Brisbane musician Andrew James White released his debut album as Restream early in 2006. Its processed shoegazer sound got some play on community radio, but without the benefits of a larger label’s distribution and marketing budget (it was released through his own Lofly imprint) the melancholy record gradually retreated from view.
At the time, most people called it post-rock. There are few less meaningful genre signifiers out there, and in this case the badge’s use was entirely misguided. Although “Loopsforstereogram’ does take its pointers from a range of influences, the record is most indebted to the hazy pop of early 1990s groups such as Slowdive and Seefeel.
First track Chapter gives a sense for White’ production aesthetic – he describes himself as a producer rather than musician, and generally makes music by jamming sounds (mostly guitar and synths) into a recording device and then composing in the edit. Loping, rather awkward beats lead into the piece. Sharp stop/start dynamics are the rule, but instead of using stop-on-a-five-cent-piece musicianship to get the effect, White cuts his recordings into the shapes he wants. He sings, but the vocals are way down in the mix and muddy, and these provide just another element for editing.
White’ naming convention – for songs like Nurockiskaraoke or Unclesamrnbapocalypse – hints at the amount of space left in the mix. The processing and tight editing produce a dense busy atmosphere, which is only amplified by sudden bursts of guitar, or conversely of near ambience. Loopsforstereogram may sound ungainly to begin with, but repeat listens showcase a young Queenslander finding his place.
