-=- SHGZ -=-
* Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal *
Artist..: AC Berkheimer
Album...: Equation Of State
GENRE...: Indie
STYLE...: Shoegaze, Indie Rock
YEAR....: 2013
LABEL...: Subroutine
ENCODER..: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 TRACKS..: 8
BITRATE..: 250 kbps avg SOURCE..: CD
QUALITY..: 44.1kHz/Stereo SIZE....: 46.74 MB
URL..: http://acberkheimer.com/
- TRACKLIST
1 My Love, It's Not The Same 2:29
2 Beyond The Equation Of State 3:51
3 Do You 3:49
4 Kissing The Surface 2:19
5 Cat 3:02
6 Half Ten 3:37
7 Platform 3:09
8 Backwards 3:30
Total Playtime: 25:46
It cannot be a coincidence. On the day of the Independent Labelmarket at the
Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam we see pictures of Richard James Foster amicably
drinking beers with label managers of Subroutine Records, helping them at
their stand with Narrominded. The next day we get to read a typically
positive review on the latest Subroutine release, AC Berkheimeræs Equation of
State, written by û you guess it û Richard Foster for his web residence
Incendiary Magazine. Whatever happened to independent rock journalism? Are
opinions for sale for the price of cheap beer and the oddly shared cuppa? Or
does Incendiary have an interest in Subroutine Records, considering their
constant cheer on nearly every release from the Groningen based label, be
that Rats On Rafts (heck, these guys at Incendiary are the ones who keep
prattling on about their guiding hand in the band's rise to infamy, while
everyone knows this was 3voor12 and Gijsbert Kamer), or Space Siren (where we
catch Richard James Foster just a few days later, tweeting that he's tasting
Corno "Mister Space Siren" Zwetsloot's homebrewn beer) or Nouveau Velo or
The Sugarettesà no. Independent press can not be trusted anymore; too
interwoven with the labels, the bookers and musicians. These guys left their
principles at the door and sold their soul to the industry.
So, that's Mr. Foster sussed.
Or perhaps there's something else going on. Does Subroutine Records actually
have a Golden Ear, a finger on the pulse of the Dutch underground? Since no
one can be trusted anymore, let's check this hypothesis on Equation Of State,
the third record of AC Berkheimer. An album that will be presented in
Roodkapje on the 14 of September with û you guessed again û Incendiary on the
bill as DJs.
So Equation Of State. The moment the record kicks in, the body breaks into
shoegaze pose. There's no escaping the softly woven indie rock of these
Dutchies and their mesmerising layers of melodic guitar noise. Catchy and
haunting, you'll be humming these songs for hours after listening to them.
Songs like "Kissing The Surface" and "Cat" are threatening in that burning
sugary sweet Daydream Nation-way; caramelized noise rock. Songs that cradle
you to sleep, yet have an underlying horror: the outside world AC
Berkheimer's warm, protective hands can't save you from.
The four-piece teases you, tempts you just to push you away when you want to
come close. It is like long slow sex, or as Foster puts it "it is fine
fuck(ing) music", with the soaring post rock elements prolonging the moment
while the drums just want to pace the rhythm forward. And then the mix in
vocals, the well spread "she-he" combination taking turns in the leading
role. All in all, a great record, that finally brings forward all the
potential that AC Berkheimer already showed on previous albums into one great
ball of fire, making three a really divine number.
So, indeed yes, there is something else going on. Equation Of State is
actually great record and no, it's definitely not the first great record
released by Subroutine Records. I might go for a beer with Koen Ter Heegde
too.
-=- SHGZ -=-
P.S.
** Thanks ***
*** BCC FNT IPC SSR ***
*** For Knowing Where The Music Is At ***
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