Channel One – Permissions EP
You might want to check out industrious young Dublin hopefuls Channel One’s new EP, Permissions. The band seem to have been keeping a fairly low profile since a few festival appearances last summer, and a support slot with Humanzi in December. This has afforded them the necessary time to get together a 4-track EP (with a hidden bonus track – yipee!) in the tranquil and rustic environment of Westmeath, Ireland. It certainly seems to have been the right move as the result is a cracking collection of overwhelming melodies layered tastefully over pounding beats.
It opens with the gritty, electro darkness of “Rhythm and Purpose”, a seemingly effortless four and a half minute accretion of dirty synths, wailing guitars, hushed vocals and driving beats. “Beneath a Field of Steel” smashes through second, a beautiful tune rich in screaming M83-esque contrasts and melodies. “These Roads” is an older number some of you may already be familiar with, a frenetic offering of pounding beats & bass, frantic sampled vocals & guitars and airy synth lines. The band usually close with this one live – check out this live performance videoed by Nialler at Hard Working Class Heroes. The EP is nicely rounded off with “Pushing”, a similarly spiraling song heavily laden with melodious atmospherics, and the rockier, more retro hidden track “Varying degrees of Excess.”
Copies can be bought on their main site. Channel One also have a bit of a tour lined up for the EP, which is available on myspace. As are two tracks off the EP – nice. The music centre gig one on Friday looks to be a good night (late show I’ve been told) and you can get tickets here. Below you’ll find “Beneath a Field of Steel”, and a swanky video for “Rhythm and Purpose”, recorded at the aforementioned Humanzi gig. Enjoy.
Channel One – Beneath a Field of Steel
[audio:https://nialler9.com/mp3/Channel_one_beneath_the_fields_of_steel.mp3]
Channel One – Rhythm and Purpose (live at The Village, Dublin 13/12/06)
