If you want to discover exciting and fresh, new insights on indie rock history of the past 20 years, you should play the new CD “Everything Is Up” (Siluh Records) by the band M185 and listen closely. With energetic guitar music that steers clear of any commercial approach, the new album is an innovative and powerful collection of songs that will stand the test of time from a band at the top of its game. “Everything Is Up” is to be released on May 23, 2014.
M185 are Heinz Wolf, Wolfram Leitner, Joerg Skischally, Roland Reiter and Alexander Diesenreiter. Inaugurating a new chapter with their new album in an already remarkable career, the five Viennese musicians have come full circle and never leave you in doubt about where their musical roots lie. It is the indie rock of the ’90s and the early ’00s in the tradition of icons such as Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., and even occasionally Beck, that M185 have chosen as their preferred field of sonic exploration and lyrical ambition. Among other things, this means hooking up the guitar and the bass to the speakers, turning the volume knob all the way up and rocking out to the max. Now some might interject that this is nothing really new, but there is so much more to this band than meets the ear.
For one thing, the quintet continues to refuse to pander to a currently hip and polished, uniformed sound. With the knowledge of their own strengths in songwriting, which they already impressively proved on their last album, the Viennese musicians put a fresh spin on old themes and at the same time realize a style of their own, which is a modern and propulsive conglomeration of indie rock, post-punk and pop with a hint of noise. Skillfully framed in varied arrangements, the dynamic tracks have an effortless drive, but are also very complex and playful. Sometimes the music even seems to uncover a hidden disco ball, and then again is completely immersed in thick psychedelic smoke.
The particular beauty of “Everything Is Up” is its diversity and its attention to detail. M185 always understand how to emphasize different features in their songs, which avoids uninspired repetition and allows the music to shapeshift without losing any of the tension that runs throughout the record. The proof is in the tracks of “Everything Is Up” and M185 are a welcome force in this newest decade of indie rock.
Upcoming Shows
Check artist website for international concerts.
Links:
m185.org
www.siluh.com
Text: Michael Ternai (translated from German)
CD Artwork: LWZ
Photo: Martin Stöbich