Month / January 2010

by cult/of/estel

DISCOGRAPHY GALLERY

blah blah

BACK TO DISCOGRAPHY – HOME

by cult/of/estel

STEVE MACKAY / MIKE WATT / ESTEL – VOLUME 1

[CD – Richter Collective / Little Plastic Tapes LPT008 – February 23rd 2009]

Printed on c.d. in a run of 1,000

REVIEWS/ PRESS

ANALOGUE ZINE
Imagine for a minute that the Irish rock underground is a scary warren of tunnels. A bit like somewhere from the land of Mordor in Lord of the Rings except you can access it through a secret portal in the Lower Deck or the Boom Boom Room. It’s a cold, damp, labyrinthine place full of discordant, relentless, yet fascinating music. If bands like Adebisi Shank and Bats are the freshly-hatched spawn who guard the gates to this netherworld, chances are that Estel reside somewhere within it’s darkest vaults. They’d be a huge glowing maggot, or monstrous spider, an enigmatic creature that has resided beneath Dublin for ten years now, dreaming up dark, uncompromising instrumental music, oblivious to the fads and fashions of the world above.
The latest release to ooze forth (in keeping with the dodgy Lord of the Rings allegory) from camp Estel is an untitled album of tracks named after the four gospels, with a cover of The Stooges ‘Fun House’ thrown in for good measure. The album is a collaboration with Stooges saxophonist Steve Mackay and Mike Watt who played bass with practically every American hardcore band you can shake a stick at.
I know what some of you are thinking. “The four gospels? This stinks of self-important dreck.” I thought the same, until I saw the track-listing on my iTunes player. ‘Matthew’, ‘Mark’, ‘Luke’ and ‘John’ are punctuated, beautifully, hilariously and surely intentionally, by ‘Fun House’. This is apparently the gospel according to Estel. A reading where his great unholiness Iggy rubs shoulders with the four scribes.
The music itself was recorded in a short burst (perhaps because Watt and Mackay only had so much time on their hands), but as such, provides an engaging document of what happens when this sort of endeavour works. Rather than melting respectfully into the background, as others might do when working with their heroes, Estel are clearly the measure of the their collaborators. The first half of the album is more uneasy than the second. The band weave an urgent, undulating tapestry of sinister sonic matter on ‘Mark’ and maintain a remarkable piano refrain that not only supports Watt’s saxophone, but sounds like the product of months in the studio rather than an afternoon’s improvisation.
‘Luke’ and ‘John’, the two tracks that follow a respectful reading of ‘Fun House’, are lighter affairs. On ‘John’ in particular, the music seems to float endlessly upwards, and Mackay’s sax sounds like a balloon let loose from a net, drifting into rarefied spaces in the upper atmosphere. For an album recorded in such a short space of time, this is a remarkably expressive and coherent piece of work and testament to this band’s importance in the Irish underground.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

KEEP IT FAST.COM-
I’m actually a big fan of improvisation. A lot of my writing stems
for just sitting down at the computer and just going for it, which is
why so much of it is rambling, boring and uses such awful analogies.
The feeling I have about ‘Untitled’ is further confirmed from reading an excerpt from Mike Watt’s tour diary, which has been scribbled in the linear notes. From what Andrew Bushe of Estel states in a very brief paragraph below Watt’s; Estel had gone in to record with Watt, only for Steve Mackay to turn up and ask to be in on what they were recording.

It’s essentially a jam sessions album, where a group of like-minded
individuals have been brought together, wandered into a studio and just
started playing and playing and playing and this is the resulting cut,
plus a version of one of The Stooges most famous tracks, ‘Fun House.’
I mean, this is all presumable: there’s a feeling that Estel, Watt and
Mackay had down what they were going to record and this was the result,
but to me, it has that air of unpredictability and awe that suggests
that it all feels like a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm in its nature of creativeness.
The intro on ‘Matthew’ is a ghostly, crackling start that
smoothly slides into a warm saxophone flourish, like a malt whisky
being liberally poured into a crystal glass. Its gait is somewhat
plodding, yet picks up the pace into becoming a drunken march,
punctuated by the echoing keyboards and distant fuzz in the background.
‘Matthew’ is a strange opening track; it doesn’t seem to go
anywhere as such; yet builds on this solid repeated verse by adding
more and more instruments and sounds to create a silky, yet mellow
piece of instrumental rock.
‘Mark’ is suitably chilling and ostentatious; starting with
a sinister bass groove and steady drumbeat that is suddenly hit by a
strained saxophone drawl and the kind of keyboard effects that were
last heard in a Christopher Lee movie; involving a guy who has no reflection, doesn’t go out in the sun much and hates bits of wood named ‘Mr Pointy.’ In fact, it all sounds like something from Papa Lazarou’s Pandemonium Carnival – I have this image of Reece Shearsmith,
orchestrating the band in some mad-scientist/unhinged conductor style,
constantly cackling with glee over the pure circus of noise that they
are creating. Imagine the ‘Phantom of the Opera’
theme being played with the music sheets upside-down. Creepy doesn’t
even begin to describe it, but yet it’s easily the best and personally,
my favourite track on this recording, just for the downright
disconcerting feel I have about it.
On the cover of ‘Fun House’ I kept expecting lounge-jazz crooner Richard Cheese
to pop up with his distinctive twang and run through a suitably
hilarious version of the track. There’s not much to say about this, as
it’s pretty much a faithful cover, but with added keyboards making up
for the lack of Iggy slurring over the rambling
madness of it all and the scuzzy edge of the original has been shaved
off. Mackay seems to have been given free reign with his sax, dousing ‘Fun House’ with a thick layer of eccentric parping.
‘Luke’ is the only track to not feature the brass talents
of Mr Mackay and feels slightly alien compared to the other tracks.
Nevertheless, it cuts a sharp line in ambience, acting as a musical
wash of sound built on the same repeated drum roll and some trippy
electronic whirls that brings to mind Alias & Ehren. It kind of has a very placid, almost hip-hop vibe, without actually being hip-hop; bursting with wraithlike haze.
‘John’ equates to something you would hear over the top of
a piece of film running in slow motion; possibly during a ‘coming to
terms with’ scene or one where the lead character shoots up a load of
class A and blissfully passes into the world of dreams and confusion.
It’s a soft, ethereal piece of looping jazz that warbles and
reverberates in the right places to keep the listener interested
through its distinctly progressive ride. An interesting collaboration
that might seem strange at first, but with perseverance, is ultimately
rewarding – bloody freaky cover art though.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

DROP-D  WEBZINE-

All of us are human, that much we know. We know not from whence we came, nor where we are headed, and so, we search for guidance. We seek that which is hidden, that which cannot be known. Our lust and desire is insatiable. From that desire, stems temptation. Temptation, if succumbed to, leads to ruin. So that we may resist those that tempt us, we must look to more nobler souls than ours to inspire and lead us. Estel represent such nobility, their decade long residence at the core of Ireland’s underground music scene has proven them to be worthy and indelible souls. Their staunch resistance of commercialisation, their virtuous commitment to the embrace of the new and inventive, and their lofty, higher purpose, all combine to make them leaders, warriors, and indeed preachers of goodwill.
On their latest record, Estel combine with two legends, Steve Mackay, famed saxophonist with The Stooges, and Mike Watt, veteran of the 1980s U.S. harcore scene, to create a mesmeric testament that cements their status as underground idols. The record is called, simply, Untitled, and was conceived and recorded in a blaze of creative opportunism in three hours in September 2007.
Matthew 5:16: Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works.
Estel’s first collaborative illumination with Watt and Mackay takes the name Matthew, and traces a winding, slippery path into some disturbed circus territory. Mackay’s saxophone is reminiscent of the more thoughful tracks on Bowie’s Black Tie, White Noise, while overall the track would sit competently in the company of the Thin White Duke’s 70’s exercise in minimalism, Low. For all its meandering tempo, Matthew exudes enthusiasm, and the raw energy that clearly went into the production has been caught and harnessed expertly. The sinister underbelly that permeates Matthew lends realism to the heavenly exploits of the woodwind, and inspires comparison with the world as it exists today: filled with glory on one hand, and tarnished with corruption on the other. In this case, the light wins out, Mackay lifts and wills one upwards, and the last haunting notes close the shutters on the cosy French café that houses such dreams and poetry that even Gods stand in awe of.
Mark 4:21: For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
The heightened frenzy of fairground lunacy takes a stranglehold from the first eerie refrains of Mark, the second track on Untitled. The thudding, stomping combination of bass and guitar bequething an otherworldly guttaral foundation on which the piercing of keys and saxaphone crests, revealing the almost manic spiral of intricacy that Mark descends into. As the pace gathers and quickens, the drum rolls become more frequent, beating with almost tribal rage, and all the while the twin treble sounds of synth and sax veer off eccentrically. But strangely, for all the eclecticism inherent in what is essentially an improvised work, there is a solidity, a bassline on which the whole is formulated, and that holds it together as a concrete entity within its own right.
Pat Sharpe: I get a lot of questions about the mullet and a lot about the twins. I didn’t sleep with either of them. In fact, my family and their families are very good friends.
Faced with 2 Stooges, Estel were no doubt delighted to play the third, and no better song could they have chosen to cover for fun than Fun House. This version is an altogether more syncopated affair than the original, and contains an agressive, jazzy streak. MacKay would have played on the original recording way back in 1970, and it’s delightful to hear the expressiveness in his lead role on this track. He makes it sound fresh still, and brings new twists and turns to a lick he’s probably played thousands of times. There is no debate, this house believes that recording this cover was probably the most fun these fine exhibitors had in their three hour recording whirlwind in Ashtown, and it most certainly comes across on the record.
Luke 9:34: While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Into the mist comes Luke, the only track on Untitled that features Estel solely. It’s a haunting affair, heavy on the Dirty 3-esque sweeps and swirls, and yet it’s curiously mellowing after the berserker stylings of Mark and the full-on party of Fun House. It’s 3 a.m., the kettle is boiling, you’ve left the heating on when you went out so the house is a sauna. That weird sick feeling you had on the NiteLink is fading, and the warm glow of that last drink’s embrace is bursting through your cheeks, but still, you can’t help feeling that something you said, something you did, some awful, terrible thing, is going to interrupt your peace. Luke says, it won’t.
John 4:37: For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’
MacKay and Watts return on the last gospel, John, a soothing, laid-back affair that speaks of open spaces and happier times. It’s a smooth, rolling ride along the coast, a dreamlike imagining of hangliding through perfectly still air. It’s all kinds of foolish, romantic images rolled into a eight minute long loop of peace and contentment: inconceivable how such calm was forged under such a highly strained recording schedule. Untitled closes there, with one last dischordant blast of every instrument, one last triumphant shout to the heavens, one last crash of free jazz.
“Instrumental improv?” is the question that will accompany the quizzical look when you mention this record, but it’s more than that. This is a whole, a whole that even the creators could not likely have hoped for when they embarked on this project. It is as complete as any record that may have taken longer to make, as complete as any recording that was achieved via militant perfectionism; and it is a true joy to listen to and feel yourself yielding to the infectious enthusiasm and excitement that must have infested those studios is Ashtown where this was birthed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

RENDITION ZINE-

It says a lot about a band when they manage to get the legends that are Mike Watt and Steve Mackay to play on their album, or more than that, to actually record a full on collaboration with them. The fact that Estel have done just this is an indication of the quality of this band. Now going ten years, Estel have been very consistent with the quality of their music, and with that music being very unique and somewhat un definable. No matter how I try I never seem to be able to pin down their music, nor am I able to come up with any kind of accurate description of this music, there doesn’t seem to be any easy or clear definition of this music, sometimes it’s quite calm, atmospheric almost, only to burst into frenzy and all out chaos, most of the time it’s quite dark, and manages to be both playful and menacing at the same time.

While listening to their new album, the aforementioned collaboration with Mike Watt and Steve Mackay, it is clear that Estel have not let up on their quality, and downright off-the-wall sound, helped greatly by Watt and Mackay, most notably with the addition of Mackay’s saxophone adding yet another element to the sometimes circus-like madness that is Estels music. There is a somewhat different feel to this album than previous Estel releases, due, in no small part, to the participation of the temporary new members. The songs seem somewhat slower than usual, and on the last two songs, when they become drenched (more so than usual) in keyboards things become a lot more atmospheric, and at times almost psychedelic, in its own way. This is an interesting, and somewhat understandable, progression (in so far as anything can be understandable with this band).

In terms of achievements, both for the band, and for the Irish underground, it is great to see this band, who are in their own rights legends of sorts; what with a career now a decade old and considering the contributions made to the ‘scene’ during that career, now collaborating with two musicians who are undeniably legends, something which will no doubt bring Estel to the attention of a larger audience, assuming they want the attention, that is.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OFF HER ROCKER-

Keep your eyes peeled in coming weeks for the abso-brill Estel record featuring five spectacular, spontaneous songs recorded with Steve Mackay and Mike Watt of The Stooges in about three hours. It just misses this year’s lists with a release date of 9 January at The Lower Deck. I’m wearing in my fan t-shirt already!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

EGOECCENTRIC BLOG-

On the 9th of Janurary Estel release their first volume of collaborations with Mike Watt (co-founder of The Minutemen and fIREHOSE, and as of 2003 bassist for the reunited Iggy Pop & The Stooges as well as many other bands) and Steve Mackay ( an American tenor saxophone player, best known for his participation on The Stooges’ influential second album Fun House)
And to celebrate this Estel are playing a few dates around the country (more about the gigs at the end), but not only are they releasing this quality collaboration they’re also marking Estel’s 10 years together as a band which in itself is fucking huge.

As for the CD itself, well I really fucking liked it and really shows what Estel can do. The album is dark and atmospheric, sometimes slow and then jumping into full on freak out with a touch of psychedelic in the mix, this is not a band trying to play along or keep up with two legends this is full on collaboration and don’t take my meandering word for it, listen for yourself.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
OFF HER ROCKER-

EP : Estel

2009 marks Estel’s decade-landmark of personificating music in Ireland. It must give them great pleasure to move forward to even greater heights with the start of this year: volume 1 of their recordings with Steve Mackay and Mike Watt of The Stooges will be released this week: first in Freds in Cork tomorrow night, Sally Long’s in Galway on Thursday and then Friday 9 January at the Lower Deck.

I tipped this in my EP round-up as one of the first to watch out for this year: it’s a blammer, dark, heavy and strong. I never know how to write about music literally but get this:

Ponderous drums, steady, deliberate and filled with intent. Not dim or malevolent but deep as the hypnogogic state between awareness and sleep, taps of bright, lucid codes and slumbering diffusion to lull then jar as tempos kick and change.
Guitars like water-insects skidding across surfaces. They climb, they career, they clear to land. They sting, you slap and sigh with ecstatic itches.
Synths/keys ascending above rocky ground, providing lurid sonic-plumage of great colour, flying and filling boundaries’ furthest reach.
Saxophone, the most woefully under-used instrument in rock, hollow blasts of brass talons applied to great effect as a complement to the thinner ring of steel strings.

Untitled, known only as volume 1, four of five tracks are named after Gospels in The Bible and the fifth, a cover of Fun House, pays homage to Mackay and Watt. This record is not about The Stooges, however. It’s not just about Estel or their long-running dedication. This is about spontaenity, improvision, inherent quality of musical minds. This is about masterful instrumental control, imagination, insight. Recorded in a few hours with little reheasal or preliminary discussion, it’s about putting a bunch of talented fuckers in a room and pressing “Go”. Anything could have happened. Carnage even.
It’s grasping a handful of grass to find a single red blade of sound…and not a drop of sweat or blood in sight.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SUNDAY BUSINESS POST-

A collaboration between underground music luminaries and sometime Stooges Steve Mackay and Mike Watt, with cultish Dublin instrumental band Estel, the five-track Untitled is the result of an intense and uncompromising three-hour jam session; the band’s idiosyncratic experiments with melody and discord are laced brilliantly with Mackay’s sax and Watt’s bass.

Apart from an unsettlingly flamboyant cover of The Stooges’ epic Fun House, it’s the four gospel-titled originals which catch the ear. Matthew is all rumbling bass and menacing sax with a vaguely reassuring piano chime, while the more frenetic Mark leaps from the dark with its forbidding organ lead. The choice cut is John, a graphic novel-jazz piece with a triumphant marching rhythm, half-masking a nagging hint of malevolence. It’s a glorious fusion, and we await the forthcoming Untitled 2 with tremulous anticipation. ****
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ROAD RECORDS-

ESTEL UNTITLED [FEATURING MIKE WATT AND STEVE MACKAY]    
features a collaboration between irish instrumental outfit and current stooges members mike watt and steve mackay. mike watt is also a former member of legendary punk rock outfit the minutemen. steve mackay played sax on some of the very early stooges releases. the album was recorded during a weekend jamming session at ashtown studios and features five improvised jams. features four original pieces along with a rather bonkers cover of the stooges classic track fun house. its a rather fantasic collection of jazz tinged post rock, scuzzy avant rock and thunderous post punk rumblings.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

by cult/of/estel

THE BONES OF SOMETHING

[CD – Little Plastic Tapes 07 – Autumn 2006]

Printed on c.d. in a run of 1,000

 

BAD ACID ZINE
Estel’s release, “The Bones of Something”, is the auditory equivalent of Danny Elfman conducting an avant-rock band scoring the life of a male stalker, and the music is the thoughts perpetuating his obsessive compulsion and actions.
The recording starts off with “Stacey”, a disturbing music-and-sound-effect-backed narration of a man leaving a telephone message to a woman he is apparently stalking, and the one-sided “conversation” shifts from creepy to an all-out suicidal/homicidal closing, a brilliant introduction into the realm of the Dublin-based quartet that is Estel.
Most of what is performed on this recording dwells upon repetition, but it is the unique moments of subtlety which keep things fresh and flowing throughout.
The drastic time-changes & tones of all instruments involved remind of the most appealing parts of the band Faith No More, yet still manifest a feeling of uniqueness and remain saturated in originality.
Tommy O’Sullivan’s guitar-playing occasionally gives a nod of homage to the major-key high-neck riffs of Modest Mouse, yet he blindsides the listener with a bleak low-end heavy riff, proving he can take you to somewhere bright and lovely and then the sonic tidal wave crashes to the ocean floor to bring you to the dark depths of newly-blackened territory.
Sarah Sheil’s keyboard parts are a pivotal point of Estel, in that she can play extremely morose segments of songs, yet also contribute parts reminiscent of childhood lullabies at odd intervals, providing a bizarre and almost carnival-like feeling to the songs.
Andrew Bushe’s drum parts are tight, tasteful, groovy at times, and instill a solid backbone to the chaotic and dynamic progressions which encompass “The Bones of Something”, and without Bushe, these songs would not be as visceral as their destined outcome.
Mike Watt, legendary bassist and member of the Minutemen, fIREHOSE, and recently with The Stooges, contributes a spoken-word piece to the 4th track, “Regardez Moi (I’m Up to My Neck in Shit.) (Again.)”, which is a building & beautiful piece with a haunting keyboard melody which spirals into a guitar, bass, and drum-heavy onslaught, kicking into half-time, punishing the listener whilst Watt retreats vocally, then the band descends tastefully and lightly back into a skeleton of the initial melody, inviting Watt to enter once again, finishing the song amazingly.
Track 8, “The Twisted Brain Wrong of a One Off Man Mental” is a solid ending piece to the album which shows Steven Anderson’s bass-groove abilities and the gift to perpetuate a track which some may consider slightly stale in melody if it weren’t for his spectacular fretwork. O’Sullivan’s guitar-work is heavy rhythm-oriented and maintains the droning melody with Anderson bouncing in and out of major and minor keys, clashing with Ministry-esque samples of distorted laughing, Sheil’s keyboard strong-hold, guitar-feedback and Bushe’s eased-back drum beat, which all seem to fall away one at a time, slowly seeing to the demise of an enthralling song.
In short, Estel’s “The Bones of Something” is an uncompromising testament to the truly strange, beautiful, creative, and ultimately, disturbing.

road records

ALBUM OF THE WEEK: estel have been hinting at some really great things over the course of three previous albums but i have to say this new album has taken a giant step for them, they have truly honed their instrumental synth led sounds into something altogether original and highly entertaining, they take in some elements of the modern post rock sounds, some eighties keyboard led sounds and even some strange mutated version of a b movie horror soundtrack, the end result is one of the finest irish records of the year so far in my humble opinion and its always such a pleasure when something comes along and leaves me at odds to even try and describe on paper, there are lots of repetitive and explosive guitar led pieces slowly mutating into catchy synth chord progressions, the legendary mike watt of minutemen fame makes a sublime spoken word appearence on track four and after that all i can do is highly recommend you at least have a listen to this record as you will be very pleasantly surprised, the album is released on their own label little plastic tapes

norman records

now spooky irish rock or something like that from estel. it’s a weird post rocky album with moments of panicking beauty that if listened to on your ipod would make your walk home the most exhilarating and terrifying ever. sounds like meanwhile back in communist russia says phil. inside is a picture of a disemboweled teddy!!! they say this is a horror movie sound track… i say a traveling circus in the rain with the threat of mob violence, pick pockets and being spun around on the waltzers by the tattooed grease monkey as he feels you up. exhilarating!! ..

rimbaud records

estel have done it again!a new killer release on their own little plastic tapes label sees the 4 piece drift into a more lucid, dreamy nightmarish underworld of synth laden, drum reelin instrumentals.the art work is as screwed up as ever, brilliant but disturbed like the music within. mike watt makes an appearance also. pretty screwed up, psychedelia drenched punk rock going on here, with a touch of that swinging 1950’s old-time charm(?).get it you freak!

 

by cult/of/estel

DVD RELEASE ONE

[DVD – Little Plastic Tapes and Square Eyes Pictures-2005]

Little plastic video project volume one. contains live footage, videos, interviews, photos, art.


LIMITED EDITION RUN OF 70. OUT OF PRINT

by cult/of/estel

MY DREAMS ARE LIKE RABBITS,THEY BUILT A TUNNEL, FELL ONTO THE PAVEMENT AND DIED

[CD – Little Plastic Tapes 06 – Summer 2005]

Printed on compact disc in a run of 500. OUT OF PRINT.

Reviews.

Punk planet .u.s.a.

This Irish quartet plays dark, instrumental, goth rock. Angry at times, gloomy at others, they communicate these sentiments well with their urgent tempos, nimble guitar lines and dour melodies. It all gels together beautifully, creating a cathartic swell of emotion.

Unfit for consumption. Ireland (j.grimes)

Fuck you, estel folks, if you think for one second I’m going to type the whole title of your album. Who do you think you are, Fiona Apple? Jesus christ you freaks, it’s fucking three in the morning………Fuck you. Good album though. Yes dear reader, estel 2005 has developed fangs after years of having baby teeth, and they’re about to sink them into your face. Starting with the sound of a fire alarm in an operating theatre and finishing with a ghost having a nervous breakdown, estel’s third album expands on the uptight new wave and film soundtrack space outs of previous but also adds dashes of furious freewheeling punk (exhibit a: ‘little mucous monsters’), epic kraut- doom (I am but a vessel’) and genuinely creepy nursery rhymes (‘kings amongst men’). The new line up seems to have injected a venom and vigour that wasn’t previously there, guitars in particular coming a little more to the fore, and the bass work being a little more fluid. A stripped down D.I.Y. production and some amazing Sheil artwork complete a record that already sets a high standard for whatever else comes out of this country this year. If you liked estel before then you will love this, but more importantly if you didn’t this will be the album to convert you. Go see ‘em live as well, you’ll be surprised at how full on they’ve become. A belter.

Unfit for consumption. Ireland (n.McGuirk)

Estel have been a feature on the Dublin underground music scene for about eight years now. Fiercely independent, this is their third album. 8 songs of loud instrumental songs. With a nod to what is known as ‘kraut rock’ if I am to believe what I am told. The songs are a mix of manic drumming, catchy keyboard riffs, steady bass and striking guitars. They want your ears to explode when you listen to them. At times they do explode live and there is no need for the vocalist that so many bands have in their ranks. Estel speak with their actions and they are still speaking after all this time.

Slug and lettuce . u.s.a.

From the streets of Dublin comes this almost entirely instrumental band that has zero to do with penny whistles, fiddles or those hand held drums. It’s strange to me how a band from thirty years or so ago can seem to just within the last few years become so influential to so many new bands but that’s what goblin has done. Estel, much like goblin play creepy ambient music that could be a soundtrack to a film or a nightmare. Estel is not a carbon copy of goblin, they play faster and are less bass heavy. I hear some godspeed influences but estel reminds me more of fellow new school goblin worshippers, zombi but less ambient and without the full on synth. Estel’s synth elements are more stripped down and with a really nice tone. one of the things I like most about this recording is the xylophone which helps add to the creepy elements. Every song on this recording is long and epic. Only one has vocals which are more of creepy whispers and distorted screams than singing which fit’s the music pretty well. If you like your music dark and scary this is for you.

Rimbaud records list. Ireland.

Estel – My dreams are like rabbits,they built a tunnel,fell onto the pavement and died (Little Plastic Tapes) CDEstels 3rd album brand new and waiting for your praise!With a shift in the line up while keeping to their usual high standard, “My Dreams…” is an album to get easily hooked on – if you`ve heard the last album, you can expect some of the same twinned with some new kicks and sounds…if your not aquainted with Estel`s music than where the hell have you been hiding!?!Think driving rythems/soundscapes on a blanket of keyboards, drums guitars bass and god knows what other wierd sounds – some damn futuristic vibes coming off this album, not to mention to excellant sleeve art done by Estelian Sarah – for fans of ‘weird Twin Peaks space goth rock'(a genre yet to be invented but started on here!), Krautrock, Rock(!), DIY punk, Damaged 80`s synth sounds, Black Eyes, and of course Estel…i`m crap at reviews really – you`ll just have to check this out big time.Trust me, you`ll like it.

Norman records list .u.k.

The new album by estel is called; ‘my dreams…….’. imagine asking for that in your local woolworths!… and it doesn’t make sense- rabbits do build tunnels- I accept that, but do they fall on the pavement and die? Anyway, this is top instrumental kraut/ post rock along the lines of Electralane. There’s dynamics at work here and the drummer is all over his kit like a wild man. We’re fishing for comparisons- kling klang has been mentioned and someone just shouted trans am, so there.

Stick figure distro . u.s.a.

Ireland’s estel release for the world their third full length entitled…. It features eight tracks of estel’s well honed spacey keyboard driven instrumental, indieish rock music. The songs are well put together and have a driving sound. Good.

Road records list. Ireland.

The third full length album from this irish instrumental outfit- eighties instrumental new wave sounds meet lo- fi post rock.

by cult/of/estel

A GUIDE IN TIME OF GREAT DANGER

[CD – Little Plastic Tapes 05 – May 2003]

Printed on c.d. in a run of 1,000.

 
Reviews.

Hot Press Magazine – Review By Tanya Sweeney

Along with the likes of Jimmy Behan, Joan of Arse and Damien Frost, Estel are the much undervalued and underexposed anti-christs to the Frames, Mundy and Damien Rice�s hand-minging preachings.
This largely instrumental album, which is cut from the same cloth as the Redneck Manifesto and Godspeed You Black Emperor, is infused with a certain darkness, yet is stripped down, unpretentious, a beacon of lo-fi loveliness. It draws from an array of influences, uses various instruments to wonderous and unusual effect, and even the song titles display a gloriously unorthodox approach – where ‘Bang Bang No More Martini�, �King of Casual Vomit� and �Free Cyanide for the Rock Star Elite� originated from simply boggles the mind.
Their manifesto is, gladly, not to reach out to a mass audience willing to swallow any old record, but to address those who welcome a dash of Trans Am, Slits and Sonic Youth in their music. Needless to say, it�s a small, but perfectly formed audience, and they�ve been well rewarded. (7/10)

RTE ARTS website – Review By Sin�ad Gleeson

‘Post-rock’ is one of those nebulous terms often bandied about to describe instrumental, noisy guitar bands (see Redneck Manifesto). Dublin-based Estel are often tarred with just such a musical brush. Keen to sidestep this generality, the follow-up to their acclaimed debut ‘Angelpie I Think I Ate Your Face’, shows Estel to be supreme genre criss-crossers – and it’s not all instrumental.
Building on their post-punk noise retrospectives, they layer a huge range of instruments and styles to create a sound not much heard (or done so well) in Irish music today. ‘Drive Me To Hell’ kicks off with Andrew Bushe’s pounding drum intro before the grinding guitars roll in. It’s frantic stuff but then the pace switches completely with ‘Angels Pass Over At Twenty Past’.
With more than a nod to the keyboard quirkiness of the B-52s, this is rockabilly chic meets sci-fi kitsch. ‘The Girl Who Was Normal�’ is a fractious epic of twisted pockets of loud and quiet. One notable development from ‘Angelpie�’ is that the band have learned to temper their sound – if the guitars and drums sound like they’re taking over, Sarah Sheil’s sublime keyboards interject with style.
When an instrumental outfit enlists the help of guest vocalists, the results can pique curiosity, not just for the sound but the choice of singer. In this case, the two vocal tracks are very different contributions. The sombre, pensive tones of Adrian Crowley on ‘Electric Eels’ is an unexpected collaboration but it works well. In contrast, Hugh Holmes of The Waltons fronts the full-on aural assault of ‘My Raymond Is Contagious’, a track that grates from the opening screech.
The band themselves are not afraid to cite Krautrock as an influence and this is most obvious on the experimental antics of ‘King Of Casual Vomit’ and the retro keyboards of ‘Nuisance Midget’. Close your eyes and listen to ‘Only Some Are Shepherds’, and you could be listening to early Joy Division.
The excellently titled ‘I Have Drown Eyes’ is probably the best song on the album. Beautifully orchestrated, each instrument stands out and builds to form a perfect whole. There aren’t many bands toeing the instrumental line in Irish music. Too often it’s easier to draft in an average singer, fearing the music alone won’t stand up by itself. Not so with this band. This is an inventive assortment of tracks that wears its diverse influences proudly. Frequent faces on the live scene, Estel already have a dedicated following. If this album doesn’t win them an even bigger fanbase, there should be free cyanide for the non-believers�

Event Guide – Review By Dave Roberts

(Album received “Album of the Fortnight”)
Estel have been popping up on Road Relish, Lazybird, Foggy Notions, Ballroom of Romance and other compilations since the release of their snappily titled “Angelpie, I Think I Ate Your Face” album two and a half years ago. As such they’re stalwarts of an enthusiastic but often stifling underground scene.
This, their second album develop’s their sound considerably whilst still keeping both their feet in a late New Wave German Goth kind of sound, if you get what we mean. Too coherent and muscular to be post rock or lo fi and too dark to be just another jangly indie band, “A Guide in Time Of Great Danger” may not be their masterpiece but there’s certainly enough brave experimentation, fun and even some good tunes to lift it above the pack.
Opener “Drive me to Hell” starts with a tinny drum solo before bursting in to life and certainly reminds (as the press release says) of Can and Neu. There are moments where Estel could be mistaken for a New York indie band of the Eighties (Sonic Youth comes to mind more than a few times) but the highlight is Adrian Crowley’s vocal on the lovely “Electric Eels”, a wonderful acoustic song describing a city living in fear of a permanent flood. Closer “Free Cyanide For The Rock Star Elite” may be their best moment to date as the voice coder leans over a muscular workout, a throw back to the Eighties it may be (you can hear the Cure and Durriti Column) seeping through at every turn but Estel are developing a distinct and unique sound.
The sound of the underground… now that’s what we call indie…

Examiner – Leagues O’Toole

Sarah Sheil, Grainne Donohue, Andrew Bushe and Jamie Farrell have created a stylish and abrasive spectrum of art-rock, punk and wiry new wave sounds with an armoury of organs, pianos, guitars, effects, theremin and drums. Their new album, “A Guide in Time of Great Danger”, leaps way beyond anything they’ve done before.
It’s an album that is constantly evolving, changing, never resting in one particular tempo or sound for too long. You almost get the sense that Estel are playing live inside your CD player every time you press play…
…One of my favourites after repeated listens is ‘The Girl Who Was Normal Except When The Moon Was Out’. It starts steady and tentative, building a sense of expectancy and spooky anxiety for some five and a half minutes. Anyone looking for a sci-fi/horror/ thriller soundtrack could do a lot worse.

Collective Zine (UK) – Chris Bress

I never hear anything about Estel, and yet if they were from London or Manchester rather than Ireland I’m sure they�d be massive. They play dark indie rock which is so much more interesting than the current crop of NME bands. They would fit in really well in Nottingham, I can really imagine them playing gigs with Wolves of Greece, Punish the Atom, the Grips, Designer Babies and even Army of Flying Robots and sounding great. To me they sound a bit like Kling Klang as they have some definite Goblin moments but filtered through someone like (the American) Camera Obscura or even a little bit of Stereolab. Most tracks on this are instrumental so the tracks don�t get ruined by some silly indie pleb whining over the top and let their Doctor Who sci-fi indie just rock out in its own spacey way. The vocal tracks that are on this cd do however work, the singer sounds a little like Mark Kozelek (although not as good � but who is?).
Live, they were fucking great, so if you haven�t heard them send off a cheque and get this full length as its pretty fucking awesome!!

STNT (France) – Erwan

This new Irish rock combo (from Dublin) release a second record, more successfully realised than their first which came out 2 years ago… this one seeing a decided move into the realm of post-rock! Long passages approaching the hypnotic effect of 70s groups like Can or NEU with a modern guitar sound, that’s what the tone’s like. The musical vocabulary meanwhile angles towards noisy rock technique, with long tracks balancing psychedelia and “sci fi” atmospheres, where distorted guitar drags its feet between bass and keyboard/synthesiser (generating tones which are not always in the best possible taste… new wave and Tartempion). Pretty much successful tunes, 1 hour of music and therefore a record meant for those who have an ear for the Krautrock years, and who in particular aren’t afraid of instrumental rock (the dominant element here). Amateurs beware…

Eclectic Honey – Review by Michelle Dalton

Where Estel are concerned, post-rock seems far too lazy a tag to hang around their instrumental necks. A Guide in Time of Great Danger offers something much more expansive than that, whether it’s to be found in the unearthly death-rock exterior of opening track Drive Me To Hell or the array of cool electronics, which they lavish upon tracks like The Girl Who Was Normal Except�..When The Moon Was Out or Only Some Are Shepherds.
Songs like Nuisance Midget and King Of Casual Vomit instantly expose the band’s deep attention to detail in creating intricate instrumental pathways and carefully constructed labyrinths of keyboards, bass and guitar, coupled with elaborate and pounding drum beats, which are all fused together perfectly. To say that the closing and stand-out track Free Cyanide For the Rock Star Elite is of epic proportions is an understatement, offering an intense delivery that is consumed with both immense concentration and composure. The frenetic and ferocious My Raymond Is Contagious will already be familiar to some from its appearance on a previous 7″, but on A Guide In Time� the addition of vocals make it an even more vicious proposition.
For those who have already been converted to the realms of instrumental and post-rock workouts, A Guide In Time Of Great Danger is an essential addition, and for those who haven’t been hooked in yet, then this is quite possibly the album that will do so. Constantly changing allegiance between a hard-core post-punk aesthetic and a deep-rooted fragility, Estel effortlessly manage to offer both, with more style and substance than most, and that is ultimately what makes A Guide in Time of Great Danger such a stunning record.

by cult/of/estel

ANGELPIE, I THINK I ATE YOUR FACE

[LP/CD – Little Plastic Tapes 03 – Nov 2000]

Printed on 220grm vinyl in a run of 100. OUT OF PRINT.

Printed on c.d. in a run of 500. OUT OF PRINT.

 

 

REVIEWS;
Irish Times Newspaper – Review by Tony Clayton-Lea.

 

With the likes of Westlife on top of pop music charts worldwide, there is an anti-pop eager beaver mentality bubbling up in Ireland, a virtual underground ethos that mirrors punk rock’s financially unsound but creatively uplifting DIY spirit. Dublin band Estel belong to this adventurous class of 2000, a four piece who have fashioned a distinctive record brimming with artful, naive soundscapes and a willingness to push the envelope that older, more successful bands lost the will to push many years ago. Occasional failure, of course, goes with the territory but this is a moderate success, full of neat touches and sublime rackets.3 stars out of 5

Event Guide – Review By Paul Fogarty.

 

It is of course, stupid to call a bunch of kids making punk rock music (in the loosest possible sense), putting out seven inches and playing their own small gigs a ‘scene’, given a wildly divergent and eclectic range of bands now doing it, but there hasn’t been such a buzz around small Dublin bands in ages, and it shows in gig attendance and the sales of these low budget, high quality singles in Road records, who now have a section devoted entirely to them. However pleasurable a 7″ slab of is, it’s a short and sweet pleasure.Thank god Estel have weighed in with this fantastic 8 song debut, the kind of album that many will be sinking into and wrapping up warm with this winter.After releasing one of the very best singles of the year in the form of ‘One Deep Breath’, ‘Angelpie’ takes them a step further – an album brimming with confidence, packed with ideas, one which excites and emotes in equal measures and stands up to repeated listens effortlessly.Though this is what you could term ‘post-rock’, there is not a trace of derivativeness, as they put their own idiosyncratic spin on the genre. So ‘Nutpufragies’ opens up the album with an understated, low key symphonic sweep, locking into the kind of beautiful, circular drones that Spacemen 3 excelled at. This carries into the odd ‘Little Red Rock Star’, with it’s rolling piano and mysterious spoken word vocal. The wonderfully titled ‘Someone Should Blow that Sick Fuck Out of his Socks’ starts off with a space pop drone of organ, before a savage, jarring two note riff kicks off and helps it build to a noisy overpowering ending. ‘Push The Nut Button’ is a brattier punkier take on ‘You Make Me Realise’ era My Bloody Valentine, all dense, layered noise that Mogwai would be proud of.The sometimes frustrating lo fi production and obvious reference points aside, Estel already sound like they could be huge, if not in sales then in musical stature. As the beautiful closer ‘The Langoliers’ sends us dreamily on our way in an echo of spectral guitar and piano and another serene yet surreal word vocal.Estel have their little flaws, but ‘Angelpie’ is quite, quite enchanting. Be enchanted

Hot Press Magazine – Review By Eamon Sweeney.

 

Art punk soundsculptors Estel have already wowed and wooed a limited edition legion of ardent admirers with a lovingly homecrafted and homemade 7″. Now it’s debut album time and the artifact in question, Angelpie I think I Ate Your Face, is worthy of the wait and expectation.It slides into life on ‘Nutpufragies (by the sea)’with the gentle and gorgeous synthesized strings and one of the most distinctive drumming styles you’ll find this side of Steve Shelley or Todd Trainer. Estel explore all the creepy possibilities making a lovely racket involves – at times a dreamy (‘Little Red Rock Star’), sometimes cacophonous (‘Push the Nut Button’) and occasionally utterly sublime (‘Homebase’, ‘Chronicles of Naz’).’Chronicles of Naz’, in particular, is an awesome five minute snapshot of a band unit completely coming in to their own. Spooky nursery keyboard chimes and delicate guitar strokes are punctuated by a magnificently moody bassline and another superb drumming performance. And to beautifully cap it off, a long and lovely electronic hum of an outro is haunting in the extreme.’Someone Should Blow That Sick Fuck (Out Of His Socks)’ would be prime candidate of an instrumental anthem to have ’em air-guitaring in the aisles, even if the primal guitar riff is a little too reminiscent of the Mogwai classic ‘Christmas Steps’. It is very easy to forgive Estel for the minor blip, because Angelpie… is virtually faultless, and when was the last time you heard a first album this good? A weird, wonderful and wicked debut.10/12

Komakino zine – Italy.

 

From Ireland with sweetness, exactly from Roscommon and Dublin, Estel are young art-rock heroes, spleen made music, dividing up this CD between instrumental (the most) and not. Homebase has been the first ever song i heard, brilliant, cleverly simple in it’s melancholy, the tender affection of a girl, on a few guitar notes, a delicate piano, and the final load of percussions. A song like that has been sufficient to convince me they are a deeply inspired group. And anyway, the mastered CD i got is proof of that. Released last year, distributed by Cargo in the UK and No Idea in the USA. It collects some inner indie music with a new-wave background (especially on bass and keyboards) as with The Langoliers, One Deep Breath, unhappy nocturnal flowers-musique look promising.

Reason To Believe zine – Leeds, UK – Review By Cath O Connor.

 

10 tracks of beautiful, predominantly instrumental, meanderings from these Irish heroes and heroines. The keyboards reminded me a little of the music from Halloween – eerie and somewhat enchanting. Not the best production in the world, but this is masked by the gentle abstract noise that can be slightly surreal at times. Music I could go to sleep to …(as long as I had teddy moose close by.)

Monograph zine #2 – Shropshire, UK.

 

It’s great when you stumble across something really special isn’t it? Estel are a great new band from Dublin who are making really inspiring music.They sound vaguely postrock, but far from introverted, as much of the genre tends to be, instead being highly uplifting and life affirming. This is achieved by beautiful melodies and softly sung vocals. Estel set themselves apart by their unusual use of keyboards, which are high up in the mix and feature very centrally to the whole album. Guitars are also used,and the two instruments weave together to produce very original music. Unusually for a postrock band, girls feature in the lineup, which considering the general sexism of the genre is also really inspiring. Estel are really worthy of your attention, and deserve more attention in this country. Go and see them when they tour here with Unwound!

INSOUND – NYC, USA.

 

“angelpie” is definitely an impressive debut that will make fans of the shoe-gazer meets dreamy pop meets primarily spacey instrumental music happy.
by cult/of/estel

TRUE STORIES / MY RAYMOND IS CONTAGIOUS

[7″ E.P. – Little Plastic Tapes 04 – Jul 2002]

Printed on vinyl in a run of 200. OUT OF PRINT.

 

Reviews.

Eclectic Honey.com – Review By Michelle Dalton

Estel are essentially a strange proposition. Somehow they seem to be clinging onto post-rock; offering cut-up melodies, semi-chunks of growling riffs, thumping stop-start instrumentals. Yet at the same time, they seem to be doing something completely different. They’re not a post-rock band but really there’s no other word to describe them – they are taking math-rock, chopping it into pieces, using the bits they like and then running off to find the old Casio keyboards that Grandaddy are finished playing with, and using them to fill in the gaps.
It’s true to say that with most 7″ records there is always one side that tends to usually be face up on your record player. However Estel’s inventive thirst and inability to do anything that isn’t soaked in originality ensures that ‘True stories’ and ‘My Raymond is contagious’ easily match each other, with the result that I’m constantly flipping the record over. I can’t wait for a new band to appear that sound a bit like this irish fourpiece so that then we can all call them Estel-esque, and coin a new word for a sound that is almost impossible to describe. But right now I don’t know what words to use to describe Estel, apart from absolutely stunning.

Collective Zine (UK) – Review by Andy Malcolm

Now this is pretty good, though it took me a while to work out what speed to play it at. 45rpm sounded slightly too fast, and 33rpm was too slow, but now I am pretty sure that it is 45, apologies to the band if it is not, I can always write the review again. It still sounds slightly too quick, it is going to give me asthma.
Anyway, the first song is an energetic instrumental number, the…awesome, I just found out it comes with an envelope in the packaging. Emo bastards. Weird, it just has flyers in it. Anyway, back to the song, which is built up of bass, drums, keyboards and guitar, though the bass and keyboards are the most prominent, driving everything along with a kind of manic glee “mwahaha, I will not stop! I will not stop! not until you expire and wheeze my little asthmatic chum!” is what they are saying, if you play the record backwards. The second song, obviously entitled “My Raymond is contagious” (whose isn’t?), assures me that I have it on the right speed when they come out of the gate with the reptetitious post-rock guitar riffs, building things up with the keyboards and drums and it kind of makes me think of spies or something, also the keyboard is very spooky.
Overall I find this band as very much fitting in with stuff like Reynolds or Hirameka Hifi but coming at it from a different angle. That should be a guideline as to whether it’s up your street or not. I thought this was cool anyway, I haven’t heard this sort of thing for a while. Apparently they are touring the UK in the summer so go and see them.

K-Fuel – French on-line zine

So what is this fresh wind that reaches us from Ireland, this light breeze that blows from a country of warriors? These activists from Dublin have already passed the stage of bringing a debut album to see the light of day, an album that set the local press on fire.
Previewing the release of a second album this year,these two tracks provide serious stepping stones that will broaden their horizons like magic.Two women , two men, one guitar, a bass, drums and keyboards. Not a hint of vocals.The scene is set. I don’t know why but Estel remind me of S.Process,an American group that they surely would not have heard of, like the rest of the planet, by the way!
They have a similar way of bringing across a fake groovy rythmn and staying hypnotic while the keyboard (and the similarity stops here) weaves a melody that is particularly heady on ‘True stories’.
On first impressions , they are light and delicate but the structures are solid, the ensemble organic and these two compositions are particularly catchy.And so the trap closes!

Foggy Notions Magazine

Estel are a shit cool post-punk band… …their 7″ is one of their best recordings, dripping with Sonic Youth does John Barry Swank

Vital Music Distro, USA

Moody sexy intrumentals in the Young Marble Giants 80’s postpunk from this Irish male/female quartet. Superb packaging with goodies and a mystery envelope. What’s inside? Money?…

Event Guide – Review By Lee Casey

Estel make a welcome return with a double A-sided 7″ ‘True stories’/My Raymond is contagious’ (Little Plastic Tapes). Their first new release for quite a while, it continues their signature approach of rhythmic, atmospheric, vaguely post punk instrumentals but highlights a development in both musicianship and confidence.

Reason to Believe (UK) – Review by Cath O’Connor

I really like Estel. They make me think of action chases in thrillers. Definitely more �Murder, Mystery, Suspense� than �Murder She Wrote� though. They put me a bit on edge. I think its the keyboards that give the record its eerie feel over the cool repetitive droning a la Neu. Not bad!

X-Mist (Germany)

New single by these girls & boys from Dublin,Ireland! Excellent post-rockish music, influences by the likes of Mogwai… but with an uplifting and dynamic atmosphere! A pretty nice one, with smart instrumental music!

Unfit for Consumption – Review by Trevor Meehan

Two track 7″ from these creative boys and girls that make up Estel. The upbeat “True Stories” kicks side A off, as the bass and drums drive it along, the eerie keys do their best to be as creepy as hell. Side two holds “My Raymond Is Contagious”, another upbeat number, but with much deeper keyboards than “True Stories”. It’s post-rock meets new-wave. The snazzy artwork rounds off a fine 7″ with a fine touch being the small envelope inside, which holds recording and band info.
For me Estel keep getting better and better with every release and are definitely a band out their on their own.