20-01-2010Album reviews - The October Game
Wildblood
'A sound that is quintessentially English' is how The October Game surmise themselves but on first listen of upcoming album 'Wildblood' you see it extends far further than just echoing other artists noises. Perhaps the greatest compliment to The October Game is found when trying to find comparative artists. Whilst there are numerous influences and similarities to a number of bands they never come close to the plagiaristic or copycat and instead have managed to form a unique sound that is current whilst maintaining a distinct level of originality. Think Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Jeniferever, Bloc Party and even Chris Rea amongst many more and you may find similarities but never it’s never more than a fleeting glance.
The album kicks off with title track 'Wildblood' as an instrumental curtain drop before starting proper with new single 'Greenbacks.' The song is a solid alt rock number, with transient melodies weaving in patterns and a general muster of discordance resonating below its seemingly amiable surface. As a single it works well, concise to the point and holding enough energy to be able to grace the majority of radios play lists.
It is with Track 4, 'Concrete (When We Were Invincible) that the album really kicks into gear, moving beyond the standard patterns of an alternative rock band where layers of music envelop and add different textures and it is the first time which vocalist Luke Williams ' choir like voice really comes to prominence. It was always there providing the melody and tune before this number but the track takes on soundscape tendencies and at times sounds like the maturing Sigur Ros.
A personal favourite 'Boxing Underwater' continues in the same vein, with an ambient ambivalence and a mounting sense of presence. By the time the chorus comes in the lyrics 'My arms they are tired from boxing with you underwater' become personified in the sound provided by the rest of the band. In this track the acoustic guitars build the atmosphere and alongside a clever use of added sounds and effects provide a hard-hitting number that is still as delicate as a silk noose.
The fact that this album has been produced mainly by the band, at home and with only infrequent use of the studios makes for all the more impressive overall final verdict. The ranging styles on offer are eclectic in their mix, 'Something Wrong' for example is a folk infused acoustic number again beautifully delivered to an ultimate emphatic crescendo. Compare this to next track 'Biplanes at 2am' which has a far greater feel of Radiohead during their 'Kid A' phase, both initially are very different numbers but by using such experimentation only facilitates a greater depth and range available throughout 'Wildblood.'
'Where The Devil Loses Out' begins with a tumulus rolling drums and a pulsating rhythm which continues into the rest of the song. 'Night Vessels' in closing the album reverts back to a more industrial sounding chill out number, oddly chilling with its menace but laced with a vocal hook that stands amid as a guiding light. In short this album is nothing short of outstanding and hold everything I want in a band of this sort. Melody, rhythm, uniqueness, understanding and above all passion this album displays it all. Being that it is also the first album I've reviewed in 2010 its set the bar tremendously high.
09-03-2010Live review - The October Game
THE OCTOBER GAME - passion and belief
I'm quite reluctant when it comes to local gigs in my home town. You see Manchester's underground scene has become fickle and attendances have turned sporadic to say the least. I hoped, as I travelled down to Jabaz Clegg to watch one of what I believe to be the one of the UK's brightest talents, that for The October Game tonight would be different.
So walking in to a near empty room with hardly a murmur and its straight back to the downstairs bar for a few pints, well I was a bit early. Tonight's gig is an array of bands of varying styles across two rooms and as the last of my ale slides down my throat the vibrations begin to radiate from the celling telling me its time to go up. It was a case of two good and two bad with the first set of bands I came across although none professed their name nearly enough to commit to memory.
It also feels strangely like someone's filming an episode of 'living on the edge' without actually telling anyone tonight and the crowd is very different from what I would have expected. So at nine pm The October Game come out to the modestly filled main room and begin to ply through songs from their recently released album 'Wildblood.' Kicking off with new single 'Greenbacks' is a sure fire way of grabbing some attention from the drones of conversation surrounding me and by the end of the song the sound guy appears to have found some sort of decency in the levels. In all credit to the band they put on a great show and replicate the album with a greater sense of passion and belief. My only thought during the set was that to really enjoy this band live you must first spend some time in the company of 'Wildblood' finding out its subtle nuances and transgressions and then spotting their appearance in the songs. Its also good to see an aesthetic reproduction of the vast combinations of instruments and musicianship highlighted perfectly in the tribalistic drum introduction for 'Where The Devil Loses Out' or the accordion driven 'Cast These Waves.'
Personal favourites 'Boxing Underwater' and 'Concrete - When We We're Invincible' are stand out and affirm to everyone in the room (whose not continually asking their companions how their hair or make-up is looking) of The October Game's ability. As they close out their set I'm left happy with the experience and quite content that if the band put on this level of professionalism into their shows then it won't be long until we're watching this band in some of our cities more illustrious venues. The next band up highlight the where the number of the attendees were brought in from but unfortunately for this band who were dire (I failed to catch their name) their indie posturing and Ian Curtis obsessed vocalist made the decision for an early exit all the more easier. Besides I don't think, for myself anyway that anyone else on tonight's line up could have bettered what was offered up by The October Game.
30-01-2010Interview - The October Game
Atmospheric folk tinged alternative rock, it is honest songwriting hopefully done to present a bigger more atmospheric way
They say that the best things in life often come for free. It's a statement I partially believe in, for a number of reasons. Primarily although free in the bank note sense it is the passion, determination and belief that gets an idea or a dream to come to realization and they are priceless characteristics. It is that though I am left with as I hang up the phone after a good chat with The October Game guitarist Nick Kozuc. A month ago I wasn't even aware of the bands existence and when their CD's landed through my letter box I first assumed from the name and imagery that this was another metal band. It was unintended that this CD, far away from the metal realms would fast work it's way onto my iPod's most played list in the short time since.
Such is the power held by the four (or now five) members of The October Game that they portray themselves on record in a manner that defies you not to develop some form of affinity to the band. It's something I feel you get with many great bands, a honesty which invites introspection. So just how has this group come to be, I'm intrigued and leave it to Nick to explain, “We formed back in like late 2005 as a three piece, and made and album just me Luke and Owen which was called Box Of lights, put out on our own label and without a drummer. Since then we've kind of toured and got a drummer that we like, Olly and the last couple of years we've been a full on four piece and wrote this album as a band. It was refreshing, I feel that's what we want to do, that full on thing that we do now.” So with things coming together so naturally it is almost inevitable that even more affirmation would come with the choice of moniker, “When we were in school we were in this band called Insomnia and we went to Glastonbury. The October Game was written on a sign outside a tent. We thought that would be a cool name for a band but at the time we had no notion other than being teenage rockers in Insomnia. When it split up and we started this new thing we were looking for a name and we remembered that and went for it. On one of the very first gigs we did one of the bands who have now become friends of ours mentioned to us that they played a one off show at Glastonbury under that name. At the point about thinking about what our name could be we happened to bump into the people who put up the sign. Once it's on its on now and it couldn't be anything else.”
Listen to The October Game is like opening yourself to a throng of other artists, but it always stays distinctly original. New single 'Greenbacks' out now is being well shifted and the reviews coming in from across the globe for accompanying album 'Wildblood' are all saying the same things, not one of them negative. Still you get the sense of rational and modesty listening to Nick talk about his band. “On the whole no one really knows who we are. The idea behind our first single was because the whole album was sitting there we just took the track because we felt it embodied everything this album can be, we just wanted to introduce people to us, most readers most listeners will not know who we are so it was to help that. I guess it has gone better than expected, people seem to like it its been getting good reviews and it's being downloaded quite a lot. We did a little run of hand numbered one's which I think have almost all gone in a week, were pretty chuffed with that.” It also would come as a surprise to find that by all accounts this is a debut album such is the maturity but as Nick opens up about the writing process of the group you can see a picture forming of how the album materialized in such a way, “We don't have everything by comparison to what you get in the studio but what advantages you have got by being at home you is that you have got all the time in the world, no one is looking at the clock. There isn't any excuse for it not being as near as you can possibly achieve to perfection ” Sounds in some quarters like this self imposed highly pressurised situation could be to the detriment of most bands but not so here, “We don't really ever argue but we all know if something wasn't good enough we would have to do it again. It's got to the point where we can't really offended each other and we do all know that we are pushing it to be as good as it possibly can, Do things get heated? Yeah maybe at times but not for very long at all we all understood its because its meant to be.” Coy about the overall quality standing aside I can safely say for a mostly home recorded effort this could stand amongst the CD's with budgets worth more than the overall house where 'Wildblood' was undertook.
Many artists also claim there band are 'more than just about the music' and strive to be viewed in some form of niche. For these guys they sit on this periphery of crossroads without thought of what lies at the end of each road, instead happy to be where they are because it is the best place for them. “Between us there probably isn't a piece of music that we don't like!But the one thing we definitely all love is the notion of songwriting, the simplest form, Nick Drake and Bob Dylan and how they all start off with an acoustic song. What we do with a full band is try and present each song in a new way and give something new to it. Bands that we like Elbow, Sigur Ros and American Indie Bands. The Cure I suppose are the master of things really. What we like is at the root its just a simple song but it's present in some sort of other way. It gives it its own character.” Due to this lack of restriction they have formed their own routes and methods at winning over fans and putting something more into the music.
Talk of a visually driven stage show rouses attention, “Loads of post rock bands, I like the way the play live because you haven't got a singer and the music is very introverted, you haven't got your type of Razorlight front man to fall in love with ” means the band play heavily with the visual aspects of the show, merging camera work, home movies and creations alongside lights and props. Subbed into this the addition of violin player on a full time basis, “Since writing it (Wildblood) we've gone from being a four piece to a five piece, Nick has joined us who plays Viola and key, visually having more of us and sonically having more people playing it does create a bigger sound which is what the album is about” all ensures a full rendition of everything you hear on the album and it paints an impressive picture.
Faced with the prospect of having to find a label to release their music the band did what they appear to always do when something stands in their way, they get to grips with the task and do it fr themselves. The CD package you receive for your hard earned money will buy you something that will sit equally both aesthetically and sound wise than all your other favorites. It appears when they take on a notion they are relentless in delivering the best to their abilities.
This band appear as something that has to been seen live and to push the songs on 'Wildblood' to the attention. Fuzzy Face is a night the band run on a regular basis bringing the best in alternative artistic entertainment, by the sounds of it Fuzzy Face is giving the people Hitchin something worthwhile to go out for, “We used to gig all the time, this year we made a concerted effort for quality over quantity I guess and to try and make each gig we do as much a special event, even if that mean we won't necessarily tour or play a random pub. Instead we go once every two or three months and do everything we can to push it to be the best with what we've got. (On Fuzzy Face) It was really a way of doing this thing and making each one as special as possible, we don't just have music we get the best we can in terms of poems, comedy, magic and theater. There's loads going on. In a way we take our simple music and present it in a different way, to make it a bit more special.”
DIY ethic appears everything to this band whether it is something they have deliberately appealed for or a natural occurrence they are doing things the right way. To record such an album by yourself, release it on your own label, promote it at your own successful events means that the world The October Game have forged out for themselves is a promising one. “It does mean as we get older we will need to try and make money out of it I guess, but basically its just push it in every way can and be the best thing we could possibly be.” To go back to my original point, the best things in life can be free but they take more to achieve than throwing money at it could ever accomplish. If the idea of karma is real then The October Game can expect to continue to reap the benefits of all the hard work, time and passion that they have already displayed in presenting their vision to us . Be sure to check out www.myspace.com/theoctobergame for more information and check out 'Wildblood' when it releases late February.
