Sunday, April 1st, 2007
Sunday Cleaning – Volume 68
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Aereogramme / My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (Sonic Unyon)
My appreciation of Aereogramme (whose name I’ve just realized I’ve been misspelling for years) has always been undermined by their insistence in injecting gutteral screaming – ostensibly to represent angst, emotion, what have you – in the middle of their otherwise impressively dramatic songs. But on this, their fourth full-length, they’ve abandoned the crunching guitars and throat-shredding vocals in favour of sweeping string arrangements, grand pianos and hearts on sleeves. One could argue that the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction and the new direction is overly sensitive and just as melodramatic as it was before, and there’s probably some truth there, but I’ll take it anyways. Aerogramme were supposed to play at the El Mocambo on Friday but visa issues have scuppered that. Hopefully they’ll be here at some point this year, though. MP3: Aereogramme – “Conscious Life” |
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Aqueduct / Or Give Me Death (Barsuk)
The one-man band used to be the realm of tape-hiss and whispered vocals so as not to disturb the neighbours. Now, thanks to the wonders of technology and the DI, it’s synonymous with grandiose, often over-the-top, DIY orchestras. Dave Terry, he who is Aqueduct, straddles these two worlds though definitely tilting towards the latter. Terry favours fat 70s arena rock guitars, 80s vintage synth sounds and skittering 90s drum loops and a lyrically clever songwriting style that’s definitely rooted in ’00s indie aesthetics. The result of this melange of eras is a pleasantly plump (but not bloated) record that balances progginess with poppiness and is more rewarding with each listen. The video below comes courtesy of Shots Ring Out, who also have an interview with the director. Aqueduct play a free show – with full band – at the Horseshoe on Tuesday night. MP3: Aqueduct – “Living A Lie” |
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