Written for OzMusicProject
@ Hopetoun: Surely one of the busier acts on the live Sydney circuit is Telemetry Orchestra, support for Full Fathom Five at the Hopetoun on Friday. It’s easy to see why these guys are well liked. Their exquisite electronic concoction, derived from mainly keys, sythns and mixers is easy to digest. The beats and sampled sounds move from playful to funky to chilled. Some live elements are thrown in like a bass to add some darker shading and Charlotte’s softly pleasant voice weaved in as vocal snippets. Smooth, lilting rhythms entrance the audience as their seductive progressions trickle and wash over your ears like cool water.
Full Fathom Five offer something a little more challenging and a little darker. Hailing from Brisbane the six piece will quickly be compared to Sydney’s own Decoder Ring. Like the Ring, Full Fathom Five rely on live sounds – no less than three guitars, two keys and drums – to create their sonic world. And they’re quick to suck you in, encouraging you to explore dark, moody corners to soaring heights, triggered by some imaginative guitar solos, dance to some fun trip hop as well as immerse yourself in haunting ambient noise that seem to echo off walls of a large hall (despite the fact that the Hopetoun is probably the smallest venue in Sydney).
All in all, FFF is probably less musically intriguing than Decoder Ring, who’s emotional subtly is hard to top. This partly has to do with the use of Sam Kormans on vocals (as opposed to the voiceless Decoder Ring). While it distracts us from the power of the instrumentation, Korman also gives the band a livelier feel than Decoder, a quality that would be important for some. In fact, his singing has an emotional intensity of its own, with some dark and evocative lyrics being drawn out (‘it’s all a desert to me’). Their interest spans from rock, to electro, to dance, even ending the night on a country note, albeit washed over with their electronic sensibilities. In the end, FFF manages to get under your skin and fill you up with some musical goodness, leaving you to feel extremely satisfied.
