The Wire, April 2011
Drunk pirates or sombre storytellers? Listen here to Australia's most enchanting new band
Over the past few years there has been a steady and rather welcome increase in good music coming from Australia, a country that previously was either failing to make much of note -- or, as I suspect, was just not bothering to tell us about it or send it overseas.
Over the past few years there has been a steady and rather welcome increase in good music coming from Australia, a country that previously was either failing to make much of note -- or, as I suspect, was just not bothering to tell us about it or send it overseas.
Recently the likes of C W Stoneking, The Drones, the Middle East, Circle Pit, Civil Civic and Fabulous Diamonds have been filling my ears with joy. But until now I have never heard Australian folk. And I have yet to experience anything else that sounds so very Australian as the Doomed Bird of Providence.
The voice is slightly startling at first. I think this might just be that I've never heard an Australian group that retains their accent; I wish it would happen more, there is nothing more annoying than groups that adopt ye olde English folk voice, a voice that only a small number of people in the West Country and people that name ales still actually speak.
Their album is called Will Ever Prey and recalls tragic, dark tales from Australian history with a strange sort of snarled beauty. It does at times sound like the work of drunk pirates and I won't lie: not all of you will like it.
There are long periods in which the music on the album sounds very traditionally folk, but the dramatic periods of awkward, slightly out of tune, bowed strings are what I was so enchanted by. At times it's a little frightening and I don't get to say that often. More Australian music, please.
Tom Ravenscroft, New Statesman - http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/cultural-capital/2011/04/drunk-pirates-australia-music
Another gem from the Front & Follow label...
Having been mightily impressed with Doomed Bird of Providence in a live setting, I couldn’t help but wonder how their macabre tales of early Australian history would translate to a recording as so much of their sound relies on the rawness of a live performance. However, this intimate feeling has been perfectly retained; with a rough recording style and no overly finessed production values to sap the life out of Kluzek’s growling vocal or the rag-tag instrumentalists.
Split into two halves, Will Ever Pray opens with four dark tales. From the suitably scratchy layered strings of ‘On A Moonlit, Ragged Sea’ to the lilting accordion and guitar of ‘On the Deathbed of Janus Weathercock’, these modern day sea shanties manage to convey the gruesome nature of the stories whilst maintaining a stunningly immersive beauty. Kluzek’s superb vocal style nestles comfortably within the wonderfully orchestrated instrumental layers, leaving the listener able to follow the tale without the vocal being over-bearing. ‘Fedicia Exine’ closes the first half, flitting between a funereal march to an intricate guitar line and beyond, trying to create a sense of identity for the lost soul behind this sorry tale.
The second half of the album consists of a five part portrayal of the massacre on board The Sea Horse as described by a broadsheet of the time. Opening with a sprawling instrumental piece full of foreboding, the scene is set by harsh droning strings and, later on, accordion. A fragment of melody is heard before blossoming into a hopeful theme, all the while a sense of unease underlying this feeling.
The next two tracks report the tragedy itself; the drunken vocals of ‘Part 2′ accompanied by hand claps with the lyrical accordion and violin reinforcing the melody before continuing into ‘Part 3′ which describes in somewhat graphic detail the fate of the passengers and crew ‘..beyond recognition he was mutilated..’, before launching into an urgent, grief stricken passage of wailing strings and persistent ukulele strumming. The heart wrenchingly beautiful lament of ‘Part 4′ consists a lonely accordion melody accompanied by painfully sparse piano arpeggios before the violin joins in on the melody, building the intensity of the piece whilst retaining the feeling of emptiness and loss.
The finale is a setting of the traditional folk tune ‘Dives and Lazarus’, the driving chords and flourishes of melody acting as a perfect close. As the rest of the group dies away we are left only with the lamenting violin and raging sea.
All in all this is an absolutely superb collection of folk tales which, despite the traditional instrumentation, sound completely modern with many of the pieces weaving their way into long drawn out instrumental developments beyond the fundamental storytelling. Another gem from the Front & Follow label.
Fluid Radio -
Having been mightily impressed with Doomed Bird of Providence in a live setting, I couldn’t help but wonder how their macabre tales of early Australian history would translate to a recording as so much of their sound relies on the rawness of a live performance. However, this intimate feeling has been perfectly retained; with a rough recording style and no overly finessed production values to sap the life out of Kluzek’s growling vocal or the rag-tag instrumentalists.
Split into two halves, Will Ever Pray opens with four dark tales. From the suitably scratchy layered strings of ‘On A Moonlit, Ragged Sea’ to the lilting accordion and guitar of ‘On the Deathbed of Janus Weathercock’, these modern day sea shanties manage to convey the gruesome nature of the stories whilst maintaining a stunningly immersive beauty. Kluzek’s superb vocal style nestles comfortably within the wonderfully orchestrated instrumental layers, leaving the listener able to follow the tale without the vocal being over-bearing. ‘Fedicia Exine’ closes the first half, flitting between a funereal march to an intricate guitar line and beyond, trying to create a sense of identity for the lost soul behind this sorry tale.
The second half of the album consists of a five part portrayal of the massacre on board The Sea Horse as described by a broadsheet of the time. Opening with a sprawling instrumental piece full of foreboding, the scene is set by harsh droning strings and, later on, accordion. A fragment of melody is heard before blossoming into a hopeful theme, all the while a sense of unease underlying this feeling.
The next two tracks report the tragedy itself; the drunken vocals of ‘Part 2′ accompanied by hand claps with the lyrical accordion and violin reinforcing the melody before continuing into ‘Part 3′ which describes in somewhat graphic detail the fate of the passengers and crew ‘..beyond recognition he was mutilated..’, before launching into an urgent, grief stricken passage of wailing strings and persistent ukulele strumming. The heart wrenchingly beautiful lament of ‘Part 4′ consists a lonely accordion melody accompanied by painfully sparse piano arpeggios before the violin joins in on the melody, building the intensity of the piece whilst retaining the feeling of emptiness and loss.
The finale is a setting of the traditional folk tune ‘Dives and Lazarus’, the driving chords and flourishes of melody acting as a perfect close. As the rest of the group dies away we are left only with the lamenting violin and raging sea.
All in all this is an absolutely superb collection of folk tales which, despite the traditional instrumentation, sound completely modern with many of the pieces weaving their way into long drawn out instrumental developments beyond the fundamental storytelling. Another gem from the Front & Follow label.
Fluid Radio -
Dollboy Meets Sone Institute - The Sum and The Difference
"that old adage "small but perfectly formed" springs immediately to mind. The seven tracks flow between one another beautifully - giving a sense of fluid continuity - but it still functions as a series of standalone moments too. 'Play For Today' is especially memorable, sounding uncannily like it might be a lost Robert Wyatt song thanks to a vividly forlorn vocal, while 'A Slow Reader' beautifully combines stray electronic textures with swooning string sections and 'Hotel Oriental' shifts into a pastoral mode, setting riverside field recordings amongst a playful soundscape of pianos, acoustic guitars and mellotrons. Lovely stuff." - Boomkat
"A lovely little release that seems all the nicer for leaving you wanting more. Dream-like and disconcerting at the same time, this is what this pair are good at individually but combined have gained an extra edge. As well as digital downloads there will be a limited edition mini-CD release complete with gorgeous packaging as is the Front & Follow way." - Fluid Radio
"The result is a patchwork of sounds using cut up acoustic guitar, keyboards and other home spun instruments, as if the sounds have been chopped up, thrown in the air and left to settle in their (un) natural position. Its not a melodic, tuneful mish mash but it has a very endearing homely charm which will appeal to fans of Jim O' Rourke's more cut up bits, Fennesz etc." - Norman Records
"An album of intimate gems, lofi production, understated vocals, and sepia toned aesthetic... a series hand-drawn sketches, reminiscences of childhood, glimpses of dreams remembered as you wake, all with the sense of time unravelling. Each track gets better and better" - futuresequence
"The two of them have apparently swapped existing material and made something new and greater than the sum of their respective parts. It makes everything you´ve heard about "folktronics" seem anemic. Such a sweet seven-song suite. These are the fond memories your future hold" - Sonomu
"Pure chill-out… an excellent diffusion of talents from newcomer Dollboy and a firm favourite of mine, the Sone Institute… the pace is dreamily sedate, as field recordings and vinyl keepsakes mingle with the acoustic and vocal moonbeams... concocting the familiar with tints of subtle magic… jarring edges blended out, fed into a soft focused Emmanuelle cinescope… Sounds becoming a scatter of dandelion seeds drifting through the headphones… headphones being the best way to experience this EP’s lush sensibilities… a definite cure for all you insomniacs out there." - rottenmeats
"they deliver fragile electro-acoustic soundscapes which brings up the best of both… a continuous warm and mysterious sound that won't let you go… a great gem" - Caleidoscoop (Netherlands)
"It acts as an interesting companion piece to Mr Bezdyk's (Sone Institute's) brilliant Curious Memories album from earlier in the year. As usual with F&F, the artwork by Damian O'Hara provides another compelling reason to invest your money. Highly recommended." - Conor O'Toole, The Underground of Happiness
Sone Institute - The Wire, February 2010
Elite Barbarian - The Wire, May 2010
Long Division with Remainders - The Wire, Sept 2010
Andy Nice - Record Collector, Sept 09
