Gastric Band - Party Feel (scottish avant progressive)

[Udi Koomran]

I thought Frankie Richard and some other friends might enjoy these guys
a vibe and energy that are "positive" lively and vital

[Baribrotzer]

Fascinating music: part Eighties Crimson, part indie math-rock. Plus maybe part the latest version of Thinking Plague?

Though I do wish they had a bass player. The band consists of three guitarists and two drummers, yet even with all that fury, all those notes, their music sounds unfinished, like an extended series of questions with no answers. Even when they get into straight-up rock or extreme-metal territory. But maybe they're really insisting upon the floating, harmonically-undefined sound you get with no bass, and that's the whole point.

Some information on this hard-to-Google group: http://www.armellodie.com/#/gastric-band/

And a short film featuring the band:

[Scrotum Scissor]

Like John said; quite good indeed, and very "mathy" - at times a bit reminiscent of The Fucking Champs, Sleeping People, Sonar or perhaps even Friendly Bears.

Powerful, which this sort of thing should be.

[chalkpie]

Thanks Udester - I love that transition at around 2:45 - it gets a bit moody "Scandinavian" there, very nice. Nice development overall.

[Udi Koomran]

Fascinating music: yet even with all that fury, all those notes, their music sounds unfinished, like an extended series of questions with no answers.

So this means you dig or not ?

[Baribrotzer]

So this means you dig or not ?

I do, but with reservations.

Specifically: The bass wields huge power in setting the tonality, which can cause difficulties if you're working in an advanced idiom with an extended harmonic palette. It's hard for something to be tonally ambiguous when the bass is shouting from the bottom of a tangled harmonic pile, "Right here! This is it!" But I don't think that avoiding the problem by eliminating it, as they have, is a very good solution. For one thing, it robs the more "rock" sections of their punch - there's great sound and fury, but no rudder to the music. This band needs the right player, who understands what they were doing and can work within it. They may have trouble finding a guy like that, but they'd sound great if and when they found one.

[Udi Koomran]

I do, but with reservations.

Specifically: The bass wields huge power in setting the tonality, which can cause difficulties if you're working in an advanced idiom with an extended harmonic palette. It's hard for something to be tonally ambiguous when the bass is shouting from the bottom of a tangled harmonic pile, "Right here! This is it!" But I don't think that avoiding the problem by eliminating it, as they have, is a very good solution. For one thing, it robs the more "rock" sections of their punch - there's great sound and fury, but no rudder to the music. This band needs the right player, who understands what they were doing and can work within it. They may have trouble finding a guy like that, but they'd sound great if and when they found one.

ok I will listen more carefully to see if I understand these observations
btw they have a new EP haven't heard it yet amybe they further developed

http://gastricband.armellodie.com/

[Baribrotzer]

ok I will listen more carefully to see if I understand these observations.
btw they have a new EP, haven't heard it yet, maybe they further developed

Don't knock yourself out trying to verify or refute what I said. It's just one guy's opinion, it's not necessarily right or wrong, and many would disagree with it.

Also, I listened to the EP. The first track is also the soundtrack to that odd little film I posted, and the second track reminds me of Steve Reich's 2x5 - partly because of the pitch-shifted, sped-up-sounding guitars. There still isn't much bass - while there is some, what they have comes from one or another of the guitarists playing the notes on keyboards.

[Udi Koomran]

Don't knock yourself out trying to verify or refute what I said. It's just one guy's opinion, it's not necessarily right or wrong, and many would disagree with it. .

Man ...