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REVIEWS : 2004 www.bonemachine.net The slow burning Alan Smithee is the perfect cd opener. The ethereal vocals, rambling bass and rhythmic drums make this a real standout track, one that should be a standard on all radio playlists. Unfortunately you just know it's never going to do that. Even though it's completely removed musically from the rest of the cd, in a strange way it sets you up for what's to follow. As it turns out, what was to follow quickly became my favourite track on the album. Intrepid Flight is a cruisy jam that screams joyfully at the top of it's voice about how much bloody fun it is to play in a band. Ultra-cool sounding trashy drums, two fantastic guitar lines singing to each other and one of the sexiest damned distorted bass sounds you're ever likely to hear. The loops and Radiohead-Amnesiac-Kid A-ish drum fills of Icon are totally unexpected after spending nearly twelve minutes getting into the groove of the band's loose playing style. If nothing else, it certainly showcases the diverse styles these guys are willing to tackle. The newest band member, Carolyn Gannell, really shines on the cello and violin here. This song takes one of the oddest journeys I've heard for some time. As I mentioned it kicks off like Radiohead, it then veers off into Bjork-ish territory before finishing as a bizarre early Hunters & Collectors / 70's rock-opera hybrid. And if you think that sounds strange, you'd be right on the money. Seven of Eleven and Flown Away follow on, and the pattern kind of repeats a little. Slowly building instrumentals that end up cranking out a bit. I'm kinda starting to doze off a little... ...and then the vocals come from nowhere and I'm bolt upright and listening again. What I can't help wondering is why Oneironaut don't use them more often, because when they do they really are great. Steve Kilbey and Robert Smith and Morrissey... and even Gary Numan on Walk On. Really. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of instrumental bands. I worship The Dirty Three. It's just that the tracks on this cd that feature up-front vocals seem a little out of place surrounded by all the soundscape bonanzas. Both kinds of track are really working, but for me they're just not really sitting seamlessly side by side. This is a very strong release, but I can help thinking that, as these guys continue to refine their sound and map their direction, their cds will stop being just 'very strong' and start being 'truly memorable'. Having said that, I'd still be saying you should grab a copy of this. I have to make special mention of the track Ex-Patriot, which is a wonderful concept. The smooth, moody band track has been placed under an interview with someone's Grandfather (someone in the band I'm betting) talking about his life. I listened to this track over and over again... it really is moving, and very personal. This is yet another release from superb Melbourne label Low Transit Industries. For more info, and to buy a copy, head to their website - www.lowtransitindustries.com, or the band's official site, www.oneironaut.com.au. [back] © Frank Boner www.bonemachine.net melbs.org Where herky-jerky can be all histrionic displays and virtuoso math-rock prowess, “Walk On” culminates nicely in a 'straight' (i.e. 4/4) chorus. For, despite all this focus on rhythm, this is a densely melodic song-where shoegazers draw out these open-tuned chords to ethereal effect, Oneironaut put them to their sharp rhythmic function and they somehow sound more beautiful for it. The understated, telephoned-in Trail of Dead vocals are a nice touch too. The stretched verse-chorus lyric-line is a masterstroke that bridges what could’ve been an unappealing shift between those two distinct sections. © Ben www.melbs.org o domíno dos deuse Pure Through Evolution? thrives on time. Time passes slowly as the songs unfold one after another as consecutive layers. Spacey guitars, horns, theremin, digital loops, and strings are key to the songs structures? - all underpinned by bass and drums. Each song needs time before you can understand it as a whole. Pure Through Evolution? thrives on climax. These peaks feature at the core of all the songs - as an energy-gathering point that brings together each one of the eight songs, giving them a sense and consistency. Pure Through Evolution? thrives on truth. The truth being that Oneironaut have produced a post-rock album that avoids the pitfallls of the genre, being clever enough to avoid cliched reference points in order to find their own direction. [back] © 2004 o domíno dos deuse Rolling Stone Although many pundits would argue that guitar-driven post-rock died somewhere after Slint's /Spiderland / and before Mogwai's /Rock Action/, there are still some believers that don't trust everything they read. Melbourne's Oneironaut are one of the post-rock faithful, stepping up a gear for their second release. They take in the epic guitar atmospherics of /Young Team /and /Cody/-era Mogwai and blending it with more Trans Am-style manipulations of technology. But like 2 Litre Dolby and pre-/Somersault/ Decoder Ring, there's something very indulgent about six-minute dirges of angular guitar-rock that continues along a well-worn and none-too-exciting path. Opener "Alan Smithee" is an ominous, promising epic, before the mood lightens for "Intrepid Flight" and back into that slow-build Mogwai territory for "Icon". And while unavoidably on the subject of Mogwai, "Ex-Patriot" - with its spoken-word sample and wandering guitars - is eerily similar to the Glaswegians' "Punk Rock" or "Katrien". Imitation is never as good as the original. [back] © 2004 Rolling Stone Rockus ‘Pure Through Evolution’ truly feels like a journey, kudos to Oneironaut for their storytelling abilities. It’s an album showcasing improvement with time, which is quite pleasing considering they are veterans of the scene, and it captures a band unafraid to experiment and learn from their own mistakes. In general, the further you engage yourself with this record, the better it becomes. The band start off a bit hesitant, a little bit all over the place, but still with many good ideas circulating – the Pink Floyd-ish introduction, general restraint, haunting vocal lines, guitars weaving in and out of one another, use of string sections here and there to add to the emotion. As their confidence builds (particularly from the drumming side of things, which also becomes much more dynamic as we progress through), they start to really nail the crossovers from gentle to powerful, and condense their ideas whilst still allowing the songs to travel their required distance. Amongst all this, there’s this nagging little voice in the back of your mind that seems to hint that while Oneironaut absolutely love creating spacious soundscapes and rich textures, they could simply let loose at any given moment. It’s this constant feeling of instability (but in a good way) that helps keep the listener intrigued. Next step for Oneironaut is to up the consistency levels, so that they have even more to offer next time around. [back] © Steph Edwardes 2004 Rockus Oz Music Project Normally people who make comparisons to Radiohead refer to voices; the high-pitched tortured male, the desperate but sublime geekiness that Thom Yorke didn’t create but has become synonymous with since his raise to superstardom. Well vocals aren’t why Oneironaut remind me of Radiohead. Instead, it’s the mastery of the instrumental climax, the slow build of acoustic intensity so often achieved only with distant digital loops and micro-timed beats. Even though there’s the obvious difference of being, well, more of Onironaut (at least 8 players on this disk as opposed to the depressed UK foursome), the key is again attitude and the skillful chase of slow burn often instrumental music. “Intrepid Flight” is a perfect example of this, a track that on paper should be piss-boring but somehow maintains interest for 6 minutes with simple subtle mood shifts. Similarly, “Seven of Eleven” also leaves the audience room to draw their own conclusions rather than telling them what to feel, with the middle section, complete with overarching somber strings and a soft female moan the type of thing that would perfectly fit into a Baz Lurhmann soundtrack. Most suited to late nights after a big day (in any capacity) or perhaps as a headphone filler when a little solitude is in order. I’d be very interested to see how this set would translate live, and whether, really, I’d want to be in a room full of pissed strangers while hearing it. Either way perfect for a specific time and place, however that measures up for you. [back] © Liz 2004 Oz Music Project Beat Magazine If post-rock is your thing, then Melbourne four piece Oneironaut’s latest LP, ‘Pure Through Evolution’, ought to be a natural selection. Although only an eight tracker, ‘Pure Through Evolution’ weighs in at a beefy 48 minutes. This means the band can gradually unfurl each track which, as with much post rock, seemed to be more structured more like classical music than rock. The generous running time is just as well, perhaps, because over the course of the CD the band deploys instruments as diverse as glockenspiel, theremin, trombone, piano, cello and violin - in addition to the rock staples of guitars and drums. Nowhere is the payoff for this instrumental diversity more evident than in ‘Icon’, a track that starts off with a catchy guitar, cool beat, chiming glockenspieland the mysterious sound of trickling water - all way cool - then morphs into something surprising and ambitious when operatic vocals followed by drums and guitars about as raw as a cheese grater on granite enter the fray. It’s the kind of thing that’ll make you take your eyes off the traffic lights (driver of the grey Toyota Camry? Sorry about that, man!) just to commune with the tune. No sooner than its over - and your eyes are back on the traffic lights, and the drivers of the grey Toyota Camrys think its safe to venture back on the road - than you’re hit right between the eyes by the CD’s other kickarse track ‘Seven of Eleven’. Think International Karate meets Mogwai meets Mushroom Giant. Theres no trickling water and no operatic vocals, but there are drums and tight, tight guitars counterpointing delicate string action. The other tracks don’t pack the same punch. The moaning vocals on the opener, ‘Alan Smithee’, are an example of vocals-as-instument, the spoken vocals on ‘Ex-Patriot’ are a welcome tempo change, and ‘Simple Physics’ is a ten minute epic. But after ‘Icon’ and ‘Seven of Eleven’, its hard not to be a little disappointed with the rest of the tracks. Highly evolved this CD may be, but it’s some way from the top of the food chain. [back] © Simon Williamson 2004 Beat Magazine Time Out Magazine Awash in sweeping vocals and ragged guitars, Sydney's Oneironaut continue further down the path explored on their debut album. But where the songs ebbed into view the first time, they now grunt with more focussed drive; volume still the magic ingredient coursing through the music. With titles like ‘Intrepid Flight’ and ‘Flown Away’, the aeronautical aspects to the songs structure are more prominent than before, soaring crescendos emerging at regular intervals (‘Icon’, ‘Seven Of Eleven’ and ‘Walk On’). Their instrumental palette has also widened with a greater use of strings, synthesisers, brass, glockenspiel, theremin and more, melding with intermittent vocals of a mixed and, at times, distinctly angelic nature. An element of grandeur stands in opposition with a more guttural drive that goes so far as to create as much indecision as creative tension within the songs, leaving them sounding stuck in an unfulfilled state of limbo. [back] © Richard Alverez 2004 Time Out Magazine Rave Magazine While there are a lot of bands around at the moment doing the mostly-instrumental guitar based-mood-music thing, Oneironaut at least seem interested in doing things a little differently to the sub-Mogwais of the world. On this album, they often spice their densely textured guitarscapes with horns and strings; opener Alan Smithee, for instance, combines distorted bass, chattering drums and plaintive horn lines in a murky soup where blurred vocals occasionally rise to the surface. Icon, meanwhile, builds slowly from machine beats to include cello, glockenspiel and operatic female vocals, before spoiling things with an ill-fitting conclusion of by-numbers distorto-math-rock. But tracks like the lurching, whammy-bar heavy Flown Away show off an agreeable diversity that ultimately makes Pure Through Evolution worth returning to. [back] © Brett Collingwood 2004 Rave Magazine REVIEWS : 2003 The City Sun : Low Transit Industries Antipodean Dream slides into the consciousness like a sullen mist, it’s dark tentacles slinking there way around the synapses and neuro-electronics of the brain. You gradually become aware of its presence like a ghost standing in the corner of the room. This is Oneironaut and this is their sound. The Blair Witch Project should have used this EP for a sound track. Many times its mysterious, mournful soundscape conjures images of dark, backwater forests and of being hunted by a hidden, benevolent terror. At other stages it rises to majestic heights of guitar driven scrawl only to plunge back into the darkest hours of the deepest depression. Track 2, ‘177k Whales’ begins with the eerie squeals of humpback whales, sending chills up my spine, then cracks into an echoing drum groove and the song takes off. With its somewhat frantic pace and arching chords it reminded me of Radiohead’s ‘I Might Be Wrong’. Like a desperate drive along a mountain road it careers head-long into the night. Every song musters up clear images of ghostly figures, dark imaginings, fading reality and emerging madness. In the tradition of Scandinavian prog-rock sound scapes and like Gersey before them, Oneironaut deliver a graceful take on the lonely life. Vocals are not the driving force as in the vast majority of modern rock acts, when needed though they do the job well, rising out from within the song rather than sitting on top of it. In this way vocals become one more melodic flavour in the mix and keep Oneironaut’s secret safe, never revealing anything. There are also horns droning away in some songs like an old man crying into his hands. The classiness never ends. Through bass bombing rock-outs, guitar driven frenzies and displays of helpless paranoia we arrive at song five, ‘Travelling Into Focus’. It’s a song from the end of the Earth, Music like this commands respect. The apparent thought and talent put into this recording almost makes me look upon anything less with contempt. One could say that this is just the product of a couple of guys with instruments and effects pedals, a lot of dope and a lot of time on their hands. And one could be right. Either way the end product is the same, but I refuse to believe that this is just stoner rock. This is something important, innovative, experimental and emotive that should be experienced and respected. [back] Sounds Like: Sadness in the face of adversity. © Daniel Griffith 2003 The City Sun : Low Transit Industries REVIEWS : 2002 The Electric Newspaper When I first saw Melbourne four-piece Oneironaut, it wasn’t in the best of circumstances. Sandwiched between the gentle melodics of Sydney indie popsters ESN and the twisted experimentalism of Adelaide’s best act, Bergerac, they seemed merely loud and abrasive by comparison. Antipodean Dream goes to show that there’s a lot more beneath the surface veneer of noise than meets the eye. It’s a bit rough around the edges, but any good stone, a bit of polish reveals all the beauty underneath the sediment. The way to really appreciate Antipodean Dream is to open up your ears to all the right noises going through it – dissonant guitars, shuffling drums, smooth, fluid basslines and even, on occasion, some differential instrumentation, as on opening track ‘Prelude to a New Day’, where the sound of a trumpet being played in very much a jazz style adds to the tune. The fact that the band used to be called My Sci-Flyer should give some indication of what sort of sound Oneironaut possess. Yes, My Bloody Valentine must have been an influence. But it’s just as easy to see Mogwai, Polvo, perhaps even June of 44 influencing these guys – and when you merge all these different sounds together, it’s quite a compelling effect. It’s a sound that’s emerging in Australia, where influences are drawn from all across the world, and not just in our own backyard, with acts like Adam said Galore, ESN, Bergerac, Oneironaut and others are drawing together a wealth of different tastes to deliver something totally different. With a mere seven tracks, Antipodean Dream is relatively short at only forty minutes. But it’s fairly intense – the rhythmic propulsions of ‘177k Whales’, the horn-laden and ethereal vocals of ‘Secret Sounds’, the repetitious momentum of ‘Pontiac’, the meandering nature of ‘Travelling into Focus’, the more song-focussed ‘Unknown’ and the closing anger of ‘Phonetics in Construction’ are all tracks that need to be paid attention to rather than merely listened to. It’s all very serious, but it’s delivered with a subtleness that was missing from their live show. If they can learn to pull back their live shows whilst still keeping the intensity of their recorded output, they really could be onto something. [back] © 2002 The Electric Newspaper Juice Magazine Here wandering atmospheres of post rock sit within a indie rock frame for an assured set. While sparse vocals feel lost, it works; the focus on their sound. While hypnotic rhythms and textures drive this, so does sublime guitar noise ‘Prelude to a New Day’ and ‘Phonetics in Construction’. Soma-like ambience ‘Travelling into Focus’ shows Oneironaut have range. [back] © 2002 Juice Magazine Sadness is in the Sky The debut album from Melbourne’s Oneironaut Antipodean Dream is seven mostly epic tracks which revisit the classic Swervedriver sound circa ‘Ejector Seat Reservation’. It's expansive rock; lumbering bass and buzzsaw guitar that takes me back a way! Although I'm not partial to the nasally vocals, musically the tracks exude a confidence and clarity that belies Oneironaut's low-key profile, and sets them up as sounding like a fantastic band live. Combining their own values with the addition of horns (or at least trombone from Andrew Day AKA Nightswimmer) and strings, and some fine song structures and dynamics with nuance and attention to detail, Oneironaut take out their 1994 fixations and embellish them, with hearty results. [back] © 2002 Steve Philips : Sadness is in the Sky Time Off One that almost slipped through the pre-Christmas release crush, Antipodean Dream should have been on Santa’s list. Hailing from Melbourne, Oneironaut formerly went by the moniker My Sci-Flyer under which they released two EPs. A line-up shuffle necessitated a name change; Antipodean Dream is the four-piece’s debut longplayer. A moody album replete with multifarious textures, this may appeal to lovers of post-rock experimentalism ? think Mogwai, Godspeed or even our own Rival Flight. There’s a bit more angst gurgling below the surface, often jagged into action by sparse rise and fall of the vocals. The brass intro on ‘Secret Sounds’ might scream Tortoise, but the twisted guitar sounds and syncopated beats sound make the song entirely Oneironaut. Equal to the occasion are ‘Pontiac’ and ‘177k Whales’ although the repetitive ‘Travelling into Focus’ and the dreary ‘Unknown’ fall short of the mark. Lullabies for hot summer nights when you just can't get to sleep. [back] © 2002 Matt Connors : Time Off REVIEWS : 2001 Drum Media In case you are wondering ‘Oneiro’ means dream and ‘Naut’ means Explorer and it seems a pretty apt description for the kind of music the group produces: very dreamy, very exploratory. The band themselves namecheck the likes of Mogwai and Swervedriver in what they do, but you could probably go further back as Pink Floyd spring to mind. It’s rock Jim but not as we know it. There’s a feel of prog rock and psychedelia presiding over some of the tunes, but its all very dynamic with the songs going through many twists and turns. The vocals don’t seem to be vocals as such, more like another instrument extrapolating a melody line. On ‘Secret Sounds’ for example, the vocals consist of just ethereal harmonies. On ‘Unknown’ I’m sure there’s proper lyrics to it but what comes across is incomprehensible mumbling (not that I mean that in a bad way). Maybe if I whacked the boof-head earmuffs on I could have picked up more subtleties. A trumpet makes an appearence a few times, like on ‘Prelude to a New Day’ and ‘Secret Sounds’, which gives the tunes another layer and further adds to the dreamy feel. ‘Travelling into Focus’ has a bit of the aforementioned Pink Floyd feel about it. Gentle guitars wistfully pick out the notes on what is an absolutely beautiful track. ‘Phonetics in Construction’ picks up the pace a bit with a driving rhythm section allowing the guitars to do some trippy psychedelic stuff which builds and builds. Probably a great album to chill out to, although live they might take it to another level. [back] © 2001 Mark Neilsen : The Drum Media REVIEWS : 2000 At the Crossroads of Collingwood and Fitzroy The very title of this compilation should excite the imaginations of all Melbourne music lovers; the area has long been one of the city's original music hotspots. This compilation, whickh emerged from the Official Winter 2C Festival CD, presents a great sample of that music. 78 Saab's shimmering single ‘Sunshine’ features prominently as does Rectifiers’ sweet slice of melancholy Hitch the Undowner. But the compilation also offers space to local live heroes who don't get enough radio support. Folks like Dan and Al, Dallas Crane, Dianna Kiss and Paul Williamson's Hammond Combo. Another standout track is a piece of dark, slinky rock called ‘Karma of the Queen Bee’ by Oneironaut, a group I know nothing about but who I will keep an eye out for in the future; a perfect example of the effectiveness of a good compilation. © 2000 Martin Jones REVIEWS : 1999 Sadness is in the Sky The 2nd release from this Melbourne band. Parallel Ends marks the name change for the fellas and also a move into some very intriguing realms of sound. Opener ‘Karma of the Queen Bee’ combines the trademark sounds of a couple of the early '90’s masters of y'all universe. Swervedriver and ‘Dirty’ era Sonic Youth. The band explore soaring Swervedriver of old, whilst moving through guitar washes of the silent and rumbling kinds. ‘Urim and Thummim’ goes further to indicate that these ponderous lads are prepared to venture into some vastly interesting scapes and valleys as the track gets all spacial and sparse, something akin to the fab High Dependency Unit. From overwrought to dub, pale and back to stem-rock ‘Urim and Thummim’ is quite fine indeed. A shorter piece, ‘Queequeg’, involves distortion as a musical backdrop to dialogue from well… somewhere, a combination which is quickly losing its appeal as it becomes a cliche of modern day rock. ditto to ‘Damage Girl’ which treads much the same path except with the addition of lyrics. (See ‘Helps Both Ways’ by Mogwai, now THAT works!) Still, Oneironaut leave the best till last with ‘Falling Shadows’ a spiralling trip complete with Heazlewood style pedal play. A really great piece which could well go on for a good half hour with its repititious loop. Oneironaut are in a good position. It's mid 1999 and they're exploring the HDU ballpark with a keen ear for interesting ties. If they can hone their sound into something a little more intriguing we may just have a very interesting band in our mitts! [back] © 1999 Steve Philips : Sadness is in the Sky |