Walls - Walls

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4...according to our Brett on Thu 06 May, 2010.

I'd heard this lot (comprising members of Allez-Allez and Banjo Or Freakout) described as 'Kompakt's post-rock band'. On the evidence of this self-titled job I'm not particularly hearing the 'post-rock' bit but there's no doubt it's a little bit of a departure for the label, although I guess some of the Pop Ambient stuff has skirted quite close to this sort of feel in the past. They've got a very relaxed sound, with hazy synth washes and electronic twinkling married to simple, mid-tempo drums and I guess it's quite fitting in a way that they've landed on a German label since you can hear a pretty clear Harmonia influence in the more sun-drenched tunes and perhaps an early Cluster one in the more abstract cuts. Anyone into Fuck Buttons' recent direction will want to take a look, I reckon.

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* WALLS are a band comprised of members of London’s leading blog/party/act ALLEZ-ALLEZ and BANJO OR FREAKOUT. NME already herald them as “It's what 'Kid A' would sound like if it was released by Kompakt and had softened its edges”.

* Somewhere lost between the psychedelic airspace occupied by ANIMAL COLLECTIVE and BOARDS OF CANADA, WALLS join KOMPAKT as one of the label’s most exciting new signings…

* WALLS remixes include HARMONIA & BRIAN ENO, PANTHA DU PRINCE w/ PANDA BEAR, and THE FIELD.

* Kompakt continue to embrace fusion of the rock / dance divide paved on the label by the likes of THE FIELD with one of the most exciting new bands to emerge in the past year – WALLS. Having met in 2009 while ALLEZ-ALLEZ were remixing BANJO OR FREAKOUT’s “Mr. No”, they quickly realized that the natural combination of Alessio’s and guitar play and haunting vocals (dubbed by Kompakt’s Michael Mayer as being “drugged out rodents”) together with Willis’ emotive synth lines and sample manipulation magic was a match made in heaven.

* Having been a long time friend and supporter for Kompakt through promoting on a series of parties at the legendary London venue Plastic People, Willis had the label on the edge of their seats to hear more. It was one of our easiest signings ever and within a remarkably short time the label received the self titled album you have before you now.

* “We're particularly influenced by artists such as Neu! and Harmonia – Michael Rother's guitar work, and Mobius and Rodelius's synth work really pushes boundaries yet remains melodic and euphoric. It's easy to make noisy and difficult music, what's harder, and feels natural to us is to make music that skates along the edges - melodic, but with a sense of sadness, hope and euphoria at the same time. Kompakt feelslike such a perfect home for us as a label - emotion, personality, individuality, quality of sound etc. - these are all things we feel about the music coming from the label.”

* WALLS tightrope this fine line to remarkable lengths. Take “Hang Four” where the slo-mo techno rhythm finds an easy bond with Allessio’s lush guitar picking. “Cylopean Remains” immediately conjure the potentials of a jam between Animal Collective and Boards Of Canada – rolling beauty combined with epic strangeness to the most cerebral degree. Destined to be one of Kompakt’s most unparalleled releases in their history, WALLS has a lack of concern for the boundaries of genre distinction, but easily fit uniquely between the classic “sound of Kompakt” and the bliss of Pop Ambient.

* TRACKLIST: 1. Burnt Sienna 2. Hang Four 3. A Virus Waits! 4. Cylopean Remains 5. Soft Cover People 6. Strawberry Sect 7. Gaberdine 8. Austerlitz Wide Open

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