NAME: North Atlantic Oscillation
ALBUM: Grappling Hooks
YEAR: 2010 (March 22nd)
LABEL: Kscope
RATING: 4/5
FIVE WORD REVIEW: Experimental post rock head fucking.
LOCATION: Edinburgh
LINE UP: Sam Healy (vocals/guitar/bass/keyboards/programming) / Ben Martin (drums/synths/programming) / Bill Walsh (live bass/vocals)
WHAT’S THE STORY?: Named after a climatic phenomenon, North Atlantic Oscillation are a couple of mates with loads of ambitious ideas who were lucky enough to get signed after cold calling a label. After wowing with the ‘Callsigns’ EP, it’s time for the real deal with their debut full length ‘Grappling Hooks’.
SOUNDS LIKE: One of the most ambitious records you’re likely to hear this year. Dizzying and eccentric (‘Hollywood Has Ended’), ambitious (‘Alexanderplatz’) and even a little sinister sounding (‘Audioplastic’) in places. The closest NAO come to “conventional” song writing is with ‘Cell Count’, but for the most part they’re about as conventional as a talking starfish. ‘Grappling Hooks’ is littered with searing and dreamy synths, intelligent vocals and big helpings of experimental, post rock riffage.
YOU’LL LIKE THIS IF YOU LIKE: Sigor Ros, Flaming Lips and Mogwai.
