Review: Still Corners @ Cafe Oto

Review: Still Corners @ Cafe Oto

11 October, 2011
by: Domzig

More French Horn please...

I’ve always thought that bands like Still Corners represent the next logical step in indie evolution. Often feeling like an amalgamation of every good indie band of the last 15 years, they mix the breathless vocals of Air, the cool, atmospheric tremolo of a David Lynch soundtrack and the thudding drama of the Jesus and Mary Chain into some of the most delicate sounding music imaginable.

Tonight’s show at Cafe OTO is the band’s release party for their new record ‘Creatures of the Hour’, and it’s one of the most genteel I’ve been too in a long, long time. With a bar stocked with micro-brewery lager, there’s no bouncer pushing punters away from some stairs, no kids throwing up outside, and no seething mass of people jostling each other for a better view of the stage. In fact there isn’t a really a stage at all, just a drum kit surrounded by a few amps, which are in turn surrounded by people lounging in collapsible chairs sipping on red wine. The whole thing feels more like an evening in your best mate’s living room than an actual gig.

With such laid back vibes to soak up, it's almost easy to forget that there are bands playing. Quebec-based art pop outfit The Luyas are the warm up act tonight. Leaving us all in absolute no doubt of their obvious music , the crowd spend the next hour or so completely captivated by their impressionist art rock. Sounding like Suzanne Vega meeting  Sigur Ros, their no-wave meets post rock meets noise pop experiments are pretty much the ideal starter for what is about to come.

There’s just enough time for the guys next to us to polish off their bottle of merlot before Still Corners take to the ‘stage’ for their set. A more stripped down proposition to the previous act, the band weave spider thread guitar lines, twine length bass lines and wool-strength drums into what sometimes feels like the musical equivalent of a warm jumper. However, its Tessa Murray’s understated but immensely powerful voice that steals the show, with her mournful, half-whispered sighs sounding more like the siren calls from another dimension.

Definitely a group of cinephiles at heart, it’s absolutely no surprise that Still Corners are more of an audio visual experience than just a bunch of indie kids staring at their desert boots. Ramping the atmosphere up to semi-hypnotic levels, the effect is something like taking a ride on an extremely gentle ghost train, with haunting, moog-laden psychedelia whisking you past a broken montage of old holidays, lush meadows and cold forests.

All of a sudden it’s over, and the band fades back into the darkness at the edge of the stage. Genuinely taken aback by the stunned applause that follows, they re-emerge a few minutes later and politely ask if we’d like to hear another. We’re then treated to a breathless, Cocteau Twins-style rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘I’m on Fire’. One of my all time faves, it’s honestly the perfect end to a perfect evening.

Still Corners are playing Rough Trade tonight. The new album 'Creatures of the Hour' is out now on Subpop Records.

Domzig