Air Formation - Daylight Storms (Club AC30)
3/5
By: Charlie Potter
It seems strange to treat Air Formation as a new band as this is both their seventh year together and their fifth major output. But the fact is, whether it be due to coyness on their part or our own ignorance, they are strangers to the rockfeedback office, so it would seem of little harm to assume the former and explain what it is that Air Formation do, and what exactly they are.
Air Formation have a sound. By this I mean that they're different from the main run of the mill bands but different in one consistent way. This phenomenon often confuses people into believing that all their songs sound the same, yet this is not the case - you could argue that you can only judge a certain quality in a piece of music in relation to another piece of music, or even in relation to something outside of music, but wherever it's influences lie, this album has a diversity in it's aesthetic and tone. At times it can be personal and engaging, at others it can sound like a force of nature itself.
The sound Air Formation have could be simply put by saying that they're a poor man's My Bloody Valentine, a comment I'm sure they get sickeningly often. But the comparison to MBV, as with all comparisons between bands (or any two non identical things, really) only works up to a point. Yes, you could easily and cynically say that they are just like My Bloody Valentine but not as keen on exploring a diverse range of sounds, but you'd be guilty of missing the point. Air Formation, with their consistent textural drone, are in a lot of ways more unusual.
With 'Daylight Storms' what you have is a constant, unrelenting and mushy textural drone, devoid of even a punchy chorus to hold your attention. I am of course getting carried away - the feeling generated by this band makes the enjoyment of listing descriptive words irresistible, but it's not like Leopard Leg or Double Leopards, it's not just total Yes, one with guitars, drums, bass and everything else you expect. drone, this is very definitely an indie band.
If you are willing to go all the way with them and get lost in the mushy, slushy soundscapes, then you'll undoubtedly look back at how far you've come and have some sort of weird awakening. This is something that can be boasted far more by the likes of Double Leopards or indeed Growing, than a band like My Bloody Valentine or Mogwai.
Air Formation however don't waste time getting to the light, airy, soporific stuff, filling every square inch of the space around you with floaty little vibrations. This lightness, in an ironic way, actually gives the music a sort of dreariness that is thoroughly satisfying in a cathartic manner. It almost makes you feel good to be wasting your life away doing something banal and mundane. It's the sort of sound that you should listen to when you're coming back from a job interview that didn't go very well.
With all this slushiness the album is of course in danger of being a tad on the monotonous side, but this danger is avoided perfectly by the occasional weird chord change particularly in 'Tidal', when you suddenly notice that the sound has crept into your head so much that when it is altered, it has a profound effect on your emotional state.
Air Formation have picked a difficult market. Although the band are rooted in indie and moody indie bands like Mogwai and Interpol are doing so well, I feel that after the feeling provided by the aesthetic the band are aiming for they've more chance of latching on to the fanbases of bands like Isis, Cave In and other acts affiliated with Hydrahead, rather than tying themselves to a past that people have mainly nostalgia for. Go on, guys. Try it.
Artists in this article: Air Formation
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