Wednesday, February 18, 2009

slowcore/shoegaze/springtime post: Si Schroeder - Coping Mechanisms



Si Schroeder - Duck!


This is a conglomeration of different things, but mainly yet another post on this truly great Irish album. For me, Coping Mechanisms is Ireland's Spiderland, though in general it sounds quite different. This week is Slowcore Week on Drowned in Sound, as highlighted on do you compute. Watching the video on his blog of Codeine's 'Loss Leader' from the excellent The White Birch album, the particular way in which Steve Immerwahr sings "water" (and, I think, "watch her" as well) reminded me of that same word in Si Schroeder's 'Duck!' ("water/off a duck's back").

So, a flimsy enough connection. Si Schroeder doesn't really play slowcore (but then neither does David Grubbs, quite, anymore) or even shoegaze, both genres largely fixed in time as early-to-mid 1990s and probably deserving the prefix post- in their current configurations. Coping Mechanisms is an album of, at first, exceeding quietness and then consequently layered and shimmering loudness, all threaded together with a rich diversity of sounds - most of them electronic of some kind. Post-rock is the obvious but relatively uninformative classification for this beautiful, atmospheric - yet substantial - album.

Diverse electro sounds make their way through current indie rockers, post-rockers and shoegazers. Best example is Asobi Seksu's new album Hush which blends shoegaze, pop and electro to a hardcore punk back-beat (somewhat softened) to impressive effect. The latest Fight Like Apes b-side 'Telephone the Real Ham Jackson' spends some time in a tasty electro-shoegaze jam after its thick, bassy and synthy pop experimentation. King of the latter, Dan Deacon's upcoming album Bromst is a dense, familiar affair (read a first impression here and an unlikely negative review here) underpinned by modern big-band percussion. With lunchtime like a mid-summer's evening here in north-western Europe, spring has arrived with a shoegazing, electrifying soundtrack.



Coping Mechanisms vinyl from Road Records

Myspace - Si Schroeder

Trust Me I'm A Thief record label


and three of Ireland's best post-rock type acts, Jape, The Jimmy Cake and Si Schroeder, are playing a benefit + celebration gig for the aforementioned Road Records:


6 comments:

gabbagabbahey said...

ha! that is a good one alright.

slowcore was just grunge for bedwetters, as well...

Anonymous said...

hey great blog, was just wondering maybe you can help?
have you got anything by belfast band [SOMEDAYS BETTER]i think members are now in We Are Knives,as far as i know SDB released 2 demos,
ta

gabbagabbahey said...

no, sorry, don't know them.

Anonymous said...

naw ok man,i thought being from dublin,you might have known them,hey great hoover blogging,they're one of my favourite bands,i got a load of live stuff by them,they're a video of their belfast reunion gig,floating around!

Anonymous said...

I'd imagine bedwetting and electronica would not make a good combo, especially if you brought your laptop to bed.

Greg said...

Nice album. I like it.