Review – Gothenburg Address – S/T (Self-Released, 2010)

Official Site

MySpace Page

Edinburgh, Scotland trio Gothenburg Address consists of David “Jeansy” Jeans, Chris Bathgate and Luke Joyce.  It would be tempting to define their style as “post-rock”, but since it always calls to mind huge orchestras and overindulgent songs, it would be better to avoid that term (to begin with, their music doesn’t come off sounding sterile or static, as is often the case with instrumental rock bands).
What separates the band/record from the rest of their brethren/similar records is the fact that a lot of the sounds on CD seem to be rooted not only in the music of the likes of Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor! and Explosions In The Sky, but older alternative/shoegaze bands, as well.
The opener (“Leaving The Last Behind”) clearly have more than a bit of shoegazing meat on its bones, so to speak, as feedback blast in the middle brings to mind My Bloody Valentine.  “From Med To Lay” features a short bit that brings to mind grunge bands like Nirvana. In general, certain singularity/complexity of sounds also brings to mind the likes of Slint (and there’s even a bit that reminds me slightly of “Bullet The Blue Sky” in “A Lesser Coming Home”).
Hinting further at a connection with an older alternative scene is the fact that an album features guest appearances by Mike Garson (Smashing Pumpkins / David Bowie) and cellist Alan Barr (Delgados).
Music on the album seems to be evenly split between bombastic (and fairly emotional, at times) guitar workouts and drony/hazy soundscapes with a  multitude of instruments involved – from piano to cello. None of the songs are terribly long, so they probably won’t overstay that welcome.
In the end, there’s nothing new or original about this band/record – but that also doesn’t seem to be the case with most of the bands these days. For what it is, its well done and its a great set of music to stare at the sky, say goodbye to the last day of summer or…stare at your shoes, perhaps?
Note – Order the album here and you will get an art print and a sticker.