Monday, February 20, 2012

Introducing... I, A Man

Apologies to Al's Music Rant purists, but I've actually already introduced Melbourne quartet I, A Man's deliciously atmospheric guitar rock to the wider masses. After hearing their sophomore EP You're Boring Us All, I was instantly smitten with their textural approach to songwriting, a deft sequencing of their striking guitar sounds, dreamy vibes and beautifully rendered songcraft. What followed was a quick turnaround on a review of the same EP for Beat magazine, and spotlighting as the second act ever for a new column for the wonderful folks over at Everguide, entitled 'You Need To Know.'

Forgive them their ungoogleable band name, and focus instead on their lucid tunes, studded with robust rhythmic playing as much as those evocative six-strings, a musical exchang between singer Dan Moss and fellow strummer Ash Hunter are the key to their intelligent and flexible sound. However, their waif-like ideas are grounded by the ebb and flow of their rhythm section: the wonderfully named Matthew Pinxt and Sumner Fish.


Personally, they remind me of a time when bands like
Death Cab For Cutie, weezer and Nada Surf showed how thrilling stretching the limits of guitar rock could be. Though I, A Man's own sound is fairly distant (sonically speaking) from those groups, they still possess the same inventive attitude to their playing. Encouraged by an experimental approach to recording, and letting their songs evolve in the live setting, there's already enough to their modest catalogue that suggest even brighter, better things will follow. ...or at least a wacky concept album in the spirit of commercial renegades like Talk Talk and elbow.

Either way, you should give their music a crack and see if you too get washed away in their impressionistic loveliness - then catch them on their month-long tour of national dates in support of
You're Boring Us All - ironically titled as their music does anything but.
Sometimes - I, A Man by Deaf Ambitions



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I, A Man - You're Boring Us All Tour Dates:

Feb 24: Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC (with Tehachapi, I'lls' & Neighbourhood Youth)
Mar 8: Cobra Kai Club, Brisband QLD
Mar 9: Solbar, Maroochydore QLD
Mar 11: Pure Pop Records, St. Kilda VIC
Mar 15: FBI Social @ King's Cross, Sydney NSW
Mar 16: The National, Geelong VIC
Mar 17: Plus One @ Ed Castle, Adelaide SA
Mar 24: Hills Are Alive Festival, Gippsland VIC

2 comments:

  1. LOVE them, where can I buy+download the EP in US?
    The links for i-tunes will not let US???

    ReplyDelete
  2. There's no US distribution yet unfortunately, but I can put you in touch with their manager, who can send you a copy. Just send us your email to alister.newstead@gmail.com an we can get it sorted for you.

    ReplyDelete