Layers for the Winter
The city of Glasgow is something like a quiet little brother to the European music scene, but nonetheless, a town that consistently sends shiny gems across the pond like some rich uncle. Errors, a relatively young electro group from the land of Scots, is one of our latest imports – and a band to watch. Their latest album is New Relics, and it glows.
Lots of folks are throwing around labels such as post-rock, post-electro, and post-whatever when they talk about Errors and groups like them, which is a kind of roundabout way of giving up on classification. It’s just as well, because New Relics blends so many influences into one cocktail that it’s almost impossible to pin down. The opening track, “Engine Homes” is a baroque avant-garde mesh of vintage keyboards layered over nostalgic sound effects and rolling drums that sound like a rainy day in Brian Eno’s bathroom. The music that follows draws on everything from world music rhythms to shoegaze explorations and insomniac melodies.
Errors could be placed in the same camp as some of the newer artsy-electronic musicians that have been popping up over the past couple of years. Heavily distorted guitars and synthesized arpeggios flow through the album as smoothly as the howling chorus of vocals that drifts in and out of the songs like a breeze. You can find this sound emanating from indie back yard shows all over the States if you know where to look. It’s catching on, and the musicians of Errors are playing a big part in the infection.
Tracks like “Grangehaven” and “White Infinity” display Errors at their best. Take your favorite pop song, turn the tempo down, blur the instruments together, and put the stereo underwater to get a feel for what you can expect from New Relics. What you have is a sound so rich and layered that you could wrap it around your neck for warmth and fall asleep with it in the middle of a blizzard.
New Relics should be heard without the fetters of misconception. Don’t put your faith in labels and classifications, they won’t tell you anything about a band like Errors. Get a cup of tea, turn out the lights, and prepare to enjoy something strange from our rich uncle Scotland.
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