Some Of These Numbers Mean Something
03/09/08 16:18 Filed in: releases
So here it is - the new album. Entitled "Some Of These
Numbers Mean Something", it's 9 tracks of guitary
synthy goodness.
Release date is 3rd October 2008, and with any luck you'll be able to pre-order it before then.
From the press release:
Darkroom's new album - Some Of These Numbers Mean Something - is their 8th to date, and marks the 10th anniversary of their first (Daylight) released by 3rd Stone in 1998.
The original brief for the new album was: guitar under a microscope.
In places it's the heaviest Darkroom album yet, but also the most accessible, combining 70s space rock, 80s Sheffield electronica, 60s guitar instrumentals and 90s post rock.
Mixing classic synthesizer & guitar tones with contemporary post-production,
this album combines improvisation with carefully crafted and layered arrangement, and rewards repeated listening.
From Santana & Tangerine Dream to Cocteau Twins & Tortoise: file under ambient stadium rock.
(full text here)
os, Sept 2008
Release date is 3rd October 2008, and with any luck you'll be able to pre-order it before then.
From the press release:
Darkroom's new album - Some Of These Numbers Mean Something - is their 8th to date, and marks the 10th anniversary of their first (Daylight) released by 3rd Stone in 1998.
The original brief for the new album was: guitar under a microscope.
In places it's the heaviest Darkroom album yet, but also the most accessible, combining 70s space rock, 80s Sheffield electronica, 60s guitar instrumentals and 90s post rock.
Mixing classic synthesizer & guitar tones with contemporary post-production,
this album combines improvisation with carefully crafted and layered arrangement, and rewards repeated listening.
From Santana & Tangerine Dream to Cocteau Twins & Tortoise: file under ambient stadium rock.
(full text here)
os, Sept 2008
|
New album - more progress
23/08/08 17:42 Filed in: releases
The lack of updates here belies the behind-the-scenes
goings-on here in Darkroom-land. It's been mastered by
a big name mastering guy (more on that experience from
Mike at some point), we've got a great sleeve from our
good friend Carl at Aleph Studio, and it's been
sent off for manufacturing.
Expect to hear release details soon. It'll be available from Burning Shed initially, and in digital form somewhat later. I heartily encourage all to buy a physical copy from Burning Shed, so you can appreciate the majesty of the fold-out CD booklet.
os, August 2008
Expect to hear release details soon. It'll be available from Burning Shed initially, and in digital form somewhat later. I heartily encourage all to buy a physical copy from Burning Shed, so you can appreciate the majesty of the fold-out CD booklet.
os, August 2008
New album progress
Some news on the new Darkroom album - it's nearly done!
The track listing is finalised (there are 9 tracks -
two sides of 4 tracks each, with an 'intermission'),
and the tracks are all named. On Thursday it's being
professionally mastered - a first for a Darkroom album
- and then we need to see about some cover art and
getting the thing made. From which you'll gather that
we're not throwing in the towel on physical delivery of
music just yet. (I still buy CDs myself, so I feel
other people must do too.) This time however we'll be
doing our best to get a vaguely simultaneous release on
iTunes etc.
What's the music like, I hear you ask. Well, it's something of a departure if you know us from recent stuff, like the podcast, or the Fallout series, but recognisably the work of the same people. Only one track on the album would class as 'ambient', which is the first word I've chosen to describe what we do for years. In a way it's back to the song-type music we explored on Seethrough, though obviously without a vocalist this time. The inclusion of a live drummer on several tracks lends it some post-rock accessibility, but I don't think anyone's going to confuse us with Tortoise. The brief for the album was "guitar under the microscope". It's not the album I thought we were going to make, but it took on a life and direction of its own, and I'm very pleased with where it ended up.
We took some new photos too, with a view to using them on the sleeve, or in related publicity material. I quite like this one - we look adequately enigmatic, without looking suicidal or homicidal.
What's the music like, I hear you ask. Well, it's something of a departure if you know us from recent stuff, like the podcast, or the Fallout series, but recognisably the work of the same people. Only one track on the album would class as 'ambient', which is the first word I've chosen to describe what we do for years. In a way it's back to the song-type music we explored on Seethrough, though obviously without a vocalist this time. The inclusion of a live drummer on several tracks lends it some post-rock accessibility, but I don't think anyone's going to confuse us with Tortoise. The brief for the album was "guitar under the microscope". It's not the album I thought we were going to make, but it took on a life and direction of its own, and I'm very pleased with where it ended up.
We took some new photos too, with a view to using them on the sleeve, or in related publicity material. I quite like this one - we look adequately enigmatic, without looking suicidal or homicidal.
os, July 2008
Os's Last.fm profile
14/07/08 20:49 Filed in: website
Just in case anyone wants to up their cyber-stalking of
Darkroom band members, my Last.fm profile is here:
http://www.last.fm/user/expertsleepers/
Caveat: I share my iTunes library with my wife, so the charts and playlists you see will be skewed slightly. I, for example, am not a great Tori Amos fan, contrary to what Last.fm would have you believe.
os, July 2008
http://www.last.fm/user/expertsleepers/
Caveat: I share my iTunes library with my wife, so the charts and playlists you see will be skewed slightly. I, for example, am not a great Tori Amos fan, contrary to what Last.fm would have you believe.
os, July 2008
Broken Flowers and Ethiopiques
14/07/08 20:43 Filed in: other
music
The Bill Murray film Broken Flowers was on the other
day, and I was rather taken with the soundtrack. Turns
out much of it is Ethiopian jazz/funk from the series
"Ethiopiques", of which there's a rather handy "best
of" - see www.ethiopiques.info.
Highly recommended.
os, July 2008
Darkroom on iTunes after all
14/07/08 20:36 Filed in: sales
It came as something of a surprise to see that someone
(presumably 3rd Stone) has put the first two Darkroom
CDs up on iTunes. Maybe now would be a good time to
push for a royalty statement. Links:
Daylight on iTunes
Carpetworld EP on iTunes
os, July 2008
Daylight on iTunes
Carpetworld EP on iTunes
os, July 2008
Back - with a new arrival
14/07/08 20:30 Filed in: news
Cheap Chinese mics 'r' us
11/06/08 19:46 Filed in: recording
sessions |
gear
14th May 2008 - the second 'audit' session for the new
album, and time for a few overdubs. One track only
needed a little extra guitar (it must've only had,
like, 10 guitar parts at that point).
Mike had a new cheapo Chinese ribbon mic he wanted to try out - the T.BONE RM700. It's an odd looking thing - like a big metal lollipop. We stuck it in front of Mike's awesome Rivera amp and cranked it up.
The sound is - interesting. Makes things sound a bit old and knackered. Also it turns out there was a nasty resonant buzz on something - maybe the mic, maybe the cab - but fortunately we recorded a DI signal too. You should still be able to hear some of the buzz on the album, where we felt it was tasteful rather than annoying.
os, June 2008
Mike had a new cheapo Chinese ribbon mic he wanted to try out - the T.BONE RM700. It's an odd looking thing - like a big metal lollipop. We stuck it in front of Mike's awesome Rivera amp and cranked it up.
The sound is - interesting. Makes things sound a bit old and knackered. Also it turns out there was a nasty resonant buzz on something - maybe the mic, maybe the cab - but fortunately we recorded a DI signal too. You should still be able to hear some of the buzz on the album, where we felt it was tasteful rather than annoying.
os, June 2008