Rational Hauntings Make For Brutal Brilliance

 

Ben Thompson has been a veritable mainstay on the Brisbane music scene for over a decade now. Seriously? Dude, that sounds insane, but it’s true. And whilst his Pale Earth electronica guise is starting to get a workout, and it all kicked off from Toowoomba band The Autumn Giants, the vast majority of that decade has been spent on the ever-evolving musical quest that is The Rational Academy. Three albums and a multitude of recorded material under their belt; a carousel of partners-in-crime; successful tours of Japan; some illustrious support slots (Deerhoof, Grails, Grouper). There was a stage in the mid 2000s where I'm pretty sure I saw them four times in a month – and that is probably an understatement. Saturation, clandestine, flirting with the breakthrough, shirking the mainstream – they have done it all. But for the true advocates of the band, it has been intriguing watching The Rational Academy grow in its amorphous way, the emotions riding on each track, release, performance open for all to see like a flayed cadaver. Choose to view this journey with the impassioned glaze of a disillusioned coroner, or the fascinated gaze of the biology enthusiast – either way, Thompson has never kept things close to his chest, for better or worse.

Which is why seeing Winter Haunts as a minor masterpiece isn’t a flippant remark. The gradual move from elegiac indie rock that revelled in its wispy delicacies as much as poignant pauses or therapeutic tremors, to a denser, more brutal sense of catharsis, is the result of a man who is throwing everything at the wall – not to see what sticks, but because he’s sick of second-guessing. Thompson’s vocals remain as hushed and reverent as ever, yet rather than the music crowding around it and buoying it up, it crashes over the top like a tidal wave of static destruction, an aural razing of the landscape. This louder approach doesn’t drown out the nuances of the songwriting though – rather it helps to embody the desperation that these songs hold at its core, and The Rational Academy have never felt more relevant, more alive – more there – in any of their other incarnations.

The musicians – Luke Zahnleiter (Guitar), Tom Roche (Drums) and Matthew Cooke (Bass) – hold a lot of responsibility for this, their performance preferring that denser soundscape that colours the songs in thick, abrasive swathes of darkness and light. ‘Vast Uncertain’ holds down the brutal drone of early Boris, no easy feat indeed. And although ‘End Of The Year’ may feel like a heavier squalling interpretation of Swans-era RA, when you hear ‘Yellow Pony’, if you didn’t get it before, the penny will drop here – their best all-round effort ever, it’s the entire history in a three-and-a-half minute soundbyte. Thompson hasn’t been stronger, and his presence is the calm before – nay, within – the storm. It shows the band breaking free of the carapace of the past and becoming something altogether different – harsher, yes, but therein lies the beauty.

If you finish with the acoustic wistfulness of ‘I Catch The Warmth’, you will feel yourself torn asunder by the wall of feedback that completes this epic sojourn, walking into the blinding light to disappear. Will this be a defining moment in their career? Is it a resurrection? A martyrdom? An ascension? No one knows, least of all Thompson himself. But something tells me that this won’t be the last we hear from him in this guise – and I wait with bated breath for his next reincarnation.

 

You MUST buy Winter Haunts(through Lofly Records) – the fullness of this sound is never more noticeable than on the purple vinyl – get it here! There won’t be many shows (if any) in this lineup for the foreseeable future, and when you put this record on, you will realise what a shame that is – but, as I said, the next manifestation will bring us something new. I can’t wait.

The Rational Academy – Yellow Pony
The Rational Academy - End Of The Year

Sonic Masala Presents It's A Knockout - Round 2!

It's now time to dissect the last two acts on Friday's 6th Sonic Masala Presents... showcase. In this case we have two acts that are fledgling in terms of who their big brothers are, but are burgeoning talents in their own right


Star Lion is the relatively new project for Ben Thompson, he of the prolifically epic The Rational Academy. Whilst the band are percolating in preparation for their next tilt at global glory, Thompson has unearthed his inner electronic stargazer - and whilst it isn't that far removed from his day job (really, the spaces created in these suites of sound make sense), it has such a brooding intensity that it pervades the senses. That said, it will be interesting to see how his powers battle the sloppy erraticisms of the next act...




Closing out the evening in a waterfall of sawdust and beer suds, Woodboot are yet another arm of garage shambolism that branches from the Velociraptor/Tiny Migrants/Keep On Dancins tree. There are so many bands in this vein (The Quest For Glory is actually yet another one) that it is hard to keep track - and even harder to believe that each spawns its own personality and fanbase. Yet that they do, which is why Brisbane has such a spectacular scene right now. The simplicity of the duo adds to the allure (plus that the recording of their rendition of 'I'm A Genius' on YouTube has a Spaceshits song down the right hand side - THAT is grand!)



So the eclecticism is in full effect. But as they sang on the titular show...

THAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME!

Come down on Friday to The Waiting Room in West End. $10, BYO and slapfights between grungy upstarts and elegant wasters to kickstart the weekend - there is no other reason to live.

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!