Showing posts with label Quiet Steps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quiet Steps. Show all posts

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Quiet Steps - Think Aloud











Quiet Steps myspace
Quiet Steps facebook

During my 3 years and a half stay in Brisbane, I have managed to witness Quiet Steps live performances at least 15-20 times. I’ve seen them played a house show, a warehouse, a “proper” music venue, you name it. I’ve seen them at their good and bad days. I guess I would like to say that I have gotten quite attached to their music and their live shows, but I’ll try not to be too biased here.

Quiet Steps released their first ep in 2007. It was fairly well-received, I think. I do not know how many copies they sold, but their shows around 2007-2008 always had at least quite a few people showing interest towards the band. I recall their set at No Culture Festival II and La Quiete show as being quite memorable. The way things were might have had something to do with similar style bands like James Dean and Drowned Out being around at the time.

Fast forward a few years, Quiet Steps finally released their first ever full length, entitled Think Aloud. Some of the songs on this album have been in their setlist for quite sometime now. Songs like “Assimilate” and “One Breath” were introduced as early as 2007/2008. They had a handful of songs ready by early 2009. I even remember paying a visit on one of their mixing sessions.

You’re probably wondering what took them so long to release the album. Well, I don’t know all the details behind the delay. I do know that they were trying to figure out how to release the album, if any label who would be interested to put it out, looking at their options, etc etc, that sort of thing. Maybe it had taken them longer that it should, then again maybe not. It’s their decision after all.

On to the good stuff now, Quiet Steps decided to go the DIY route and self-released their new full-length. They also urge people to download the album on the internet for free, which have been put up by the band. I believe the band is running a limited batch of hand-made packaged CD-R of Think Aloud, so get in touch with the band quickly if you’re keen for a copy!

How is Think Aloud compared to their debut EP? You can tell it’s still the same band. However, it’s easy to tell that the band has progressed a lot from their debut. The songwriting is still as good as ever while new ideas are being introduced. Clean vocals are present in the middle part of “Measure Reaction” (one of the very highlights of the album for me); “Exclusion” has an amazing danceable instrumental bit at the end, and “Surrounded” is a fast punk number running at 24 seconds. I also feel obliged to tell you that there is a lot of killer riffs on this album. The bass in particular stands out with its jazzy and yet aggressive style of playing.

I don’t know much about production, but it’s noticeably better than their ep. It’s not as clean and produced. It sounds fuller and denser. The vocals sounded as if the mic was put on one side of the room and the band at the other.

Think Aloud is an excellent first full-length by Quiet Steps. I like the direction they took with the album and the amount of creativity they put into it. At this point, they don’t really sound like anyone. I feel like comparison to Sinaloa isn’t doing them justice anymore. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait another three years for another album.

















Quiet Steps - Think Aloud

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Why Brisbane Rules : To The North & Quiet Steps














To The North myspace















Quiet Steps myspace


To The North and Quiet Steps are independent bands from Brisbane, Australia. Why 2 bands on one post? Well, they share a lot in common, hell they even share a bassist. They've been around since 2006(?) or maybe even earlier, don't quote me on this. During my stay in Brisbane for roughly about 3.5 years, To The North and Quiet Steps were the bands i get to see the most. They played shows pretty frequently and have played with probably almost every single other Brisbane bands as well as other national and international acts. I've seen them play with punk bands, hardcore bands, metal bands, indie bands, singer-songwriter, solo artists and anything in between as well as playing at different venues, clubs, houses and studios.

To The North plays jazzy-indie music (terrible description, but i've got nothing better) with a lot of tempo changes, clean and yet complicated guitar lines and semi-shouted vocals. If you're a fan of any Kinsella's bands, Hot Cross, Minus The Bear, This Town Need Guns or anything along those lines then you will probably enjoy them.

Quiet Steps plays a dynamic, at times sparse mid-tempo indie-punk (i know, i know) with screamed vocals. Their early stuff is more stripped down and focused while the newer songs that they've been playing seem to show more "progressive" ideas and directions. If you like Sinaloa, Suis La Lune, Tiny Hawks then this band is for you.

I won't say much more about their music because it won't do them any justice. One thing that equally as important as their music, in my opinion is their attitudes towards their music, arts, listeners, venues and the community. These things matter. These are the reasons why independent music is wonderful and for some people, more than just music. I learned about these things from Brisbane music scene, and mostly these two bands. To me they are not just friends, but also a source of inspirations.

Quiet Steps ep are still in print, so i won't post them. If you would like a copy, go contact the band on myspace since the Yellow Ghost online store page is all fucked up. Their new LP should be out really soon.

Here are some To The North goodies :

Landscapes EP
"Harms Way" (their side of split with Ohana)
Live Audio Set @ DIY Fest Ahimsa Hall (1-2-2008)
House Show video

Their new LP ...to Work and Not Feed is already out, fresh from the oven. If you like what you hear, please buy it.