Losing Stress In Waves

It seems like the port of call nowadays that when a hardcore or post-hardcore act implodes or reaches its final stages, various members branch out into realms totally unbecoming of their past output. Acoustic balladry; obnoxious house; ambient soundscapes - there is no limit to the tangents that have been taken. This is somewhat true for Brisbane act Stress Waves too, seeing as its members converge from the embers of To The North, Quiet Steps and Throes. Yet these bands haven't necessarily been obvious poster children for the hardcore throngs, what with To The North's sonic balleticism and Quiet Steps' evolution from a bile-spitting maelstrom to something more poetic, more refined, yet always potent. Stress Waves feeds off these creative juices, and the three tracks that make up Lost Lustre perfectly frame this. There are elements of coldwave isolation here, as well as more than a bearing resemblance to post punk's melancholic Manchester origins (Errol Hoffman is also in Make More, so that kinda makes sense too). These tracks are almost archaic, however - steeped in Casio simplicity yet awash with ideas, either the product of out-of-time pioneers or a concerted effort to leap into icy waters without reservation. The trio also reference The Cure, Final Fantasy XII and Akira as their influences, and with the blue-tinted urban cover art, the sparsity of the production and the otherworldly textures this approach creates, such disparate touchstones are actually warranted (if a little tongue in cheek).

You can grab Lost Lustre in name-your-price digital here. Hopefully we'll see Stress Waves playing live shows in more regular bursts soon.

Bow Down To God Bows To Math

Last year Sonic Masala put on a last-minute show for excellent Auckland noise rock trio God Bows To Math. It was underattended (due to time constraints and it being a Sunday), yet with blistering supports from Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps was one of the best shows I saw in 2012. This Saturday April 28 they return, supported again by Tiny Spiders but also joined by Undead Apes and Roku Music (Innez Tulloch pulling double duties on the night). This will be the final stop on a whirlwind tour which begins in Newcastle on Thursday and also includes Sydney and Melbourne shows. Head over to their Facebook for full details. The band will be doing some recording in Brisbane with Donnie Miller (No Anchor/Roku Music) in preparation for their next album - killer. Go here to read what I thought of their electric self-titled album (one of my favourite albums of 2011), grab said album from here, and get damned excited. 

God Bows To Math - The Only Good Fnord Is A Dead Fnord

Taking Quiet Steps With Dying Livers

 

Ex-local band Quiet Steps have moved to Melbourne, but are still quite active. They have releases Dying Livers, which follows the spectacular about-turn of last release Secular, which sees them shying further away from their more aggressive roots to a much more melodic, post-punk realm, full of texture and meticulousness that still manages to find space to breathe, offering a suite of songs that are relentless yet refined in pace and intent. Yes – “refined” – because what the Perkins brothers and Josh Strange bring to the table on these six songs is the ability to find light within the discordant darkness. If you liked Secular, then this LP is a fluid continuation of this line of music.

 

Dying Livers is out now through Tenzenmen Records – grab it on spattered vinyl here. Quiet Steps are returning to Brisbane along with another local act that haven’t played often in the Sunshine State this year (unless you count the million times they played in July), Nikko, accompanied by The Rational Academy. Three great acts to be sure, the ace night kicks off at The Zoo Saturday November 24 - tix here.

Quiet Steps - Dying Livers

Sonic Masala Presents It's A Knockout - Round 1!

It's a busy week on Planet Masala. On Sunday we helped send off Auckland noisemakers God Bows To Math (alongside Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps, both playing their last shows for a while), and whilst it was a disappointing turnout, it was a lively and excellent show. I'm not resting on my or anyone else's laurels however, as this Friday sees the sixth instalment of our monthly showcases down at the Waiting Room. This one promises to be something markedly different than previous shows in that whilst it has always been eclectic, the lineup takes on two sides of the same tawdry coin that is our local music scene.


Today we are focusing on the first two acts playing the bill, squaring off in what I like to call "It's A Knockout!" Kicking us off is an unknown quantity in White Squall, a three-piece of laptop junkies who like mucking around in the bedroom before being coaxed out into the night to play. They have a couple "jams" that they've slammed down on Bandcamp here - below is one of them. Their ambient sample-heavy miasmas are quite impressive - the love of Boards Of Canada/Four Tet/The Weeknd and their ilk stands tall here. They may be a timid bunch, but expect an intense punch on the night.

White Squall - Pushed Pulled Mix


In the opposite corner, with fists cocked and rucksacks packed, are Brisbane's own adventure rockers The Quest For Glory. Embracing GIFs, zaniness, explosions and corny non-sequiters, the quartet don't get out much as a collective - if they did Brisbane would sink into a hole of preposterousness the likes that hasn't been seen since Test Icicles was deemed a good name for a band - so expect them to unleash the woody goodness with both barrels. Grab their "album" Derek Gene and the Gene Scream here - it's free.

The Quest For Glory - Politics
The Quest For Glory - Choose Your Own Adventure

Who will win out? And how will they tap into the ring to aid them in that final sonic piledriver to claim the ultimate accolades? Check back in tomorrow to find out!

Remaining Secular On The Quiet Steps

I wrote a review of the 2nd LP by Brissie post-post-hardcore trio Quiet Steps for Time Off (it comes out tomorrow), but I couldn't wait to put this out into the ether. Secular is available on Bandcamp under a pay-as-you-like system, and you really should invest some of your money crumbs. This may not be the balltearer they intimated after Think Aloud, their last abrasive opus, yet the changes in melodic structure and production has created a sleeker, more beautiful beast. I caught them play most of this live when they supported No Anchor last month, and they are still fiery in action too - they have really grown into themselves.


They are also playing the Sonic Masala-sanctioned God Bows To Math show at The Waiting Room this Sunday, so head here to grab Secular NOW, then come along on Sunday and for a tenner catch em live! Win bloody win!

Quiet Steps - Secular
Quiet Steps - Fire/Water

No Anchor Will Give You Enough Rope...

Brisbane's local proponents of black sonic sludge gunk No Anchor had a 7" to throw your way. Titled Rope/Pussyfootin', it features four tracks including an ace cover of Big Black's 'Jordan, Minnesota'. Coming in at under ten minutes, the 7"s offerings of short and concise songs are a testament to their ever-evolving songwriting (despite apparently doing the recording in 4 hours - that's sixty minutes a song), and the power that these songs exude (especially 'Rope') is jaw-dropping. Metal for the indie crowd? Well, it certainly is more accessible to an extent, but still as loud and abrasive as fuck.



Recorded by No Anchor's own Donovan Miller and Innez Tulloch on new(ish) Nowhere Records, Rope/Pussyfootin' will be available on March 17 in both limited Blue (100) and Black (150) vinyl. Digitally though, you can pay what you want - get it here - but be warned, there will be no Big Black cover on the digital release.

To coincide with the launch, No Anchor hace a party for you! They will be playing at Woodland, ably supported by Whitehorse(Melbourne), Quiet Steps, Tiny Spiders and DJ Swedetooth. Its all for a paltry $12, and doors at 8:30pm. More about this when it comes down the rabbithole...

No Anchor - Rope