Live: Anna Rose Carter / Worriedaboutsatan / Her Name Is Calla @ Holy Trinity Church, Leeds. 29th March 2010

Every time I drive to Leeds its raining and tonight was no exception. But this time it wasn’t to go to the sub bass deep end that is Exodus but a Church in the centre of town to see some post-rock in the shape of Worriedaboutsatan and Her Name Is Calla two bands I’ve been wanting to catch live for some time. Worriedaboutsatan because they’re a certified Sonic Minefield favourite after what must be years of listening to their demos and assorted releases such as the wonderful ‘Arrivals’ and the remixes that followed. And Her Name Is Calla as after the Worrier recommended them I kind of fell for the epic restrained emotion of their music. Plus tonight we get a bonus act in the shape of pianist Anna Rose Carter, who I’m unfortunate to say we only caught the end of due to traffic and rain, the little we heard was just beautiful in the church setting and it set the tone for the rest…



Worriedaboutsatan opened with their latest single ‘Heart Monitor’, which you grab from them over the course of their tour and on their website when they come back and if they have any left. The gentle guitar loops and pulsing electronics really become huge mesmerising pieces in the live setting. Plus the vocal, ‘give me your heavy heart’ becomes an emotional mantra that cuts through the loops. Feeling the twisted electronic grooves of their music come alive in such a setting is a real experience too, the beats punch through the epic hall while percussive clicks bubble in all directions. When the bass really drops on ‘Arrivals’ under the slow-mo house kick and bowed-guitar lines it really hits you and has a visceral emotional impact. Hypnotic and beautiful all at once, Worriedabotsatan make the electronics sound like a human pulse while reaching deep into your soul with some seriously moving soundscapes.



Her Name Is Calla played as a seven piece and where the organic counterbalance to the electronics of …satan, utalising guitar, bass and drums along with cello, violin, flute, trombone and keys as well as bits I probably missed. They have a very restrained sound and love the slow reveal. They go from soft, stripped back and touching to grand full crescendos. They played their forthcoming album, ‘The Quiet Lamb’ in its entirety and it was a journey to behold. Each track was so epic and emotive, taking in hushed, intimate moments such as the wonderful single ‘Long Grass’ to pure post-rock crescendos. Their music reminds me of a quite walk in the woods, they have a very natural, organic sound like they’ve carved it lovingly out of fallen trees. In this setting the songs where like a meditative calm and a cathartic workout all at once.



All the artists made the Holy Trinity Church their home tonight, they all connect the dots between each other’s music somehow. With the gentle solo piano of Anna Rose Carter linking with the organic epics of Her Name is Calla who in turn play off the post-rock meets minimal techno/electronica of Worriedaboutsatan. It made for a wonderful bill and a brilliant gig that’s left me with a Zen like calm. Be sure to catch them on the rest of the tour, which is winding its way around the UK and Europe over the coming months.

http://www.myspace.com/annarosecarter
http://www.myspace.com/worriedaboutsatan
http://www.myspace.com/hernameiscalla
http://www.hernameiscalla.co.uk/
http://worriedaboutsatan.co.uk/

Video Round Up: Esben & The Witch / Worriedaboutsatan

A quick look at some recent visual treats, featuring two Sonic Minefield favourites: Esben & The Witch and Worriedaboutsatan. They both hauntingly beautiful in their own way.

Esben & The Witch - Lucia, At The Precipice




Brilliant young Brighton based band make their video debut with a ghostly little number. They’re currently on tour supporting some big names in indie land so if you don’t know get to know.

http://www.esbenandthewitch.co.uk/


Worriedaboutsatan – Heart Monitor: Teaser I/II

Heart Monitor teaser from worriedaboutsatan on Vimeo.

heart monitor teaser II from worriedaboutsatan on Vimeo.

Leeds duo Worriedabotsatan drop a couple of cryptic teasers for the forthcoming single Heart Monitor. They’re currently readying their tour with the wonderful Her Name Is Calla.

http://www.worriedaboutsatan.co.uk/

Her Name Is Calla – Long Grass EP [Denovali Records]

Epic and emotional folk drenched post-rock from the Leeds band Her Name Is Calla. I bumped into this band via the wonderful Worriedaboutsatan who led me to them with a gentle nudge and before I knew it the subtle sounds of Her Name Is Calla really got under my skin, they also happen to be on tour with each other pretty soon. The ‘Long Grass EP’ is out now on Denovali Records and is the pre-cursor to the forthcoming album ‘The Quiet Lamb’. This EP concentrates on their quieter side; they unleash three dynamic tracks that seem to build from a whisper into grand emotional soundscapes.

The title track, ‘Long Grass’ opens proceedings with an icy plucked melody and a lonely hushed vocal and it all starts to build layer upon subtle layer with sparse elements playing off each other. It’s the subdued/prolonged crashes that accent the gentle shifting elements that tug on your heartstrings, especially when the orchestral parts feed in it’s the soundtrack to a long walk in the wilderness, alone... ‘A Sleeper’ is a happier number: it’s got a community vibe where they all come together to sing gang vocals and clap, in a manner that reminds me of a skeletal Broken Social Scene line-up if they where ghosts and from the UK. It’s a really full, orchestral track that builds with ease before disappearing: A delicately uplifting track. The final song, ‘The White And The Skin’ takes acoustic melodies and subtle melodic droning brass to create an otherworldly backing to the vocals. The vocals go from hushed, loner to something with a restrained bombast before the backing vocals usher in a calm, which is soon broken by the passionate ending.

Her Name Is Calla echo that time of the year when the winter isn’t quite over yet and glimpses of spring keep appearing just to be taken out by a random frost, at least they do on the ‘Long Grass EP’ and I mean that in a good way too. They somehow balance cold subdued elements with warm comforting ones to grate effect. It’s a brooding, at times dark and even ghostly. It’s a set of songs that has a delicate and beautiful feeling to it, plus the acoustic instruments really gives them a warm comforting sound that lifts the mood of the songs from being too melancholy and makes them rather touching instead.



Order: http://denovali.com/hernameiscalla/

Info: http://www.hernameiscalla.co.uk/

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hernameiscalla

Don’t forget the Tour with Worriedaboutsatan…
UK TOUR DATES - MARCH 2010
27 - Glasgow | The Flying Duck
28 - Newcastle | The Cluny*
29 - Leeds| Holy Trinity Church
30 - Leicester | Firebug
31 - London | The Lexington
*Her Name is Calla only

Tour: Her Name Is Calla & Worriedaboutsatan – March 2010

Sonic Minefield favourites Worriedaboutsatan are going on tour with the wonderful Her Name Is Calla in March, bellow you can find the UK dates but they’ll also be heading over to mainland Europe.

UK TOUR DATES - MARCH 2010
27 - Glasgow | The Flying Duck
28 - Newcastle | The Cluny*
29 - Leeds| Holy Trinity Church
30 - Leicester | Firebug
31 - London | The Lexington
*Her Name is Calla only

Worriedaboutsatan’s Arrivals and the remix album that followed made waves on my stereo ever since I heard the demos they kindly sent right the way through to the finished article. They’ll be playing that and previewing new material. Her Name Is Calla, a band I’m not so familiar with as yet are touring to support their new single and forthcoming album set for release in spring and I for one am looking forward to exploring their beautiful sound. Have some links…

Buy: Worriedaboutsatan’s music

Buy: Her Name Is Calla’s music & merch

Worriedaboutsatan – You’re in my thoughts


Links:

http://www.thisisitforever.co.uk/

http://www.worriedaboutsatan.co.uk/

http://www.hernameiscalla.co.uk/

Worriedaboutsatan – Arrivals Remixed [Gizeh Recordings]

If you were lucky enough to pick up the limited addition copy of Worriedaboutsatan’s latest album Arrivals you will know that you not only got the fantastic full length but a whole second disc remixing choice cuts from the album, and what a treat it is too. Don’t be disappointed if you missed it though I swear they mentioned releasing it a bit later in the year on its own merit.

The original explored the areas between post-rock soundscapes full of guitar fuzz and swirling epic structures, glitch riddled electronica and a minimal techno pulse Arrivals Remixed takes these ideas further down the electronic end of the spectrum and ends up with some quality results from a diverse bunch. You get members from all sides turning in remixes: from the post rock end of things you get Her Name is Calla and Glissando, then from the electronic side you get Marco Zenker and p45 amongst others.

The album opens with a sublime little re-interpretation of One Down by Enkidu it’s an acoustic sounding number that’s really catchy and beautiful with loops and field recordings, it sets the scene really well.

Munich’s Marco Zenker turns one of my favourite tracks from the original album Evil Dogs into a deep dubbed out minimal techno bomb, when the kick drum drops its got some power to it. Subtle percussive elements drive things forward as Worriedaboutsatan’s soundscapes get twisted into new techno shapes. This could well be the highlight of the package for me.

The small binding segments of Arrivals that go by the dots even get a twist added to them by Umber..

Leeds producer P45 who I saw warm up for The Mother Fucking Gaslamp Killer and Flying Lotus at Leeds Uni earlier in the year turns in an electro infused drum and bass remix of Arrivals that moves along with a rush of energy, darkside bass drones and ambient pads. It’s a really nice switch up of the original and proves to be another highlight.

The deep space-like arrangement that Khixbrrr come up with for All Things But You Are Silent is beautiful, the bleeps that play off the brooding drones and guitars that are followed by a techno pulse and looped out groove works really well as a middle ground between post-rock and dance music.

Label mates and all round brilliant band Her Name Is Calla turn their talents to I Am A Crooked Man and they bring the string led cello drones and ambient stylings with them, and to great effect. They build a ghostly sound around them, which is only broken by a robotic voice with some lyrics this adds an even more sinister edge to already the spookiest track here.

Her Eyes Static make You’re In My Thoughts into a melancholic yet euphoric grinding electronic meets post rock number not unlike a noisy variation on the M83 sound, its full of bitter sweet ecstasy and I must say its one of my favourite moods in music that energising sadness gets me every time.

The final remix comes in the form of another label mate Glissando who turn their post rock powers into gold on another variant on the track that opened this remix package One Down. They take the pulsing deep synth line and play it over soothing pads of sound its a hypnotic piece.

The remix artists manage to keep the brooding almost romantic, longing nature of the original album and flip it up into different styles it has to be one of the best remix albums around. Worriedaboutsatan have collected some quality remixes that add another dimension to Arrivals, they have also flagged up some artists I just know I have to check out. Arrivals Remixed stands on its own just as well as it does next to the original, a wonderful piece of work.

Worriedaboutsatan have just set up a blog where they put up allsorts ranging from audio of practise sessions, Sportify play lists and remixes of them and by them, along with the usual blogger gubbins. Check it out…

http://worriedaboutsatan.blogspot.com/

Previous Worriedaboutsatan Posts

Download: Worriedaboutsatan – You’re In My Thoughts

http://www.myspace.com/worriedaboutsatan

http://www.gizehrecords.com/

http://arrivals.tumblr.com/

Free Gizeh Records Sampler For 2009

The label of fantastic bands like Worriedaboutsatan / Her Name Is Calla / Glissando and many more have made a sampler for your listening pleasure go and grab it while its hot.

Download: Gizeh Records Sampler For 2009