Lung Dart Finds Their Sound
Have you ever sung a song and wondered how great the noise of a broken washing machine would sound accompanying it?
Nope? Me neither but Peckham based duo Lung Dart obviously have and you know what? It sounds far more beautiful than I ever thought it would.
Welcome to the concept of ‘found sound.’ A practice that involves recording everyday noises that are easily found in our surroundings. Noises such as the aforementioned broken washing machine, which are then mixed and incorporated as an element of the music. One would be forgiven for thinking that sounds a tad pretentious but fortunately Lung Dart’s debut EP Ebbs is less ‘arty-farty –Stockhausen-bullshit’ and more a dose of quirky, indie-infused, experimental goodness.
On the EP as a whole, B.OK is without doubt the standout track. There’s a nice, minimilist beat holding it all together and the vocals are restrained, offering a nice contrast to the mechanical noises punctuating the serene, sonic landscape. In short, if unicorns could sing then the vocals on this tune is probably what they would sound like.
A.Home ends with a loud, looped who-the- fuck-knows-what kind of sound sample, banging away and giving the impression that some kind of floor-filling hook is about to drop. It becomes clear that Lung Dart like to coax listeners to the edge of their seats but then leave them there, like a lingering lemming, no longer certain they want to jump.
The beginning of A Certain Patio sounds like an epic collaboration of Bonobo, Radiohead, Macabees and Mutemath and for that, this track is already a winner. There are a shit ton of sounds going on but as they are continually weaving in and out, the tack still remains unsettlingly restrained.
Paradise is Aphex Twin-weird. (And that’s pretty weird). Sounds of water and some kind of cranking noise sits under some very Maccabees-esque vocals until giving way to a seriously restrained hook that is played by something so heavily procesed it’s unclear what it even is. But who cares? it sounds great.
It is clear that Lung Dart is a band worth keeping an eye on. There’s almost limitless potential for this kind of music; MOBBS quickly took the the opportunity to produce a tasty remix of B.OK and Lung Dart have already produced a sound track for with Billy Bolton and Joe Wilson’s film BANNAU that was recently shown at the Tate Modern.
You can purchase the Ebbs EP via itunes, Happy Valley or Rough Trade but don’t forget, this is the kind of band you really should also experience live. So save the date, 24th July for the Happy Valley 1st birthday party at The Waiting Room. Right now you have the rather unique chance of experiencing a band in their very early stages, while they feel around the fringes of the scene and are finding their feet. All this to say that at this point, you’d be mad to miss it.
Nick Vaughan
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