radiant city | the band

2012-01-18T12:21:00.004+11:00

2011-06-13T23:23:00.001+10:00

it's been a while since a post but we've in fact been damn busy of late..

while radiant city takes a break both of us have been working on some side projects. the first one to near completion is Brad's KRANKHEAD...

<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://krankhead.bandcamp.com/track/long-wait-road-2"&amp;amp;gt;Long Wait Road by KRANKHEAD&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

look out for a six-song ep coming soon...

krankhead.bandcamp.com

2010-12-12T20:11:00.004+11:00

Put yourself in the not-too-distant future where, naturally, robot humanoids rule the earth. Now invite yourself to an underground house party where a nihilistic two-piece garage band are playing. That band is Radiant City. Unlike a lot of other principally instrumental bands, Radiant City do not use a conventionally big or polished sound to get their point across; they are less refined, rawer and all the better for it. Recorded and mixed in lounge and dining rooms around suburban Melbourne you can hear the hands-on sound of the band. In Safe And Secure the lazy, drawling tone of Andrew McLaughlin's Telecaster is unmistakable; it feels as though you can hear the rust on the strings as plectrum scrapes along them, like nails on a chalk board, beginning the song.

The band really erupts in the latter half of the album; there is a sonic bombardment where they loosen the reins of every aspect of their sound, the abhorrent textural guitar, the simple, powerful drumming and the distant, and at times even melodic, electronics. Radiant City display real ingenuity as songwriters for a largely instrumental band, especially considering they are working within the confines of a duo. The sounds vary but work cohesively.

Amongst the raw guitar, the sheer volume of the band and the alienating soundscape of feedback and electronics, there is a real warmth. More than the warmth afforded by a home recording, it shows the strength of the songs; they take you to the edge before reeling you back in with undeniably powerful and understated riffs.

Dave Drayton @ The Drum

2010-11-18T23:27:00.001+11:00

yah yahs / 23.10.10

pic by muzz

2010-11-07T17:16:00.001+11:00

p.k.14 / yah yah's / 23.10.10

bone / yah yah's / 23.10.10

2010-11-07T16:42:00.000+11:00

If you’re new to Radiant City, then you might listen to this whole record without ever figuring out this is a guitar-and-drums duo. Just don't compare them to The White Stripes. Tracks such as "Two Against Eight" and the closer, "Down the Satellites," contain such lush moments of mood and depth that even when you know it’s just two dudes in a home studio, you don’t necessarily believe it, or even care...

read more HERE..

2010-10-16T19:42:00.004+11:00

Following a slew of impressive EPs and some of the best live instrumental rock that Melbourne has to offer, power-duo Radiant City have finally unleashed their debut album, No Errors. I say ‘unleashed’ because RC are pretty heavy on the fuzzy riffs and thunderous toms, and often come flying at you with the ferocity of a wild cat, all claws and spit. And when they slow-burn, you’re still poised and alert, waiting for the fury to return…

READ MORE over at [sic] magazine...

2010-09-19T22:41:00.005+10:00

and some kind words about the album..

For better or worse, lots of young bands rush headlong into their first albums. Not Radiant City. The Melbourne duo has released four EPs over the years in what now seems like the epic lead-up to No Errors, a proper debut album. But it's hard to fault drummer Brad Marshall and guitarist Andrew McLaughlin, who have spent that time painstakingly refining a stirring strain of post-rock that's up there with Slint, Mogwai, and Australia's own Black Cab. A careful craftsmanship comes through in the somewhat austere instrumental June, the effects-battered drums and general turbulence of Key Control, and even in McLaughlin's distorted vocals on the seven-minute Safe And Secure. Despite standing just two strong, the duo teases much tension and depth out of guitar, drums, electronics, and the occasional vocals.

Like fellow Melbourne post-rockers Margins, though, Radiant City doesn't reach for easy build-ups and catharsis. It's more about the journey, the interplay, and the unique voices that instruments can develop when there aren't swaggering singers or pesky verse-chorus structures to get in the way. And for a band that makes the most of space, No Errors offers Radiant City a whole album's worth of it to play around with.

Doug Wallen, September 2010.

2010-09-19T21:29:00.004+10:00

big thanks to miniature submarines and all that came out to the launch on thursday evening, here's some surveillance acquired by fransisco delia..

2010-09-12T14:10:00.003+10:00

we're heading in to triple r for a chat with owen mckern on delivery

today at 4pm, 102.7fm...

2010-08-01T14:39:00.006+10:00

yes! we are extremely pleased to announce our album 'no errors' will be finally out on friday september 3. it's been a while coming we know but sometimes things just take time..

more details soon

2010-05-02T17:35:00.003+10:00

we're makin' visual material..
huge thanks to steve callaghan for shooting it for us

2010-03-29T10:13:00.002+11:00

space invader

2010-03-08T17:13:00.002+11:00

the new silent ballet compilation is out, with a new song from the album..
it's a FREE DOWNLOAD so get onto it!

visit the silent ballet HERE

2010-02-24T23:53:00.004+11:00

at the rally..

more about it HERE

2010-02-24T23:50:00.002+11:00

at sound park..

2010-01-22T21:52:00.003+11:00

a review of the new one (two against eight) over at mess and noise..

2010-01-22T21:48:00.002+11:00

"This town has totally lost the plot. If it doesn't make a ton of money, then it ain't culturally significant."

- A comment in response to an article in The Age newspaper about the recent closure of The Tote Hotel..

2010-01-16T15:11:00.002+11:00

pushed it...

2009-12-03T23:20:00.004+11:00

it's up!..
download the new single HERE
or
purchase the cd version (with exclusive b-side) HERE

2009-12-03T00:01:00.001+11:00

at the hut..

2009-11-16T12:44:00.003+11:00

well it's been a while since a post so here goes..

it's been a hectic couple of months with overseas adventures, weddings (brad at wireless - congrats again mate!) and the usual juggling of day-jobs have all left little time for constructive activities. however amidst all the fray we've managed to get a song ready for release at the end of the month. it's from the new album (out in february/march)..

the song is called two against eight and it will be available from december 4 as a free download from our website. and to celebrate the occasion we will be playing at the birmingham hotel that same evening with little killing and nightmaster..

now we still very much like the the idea of the old fashioned compact disc so on entry to the gig folks will receive the 'real' version (because you know it's going to sound better than an mp3!)

so get down to the gig, should be a fine eve..!

2009-08-25T21:37:00.002+10:00

a review of the ep over at The Silent Ballet...

2009-08-15T19:45:00.007+10:00

some epics from our show with tarcutta at the east...

big thanks to the very generous razzledog

2009-07-12T22:00:00.003+10:00

signal hill all the way from los angeles last night at irene's warehouse in brunswick..

check out their website here

2009-07-07T21:37:00.001+10:00

margins at the old on saturday night..

2009-06-11T20:59:00.000+10:00

2009-03-26T21:37:00.005+11:00

Patrick Emery from Beat Magazine has also had a listen to the new one...

The recent spate of outrageously hot weather demonstrated yet again that society remains perversely fascinated with the changing vagaries of the weather. In fact, observing the weather must be the oldest past time - that is, in the moments between procreative amusement.

Radiant City are not - by public report at least - weather watchers or otherwise fascinated by the clouds, sun and wind. Yet within the band's music exists and intensity that's ordinarily associated with climatic events. Like the Dirty Three and Silver Ray (such comparisons are indefensibly obvious, but necessary nonetheless) Radiant City's instrumental sound broods, breathes and explodes with brilliant regularity.

Terminal Drift is Radiant City's latest release, a four song EP that packs an infinitely greater punch than its quantitative brevity would superficially suggest. The opening track, Urban Drill, barrels into action with a tumultuous drum beat that could simulate either a roll of thunder, or (as the title suggests) the brutally loud soundtrack to urban living, careful guitar licks fighting battle against feedback in a quest for aural supremacy. He Fell After His First Flight is a darker journey, a few choice melodies loitering in the background looking for a beat to embrace and a moment to seize. Auto Centro suggests a Krautrock dystopia, or maybe an obscure interpretation of the dysfunctional financial state of the contemporary global car industry as it strives for survival in an environmentally conscious world.

Finally there's Man Versus Mathematician, an intriguing debate to contemplate - the quest to reduce nature to a set of neat equations and binary concepts shows no signs of abating - and the methodical sounds and rhythms of the song itself suggest that it's less a fight, and more a constructive dialect that can benefit all parties.

Terminal the album certainly is not; if it drifts, it's doing so with attitude and precision. And it's infinitely more exciting than weather watching.

2009-03-02T22:47:00.010+11:00

thanks again to everyone who came out for the show, and a huge thank you to slight of build & margins for taking the trip with us. twas a cracker of an evening.. now it's onto the album, we start recording in a couple of weeks :)

here's some pics.. (by dazza, our man at the front)

2009-02-28T14:59:00.005+11:00

adam mills over at mess & noise has given the new one a listen:

Radiant City’s last transmission, 2007’s limited Judith EP, was a big step forward from the Melbourne duo’s self-titled debut (itself highly impressive). It showed an increased clarity of purpose and less reliance on Andrew McLaughlin and Brad Marshall’s direct influences. The four tracks that make up Terminal Drift are the next logical steps along that continuum.

Recorded, once again, in the comfort of McLaughlin’s lounge room, Terminal Drift benefits from a prevalence of warmth. Everything here sounds huge, bathed in natural reverb and free of the horrors of compression. Without a doubt, Radiant City are now louder and noisier than they ever have been. They’re also more focused, showing a refined sense of economy on the EP’s opening one-two punch. The strident ‘Urban Drill’ is an exercise in perpetual motion, building from practically nothing towards an explosive finale in just over three minutes. It’s followed by the spidery ‘He Fell After His First Flight’, which offers a tightly-wound take on the traditional tension/release dynamics associated with instrumental rock.

‘Auto Centro’ is a foray into pulsating electronic textures, combining flickering tones and subliminal hums with heavily processed drums and guitars. Sprawling closer ‘Man Versus Mathematician’ takes a more circuitous route than its predecessors. McLaughlin slowly constructs an impenetrable wall of noise over Marshall’s deceptively simple drumming, closing out the disc with an almost deafening crescendo.

Call it post-rock if you will, but Radiant City are leagues ahead of the hordes of dullards currently swooning under that ugly tag. And Terminal Drift is ample proof.

2009-02-05T14:46:00.001+11:00

at the seed factory..

2009-01-07T18:29:00.001+11:00

nao working on the final master of the new ep while i work on the artwork..

2008-12-22T00:02:00.004+11:00

i love the smell of freshly pressed cds in the morning.. that's right, it's finally done! mixed, mastered, designed, photographed, pressed and patiently waiting to be released into the ether on february 7.

it's called terminal drift and has four songs..

to mark the occasion we'll be launching it at the east brunswick club here in melbourne on friday february 20. joining us will be slight of build who are also launching their new ep titled collide.

2008-11-22T23:40:00.009+11:00

can't wait to see this...

and monday is the day -we FINALLY get to master the new ep! at the helm will be the mighty Nao Anzai once again, can't wait to get it out into the world..

so it's called terminal drift and contains 4 new songs. and it's due for release the first week of feb 09..

2008-09-28T22:10:00.003+10:00

we've been hitting the sliders and dials pretty hard this week trying to get on top of the mix.. it's coming together really well and should be finally sorted in about a week or so

the next two months sees us playing a few shows which will be sweet, can't wait to play the new songs live again..

then once the ep is mixed/mastered it looks like we will begin working on an album!! can't wait for that either, it's been a long time coming that's for damn sure. more about it soon..

2008-09-06T21:46:00.000+10:00

the poster from our last show, i kinda like this one..

2008-08-04T20:39:00.003+10:00

snare blood...

2008-05-25T21:39:00.003+10:00

well there's not much to post at the moment other than to mention that our next show (on the 13th of june) may be a last for a while as we knuckle down to finish off the new ep. it's coming together nicely and hopefully it will be done in a month or so. holidays are on the way so there will be no day jobs to get in the way of some serious studio time : ) can't wait..

news albums on high rotation at the moment:

the breeders mountain battles
portishead third
mogwai - live in denver 2006 (it's from the desk but damn is it good!)
nine inch nails the slip
the police everyone stares (dvd) - it's all shot on super 8, it's a beautiful thing..

and we saw helmet (well paige at least) a couple of weeks ago, oh the memories..

2008-03-16T18:06:00.005+11:00

our new single 'judith' gets a review on the mess & noise website..

2008-03-13T22:51:00.007+11:00

damn, it's march already!

we've been really busy as usual with a few shows here and there and have spent some time working on new songs. they're coming together really quickly and have been creeping their way into the set. it's been great to play some new songs live, hopefully we'll get one or two onto the new ep..

gigs of note for the last few weeks:

- trans am @ east brunswick club
- future of the left @ northcote social club (with awesome support from melbourne's own blacklevel embassy and the nation blue)
- ween @ golden plains
- cat power @ the forum

our headline show at the tote is coming up on april 3, then we're off to sydney again..

2008-01-25T09:33:00.001+11:00

well as of today we'll be calling our blog 'home'. we've been wanting to update our site for a while now and with everything being so busy time has become the enemy. so the idea is to now use our blog as our home base of internet operations, this way we can keep it updated whilst on the move (and at work!)..

husker du's 'new day rising' grinds my ears as i type this, it's a sign...

a

2008-01-24T14:06:00.001+11:00

at the forum
Originally uploaded by radiant city

just digging through the archives and found the pics from our gig supporting dinosaur jr here in melbourne..

getting used to this blogging thing, i have an idea...
a

2008-01-19T19:39:00.000+11:00

well it's been a while since i logged on here, even though i said i would be on here a lot more! it's been a busy few months for both of us, not only with music but other things have also kept us off the streets and well occupied. mainly work commitments which are always demanding at the end of the year unfortunately. november/december saw us record and release a limited edition cd single and just playing the one gig to launch it. now we're into '08 and time seems to be already hurtling along..

last week we played at 'carni' (www.carni.com.au) which an fantastic venue in south preston (melbourne). if you're in the neighbourhood and haven't been there go check it out and if you're in a band book a show and go play there! it's well worth the trip, not that it's that far -about 5 mins from northcote social club on high street..

next wed (jan 23) we're playing at bar open in fitzroy with some more local shows coming up (i'll post the dates asap) plus another trip to sydney in april to promote the single. speaking of cds we are also working on the new ep over the next few weeks too so keep an ear out for that one..

anyway gotta go, be back soon
a

2007-10-16T00:51:00.000+10:00

at the moment we're back in the studio working on our next release (due out in dec) and we're also working on our new website & generally just getting our online side of things sorted. one thing we've been meaning to do for a very (very) long time is update/use our blog more!! yes as you may well of noticed it's a little on the empty side! we'll post some more info/pics soon so stay tuned..

2007-01-16T21:40:00.000+11:00

we are currently organising/creating our new blog so in the meantime stop by our myspace page or our official website for all the latest information... more stuff will be posted here soon (hopefully!) thanks, rc