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Mountaineers - Messy Century
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r i p p i n g n o t e s . . . . . . . ▀
date Sep-06-2003
style Electronic
label Mute
cat.no. CDSTUMM222
source CDDA
type Album
quality 192kbps 44.1hz Joint-Stereo
size 65,2 MB
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r e l e a s e n o t e s . . . . . . . ▀
If youÆve ever imagined how some of the classic moments of your
record collection would sound in a futuristic world then a listen to
Mountaineers is something that would surpass even your wildest
fantasies.
Whilst not afraid to take inspiration from some of the great
songwriters and musical movements of the last century, they revel in
the limitless possibilities of today's software technology, and it is
these elements combined which makes Alex Germains, Ceri James and
Tomas Kelar, collectively known as Mountaineers, a truly 21st Century
band.
When their limited edition UK only debut EP was released in
December 2001, it became evident to those who knew that an exciting
new force was emerging from the UK music scene. Having been
discovered a few years previously by Alan Wills, head of the
Liverpool label Deltasonic, Mountaineers had been able to hone their
craft quietly, hidden away from the public eye, until Wills deemed
the timing to be right to unleash the six track collection onto the
public. It created an immediate impression. Coined by the media as
the æRed Thong EPÆ after its opening track, it received glowing
coverage in the NME and Radio One's Mark and Lard made it their
Record of the Week.
Having recently signed to Mute, they have delivered an even more
diverse collection for their follow up, another 6 track EP, again
untitled, which will be their first release for their new label. Its
opening track æSelf CateringÆ is certainly Mountaineers' finest pop
moment thus far. Other highlights include the surrealist punk oddity
æChickenÆ and æRadio CatÆ, Mountaineers' paean to French house with
its vocoder and disco drums. 'Camped Out', "about paranoia", is a
haunting piano led piece showing yet another side to the band, this
time a more sinister one. In the final song, æYour Gunn Is Sett On
MeÆ, they strip back to the bare elements with AlexÆs soulful vocals
taking centre stage, floating over an acoustic guitar and a few FX.
By virtue of their eclectic creative ancestries and the fact that
they have travelled extensively themselves, it is no surprise that
their sound is one which defies categorisation. Ceri James comes from
a massive musical family. His granddad used to make violins for a
living and his Grandma worked as a pianist in the Vienna
conservatory. HeÆs most proud of his great grandfather who, he says,
"Invented the gamba ballet shoe thatÆs still in use today."
Tomas Kelar is Czech. His mother is the Czech RepublicÆs foremost
Gypsy singer whilst his auntie, Tomas explains, is a notorious "avant
guard artist who plays the violin, sings and makes squeaky noises".
Alex GermainsÆ granddad was a ringmaster and his grandmother a
trapeze artist in a travelling circus. Both of his parents were
classical musicians. His favourite childhood memory was listening to
his granddadÆs mix tapes of "Virginian mountain music, boogie-woogie
piano, flamenco guitar and Status Quo". "This was all the stuff we
were taking in before we met each other," says Alex "our sound is all
these things combining."
The band met whilst growing up in the Welsh town of Hope. "There
were three things to do basically," Tomas explains "you could go up
Hope Mountain (from which Mountaineers take their name) and get
stoned. On WednesdayÆs there was a band night at (local club Tivoli
Ballroom Gardens) where youÆd get some acid and go up Hope Mountain
ætil early morning". "Or," Ceri adds "sit around in Tom's Mini. That
was a social event in itself." It was the mundanity of life in Hope
that spurred the three Mountaineers into making music "We formed out
of boredom really," Tomas reflects.
When they finished school Alex, Ceri and Tomas stopped making music
together and embarked on a four-year period of creative soul
searching. Ceri went to study Electronic Music at Bangor University.
A year later Tomas (whoÆd spent twelve mundane months working at a
factory "giving myself mild electric shocks to stay awake") followed
suit and went to study Art in Leicester. Alex meanwhile, had a lost
period "getting really fat on kebabs and bacon and eggs" he explains.
Also during this time Mountaineers spent time hanging out in Brno
ûthe Czech RepublicÆs second city, TomasÆ family home and the bandÆs
spiritual base.
Inspired, Ceri and Alex returned to Wales where they began
recording together whilst their missing drummer was "picnicking with
jeeps and kalashnikovs in the Arabian desert." This lead to them
largely using programmed drum sounds on the first two EPs, as well as
household items hit with sticks.
Around the release of the first EP, Alex and Ceri played the first
ever handful of Mountaineers live shows as a two piece, and even
without their drummer they managed to provide an intense performance
experience, again garnering rave reviews. Their first gig was in
Blackwood for Radio Wales where, Ceri explains, "We used my old PC to
run the backing tracks which was giving off sparks every couple of
minutes. The crowd consisted of two drunk, Welsh thirty-something
rock chicks and half of the local secondary school. At the end, as a
gesture of niceness, the DJ from Radio Wales got us some take out
chicken and gave it to us on the last tune."
Now Tomas has rejoined the band permanently in Liverpool where they
have relocated their Hot Trees studio and have begun work on their
debut album, set for release on Mute in July 2003. In early 2003 they
will start to tour as three piece, aiming to capture their unique
studio sound in the live arena.
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p l a y l i s t . . . . . . . . . . . ▀
01 Ripen 03:35
02 Sewing 03:35
03 It's Solid 04:09
04 I Gotta Sing 03:31
05 Belgique Limb 03:03
06 Want To Write You 03:22
07 UK Theatre 03:08
08 Backgrounds 03:58
09 All My Life 03:46
10 Bom Bom 02:52
11 Gruppen 04:25
12 Apart From This 03:22
13 Silent Dues 04:35
. .
47:21 min
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t h e p u r p o s e o f i t a l l . . ▀
digaphobia public sound specializes in releasing so-called
'intelligent dance music', experimental electronic music, dark
ambient, drone/noise, beat-laden indie, and a spot of techno.
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t h e h e a d s . . . . . . . . . . . ▀
peace to music lovers everywhere
1real agw amok chr cmg cms diss fuffens hit2k its just kw mgc
ms nuhs om pulsar pyt rac radial sb sfe sour tr tronik ube wos
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j o i n t h e a r m y . . . . . . . . ▀
looking for MD/DAT recordings of electronic music shows
track us down on IRC if you'd like to help
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a l w a y s r e m e m b e r . . . . . ▀
go to the show. buy the t-shirt. order the vinyl.
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