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Formed in 1997 in Glasgow by Ganger's
singer-guitarist Craig B, Aereogramme debuted with two singles,
Translations and Hatred, and two EPs,
Glam Cripple (Chemikal Underground, 2000) and
White Paw.
Their first full-length album,
A Story In White (Chemikal Underground, 2001),
offered an ambitious mixture of
prog-rock, death-metal, post-rock, industrial music and emo-core.
The band's specialty is the "quiet & loud" routine of
The Question Is Complete (derailed
in 7/4 and 5/4), Zionist Timing and Post-Tour Pre-Judgement,
although the most gripping sounds come out of the
bombastic and chaotic Shouting For Joey, and the most touching moments
(A Meaningful Existence, Egypt, Sunday 3:52) display
a surprising dose of emotion.
The album is an exercise in style, not simply copying styles but trying to
coin a new one via a process of metamorphosis.
Sleep And Release (Matador, 2003) is an equally complex album that
relies on even looser song structures.
If sometimes the results sound confused and pretentious (Indiscretions)
the majestic, symphonic glam-pop of Black Past,
the chamber industrial post-rock of Process of Elimination
and the graceful elegy of Gratitude,
drenched in classical strings and solemn drums,
unleash avalanches of feelings/sounds that, if not for content, are impressive
as sheer form.
The mood swings, the gentle melodies and the menacing eruptions,
the narrative subtleties of Older, No Really and Wood
hark back to prog-rock melodrama, but with a neurotic/angelic twist
that gives new meaning to King Crimson's "21st century schizoid man".
It all comes together on the tenth (title-less) track, six minutes of
martial crescendo that negate Aereogramme's skills at dynamics but also
prove their irrational take on rationality.
The mini-album Seclusion (Undergroove, 2004) is a vastly inferior work, despite the surreal mini-concerto of Alternative Score.
Seclusion (Undergroove, 2005 - Sonic Unyon, 2006)
is an eclectic and confusing collection,
generally harsher and denser, but highlighted by an emo-core anthem,
Inkwell, and by a ten-minute psychodrama, The Unravelling,
that had little in common with the rest (notably Dreams And Bridges).
It generally marked a less experimental and more song-oriented approach.
My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (Chemikal Underground, 2007)
continued their stylistic merry-go-round with a sequence of songs that seemed to
revisit the age of dream-pop. Abandoning the neurotic edges of the previous
albums, Aereogramme opted for a warmer and friendlier sound that frequently
works its magic no matter how derivative it may be
(My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go, Barriers).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Valeria Ricciardi)
Formatisi nel 1997 a Glasgow per mano di Craig B, cantante e chitarrista dei Ganger, gli Aereogramme hanno debuttato con due singoli, Translations e Hatred e due EP, Glam Cripple (Chemikal Underground, 2001)e White Paw. Il loro primo vero album, A Story In White (Chemikal Underground, 2001) è stato un ambizioso mix di prog-rock, death-metal, post-rock, industrial ed emo-core. La specialità della band è il ritmo "quite & loud" (calmo ma alto, n.d.t.), come quello di The Question is Complete (spezzato in 7/4 e 5/4), Zionist Timing e Post-Tour Pre-Judgment; tuttavia, i suoni più interessanti arrivano dal roboante e caotico Shouting for Joey, mentre i pezzi più toccanti (A Meaningful Existence, Egypt, Sunday 3:52) esprimono una carica emotiva fuori dell’ordinario. L’album è un esercizio di stile che non si limita solo a ricalcare alcuni stili, ma tenta di coniarne uno tutto suo attraverso un processo di metamorfosi.
Anche Sleep And Release (Matador, 2003) è un album egualmente complesso, che si basa su strutture ancora più prive di schema. Nonostante il risultato a volte un po’ confuso e ambizioso (Indiscretions), il glam-pop maestoso e sinfonico di Black Past, il post-rock chamber industrial di Process of Elimination e la delicata elegia di Gratitude, completamente immersi in suoni di chitarra classici e una batteria solenne, riescono a smuovere una cascata di sensazioni/suoni che, se non vengono ricordati per il contenuto, colpiscono per la forma.
Gli swing umorali, le garbate melodie, le minacciose eruzioni di suono, le finezze narrative di Older, No Really e Wood ricordano il melodramma prog-rock, ma con un twist nevrotico/angelico che propone una nuova lettura di "21st century schizoid man" dei King Crimson. Tutto si risolve nella traccia 10 (senza titolo), sei minuti di crescendo marziale che se da una parte dimostra la non dinamicità degli Aereogramme, dall’altra prova la loro capacità nel rendere irrazionale il razionale.
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