So first time I heard of these guys came as a surprise to me. I was getting a goody package of new releases (Make Me Famous, Veil of Maya, Betraying The Martyrs, etc.) from Sumerian Records to review when I came across a relatively no name band (to me at least) called Dead Letter Circus. Gauging what Sumerian Records had been producing recently, I assumed it was going to be an initial release form a down tuned, breakdown style band. What I got instead was a gorgeous blend of melody, large vocal range and an album that I could easily play from start to finish. That album was the Queensland band's debut record "This Is The Warning".
1. Here We Divide
2. One Step
3. Big
4. The Space on the Wall
5. This Long Hour
6. Cage
7. Reaction
8. The Drum
9. The Design
10. Next in Line
11. Walk
12. This Is the Warning
A gem in the rough is what I can ultimately describe this album and band. A nice change of pace from what I am usually used to hearing from heavy based labels. Not knocking Sumerian Records at all since they have hooked me up with press passes and great albums. It was just a nice change of pace is all.
So back to the album. Me thinks Melodic.net hit the familiar chord when they called the album "refreshing, uplifting and incredible". I can agree to an extent with this review as these buzz words surrounded my brain as I ran through songs like "Here We Divide", "Big", and "Reaction". A vocal range that hit notes I could only wish to do with this low baritone range I have. Mimicking vocal favorites of mine such as Geddy Lee, Eliot Coleman or Perry Farell. I think this type of vocal style is well encompassed with a song such as "One Step", where we can hear Benzie belt out "One step away from here and just a moment to go".
Rock Edition: Did any specific events inspire the lyrics on the album?
DLC: Yeah. War over oil fields and stuff like that. The disgrace of certain governments. Everyone can probably guess which governments we're talking about. The larger Western world. The way that they go about obtaining what they need from the poor countries, everything from Iraq to Africa. You kill many people so you can run an oil pipeline through their country. 9/11 -- that whole time was so surreal. It really shaped our world.
Dead Letter Circus consists of:
Kim Benzie – Vocals | Stewart Hill – Bass | Luke Williams – Drums, Vocals |
Tom Skerlj - Guitar, Keyboard and Percussion | Clint Vincent - Guitar
So the band has only released one LP and one EP since being introduced to the international music industry, but with persistence and continual touring I could see these guys making quite the name for themselves in this sea of bands we now refer to as the music world. They band has already done a great job establishing themselves online with multiple music videos with great visuals. Check out a few of them below for the tracks "One Step", "Cage" and "Big":
"Is it ok if I close my eyes? As we go further. I want escape from the compromise..."
"I feel something's not right. We're living in circles. With no break in sight yet, Why can I not live this life the way I feel I choose, know that is right. I wanna push this wall till it breaks"
"The faster that we go round, The tighter I'm holding. I know that we fall down. Part of me is still silently hoping. Hold on, soon we'll be gone. You will follow me one day. In time, our time."
So I decided to take a review from a website called All Music that I tend to hold in higher regard, just simply by the quality of reviews they put out. They have done exceptional jobs in the past for reviews (as you can see in my music releases) and felt that their opinion conveyed a few of the same ideas and thoughts I felt towards the album:
Though tagged an alternative rock band, Dead Letter Circus actually get close to post-rock on their debut full-length, and even if it was not a conscious decision, it's a good sign. The band starts off by going for that angsty but catchy brand of rock developed by the likes of Jimmy Eat World, adding a dash of the U2 adaptation that Angels and Airwaves promised to revolutionize music with, and didn't -- but the youthful earnestness is channeled into arrangements rather than histrionics here (though the music is still quite emotive). Delay-based guitar textures are interlaced with subtle synth undercurrents, creating complex patterns out of a set of simple rhythms without cutting down on melody, and the whole thing is executed with a surgical precision that recalls the incarnation of Krautrock promoted by Maserati -- while the sheer intensity brings to mind God Is an Astronaut more than My Chemical Romance. The record isn't comprised of instrumentals, but the vocals do serve, rather, as an additional instrument, blending into the mix without overshadowing it, and anyway, more important is that while typical mainstream rock relies on catchy riffs and hooks, This Is the Warning is mostly a wall of sound -- also catchy, but too elaborate to hum in the shower. The record could still use more irony, and it's easy to single out individual pop elements the band uses to build up its sweeping drive, but at least this is a highly evolved sort of pop with aspirations going far beyond the usual 15 minutes of fame. -All Music
Be sure to keep an eye out on the horizon for their next album it is currently in the works.
"I think we’re kind of in a cyborg half-human, half-robot stage at the moment. Yeah, I definitely think we could (be going in an electronic direction). We’re leaning toward a bigger, fatter sound, rather than just the guitars. Most of the next one’s going to be a bit of the after-effect: "how can you combat things like that (not feeling in control of your own life)? How can small people deceive world bankers? The answer will actually be everyone — what everyone does within their individual bubble, how we choose to act, and if that will butterfly effect out." -Benzie
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