I've always had a soft-spot for Sheffield, England's 65daysofstatic -- they made a relative buzz with their arguably best album, or debut, 'The Fall of Math'. Their sound was formerly more aggressive, accenting guitar, with frenzied, sampled drums interspersed throughout. On their following album 'One Time For All Time', the band began implementing piano/keys as an important dynamic to their sound, yet still maintained the often-sampled/distorted drums.
'The Destruction of Small Ideas', their most recent, made a dividing line in much of 65dos' fanbase, in many ways due to the album's production (which the band stated was their intention, to not "overly compress" everything, and thus, asked the album to be played LOUD), but also in that the majority of the songwriting had taken a lighter tone -- even with the addition of metal/screamo guest appearances from acts like The Mirimar Disaster and Circle Takes The Square.
Personally, I thought 'TDoSI' was a good album, if not sometimes dry, or the fact it's given rise to their more electronic -- dare I say, often techno vibes. If anything, it's nice to see bands constantly changing their formulas and not adhering to any one sound.
Which brings me to their newest release, a live CD/DVD entitled 'Escape From New York', a compilation of sorts throughout their entire catalog. Now, despite being a fan of their studio work, I'd always heard (even from the band themselves during interviews, what with technical problems) their live-show doesn't really live up to par -- but this live album, recorded during 2 shows in New York -- really sounds tight and balanced.
Their drummer is probably the standout player for me, but this band has always struck me as a band greater than their individual parts -- collectively they just make great music. If you missed all the buzz, this recording is a great place to start (but I'd really suggest hearing-out their studio releases) -- and if you've since moved on from 65dos, this should be a convincing display of their craftsmanship and ability to keep your attention.
This is only the music-side of the release, but for a sample of the DVD, check out their performance of "Radio Protector":
65daysofstatic - Radio Protector (Promo Cut) from 65dayosfstatic on Vimeo.
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