New Editions NWAED008

Canberra-based duo Spartak return with their third album Nippon, the eighth release on the New Weird Australia imprint New Editions.

Tracklisting.

1. Lover’s Distress 02:37
2. Snowflake Reflection (Open) 07:43
3. Channels 06:24
4. Rail Star Mode 05:47
5. Colour Is The Night 09:02
6. Wire + Water 03:04
7. Snowflake Reflection (Close) 05:24

Ahmad, S – guitar, voice, electronics, analog synth, clarinet
Dorrian, E – drum kit, percussion, field recordings, voice, computer
Recorded + mixed live in Japan, March 2011. Post-production edits by Shoeb Ahmad at hellosQuare Place, Canberra. Mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k mastering.
Photos by Shoeb + Kate Ahmad and Evan Dorrian.
Sleeve design by Heath Killen.

Released October 2011.

Notes.

Duo Shoeb Ahmad and Evan Dorrian explore a hybrid sound of ‘indie’ rock, improvised jazz, electronic music and modern composition – using a wide palette of delicate melodies, free percussion, processed sound and found textures.

Since 2006, they have travelled around Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan numerous times, playing alongside hardcore bands, sound artists and free improvisers alike. They have previously released Tales From The Colony Room on hellosQuare recordings and Verona, through the English label Low Point.

Verona met critical acclaim upon its release in 2010, featuring in many publications – including the respected modern music magazine The Wire, which noted Spartak’s ‘sonic restlessness’ and ‘organic sense of clarity’.

This new release sees the duo expand on the loose improvisations of their previous work by taking in a more brittle electronic edge, alongside a reclaimed punk attitude, with recordings edited from performances in Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka on their recent tour of Japan. These shows revisited the original mode of Spartak music – pre-composed key phrases forming the core basis of the performance each night. This common thread lends itself nicely to the various pieces, tying them together as a suite while varying in nature.