Cross Record

I caught a part of the Cross Record show, and afterwards I got the CD which is actually two separate EP's, Magnetic Current, and Ring Bell. So the following will be about hearing this later. I'm really digging this band. They mostly remind me of another local act Bone And Bell, and Festival, a band fronted by Ms Fielded herself Lindsey Powell. Ms Emily Cross even plays the uke, which superimposes a beach, a shell to hear the ocean through. You see through the vague nostalgic glass with in a volcano. The names of the songs are also quite precious. You can go into deep thought with this music, but with the suspense of what is beyond the fog. Dense with tension, mystery and innocent sweetness like a Kate Jane Garside satellite project. Call me a snob but for me it would be the lesser of us that don't appreciate this band cross record. I seriously need to lay off black cat. It's like the Fielded side project Festival. Love that song. These powerful and influential first impressions don't often carry the burden of analysis. Now I'm devouring holy well. The music of this band is like a vineyard. It will yield well over time, that's not saying that I'm not into it now. I'm really digging this now. Ms Emily's voice is clear, and so listening to lyrics will reveal more bends in the maze. I mention only Emily but there on more musicians in the band as the pictures show. There is more I can say about this band but I just need to post this how. Oh and They will play The Hungry Brain again this 9th January, Yay!!

The Sentinels

As late as 8pm Saturday 17 December I did not know that in a matter of hours I would be at Pancho's in the audience seeing this local band The Sentinels. I had given up on the remote possibility of any such highlight. Nothing was on my radar, as I meandered around the internet. I may have ran into the name of the band before, but only now did the convergence of many separate moments ignite the urgency to go see them. Somehow I look up Pancho's and with hours I'm standing on one side watching their gig, some brain cells hold a constant vigil on the thought of how easily I could have missed it still at home or worse possibly becoming aware of the show after it's done. So I'm so happy to have not missed this. The Sentinels are fronted by Liz Elle. Music Of The Pleistoscene, is the CD. Generally speaking they got the heaviness and intensity of say between Shirley Manson pre-Garbage and Melissa Auf Dumar. Say I change my mind 'cause describing them is still a moving picture. Naming the two bands and including The Sentinels in the same thought says they got the indy rock coolness to merit a listen. They saved me from the fog of boredom. Liz voice is light womanly. It's not deep like Ana Calvi. On stage Ms Liz does not go ape-shit crazy like Jilly from We Are Hex. She was coolly dressed like it was open mic poetry at Weeds on a Monday night. It was the hat. It was the shirt. And so you look at her like she has something to say, not just sing. I'm still in the struggle as to how to describe them but I can say that I like Meadow Of Darkness. The acoustic guitar is flowery like All About Eve. The songs are not sedate but their charm is less obvious than in the other artists mentioned. Give them the time and the picture sharpens. Saracen Smile is a long but scenic journey, not slow, but one that I will take my time discovering. It's like two songs. See how the music soaks long term. I struggle with how I would best introduce them, live or on CD in the car. I don't recall which songs I saw live. The foggy memory of discovery does not recall which songs I heard live. I see them live with several different lenses, one just enjoys the visual, the moment. The other documents and packs as much into the moment to enjoy later. Sometimes I'm too busy documenting to analyze what I'm documenting. First time and listening to the music later are separate moments that reinforce each other. To name them is still because I heard them later on my own time. I will return to them with more time spent listening. For now I'm in that stage of early discovery of something cool. And this enthusiasm leads me to post up pictures.