Gig Guide
Saturday September 6th
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· 12 Below: Parfait
· Bath St: CHEF [uk] & Jason Howson [ak]. Dubstep Intnl.
· The Backstage: 'Frequency' Dunedin DJ extravaganza
· THE BOG IRISH BAR: Sweet Naval Oranges
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15 June, 2008
Knives at Noon EP
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Knives at Noon EP
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Knives At Noon EP
It's interesting to note the integration of synths into otherwise standard rock combos. Hard to know if it's just circumstance or the lingering influence of an electronic scene that stagnated almost as quickly as it emerged. Clearly the myriad sonic options offered by electronics lends a broad palette to open-minded artists. Which isn't to say that they all chose to use it broadly or open-mindedly. It's amazing how happy musicians can be to stick to presets that sound like they come a sound bank titled `80s synthesizer clichés'. Is the future really in 1984?
Knives At Noon's non-tinkering with their synth sounds is one minor disappointment on this debut EP, but it's fairly quickly forgiven. While it gives some tracks the aftertaste of Goodshirt (after The Cars), in general there's enough of interest here for that not to be overly off putting. But it's certainly not the only nod to the decade of excess. Guitarist Andy Ketels seems just as enamored of the 1980s as keyboardist Oli Wilson. His angular playing owes a debt to Gang of Four's Andy Gill, who must feel like the most ripped-off man in the world given that every neo post-punk guitarist has borrowed liberally from his technique.
Again though, it's not a terribly galling act of plagiarism given that the end justifies the means. And that the amalgamation of Ketels, Wilson, and drummer Tim Couch ultimately arrive at somewhere quite interesting. There's some good songs amongst the six here, for sure. Particularly Bad Ride and Wake Up Call. Yeah, they're kind of mired in an affected `80s posture, but within that it manages to work, if only by sheer force of will.
So Knives At Noon's first recording foray, at Albany Street Studio, is creditable. In future a little more attention to sonic detailing, and a more expansive vocabulary of sound may prove beneficial. But this isn't a bad start by any stretch.
Gavin Bertram
Posted by scott
