Band: ELLE
Genres: Punk / Post-Rock / Post-Hardcore / Emo / Emotive Hardcore / Screamo / Skramz / Shoegaze / ProgRelated artists: Loma Prieta, Beau Navire, Sailboats and Yearbooks.
Country: Oakland, California USA
Years Active: 2015-present
Song: "Cold Hands"
Album: "Elle"
Year: 2016
For fans of: Loma Prieta, Beau Navire, Raein, Trachimbrod, Suis La Lune, Subjects/Rulers, Altar Of Complaints, Cease Upon The Capitol, Funeral Diner, Via Fondo and Animal Faces aka PROPER SCREAMO.
Label(s): Conditions Records
This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #9.
This post's artist is from the April 2017 Mix. This is track #9.
It certainly seems fitting (or perhaps even planned...) that the late-era Loma Prieta side project ELLE is being posted directly after my pre-Loma Prieta band post for Sailboats. Although both bands capture the sound of Loma Prieta, it's pretty damn obvious that those good folks have been jamming a lot more shoegaze and noise rock (I'm guessing stuff like Whirr, Solids and later Animal Faces) and a lot less screamy hardcore. ELLE falls more in between the extremes than Sailboats, as their 2016 debut EP 'Elle' captures the raw and passionate feel of screamo (generally through the screaming, but the instrumentals could also be likened to Raein, Loma Prieta and Cease Upon The Capitol) as well as the dreamy soundscapes of shoegaze rock. The leaning toward shoegaze is most evident on tracks like "The Clearing", "Mockingbirds" and "Parts & Parcels" while the screamier, more Dave-stuff is saved for "Pulse" and "Cold Hands".
I was sent the ELLE EP to review by Kris at Conditions Records but was already aware of the band and was planning on doing a post anyhoos. I find that "The Clearing" has a catchy as fuck intro that isn't maintained and therefore seems to sag in the middle. "Mockingbirds" is so late-era Animal Faces I truly wonder if they were influenced by the Toronto legends. "Pulse" is track three and a killer song, boasting some twinkly riffs amidst rolling drums and bass (aka Loma's "Biography" and Beau's "One So Illusive") over passionate spoken word that leads to yelling/screaming. The song bounces around somewhere in screamo limbo and takes on a bit of a Swedish screamo feel, most notably Trachimbrod and Suis La Lune. "Parts & Parcels" is next and is a pretty screamy affair and definitely matches the opening song as sounding like "Loma-light", if you will. Closer "Open Hands" is probably my personal favourite, clocking in at 5:01. The song wastes no time delving into their quickest material that dissipates after 30 seconds like a quiet, calm and soothing rainfall. By one minute things pick up again only to lead into a severely groovy and head bobbin' good time from 1:10 to 3:00 although it slowly erodes during that time frame until the rock is so abrasive that the song quickly and quietly dies. This song in particular reminds me most of the chiller moments of Beau Navire. The final two minutes is reserved for the dissolution and dispersement of those dead sounds as they fade into nothing.
I am keen on hearing new output by the band so hopefully we are graced with another release in 2017. Until then pick up the self titled 12" EP from Conditions Records here.
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DISCOGRAPHY
2016 - Elle 12"EP (stream/buy here) [order the 12" here]
(2016) ELLE - "Cold Hands" (from 'Elle')
(2016) ELLE - "Pulse" (from 'Elle')
(2016) ELLE - "The Clearing" (from 'Elle')
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(2016) ELLE - "Cold Hands" (from 'Elle')
(2016) ELLE - "Pulse" (from 'Elle')
(2016) ELLE - "The Clearing" (from 'Elle')
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ELLE additional links
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