Electric Tapestry – Orbiting Bodies (13th Floor EP Review)
Wellington alternative-rock band Electric Tapestry released their fourth EP Orbiting Bodies. The extended-play takes a deep dive into the void kaleidoscopic journey through sound in its sixteen-minute runtime.
Electric Tapestry have been doing the circuits of the Wellington scene for the past few years. In fact, it would be impossible to have NOT bumped into them (or one of their quirky posters) if you visit the various dive bars/music venues found in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara. I even played on a bill with them some years ago when they were going through a we’re-a-cover-band-for-the-moment phase. The five piece, who proclaim themselves as ‘Dad rock with a difference’, produce alternative music filtered from a diverse musical palette.
And, to an extent, that’s what you’ll find on Orbiting Bodies. The EP is squashed together by two musical bookends. However, it’s between these the music jumps from genre to genre as the band flexes it’s wide range of influences. At one end of the Electric Tapestry’s spectrum, there’s a dreamy alternative vibe, soaked in effects and bedroom-tone. But that soon becomes overshadowed by a more conventional 80s rock/metal vibe. I like to imagine there’s an eternal struggle between two band leaders trying to get their vision across. Regardless of my weird fantasies, you’ll get a taste of both (and everything else in between) in each of the EP’s four tracks.
Kicking off the affair is Lion’s Breath, which begins with a reverb-y guitar intro, only to bring in the hearty, rock distorted downstrokes on the chorus. But please don’t expect this for the duration of the EP. There is a plethora of styles wedged between the said anchors of the two styles I mentioned earlier.
The closer, Nostalgia Sick, goes from an 80s pub ballad to a Midwest emo arpeggio, and then to a metal breakdown that made me do a double take when I first heard it (with a November Rain outro solo, just minus the guy on top of the piano). Oh, and then they go back to the pub rock. There are catchy, yet unusual vocal melodies used throughout the whole album. These guys have obviously done their homework with their songwriting.
In pure Dad rock style, Electric Tapestry boasts three guitar players. Now, I will be honest and say that the third guitar doesn’t add much to the overall mix, except to give the two lead guitarists a bit more freedom to swap riffs. They do so, often wearing their influences on their sleeves. One of these Maybes was probably the track that highlights this, in a clever minute long lead break that goes far beyond the usual play-some-lead-over-verse-and/or-chorus-chords. It’s a nice step away from the usual Zoom MultiFX pedal 3-rhythm-guitarist-Dad-rock I’ve unfortunately been exposed to in my (later) life.
The quality of the recording itself is fairly lo-fi. I don’t want to sound too cliché, but it gave me the vibe of early(ish) Flying-nun releases. Perhaps it’s the 80s rock sensibilities as well. The vocals, reflect honesty in their lack of polish. But vocal harmonies are utilized between the two lead singers, Geoff and Nick. The lyrical themes (or so the press release suggests) cover the anxiety of the reliance on both our own nostalgia and the online algorithm (two things that keep me up at night!).
On Orbiting Bodies, Electric Tapestry does a unique job of weaving in a fairly extensive range of difference into the four song EP. These guys know their craft and are working to weave their influences into a solid product. It’s almost like they’re weaving a pretty… tapestry.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Daniel Edmonds
Orbiting Bodies is out now
