Wake up…time to drone
References to Blade Runner always pique my interest. Although, when I read the slogan ‘If you ever wished that Blade Runner was a perfect pop song, then this for you’ I tend to imagine bad and apparently ‘haunting’ (read ‘there’s some reverb on it’) saxophone. Thankfully, French five piece Steeple Remove avoid using sax on Radio Silence and plump instead for fuzzed up guitars, old synths and droning wonderfulness.
Yes, this is very good. One could easily and lazily reference MBV, Stooges, Krautrock, Telescopes (even) and moments of intense footwear gazing, but there’s much more going on here: full opener Gonzo Gazing drifts and swirls adorably, instrumental Free Open Tune is precisely that in a space-rocked-up manner, Indoor Reptile has got that sleazy Jarvis/Pulp-esque claustrophobia to it and Hyperprism is Loop-meets-Suicide (although this is let down by sex-noises which I, for some reason, always hate in any song). And throughout there’s moments when I wish the next and crushingly inevitable cut of Blade Runner (c’mon there’s got be more – a ‘cubist’ cut, an ‘adult interest’ cut) is OST’d by this lot, rather than Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou and his dodgy sax.
So whilst you can play spot the influence here without too much difficulty the resulting product is really rather ace. What’s more there’s a comforting variety to the tunes here that seems to be sadly lacking in the indie (broadly taken) world at the moment. Although it could be I’m just not listening to the right stuff.
Oh and I’ve got a question for any blogger (music or otherwise) who happens across us: how on earth do you find time to keep you site updated? When do you do it? I (and I imagine my co-conspirator) needs some tips, natch?
Anyway, get your head round these beauties. Can’t wait to see them live.
Buy Radio Silence here.
angrybonbon
Posted on February 13, 2008, in Album reviews and tagged steeple remove. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
Both Bars On 
Listen, there can never be enough cuts of Blade Runner. Unless it was the 1920s Flapper cut. That would probably be a cut too far. Or even “the unkindest cut of all.”
As for keeping my site updated – first thing in the morning or last thing at night works for me, as do long train journeys. When I fall behind it’s usually because I’ve had my FTIM or LTAN time stolen. With tiredness, normally.
*feels pressure*
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