The Postbox Theory are a band that have impressed me from the outset: their song “Recommence The Tea Party” has been a particular favourite of mine over the past a few months, while they are set to play with A Plastic Rose and LaFaro in July. The Lisburn four-piece recently released their debut EP “Experiment #1″ and have been garnering praise and acclaim from both bands and the blogosphere: not bad for a band that are still in secondary education! I caught up with Claudio Manso to discuss the EP, the band and the future.

“Zach and I were sitting in a changing room about a year ago, and we just decided there and then to have another crack at getting a band together,” explained Claudio. “After that, it all fell into place: we recruited our friend Dean to play drums and after a while Dane became our bass player.” The Postbox Theory have encountered a few difficulties due to their age: “We sometimes get asked for IDs [when we're playing a gig] and we’ve been asked to leave. However, I think once people look behind the name and listen to us play, they ignore the age thing and they take us seriously.”

It’s quite rare for a band that has been together for such a short time to put out an EP, but according to the band, the timing was perfect. “We had written a couple of songs and we spent a few months trying to perfect them: at the same time, we had a number of new ideas that sounded really good. Michael Mormecha (mojoFURY and Clown Parlour) really wanted to record with us so we went for it.” For Claudio, the recording experience was fantastic: “It was weird at the start, adjusting to a studio, because we had never been in one before. After a couple of hours recording drum tracks and demoing, however, it just clicked.”

The first track on the EP, “Mirrors”, is an instrumental that evokes memories of Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky: however, unlike most post rock it has a purpose instead of just dandering from note to note. It’s ominous, dark and brooding from the outset. A distorted noise gently opens the track with a clean guitar riff, then instruments join in one by one. “Mirrors” is carefully measured, restrained and a memorable way to start the EP. The track slowly builds up, reaches a peak and then dies away with grace. It’s a bit creepy but it’s gorgeous nonetheless. Claudio explains: “Zach and I were jamming, and Mirrors just came together. I asked the band whether they thought the song needed vocals, but it was clear that it was better to be left alone!”

“Mirrors” may have been a little too restrained for my liking, but “Ease Of Use” certainly doesn’t suffer from this problem. Driving guitars and thundering drums open the track, then a glorious bassline kicks in. Indeed, the bassline is consistently impressive throughout “Experiment #1″- it is constantly at the forefront and always inventive. “We want everyone to have a major part in every song- instead of forgetting about bass guitar like some bands, in tracks like Ease Of Use it drives the song along.” The sole disappointment with the track is the vocals, sadly: Claudio’s performance is good, but you can barely make it out, as the instruments drown him out. It’s quite clear he’s going for gravitas instead of dramatics: he pulls it off, but for maximum effect he really needs to be a little bit braver, and a hell of a lot louder.

“Look Left To See If You’re Right” is a wonderfully layered track that features a lovely little acoustic guitar part. Zach takes over on vocals for this track, creating a dark atmosphere with quiet yet powerful vocals. Dean’s drumming is tight and appropriate: never distracting, never overbearing, just perfect. The track is angst ridden, mournful, and very promising.

“Recommence The Tea Party” is probably my favourite track on the EP. The harmonies are gorgeous and the song just keeps taking me by surprise: the introduction sounds a little like “Ease Of Use” and wouldn’t be out of place on a We Are Scientists album. Then, the rhythm guitar part kicks in, and it’s a cracking upbeat number. The middle eight part is a little dodgy: it feels to me like the song loses its structure. The outro, however, is magnificent: Manso sings “the only way is up for me”, and it’s balls to the wall from there. The driving guitars return and the drummer becomes temporarily possessed by the spirit of Animal. According to the band, it’s a live favourite, but they’re not quite sure why. “For Recommence The Tea Party, we wrote the music long before we had even thought of lyrics. The title doesn’t even have anything to do with the lyrics!”

“The Argument” is easily the most radio friendly track on “Experiment #1″- those ominous, punktastic guitars return, battling against one another in a fight to the death with no clear winner. Lyrically it’s probably the best track, and the chorus is catchy as hell. I can imagine a few hundred people screaming out “I think all you’s want me dead”, though the grammar police might not be happy. There’s a cowbell in the background too- an instrument sadly missing from local music all too often.

Overall, it’s a great EP. Four talented musicians have created five tracks that many bands would be envious of: it’s an angst filled and genuinely disaffected record. It’s still raw but it’s a professional debut: measured to perfection, inventive and promising great things. I’d be interested in seeing the band live: I’m not 100% sure if Claudio’s vocals would be able to stand out amidst the inevitable ocean of noise that The Postbox Theory will create on stage, but even if that’s the case they’re one to watch on the live music scene. It’s a scary thought how young these guys are and how darn good they are at the moment. If they catch a break and they continue to progress musically at their current rate, this EP could be the start of something very beautiful indeed. The band believe their next release might have a slightly different sound: we’ll be waiting with baited breath.

The Postbox Theory MySpace

Honestly, I had never heard of the Canadian band Wintersleep until they recently played in Auntie Annies (to rave reviews): I’ve been making up for lost time, however. Their 2007 release “Welcome To The Night Sky” is a wonderful album from the very start to the last drum beat. Their third album is anthemic rock at its finest, veering between up tempo pedal to the metal pieces, simple catchy folksy songs and complex post rock symphonies.

Lyrically, it can be disappointing at times: “Weighty Ghost” and “Search Party” are filled with sweeping questions and statements that take the sheen off some excellent tracks. However, it’s instrumentally flawless: the drumming is superb, with complex rhythms driving forth tracks such as “Drunk On Alumininum”. Despite the lyrical limitations there’s a great attention to detail: there aren’t any passengers in Wintersleep. Paul Murphy’s vocals can be tender and vulnerable when needed, or raw and loud, such as in “Archaeologists”. I’ve read that he’s a bit of an intellectual and refers to Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes as influences- it can be a little aloof at time, a little surreal, but it’s a good thing.

The guitar riffs and parts are tight: the melodies are dreamy, soaring and a little eerie at times. It’s pretty unsurprising to discover Tony Doogan produced this album: he’s an absolute master at harnessing this sort of sound (he produced Mogwai’s “Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait” and Snow Patrol’s “When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up”, two of my favourite albums of all time). The crowning glory of the album is “Miasmal Smoke & the Yellow Bellied Freaks” (a hell of a title): an eight minute post rock extravaganza featuring organs, insane drumming and lyrics I simply don’t understand. Welcome To The Night Sky is an musical rollercoaster that doesn’t know exactly where it’s going- all it knows is that the journey is going to be incredible.

Check out “Drunk On Aluminum” at the bottom of the post.

The word pop is seen as a pejorative term these days- an insult labelled by music not belonging to or affiliated with a major record company kids towards music that’s a tad catchy and full of hooks. I, however, am a big fan of pop, and an equally big fan of Will McConnell at Bandwidth Films. There’s a unique simplicity with his music videos that makes them instantly memorable, always handy for local bands.

Pocket Promise have been one of the more recent bands to undergo the Bandwidth treatment. A band that drop all pretension and welcome catchy hooks with open arms, their Waving At Strangers EP was warmly welcomed by the local media. The single I Burnt The Roller Disco has quickly become a firm favourite of mine- it sounds a little sinister with discontent bubbling underneath, dragging you in almost instantly. This song is a little like the balloons in the video. Pocket Promise are doing their thing in the corner, and they’re not really catching your attention. Soon, however, you’re surrounded by hooks that you can’t remove from your head, the chorus is on a constant repeat, and within a fortnight you’re rocking backwards and forth huddled on the ground in a cold sweat laughing manically as you sing “I burnt the roller disco dowwwwwnnnnn”.

….or is that just me?

Well, it’s an awesome tune, nonetheless. It does deserve a warning sticker on the cover stating “may cause insanity” though. I Burnt The Roller Disco is a song honed to perfection and delivered with precision that promises great things from, well, Pocket Promise. Enjoy it while you can, before Pete Snoddon ruins it for all.

Pocket Promise – I Burnt The Roller Disco from bandwidth films on Vimeo.