Flashback to Tomorrow - Shark Speed and Erase.Release

Last month, my esteemed Ripple colleague, the Pope, started a new column titled "Flashback to Tomorrow," to drop some praise on a couple of bands that were bringing familiar sounds from the past kicking and screaming into the present day. Loving the idea, I decided to jump on board with two more bands, steeped in the sensibilities of days of yore, but updated with a modern edge for 2009.


Shark Speed - Sea Sick Music

As soon as I popped Shark Speed's debut disc into the Ripple player, I was instantly transported back to my days as a DJ at KSPC FM. Back then in the early to mid-eighties, every band that dropped an album off at the station explored their own new and exciting, busting-at-the-seams post punk muse. And what a collection of bands came through in those days, several of which can be easily heard in this confident, sparkling debut.

Coming from Utah, Shark Speed couldn't be farther away from post-punk England of the 1980's, but influences from those days rage through this disc with flying aplomb. From the distinctly British flavored vocals to the Johnny Marr-ish shimmering guitar, the most readily apparent influence is the Smiths. And that comparison can't be ignored. Thayne Fagg's slightly nasal, monotone vocal delivery hearkens back to Morrissey at his most passionate. Easily, some of these tracks could be disguised as lost-Smiths outtakes, most notably the opener "Cast Off Dance Off." What starts off as an almost dirge-like, tin pan alley mourning, explodes in a bristling shimmer of sparkling guitar, undulating bass lines and Morrissey-esque vocals. But putting the influences aside, what really stands out is the instantly catchy and holding melody. One that grabs you and just doesn't want to let go.

As nice as an opener as that track is, the whole affair picks up with the next couple of tracks. "I'm a Machine," probably my favorite track on the disc, tosses an upbeat tempo into the proceedings. Check out the breakdown at the end of the verse, dropping down into the bass-massive bridge to the gang-shout chorus "I'm a Machine." Choppy time changes don't dampen the mass appeal this song has, poppy and infectious. "Freddy," the next track reminds me of another band that these cats probably never heard of, but damn, if they don't sound like an influence. Easterhouse rocked England in the mid-eighties playing a violently political Smiths-esque sound, highlighted by intricate twin guitar parts and the distinctive vocals of Andy Perry. Clearly, echoes of Easterhouse tear through "Freddy," a terror of a pop song, featuring the most dynamic guitar playing on the album as well as a beautiful contrast of dark tone and light guitar passages. Haunting backing vocals add to the tension as the song kicks it up into full gear, chords crashing underneath the vocals "I need to figure out/why everything I do turns out wrong." To my ears this is the most complete song on the album and a killer, confident cut coming from a new band.

I've seen people compare the band to Minus the Bear, or try to apply tags to this album like "post-emo," or "math rock." I don't even know what those terms mean, and personally, think they're a bunch of crap. What we have here is high intricate, undeniably catchy, well-written and performed alt-pop. There's a firm post punk vibe running through it, and that's about where the tags should end and the listener should begin to form their own idea, because what these cats are laying down defies description.

Now, that doesn't mean Shark Speed have crafted a perfect album. In truth, the affair tends to wear a bit thin as it progresses, mainly because the songs tend to follow a similar tempo, dynamic, and full-on wall of guitar sound. But touches of brilliance shine through all the way to the end, like the gorgeous, understated guitar intro to "Deep South Detox," and the power of the darker theme it contains. And those touches of brilliance point well for the band's future. Once they come to terms with the power their songwriting contains when they vary the dynamic, they're going to unleash a corker. And I, for one, am going to be there listening when that happens.



Erase.Release - Vehicle Vs Cyclist

This one has got me totally miffed.

I was in the gym one day, searching for the perfect music to listen to while I jumped on the rowing machine and stumbled upon this impeccable six song EP. But here's the thing . . . I have absolutely no idea how this got onto my ipod in the first place. I can guess someone sent it in for review, but I have no record of an email saying such. I have no record of the original file, no memory of ever downloading it, or any hard disc or one-sheet to refer to. To make matters worse, when I tracked down the band's Myspace page, I was met with this message.




G'day all!,
Last night on the 28th of February 2009 erase.release ceased to exist. We decided to pull the plug due to individual differences within the band. These differences could not be worked through and as a result this caused the demise of the band.

We have had a great 12 months, been Fbi and Triple J favourites, along with countless airplays, was nominated top 5 in the Oz music awards, had great shows and a great response in such a short period!
We'd like to send out a BIG thank you to all of you who supported us over the last 12 or so months. We love you all!

Jason, Dan, Kurtis, Luke

erase.release


Shit! So where does that leave us? I'll tell you where, holding a freaking fantastic, incredibly tight and developed slab of post-punk agit rock that just screams to be heard. The most obvious influence here (as far as our Flashback to Tomorrow theme goes) is the early The Cure, from the guitar intricacies, to the driving-up-and-down-machinations of the bass, to the clearly Robert Smith-esque vocals. And when I say the Cure, I mean it. Wow, "Blue," positively radiates what the Cure sounded like back in the days of their high creativity, before pop-dom took over. Warbling vocals, bass lines so taunt you could hang your laundry on them, drums that push the song foward in perfect time and chiming, layered guitar madness. Check out the dynamics on this baby, from the highs and lows, the charging parts to the dropped out guitars, leaving only rippling bass and shallow vocals. An incredibly impressive burst of post-punk creativity.

Check out that amazing see-sawing bass line that underpins "Vehicle Vs Cyclist," leading into a natural singalong chorus. "White Shirt," positively gets up and jumps on the backbone of a perfect darkly funky bass. Layered guitars add density and texture while the vocals warble across the synthesizer sound effects.

And the whole EP follows suit. Touches of old school bands like the Gang of Four drop in, as does Joy Division and Echo, as well as newer post-punk revival bands like Interpol, The Bravery and the National. But name dropping gets old fast. What really matters is what these guys bring to the table, and I'll tell you, it's a tantalizing concoction of post punk vittles. A veritable smorgasbord of edgy, angular, darkened pop. It really is that good.

Yes, the band may be gone, but that doesn't mean you should deprive yourself of this treat. From the looks of things, Vehicle vs Cyclist is still available on iTunes. You can get there through the band's Myspace. If the bands I mentioned get your fire started, then I suggest you pop on over and download this puppy. Better yet, drop the band a line. Maybe if we started an international campaign, we could get them to overcome their differences and reform. Really, music this good deserves that.

--Racer

www.myspace.com/sharkspeedrawks

www.myspace.com/eraserelease



RUNAMUK VISUALS/ North Shore '08 from RUNAMUKVISUALS.COM on Vimeo.

Comments

Anonymous said…
kurtis and luke from erase.release = http://www.myspace.com/nodeviceband
Unknown said…
Hi all,
Wow, what a treat it was to re-read this review, it really is a fantastic write up. Well, well, well have we got news for you...Yes it's official, erase.release are back!!!!!

In between our 4 year hiatus, many bands later and life changing experiences, we have come to agree that when a good thing like this happens, it's simply just not right to ignore it. There is something magical that happens with the 4 of us when we get in a room together. So much so, we are back in that room.
Yes, so dust off those glad rags and expect to see us hitting Sydney in the very near future. We're currently beavering away on new material to share with all of you who supported us in the past and any e.r noobs to come.

Big love from us!
e.r