Goodbye Buildings Breeding. Thanks for the Kite Fire EP.

Bands are mortal. Some, like Sacremento band BUILDINGS BREEDING, pass away too soon; others, like U2, continue to annoy the fuck out of people when they should have been euthanised a decade ago. Sometimes there seems little justice in this world.

Back in September, Buildings Breeding released this statement via their blog.

“We regret to inform you of our demise. We are ever so humble and grateful for all of your love and support through out the years. It has been so pleasing to share our little group with all of you. As we disband we do not do so on a sad note, we have had a full run with no regrets or disappointments .”

While they’ve now broken up following a round of farewell shows, they’ve blessed us remaining mortals with one last release. The Kite Fire EP was released in last week and you can download it FOR FREE from the following link.

While you’re here, I might as well tell you what I think of this final Buildings Breeding release. I’ve listened to it twice now and I was instantly entranced. While previous records, like their self titled long player and 2009's “In the Key of Calloused Fingers”, featured some individually great songs, I occasionally felt a lack of cohesiveness while listening to these records as albums specifically. Filler tunes were nestled in between some individually great songs. Not so on the Kite Fire EP.

Every song is strong and the entire record feels well balanced and evenly paced. We start off proceedings with a re-recorded version of “Brights of My Eyes” which originally appeared on the Beesting EP. It is now slower with slightly different instrumentation with a more discernable chorus It is a noticeable improvement. The original was good, but the newer version is superior in every aspect. The same can be said for the updated version of “Death on Tax Day” which appeared on the “In the Key of Calloused Fingers”. Many comparisons emerged in my mind while listening to the record. Sometimes I thought they sound a little like the Delgados, other times like the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, even Mogwai popped into my head when listening to the instrumental section of songs like 'Kite Fire'. Regardless, there is something for everyone on this particular outing.

Without a doubt the two highlights of the EP are 'Anchor Song' and 'Kite Fire'. The former features drone like delays overlayed with surf-inspired melodies and whereas the latter is more reflective and features a drawn out, somewhat uncharacteristic, instrumental section. All the songs, with perhaps the exception of the closing number “Lies of Love” with its slower brooding tone (which I feel is the weakest of the seven songs on the record), are finely crafted and present a band that have embraced a wider array of textures and sounds.

Buildings Breeding - Anchor Song by Buildings Breeding

Long-term fanciers of Buildings Breeding will notice the distinct use of more reverb and delay effects on the guitar, the addition of extra keyboard melodies and more dynamic percussion serve to mature the band’s sound, each dynamic featuring in different regards throughout the entire record. One criticism I’ve always had about the earlier recordings was the somewhat overpowering bass sound that occasionally became annoying. It is a much more balanced affair on this outing.

Overall, the result is one very good EP, one worthy of wide acclaim. A shame that it will ultimately prove to be the band’s last. Thanks for the concluding chapter though. Remember, it is FREE.

Last Dinosaurs, The Boat People, Red Riders @ The Globe

Visiting the Globe Theatre in Fortitude Valley during the Brisbane summer is much like a trip to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

The heat can be intense. My vision is swimming as people in top hats frolic in the lobby. Much like many other Brisbane venues, the Globe is not exactly the most comfortable place to be once the mercury hits the high twenties. However, several months of university-imposed isolation from the live music arena gives me the fortitude to ignore the ill comforts of this sweat pit. I’m at the Globe to check out Last Dinosaurs, The Boat People and Red Riders.

Last Dinosaurs are anything but relics from the cretaceous period, but rather a young foursome who play ever-so-nice indie pop rock. A friend of mine actually told me about these guys about a year ago and I’ve always been keen to see what they were like sur l'étape. I had been itching to see if their live show matched the quality of the songs available to listen to via their ArseSpace page.

My co-pilot JM Donellan can taste traces of Futureheads within the reverbed punctuated indie pop songs. I delineate flavours of surf rock. Regardless of genealogy, which seems so important in modern day contemporary music for some reason, the show is very solid. Upcoming single ‘As Far As You’re concerned’ appears early in the set. While the band briefly falters during ‘Honolulu’, the set is otherwise very solid. A promising band who will no doubt receive much more pundit attention in the coming years.

There is a fairly quick turnaround, and Brisbane stalwarts The Boat People enter stage right brandishing instruments and playing many songs from their latest record “Chandeliers”. I haven’t heard this particularly record, but going on the strength of what is performed tonight, I can only assume that it is fairly good. ‘Born in the 80s’ and ‘Panic’ are played with much gusto. Keyboard dude Robin announces the imminent performance of new song ‘Echo Stick Guitars’, a song they haven’t played much live allegedly but comes off sounding smooth as sugar. Guitarist Charles, whom I got some lessons off a few years back, is fully engrossed in the performance, intent on hitting all the correct notes. Such technical proficiency is a hallmark of the Boat People, a band obvious well used to live performance.

Not much of “yesyesyesyesyes” is evident in tonight’s set with only ‘Unsettle My Heart’ managing to make the cut. It is an enjoyable performance but once again I’m haunted by something that I’ve always felt about the Boaties. Their songs are good, some very good, but do not quite reach the heights of other indie pop bands like, say, the Shins. I know, a lofty comparison, but I guess I really want them to be that good. I can’t really put my finger on the exact fashion in which they are deficient. Still, I must admit, they are consistently better than many of their contemporaries.

The cowds of barely post-pubescent girls should have told me something about Sydney band Red Riders. I had never heard any of their music apart from their great ‘Ordinary’, the strength of which has me attending the gig tonight in anticipation that other gems might lurk in the coiled springs of their instrument’s pickups. Not that “barely legal teens” don’t have any taste in music, many do, but often it seems their tastes do not converge with my own.

Three songs in and I am convinced they are an Expatriate cover band. Perhaps a trifle harsh, but I just felt that their set choice might not have been well thought out – many of the songs sounded so similar that I often found myself glancing towards the exist. Not a very good sign. ‘Ordinary’ appears near the end and somewhat changes the dynamics of the set, mostly optimistically. However, in the end I’m left feeling disappointed.

Truth is, I wanted to like them, they all seemed like such affable guys who genuinely liked being on stage, but perhaps this was just a bum night.

Red Riders Alert!

Good gig on tonight in Brisbane with Sydney band Red Riders playing at the Globe with some solid Brisbane support in the form of The Boat People and Last Dinosaurs. After completing my uni semester, it is time to rock out. Since I missed what was sure to be a great Buzzcocks show last night at the Zoo (god damn!), I'm chafing to get out and about.

Tweeters are talking about the possible closure of Rics Bar - the Brisbane institution of local music. Scary news. I can't imagine a valley without it. Though, news just to hand....it seems like it only changing owners. The people who run the RGs are taking over, apparently. YES. Not long now before we have Krazy Kangaroo Karoake in Rics. Bundy Rums all round! Take that wannabe hipster police.

After receiving some good news this morning about an internship, looks like I'll be jetting off to sunny New York City for two months comes mid-January, and hopefully will be checking out 'the scene' in that city.

The Drones: Live at the Hi-Fi

Fuck, I love the Drones. I hope the addition of the expletive indicates how serious I am. I mean, they’re pretty good, are they not? Show me some evidence to the contrary. I implore you. Today I’m penning a quick word about their latest live record “Live at the Hi-Fi”. I actually meant to do this over a month ago, but university demands unfortunately got me sidetracked.

According to the boffins, live albums can be perilously difficult to pull off. One presumes this is the case because so many factors lie outside the control of the artist. Too many variables may exist. For instance, the sound quality and the willingness of the crowd to engage with the band and vice versa are examples of items that can vary hugely from gig to the next. There are no second takes or overdubbing in the live arena.

Despite the obvious risks, I can think of some live records I really like. For example, “Setlist” by The Frames and “If You’re Feeling Sinister: Live at the Barbican” by Belle and Sebastian are two that stand out in my mind. So, if I’m asked to have a proverbial gander a live record with some semblance of criticism, these are the comparative dimensions generally considered.
Well, considering that, “Live at the Hi-Fi” is somewhat of a mixed bag. Recorded at the opening of the Hi-Fi Bar in Brisbane back in May 2009, I was lucky enough to be present at the gig. The Drones were at their mercurial best but since the gig was invite only, there were many in the crowd who obviously had never heard of the band before.

As documented on the record, the songs and the performance are great. It was tight, raw, and energised; pretty much what you would expect from a Drones performance. The tones come out crystal clear on the record. ‘Nail It Down’, ‘The Minotaur’ and ‘I Never Want to Change’ are very well performed. Some songs are missing from the record that was included in the gig setlist. From memory, “I Used To Be A Supercargo” and “Your Acting’s Like the End of the World” were performed on the night but did not make the record’s cut.

However, there is something missing which, for me, is important to the live mix. Generally, in the context of live albums, this record is good. The songs are great, the sound is immaculate, the band is tight, but yet there is something slightly amiss. It took me a few listeners to fathom, but I finally pinpointed it. There is little audible reaction from the crowd.

There could be many reasons for this, some I’ve already alluded to. It was perhaps not the best occasion to record the Drones with many people clearly unaware of their music. That obviously means that you can’t really expect them to cheer along to songs they don’t know. Hence, the lack of screams and adoration and loud cheers I guess.

However, this is not to say that this album is not worth a place in your record collection. If you’re new to the Drones, this might actually be a good release to pick up, as it cuts across most of their discography. There is even a cover of Kev Carmody’s “River of Tears” which is performed with true gusto.



I believe you can get this release through iTunes.

Better Off Dead

The title to this post describe my current wish. I'm in essay land with my masters and thus, as explained before, have had little time to blog.

I have been listening to some good albums while I've been bashing out the words on my word processor. I just thought I'd pause to post a link to a live video of Le Peste performing 'Better Off Dead" back in 1979. This is a great song.





Anyway, I'm also thinking about starting a new web project with a larger scope than this blog - but with music integrated into its structure. This will happen sometime...soon!