It’s a trivial point in a way, but I can’t find out what label this is on. You see, there’s an Edinburgh indie called ‘Tape’, and this Edinburgh trio’s debut is available on Tape. Or “tape”.
And if it’s actually cassette, then (bear with me) then the aforementioned threesome are truly in thrall to the 1980s.
Their biog quotes lots of references, mainly trendy modern ones like Animal Collective and Health. However, a wee interview on the web has a throwaway remark about their being fans of Vangelis and (god help us) Yes.
There’s not much of the latter in this 10-track album, but as for synth-based acts, these do come through loud and clear in the band’s makeup. The percussive klang and klunk of Kraftwerk, the bare-bones dentist drill of late 70s Sheffield, and what may be an ambitious attempt to recreate Ultravox’s towering Rage In Eden in miniature.
From the drone of opener ‘A Broken Y Axis’ with some decidedly teutonic electronics shining through, to the cinematic drone of ‘//’ which closes the set, it’s soundscapes, electronic swirls and little cameos of noise which make for a highly-produced and well-thought-out album. It’s almost as if artificial inteligence has been at work here
The only real concession to modernity is on ‘Ever’ which incorporates some decidedly out-of-phase screamo that sticks out like a severed thumb. However, the rest is a rather enjoyable meander through what, 30 years or so ago, we called “futurism”. In fact DBR were a band almost perfect for compact disc. if there’s a cassette version of this, stick it in your time capsule and instead download from http://soundcloud.com/deadboyrobotics
- Ministry of De-fence - 6 November 2014
- Conquering Animal Sound - 5 November 2014
- The Bucky Rage - 4 November 2014