Capguns

Night
Capguns are one of a kind. Not only because of their phenomenal music but also because they are from North Wales and actually good at something. I don't mean to sound cruel but google "famous North Walians" and it'll prove my point. After browsing for 5 minutes the most noteworthy candidate for status as the most famous North Walian ever to exist appeared to be a footballer for Wrexham Football Club. The reason for this void of talent is that Sheep, in North Wales, out-number people 10 to 1 and the human population is comparable to that of Sheffield.

These factors, irrelevant though they may be, make it all the more amazing that North Wales has produced such an amazing band who appear to have honed their technique so beautifully and gained some serious kudos on the nationwide music scene. Another thing that never ceases to amaze me is how well-versed the band are in a live situation; after witnessing them live twice now, I've been left in awe after their performance. The reason for this review is that I've recently been given a copy of Capguns forthcoming studio offering, Night, and I've been blown away by its quality.

The feel is of a band that is totally comfortable with their sound and have set out to create a selection of great songs that give you a cross-section of themselves in order to expose you to a little bit of each element of their sound. If I were asked to compare them to any other bands I would probably put them somewhere between atmospheric-metal veterans ISIS and instrumental post-rock band Explosions in the Sky. Layers of atmospheric, delay ridden guitar blend with chord based bass playing to create a mood of gentle anaesthesia only to have it riven by crushing, metal-tinged, riffs of mammoth proportions. Closer Atlas (Flow) provides a great end to a really impressive EP and displays the kind of thing that Capguns excel at.

I've heard plenty of bands that employ a similar style to Capguns but this band seem to pull it off with spectacular aplomb. There is a future in music for Capguns, I'm sure of it. 8/10

Nadja

Desire in Uneasiness
The new studio effort from American Drone/Doom /Shoegaze duo "Nadja" clocks in at 62 minutes and isn't a moment too long. Not much has changed in the core Nadja sound and I'd struggle to pick out one thing that really sets this CD apart from anything else that they've recorded but it is by far their best work. I can't think of any way to describe the improvement other than that they've "got better" in much the same way, although in a totally different musical style, as At the Drive-in "got better" between In/Casino/Out and Relationship of Command. Desire in Uneasiness is a name that is totally detached from the sound of the album; the overall feel is one of comfort and I feel like Nadja are finally getting to terms with their sound and beginning to concentrate more on individual songs.

I first heard Nadja about a year ago and, although I fell in love with their sound, I think that most of the time that I've spent listening to them has been used thinking about what potential, to write a truly breathtaking album, they have; with Desire in Uneasiness they haven't quite made that album but they are certainly heading in the right direction. Everything about the album, the sweeping synths, the lush, rich production and the heavy drones, screams "progression" to me. The production is a lot less dense than most previous Nadja albums and maintains the insistent heaviness of their sound while giving the individual pieces some space to breathe. The inclusion of some quiet songs, the sublime "Affective Fields" for example, helps put the heaviness of the other pieces in context and is a very welcome addition to the album. My one criticism is that in achieving a "loose" sound for the album they seem to have gone a bit far at points with some drum parts being slightly out of time; this can only improve in the future and if this dynamic duo continues to improve at the rate they are doing we will be in for something special with the next Nadja studio album.

Throughout the entire album there is something refreshingly new about the music that I can't quite pin down but it's in the nature of Nadja that they're difficult to pin down. 7.5/10

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