Reviews
BIRDS AND WIRES Self-titled 12” EP
You ever call it in the air? You ever just look at a record—you’ve never heard the band before, nothing—and just get the feeling it’s gonna hit you right between the eyes, like, perfectly? That’s the feeling I got with this four-song twelve inch. One look and I was pretty sure; one spin and I was positive. That’s all it took. The songs are long and take some time to gather themselves and fully depart the station—but when they do, you’re in for the long haul. Complex, dense-but-pretty music that’s filled to the brim with a sense of place and atmosphere. There’s a working template of mid-tempo ‘90s screamo with a heavy nod to the drama and willful theatrics of Moss Icon, coupled with a more modern sense of a slowly gathering calamity that bands like Aussitot Mort and Amanda Woodward manage to nail every time. Like the fucking bottom’s about to drop out and you can’t wait for that to happen, you know? It’s a rare bit of music that really takes me out of myself these days, fully out of my own head, but these four beautiful and ferocious songs by Birds And Wires have done it repeatedly since that first listen.
– Keith Rosson, Razorcake Zine
BIRDS AND WIRES -12″ EP
From MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #323 April 2010
This record starts with the most amazing guitar tone-super clean and inviting. The riff it plays carries the song right along with the busy drums trotting into a manic frenzy – the music building and building to an intense crescendo that lasts just long enough to appreciate it. A great opener to introduce an incredible EP by four scene vets from DC. The sound of this record is one of the most amazing aspects, and the heavy vinyl and superb production really paid off as each instrument is immaculately represented. For good reason. too–these songs are well written and powerful as shit. Some have the genteel approach of, say, INDIAN SUMMER or SHARKS KEEP MOVING, while others have a more assertive sound like AMBER INN or FUGAZI. From what I understand, there are members of 1905 and LOTUS FUCKER in the band. Really solid indie/emo- beautiful packaging, thick vinyl, strong release. (RM) (Amor y Lucha)
Washington City Paper – Arts & Entertainment : One Track Mind
by Aaron Leitko on February 12, 2010
Standout Track:
No. 4, “The Sea and the Hills,” is an example of nauticalcore—post-hardcore music evocative of an ocean journey—at its finest. A deep bass groove and tumbling 6/8 rhythms conjure thoughts of restless seas, billowing winds, and the heyday of Quarterstick Records. “I’ve seen the broken bodies drifting through the water/I’ve learned the names spoken by sons and daughters,” screams vocalist/guitarist Joao da Silva during the song’s noisy crescendo.
Musical Motivation:
According to bassist Brian Lombardozzi, a policy analyst for the AFL-CIO, the song’s meter was the first element to come into focus. “When we started off, we had this riff that went on and on—this epic postrock-type thing based on the rhythm of a Rudyard Kipling poem,” he explains. But the lyrics steer clear of Captains Courageous territory. When da Silva sings about voices coming from the ocean, he’s referencing Argentina’s desaparecidos, political dissidents who “disappeared” in the ’70s and ’80s.
Practice What You Screech:
Back in ’04, you couldn’t walk into a D.C. group house without knocking into a group of sweaty guys pairing hardcore punk with slowly evolving soundscapes. But rising rents and the dearth of potential practice spaces have made volume a rare luxury. Lombardozzi doesn’t let it get him down, though. “Times are just difficult as a band,” he says. “We live in apartments, and you can’t have band practice in an apartment. But we’ve lucked out and been able to practice at friends’ houses and decent studio spaces.” His band, at least, will keep cranking it. “D.C. hardcore is sort of burned into our frontal lobes. We’re not looking to make it big; it’s something we all just want to do.”
Link to original here.
Franconia Station Blog
Birds & Wires is a very difficult band to write about. Not because they aren’t an amazing collection of intense, superb musicians, but because they are a bunch of dudes my age, spread over three cities that don’t play music together as much as other bands that are half as good as they are. Frankly it’s been a very very long time in Washington D.C. since a band has utterly blown me off my feet. Birds & Wires have done that. Their debut EP leaves me panting, thirsty like a begging dog for more.
For the first time in my life, I would say it is unfair not to compare Birds & Wires to Fugazi. There is so much of that intense energy and sharp dynamic in these four songs, that it seems almost unkind not to mention them in that same breath. But lets not be mistaken, Birds & Wires are not a hopeless bunch of failing copycats. No, they burst through with an energetic, thick post punk punch.
My boy John Seager, this is where I love him the most, when he flexes his musical skill. Yea Aghast and Lotus Fucker are fucking great, loud fast bands. But in Birds & Wires, Seager’s talents not just as a drummer, but a musician shine through. I’ve been waiting for this since the unappreciated A New Spelling of My Name LP.
Further still the production on this is sharp. Big ups to Hugh McElroy behind the nobs. It’s dirty enough that it has that Rites of Spring feel, the energy comes first for sure. But unlike all those near forgotten gems from DC punks history, this record sounds fantastic. Those clean guitars resonate, the bass rumbles your feet and the vocals aren’t buried in the mix. Joao Da Silva’s sing song bark is trademark type vocal delivery, and it is captures so crisp and clean. Not many DC bands have been this articulate, but the quality matters.
Four songs though? Fuck that’s just not enough. I know these boys are in their 30′s, managing personal lives outside music, but these are sounds worth the sacrifice. I don’t fault them for their decisions as people, but there is so much music out there that just isn’t as urgent or engaging as Birds & Wires. I am being greedy as fuck, but I want more from these four lads. DC needs more bands like this. Hopefully this EP will bring a resurgence. If your in a band consider this recording a challenge to step the fuck up. You’re on notice.
Link to original here
