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A clowder of indie cats found refuge from the blustery winter night in the cosy confines of Mount Lawley’s Velvet Lounge. There, a large video fireplace cast warm shades upon experimental duo Turn, as guitarist/laptop engineer Andrew Weir carefully kindled a subtle electronic beat with the sonic flames of his satin-toned guitar. Making the most of his instrumental repertoire, which included a dwarven midi keyboard alongside his laptop and guitar rig, Weir conjured a series of mellow bass lines, haunting guitar loops and swelling samples that danced and shifted amongst each other like the reds and yellows of the fire above.
Meanwhile headphone-clad drummer Dan di Paola fanned the atmosphere with timely exhibitions of deft, crisp stick work. Each song began as a faint glimmer that built gradually, occasionally faltered or faded, but inevitably flared in a bright, mesmerising finale. It was clear that the punters – many of whom sat huddled on the floor or nestled into the surrounding couches – appreciated the warming soundscapes of this emerging act, and with the twosome to perform two Melbourne shows next month, Victorians would do well to catch a glimpse.
Having impressed at this year’s RTR In the Pines mini-festival, four-piece shoegaze outfit My Majestic Star drew a healthy audience. Unfortunately, their set of patient post-rock was ill-mixed from the outset. The organ completely drowned out the clean electric guitar, cello and steel brush drumming, and as a result a song that was meant to set a tranquil foundation for the progressive set to follow became a droning lull that repelled listeners rather than attracting them. As the set went on the levels improved marginally to reveal a carefully crafted soundscape that grew so slowly that, like a bad parent, you barely noticed the growth until it was too late. By the set’s end it was as if a completely different band was playing; pulsing bass had replaced keyboard, heavy stick drumming had replaced light brush beats, and effect-drenched guitar soaked the atmosphere like the heavy rain outside. Though undermined by the mixing job, My Majestic Star still showed enough set-building panache to satisfy the members of their steadily growing fan-base.
The time had arrived for Apricot Rail to deliver a progression of post-rock parcels to the well-lubricated crowd. A hush fell upon the room as guitarist Jack Quirk laid down a twinkling riff, which his fellow band members proceeded to unwrap carefully by sending layer after complementary layer into the crowd.
Clarity descended upon the room – the kind of clarity that only clean, pure sound can bring – as the audience nodded appreciatively to the strolling-in-the-sunshine beat. The band’s only female member, Mayuka Juber, colluded with her baritone horn to strike an enchanting silhouette against the projection screen, where grainy blues mimicked the intricately textured music. Hopeful as summer sunrise, yet laced with a sense of childhood nostalgia, the charming music of Apricot Rail soon had the audience spellbound. Throughout the set the multi-talented Juber played a bevy of instruments; clarinet, keyboard, flute, melodica and glockenspiel as well as the aforementioned horn. If each song was a serene mountain landscape, Juber’s addition was the dance of the beautiful nymphs who resided there, the feminine spirits flowing within the landforms as springs and streams. Quirk, too, demonstrated a tendency towards multi-instrumentalism, playing trumpet at one stage and joining Juber in a crystalline glockenspiel duet.
Whilst its music triggers immediate comparisons to post-rock giants such as Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai, Apricot Rail brings a distinct quaintness to this increasingly popular and diverse genre. Recently signed to Australian label Hidden Shoal Records and soon to be releasing its self-titled debut album, this is a band who may soon be taking the express route to high esteem.
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