ARTIST: Welcome
TITLE: Sirs
LABEL: FatCat
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 217kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 28min total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-11-16
RIP DATE: 2006-11-07
Track List
----------
01. All Set 2:55
02. Marry Me Men 1:43
03. Bunky 1:54
04. First 4:12
05. Natural Frost 1:35
06. Actual Glad 3:00
07. This Minute 2:58
08. Sirs 4:17
09. With You With Me 2:07
10. The Coffee Girls 3:24
Release Notes:
Hailing from Seattle, but arriving seemingly out of nowhere, Welcome are both
distinct and familiar, at once drawing the listener in, and suggesting worlds of
possibilities. An essentially traditional line-up of guitar, bass, drums, dual
(often double-tracked) vocals, and a couple of guitars (admittedly augmented by
some unconventional home made pedals and FX), they manage to wrench or coax new
shapes at will. Formed over ten years ago, Welcome have taken their own time to
find their voice, making allowances in their schedule to accomodate other bands,
projects, and a lengthy hiatus, before returning with newfound focus. Having
undergone several line-up changes, the band appearing on æSirsÆ comprises Jo
Claxton (bass, vocals), Jon Treneff (drums), Pete Brand (guitar, vocals), and
Mike Wurn (guitar).
Impulsively absorbing, subverting and recontextualising an alternative pop
lineage peculiar to them, WelcomeÆs sound is melodic, and rhythmically and
sonically ambitious, their music sitting somewhere between the fractured,
exploratory idealism of 60Æs psych pop (The Creation, Syd BarrettÆs Pink Floyd,
Revolver-era Beatles) and such non-conformist US alt-rock luminaries as Unwound,
The Breeders, or Deerhoof. In fact this is barely the tip of the iceberg - their
inspirations running from Kool Keith to Harry Pussy and beyond.
Unapologetically concise and direct, æSirsÆ carries an innocent, volatile air,
balancing tension and weight with a broad spectrum of colour. Self-recorded in
PeteÆs basement with the majority of the album put down first take, then tweaked
and mixed over the following month, itÆs an immediate and immensely detailed
recording that retains freshness and still has the ability to jolt and surprise
many listens on. Lyrically cryptic but somehow eloquent, the band conjures
uncertain, provocative imagery by combination of music, words and sheer gravity
of intent û one critic described their sound as æinsightfully inarticulate and
emotionally deafeningÆ.
Dynamic, stunningly arranged, and prone to fly off at unpredicatable angles,
æSirsÆ posseses a gnarled beauty very much WelcomeÆs own; spiked shards of
guitar offset against warm, bittersweet West Coast tinged melodies, underpinned
by a driving, articulate rhythm section. At times cracked and claustrophobic, at
others open, inviting or euphoric, Welcome cram more ideas into æSirsÆ brief
time-span than many bands manage to purvey in their entire career.
With regards to the future, there are plans to play more live shows, including
their debut European dates in the very near future.