The Drones - Havilah

[JP Sauce]

Was gonna post on here after my first listen last night, but instead decided to listen to it again.

Ridiculously great. Pretty much echoing the above comments, but I love the "darker" sound to this album. Not that I didn't love Havliah, but I prefer this kind of Drones. The added piano is brilliant too.

Time to stop talking and listen again. Even more keen to seem them again next month now.

 

[mansize rooster]

i think this sits next to gala mill as their best.

 

[ize_]

Still only about 3 listens in. It's certainly moody and almost seems to have some prog elements which is weird and hopefully unintentional. The album flows really well and maintains it's tone which I like. It's very different to Havilah but I still reckon it's the album that it resembles most. It doesn't have any Nail It Down, I Am The Supercargo, Luck In Odd Numbers songs which moved me immediately when I heard them but I reckon it's more of a sleeper. Absolutely loving Moat, How To See Through Fog, The Grey Leader. I would love to see them make another Here Come The Lies/Wait Long By The River record but from the sounds of things I think those days are behind them now. Still continuing to make amazing music and have evolved their sound in a very smooth, natural way (Gala Mill is pretty much stylistically exactly between Wait Long and Havilah IMO).

Can't ******* wait for The Forum.

 

[sixteenstraws]

Ridiculously great. Pretty much echoing the above comments, but I love the "darker" sound to this album. Not that I didn't love Havliah, but I prefer this kind of Drones. The added piano is brilliant too.

yep, completely agree. i really loved gareth's solo album, but with the band i'd rather they sounded like this.

 

[mansize rooster]

love this review
http://www.thevine.com.au/music/album-reviews/the-drones-i-see-seaweed/

Does the physical album have the lyrics?

 

[ize_]

love this review
http://www.thevine.com.au/music/album-reviews/the-drones-i-see-seaweed/

Does the physical album have the lyrics?

Buy it and find out.

 

[J_Moore]

Scored a free ticket to Neil Young + Crazy Horse last night. Pleasantly surprised to walk in in the support slot and see the gang busting out River of Tears. What a live band.

The Harvest crowd were a bit non-plussed by the entire night's proceedings.

 

[mansize rooster]

I think they'll kill you is my fav
the guitar playing on the last minute or so on that track just stirs something up inside.
Brilliant!

 

[J_Moore]

Always a big fan of their album closers, to be honest. "Why write a letter..." no exception.

 

[Matching Mole]

Scored a free ticket to Neil Young + Crazy Horse last night. Pleasantly surprised to walk in in the support slot and see the gang busting out River of Tears. What a live band.

The Harvest crowd were a bit non-plussed by the entire night's proceedings.

You'd think the Harvest Crowd would have learned the lesson by now. Neil's gone out of his way to mess with their expectations ever since he felt himself wandering towards the middle of the road, cutting the occasionally very sweet record with a nasty dose of Tonight's The Night or Rust Never Sleeps. I mean, it was 1972, and his career is completely schizophrenic after that - Trans? the Rockabilly record? Greendale? Yet the Boomers roll up, are a bit perplexed that this Crazy Horse band Neil's playing with are as loud as they are, but are relieved all the same when "Heart of Gold" kicks in. Baffling. I can only imagine what they'd make of The Drones.

You know what Liddiard's really picked up from the best Neil Young records like Tonight's The Night? Fatigue? The way the band feels loose and tired, barely hanging together, but a glorious stumbling mess all the same. It's not crappy musicianship, but something like feel over technique. I'm thinking of the slowly meandering late night feel of something like "Cold and Sober", or how "Neil Young" the first couple of quiet minutes of "They'll Kill You" sound.

Sorry, misplaced rant and ramble.

As for I See Seaweed - in the words of Rob Sitch playing Bruce McAvenay: I could go on and on...and I will.

But perhaps another time.

On a record full of "moments", right now it's the the guitar outro on "Nine Eyes" that's doing it for me.

 

[nobbyiscool]

s**t. How good is this album?

Listened to it when it came out, but was busy, back was playing up, was crook... and so i didn't really absorb it.

I'm glad I waited for a clearer head to give it another go. I listened to it twice today back to back. They're still clearly Australia's best rock act.

 

[FlyingBurittoBro]

loving the new album. first cd i have bothered to actually buy in years. thinking about checking them out on friday night at the tivoli. anyone know how they go live?

 

[Creasy]

loving the new album. first cd i have bothered to actually buy in years. thinking about checking them out on friday night at the tivoli. anyone know how they go live?

I would recommend going - I don't like hyping things up because I find it always ends in disappointment so I will leave it at that.

 

[JP Sauce]

loving the new album. first cd i have bothered to actually buy in years. thinking about checking them out on friday night at the tivoli. anyone know how they go live?

I also don't want to overhype, but you should absolutely 100% go see them live.

 

[blackshadow]

loving the new album. first cd i have bothered to actually buy in years. thinking about checking them out on friday night at the tivoli. anyone know how they go live?

They're sensational live, GO SEE THEM!

 

[nobbyiscool]

loving the new album. first cd i have bothered to actually buy in years. thinking about checking them out on friday night at the tivoli. anyone know how they go live?

I will only say this:

- I went to the effort of getting to a festival 3 hours before the rest of my crew a couple of years ago just to see them.
- I missed Tame Impala, who I friggen love, to see The Drones again at the Falls Festival about 6 months later.
- I backed up again 4 months later to go see their headline tour
- And loved that show so much, I made a last minute call to travel the 3 hours up the road to go see them again 2 days later.

Pretty good live act

(I was spewing that they missed Canberra on this tour, cos a back injury prevents me going up to Sydney for it)

 

[FlyingBurittoBro]

hey went tonight. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard opened. they played for quite a while longer than you would normally expect from an opener. they went all right, you could see what they were trying to do.
the drones were ******* incredible. mostly tracks from the new album. garreth is freak. how is he capable of singing those lines so strongly and well? guitar hangs to his knees pretty much, whammy bar never left his palm. freak

set list as i recall

I see seaweed
How to see through fog
Minotaur
They'll Kill you (they said it was only their second time performing this one live, went down a treat)
Laika
The moat one
nine eyes
River of Tears??
The Miller's Daughter
Why write a letter (******* amazing)

encore was shark fin blues and never want to change.

top show. would see again.

 

[JP Sauce]

hey went tonight. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard opened. they played for quite a while longer than you would normally expect from an opener. they went all right, you could see what they were trying to do.
the drones were ******* incredible. mostly tracks from the new album. garreth is freak. how is he capable of singing those lines so strongly and well? guitar hangs to his knees pretty much, whammy bar never left his palm. freak

set list as i recall

I see seaweed
How to see through fog
Minotaur
They'll Kill you (they said it was only their second time performing this one live, went down a treat)
Laika
The moat one
nine eyes
River of Tears??
The Miller's Daughter
Why write a letter (******* amazing)

encore was shark fin blues and never want to change.

top show. would see again.

Glad you went along.

They're still playing River of Tears? I would kill to see that live again.

The new songs are the ones I want to see most, so that setlist works for me. Can't wait for next weekend.

 

[JP Sauce]

Bump because I forgot to after seeing them live last weekend. Amazing as always!

New songs sounded terrific. Closing with "Why Write a Letter..." was phenomenal. River of Tears too.

 

[nobbyiscool]

Does Gareth still do 16 straws as an encore?

Seeing that live about 3 years old as an encore (twice in a week ) is an all time music highlight for me. I love the song all the time, but seeing it live was just something else entirely.

 

[JP Sauce]

Does Gareth still do 16 straws as an encore?

Seeing that live about 3 years old as an encore (twice in a week ) is an all time music highlight for me. I love the song all the time, but seeing it live was just something else entirely.

Nah not anymore but I've seen him do it before and agree that seeing it live was something else.

 

[treefingers]

Damn! They have done it again. This one aint going to grab any new fans that's for sure

Wrong...this is the first Drones album I've listened to. Wow. This is fantastic.

 

[ize_]

Wrong...this is the first Drones album I've listened to. Wow. This is fantastic.

You have an enviable road ahead of you. Enjoy.

 

[treefingers]

Their discography on wikipedia is pretty confusing...is this their 4th or 5th LP?

 

[Leaping Lindner]

If you like the Drones check this out. This is Gareth with former members of These Immortal Souls and JP Shilo doing the track "Hyperspace" at the Rowland S Howard Tribute night early this year.