Bailter Space - Tanker

I guess it just depends on how you measure success. The fact that they are still around after eighteen years is an achievement on its own. They have released thirteen albums and EPs and a number of singles to date, which is also quite impressive. They left ‘the land of the long white cloud’ after signing with Matador and successfully relocated to New York and started to ‘explore’.

Upon their foundation, in Christchurch, 1987, the Bailter Space line-up consisted of Alister Parker of The Gordons, Hamish Kilgour from The Clean and Great Unwashed, Pin Group’s Ross Humphries on bass, and Glenda Bills on drums. This collection issued their self-titled debut EP, the Nelsh Bailter Space (they dropped the Nelsh) on kiwi label stalwarts Flying Nun, later that year.

In 1988, when their first full-length Tanker was recorded, the line-up consisted of Parker (guitar, bass), John Halvorsen of The Gordons (bass, guitar) and Hamish Kilgour (drums). After touring on the back of Tanker, Kilgour left to join the reformed Clean and his seat was taken by Brent McLachlan also of The Gordons. These three who originally met in the Gordons in 1980, had now come full circle. This arrangement remains in force to this day. I say remains, as technically they are just in an extended hiatus.

While pop sensibilities remain constant, noise, space and even art are the ‘rock tags’ that are most often associated with the Bailter Space sound. Having evolved throughout the years with subtle yet intelligent changes, they have comfortably traversed the paths into all of the aforementioned areas. However these labels can appear sterile and somewhat emotionless (especially the more frequently used ‘space’), and for a small number of their tunes, this maybe true. Even so, for the large majority of their work, while seeming abstract or architectural it maintains a skewed malleability that allows for brilliant musical cohesion. Imagine a robot with a good human heart and soul: outwardly clunky and awkward yet kind and considerate, a gentle giant.

While definitely not as confronting as The Jesus and Mary Chain’s Psychocandy, but more than capable of capturing the heavier moments in the My Bloody Valentine catalogue, they are often compared to both these seminal acts. In a modern context, I find myself drawing parallels between Kiwis Bailter Space and Sydney/Central Coast outfit, Sounds Like Sunset.

Opener Glass begins deceptively with a squelching saxophone over a looped guitar chord before it settles into a subtle meandering tune comprising of a mellow guitar line that drifts in over the top of a subtle vocal that is pushed well back into the mix. A tight snare out in front, it stealthily builds, immersed in a reverberating guitar hinting at an immense finish, but it leaves you just short. That is part of the attraction, the not knowing, uncertainty.

The same can be said of the subsequent track, The ‘w’ Song. With a sombre guitar tone and a vocal styling sitting somewhere between Ian Curtis and David Byrne, It leads you up into the mysterious, promising but not delivering as directly as you would anticipate and while this may sound detrimental it actually adds to the atmosphere of the song.

Atmosphere and texture; this is what they exude by the truckload.

Your Invisible Life delivers an eerie vibe throughout and together with Glass and The ‘w’ Song; these songs could sit easily alongside some of The Cure offerings circa Seventeen Seconds. All are strong tracks that exhibit a sense of doubt and an unknown, almost haunting quality.

Grader Spader, the designated single, is a more direct affair as it hits straightaway with a frenzied guitar and vocal onslaught. Still somewhat submersed in the mix, the vocals are definitely lifted for this as opposed to most of the tracks, which are wrapped up in a sea of guitar. The space tag sticks easily here.

Industrial and electronic patronage shows up, albeit briefly in Valve, sounding something like the beginning of Pink Floyd’s Time, only in digital form. The abstract Titan displays a spatial awareness that Bailter Space also possess. It could easily be construed as three separate dimensions or entities, but they manage to combine yet still maintain a certain individuality throughout the track. Sounding like a spaced out surf guitar instrumental, the twangy drone of both bass and guitar completely envelopes a garbled vocal that seems to be superfluous to the end product. While definitely maintaining an order about it, the feeling of a subdued mayhem which it exudes is never far away and just as you think it is all over, it comes back and starts again.

The Today Song and closer One More Reason demonstrate the Bailter Space pop capabilities being all sweet, jangly and immediately comforting.

And therein lies the beauty of Bailter Space. They have the ability to deliver you to some barren far off planet with a desolate lunar sound-scape or smother you in the warmth and kindness of one of your grandmothers most secure blankets. They do this in the space of one album but also, on occasions in the duration of one song.

Each Bailter Space release has it’s own distinct signature and all are worthy of at least a listen or two. As an introduction, I guess 2004’s Bailter Space on Flying Nun (a best of) is a good place to start. The Aim ep manages to showcase their talents in just four tracks but you have to remember how much these guys are capable of in between: a lot!

If you like guitar driven music with an ‘edge’ you need to hear Bailter Space.

Even if you don’t, give it a try.