I wake up to RRR each morning using my trusty Sony clock-radio (made in Japan, which gives you some idea of its age). I lay there this morning after listening to the news, about to get up when an amazing number stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't had a new artist impress me this much since a few years ago when I walked past JB Hi-Fi in the city and heard Carla Werner (and promptly bought her still much-loved album Departures).
It was a few more minutes before the breakfast program announced the song details which I promptly wrote down: the song is Diving Bell off Graphite & Diamonds by Orbweaver. I was in Polyester Music in Fitzroy this evening, but they'd not heard of it, nor was it in their system. Getting home and looking them up on the web, I discovered to my surprise that they're a Melbourne band and the album is their newly released debut. The only place I could find to buy the album was their own website and I've just ordered it.
The CD is $19 including postage & handling within Australia. You can sample the music at Amie Street, my favourite music download store, and if you can work out how to buy the mp3 version, it's only US$2.20 (it seems to be unavailable to Australian accounts, or maybe there's a glitch with my computer or their website). Otherwise, you can also download it from iTunes ($16.99).
The band's Facebook site describes them as:
a Melbourne quartet, salvaged from the tangled threads of Brunswick's derelict knitting mills. Their songs wander somewhere between folk noir and "Twin Peaks-style dark country" (Inpress). Creaking violin, chiming electric guitar and percussion. Dark and dulcet.I'm no music reviewer but I can't argue that. I'd describe the sound as most closely resembling Mazzy Star - a sort of haunting New York sound. I'm looking forward to receiving the album and adding it to my iPod Touch.
2 comments:
I also heard The Breakfasters on RRR play a song by The Orbweavers just the other day. Like you I was mesmerised so quickly wrote down their name. It's quite exciting to know that a band from Melbourne is capable of producing such an amazing sound. They remind of many of the 'shoe-gazing' or 'dream pop' bands that used to appear on the 4AD label.
I was going to look for their album the next time I visited a music store but I'll follow that link you provided and order it from them direct instead - they'll get more of a cut that way!
I sent an email of appreciation to the band, Thomas, and received a reply that Polyester do, in fact, have a number of copies on consignment. It's not on their system, though, based on my experience.
From the reply, the band "are not on any label and have no distribution at present" but with a sound as good as this, it shouldn't be long. It's world class stuff.
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