Melbourne-based four-piece Bury The Sound first formed back in 2004 when classical pianist Halina Porecki placed an ad in the local street press, seeking additional collaborators to form an instrumental band. Before long, Porecki’s initial call-out was answered by what soon became the rest of Bury The Sound’s lineup; drummer Shannon Hayes, who’d previously been playing with local group The Fates, bassist Simon Jaunay, fresh from playing in the UK as part of indie rockers Birdman Rally, and English guitarist Tim Clarke, who’d only just recently emigrated to Australia at the time. After initially recording a four track demo EP in 2005 that received the support of local independent radio and saw the group playing shows around Melbourne, this download-only three track EP Autumn Magnets through Western Australian digital label Hidden Shoal represents in many senses Bury The Sound’ debut release proper.
Opening track “What Would One Become’ vividly introduces the band’s widescreen sweep over a broad canvas that comes in at just a shade under nine minutes, with slowly eddying harmonics providing a lush backdrop for delicately stroked guitar chords that carry just a stray hint of Kranky Records-esque post-rock / blues. From there, Hayes’ brush-stroked cymbals inexorably build up the momentum, allowing Clarke’ shimmering, 4AD / shoegazer-tinged delayed-out ripples of guitar to ascend around skittering, jazzy half-beats, before things descend into overdriven rock-out in a manner that’s sure to please fans of the likes of Do Make Say Think and Sydney post-rock-tinged explorers Underlapper. By contrast, “Saratoga’ comes across as more concisely focused over its comparatively short six minute running lengths, introducing unmistakable hints of Pink Floyd-esque prog into the equation as cosmic-sounding drones build beneath contemplative bass figures and feathery dub-treated cymbals – just as you begin to think it might disappear altogether into a dreamlike fugue, the mathematically precise drums rise back into focus to drag things to a purposeful conclusion.
Finally, “Gemini Unbound’ brings this EP to a close on perhaps its most cinematic-sounding note, with Porecki’ graceful piano keys slowly emerging into focus before the rest of the band suddenly kicks rapidly into life around her trailing melodics, the entire rhythmic mass building towards a suitably epic guitar-feedback laden conclusion as the keyboard motifs simultaneously betray hints of seventies rockers Fleetwood Mac (who Porecki curiously enough, lists as an influence in the accompanying bio, so perhaps I’m not strangely fixated after all). Autumn Magnets is an extremely impressive EP from Bury The Sound that hints towards very good things ahead – at just three tracks, it’s also somewhat frustratingly short, and hopefully we’ll soon get to hear just what this intriguing Melbourne-based band are capable of over a longer release.
Chris Downton
