Okay, I headed over to the Fine Line to catch Down and Above, Q Public, Seconds Before and Absent I.
For those of you who don't know, Absent I is Alex Anderson (Staija) on vocals, Alton Welter (Staija) on bass, Ryan Guanzon (Quazar/guy who mixes at the Ascot room) on drums and Colt Leeb on acoustic guitar and programming and Mr. Mac on sequencer.
In a nutshell, this is the coolest band I have heard in a long time. I wasn't aware but this Fine Line show was their first show ever and it ruled. The core of their sound is Alex's voice. He is very subdued and melodic and there is no screaming. In fact, a lot fo teh sound is the programmed electronic elements, be them keyboards, percussion tracks or whatnot. That and the acoustic guitars laid down by Colt give this band a VERY atmospheric sound and vibe. Ryans drumming was dead nutz on with the programmed stuff. so much so that I asked him whether or not he was using triggers on his kit to trigger sampled electronic drum sounds. He was not. I was extremely impressed.
I wouldn't really know who to draw comparisons with in terms of this style of music but what I can tell you is that for a band's first show ever, these guys sounded like they had been refining their sound and songwriting for years. Their stuff on Myspace is just Alex and Colt with no live drums but the band thing live was very cool. Ryan spent some time playing with mallets instead of sticks for different tonal qualities on the kit. One song's vocals reminded me a little bit of Maynard where others were more straight up with less of the strained vibe that Maynard is known for. Again, it is all really hard to describe. Musically, the only comparison I could draw might be older Kate Bush/Peter Gabriel style sounds with lots of layered sonic textures and Depeche Mode and A Perfect Circle for some of the more melancholy moods as well as some of the electronic elements.
This is a fantastic band that I plan to follow closely. Their stage presence was very subdued but it fit the music very well without being shoe-gazey. Great stuff. I can't say enough about this band. Check them out at least once!
http://www.myspace.com/absenti
Sanch...
To be fair, the PG/Kate Bush comparison was a very loose one. I was just trying to come up with examples of artists that used a lot of layered textures in their arrangements. Absent I's stuff is a bit more straightforward than the aforementioned artists but whatever.
Anyway, go check out the song "Sail Away". Now granted, it isn't the Styx tune. Though who could truly match the pomp and grandeur of Styx's's's's's "Come Sail Away"...? Well maybe Skywynd but other than that, who?
Seriously, they are great. I dig it!
Now let me preface this comment by saying this stuff sounds pretty cool and I'll have to check them out sometime.....but a band that just played its first show and has 1021 myspace friends?
Friend-bots but the SHIT out of me. Granted, this isn't quite as bad as the shitty, wanna-be Warped Tour unsigned bands with 14K friends and 50 giant banners saying VOTE FOR US AT ERNIE BALL.com so we can play Warped Tour....but still.....
Jer, I think you walked in very shortly after they finished playing. Too bad. I think you would have liked them.
I noticed the friends thing as well but I would attribute a lot of that to the fact that many Staija fans werecarried over to this new project. I don't know for sure but that is my hunch.
Oh. I stand edited. He he...
'Absent I' sounds very good from the demo. I do like it. Love the vocals on "Sail Away." Very nicely produced. I'm interested in seeing them live now to see how they incorporate their technology.
Considering your description I was intrigued to see if they were similar to my band (houseluna), since we're technology driven rock and we've also been compared to Depeche Mode and Peter Gabriel. Like us, the comparison isn't exactly accurate. Sure, there are similarities...the moodiness, slower tempos, the involvement of sampled drums, effects, synths, etc. But there are also some distinct differences and other influences. I think people use widely popular bands for comparison because if you were to use more independent, underground bands as comparisons, very few people would know what it means. So I understand the intent, but disagree in this case.
'Absent I' definitely has a hard rock vibe, even though it's mellow. It's largely due to the vocalists anunciation, tone and phrasing. I also hear the acoustic guitar as the base instrument in every song. Take away everything except the acoustic guitar and vocals and it would stand on it's own as straight up, modern rock ballads. Everything else is really just production in my opinion. The electronic drums, synths, etc...they don't define the identity of the band or songwriting. In that way, "Absent I" are nothing like Depeche Mode or Peter Gabriel. You could add electric guitars and natural drums, and it wouldn't affect the core vibe of the songs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the addition of synths and electronic drums here, it's a really full sound and suits the songs really well. It gives them a modern flavor. I just think that it could easily be done another way and be just as compelling.
All that said, I think a very broad comparison to A Perfect Circle is closer than a very broad comparison to Depeche Mode. I keep waiting for the rest of the metal band to kick in after the first chorus, but I'm glad they don't. It stays mellow and moody and that's a good thing. It's really good material and shows some real talent. Definitely worth checking out.
You break strings...I break keys!!
I will fully admit that I was groping for comparisons. I agree with everything you say and the comparisons you draw. To be fair though, I was comparing them to Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel only in the capacity that they, via the electronics, have lots of layered texture. The Perfect Circle/Depech Mode comparison was based upon mood, not so much musical style.
Get that!
Here's your chance to see it again:
http://www.midwestmovement.com/mwm/images/stories/tap/923jr.jpg
and it's free
They're definitely amazing! I'll be checking them out this Saturday at the Fine Line. I believe they're on at 10:20pm. (I have a bunch of comp tix and plan to bring everyone and their gramma's to this show) If you want to check them out before you go to this show, (and you will go...) they're on myspace.
www.myspace.com/absenti
comp tix i believe are availabe on the fineline website.
Best of luck guys!
-Shannon
10/15 @ Acadia Cafe @ 8pm Kymara, Days of Rae, Alicia Wiley & Ashley Gold. ALL AGES. FREE.www.myspace.com/kymaramusic