdive, while an uncredited track closes the album which is a selection of effects and grooves. Schengen/Ce Gil (DN003) Schengen are Ian McKenzie and Nick Varney, and this collection of songs was recorded most between November of last year and January of 2008. It opens with ‘Fendered’ which is light and airy post rock. ‘Duc’ is more trippy and electronica-based, sounding a little like New Order in places. ‘Hill Views’ is softer with a rhythm that recalls that of the Cure's ‘A Forest’and has added touches of post rock. ‘Andalucian Skies’ is darker and is world music influenced electronica, while ‘Smashes’ in contrast is a perky post rock number. ‘Bake Off Part One’ is black and menacing in tone, while ‘More’ is an aggressive combination of a dance and a prog rock number. ‘Crunkch’ is very short and effects based, while ‘Mild Mild West’ is an eerie combination of Bjork during her ‘Post’ era and Massive Attack. ‘Cep’ closes the CD and is again effects-driven. Absent Without Leave/ Postcards from Nowhere (DN004). Abesent Without Leave hail from Greece and are a two piece. They are very moody and repetitive, slo-core in sound and a group that will be especially enjoyed by fans of Arab Strap. The Static Silence/Found (DN005) ‘Found’ was started by Matt Bartram from Brighton-based band Air Formation in 2002 and was finished by Rachel by Rachel Goldstar, who has worked with Slowdive offshoot Monster Movie, in 2008. It is a chilled-out 7 track mini album with lots of shimmering guitars, while Rachel and Matt's vocals just melt into each other in a way that has not been seen since the early releases of Slowdive. Yellow 6/STHLM (DN006) Yellow 6 is the project of Jon Attwood, a guitarist based in Leicester, who has recorded material for pretty much every post rock label around. Starting off in the early 80’s playing in punk bands, he has been making home recordings under the Yellow 6 moniker since 1995. ‘STHLM’ is a mixture of slo core, post rock and slow cooked grooves. Roma Kid/Roma Kid (DN007) Roma Kid is the project of Michael Tickner and David MacPhail. The latest release in the series is ‘The Scorned and the Scolded’, which sounds like an experimental Primal Scream. ‘My Young Love Said to Me’ features female vocals and guitars which trip in and out Both ‘Levers to Remain’ and ‘October and November’ are dark and trippy, while ‘Four Cornered Room (Roma Kid Remix)’ is more clubby. ‘Once Born’ has rave-style textures and again features female vocals. ‘Beautiful Eyes’ is more lo-fi in tone like the Cure or Mogwai on downers.‘Chasing Leaves’ is moody and dark, while the closer, ‘Vent’, is trippy and like the early Verve lost in dance rhythms.

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