ARTIST: Airiel
TITLE: The Battle of Sealand
LABEL: Highwheel Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 224kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 1h 03m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-08-21
RIP DATE: 2007-06-20
Track List
----------
1. Introduction 3:28
2. Thinktank 4:21
3. Thrown Idols 3:32
4. Sugar Crystals (featuring 5:16
Ulrich Schnauss)
5. You Kids Should Know Better 7:59
6. Mermaid in a Manhole 4:36
7. Stay 6:16
8. Peoria 5:13
9. The Release 2:48
10. Red Friends 5:10
11. The Big Mash-up 14:43
Release Notes:
True story. On January 15th, 1919, a huge storage tank of molasses ruptured and
sent 2.3 million gallons of the stuff rushing through downtown Boston at 35
miles per hour. Imagine walking along, minding your own business, and being
violently swept up in a wave of sticky sweetness, enveloping you, tumbling your
body end over end until you were dizzy from the motion.
You could do that. Or, you could listen to Airiel.
Formed in '97 by Jeremy Wrenn, it was initially a solo project supported by
various drum machines. However, he had dreams of entertaining the masses located
outside of the confines of his bedroom, so he drafted local music scene veterans
Cory Osborne and John Rungger on bass and drums. But the heady mΘlange was not
completed until guitarist Chris De Brizzio entered the fray.
Many bands today are an exercise in minimalism, stripping everything down to the
bone and sinew. Airiel takes a different approach. Injecting their well-crafted
songs with enough effects to level a small village, they stretch and expand the
sonic boundaries of the genre until the listener is completely deluged by an
aural wave of reverb, distortion and sweat. They are advancing the art of sheer
sonic energy while utilizing the power of a good melody to provide a basis for
the effects, never forgetting the innate human desire to shake one's ass. In
short, it's loud, it's beautiful, and you can dance to it.
Through Clairecords (Sacramento), Airiel released a series of 4-song EP's titled
Winks & Kisses. The EP's were also sold as a limited edition box set, capturing
the evolution of Airiel in its current form. Their cds are consistently some of
the top sellers of the label, and they have already sold out of the Frosted EP.
In June of 2005 Airiel released their newest EP. This self-titled EP further
illustrates Airiel's ever-evolving sound and provides a glimpse at their promise
with blistering waves of gorgeous guitars, kinetic drum beats and soaring vocal
harmonies. The group has also been asked to contribute to several compilation
cds, including the "Never Lose That Feeling" compilation by Club AC30(UK).
In addition to their recordings, Airiel has also gained a reputation for being a
stellar live band. Utilizing video projection (courtesy of Arturo Valle of Panic
Films) and amps that go up to eleven, they are able to win hearts and minds even
in the most hostile of hipster-pomo environments. In addition to playing such
local Chicago landmarks as the Double Door, Subterranean, and the Bottom Lounge,
recently they have begun plying their trade farther afield, in such locales as
Minneapolis, Milwaukee , Pittsburgh and Indianapolis . This summer, they
embarked on their first tour of the East Coast, hitting New York City,
Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and points in between. Airiel has also opened for
some high-profile acts, including The Dears and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Their first full-length album, "The Battle for Sealand," will be released Summer
'07.