CD REVIEW

 Alcatraz Swim Team - On the Outskirts

 ALCATRAZ Swim Team's debut album is a thing of sparse but polished beauty, a rarity for a small town band. They wear their influences on their sleeves; a little bit of Leftfield, a decent dose of Massive Attack and a smattering of Goldie Lookin' Chain - but their sound is very much their own.

 Sparse and lyrical, the two piece band employs an eclectic collection of vocalists, from rappers Harry G and Mr Mustn't, whose contribution Umm... is one of the highlights of the album, to three different female vocalists, Buce, Claire and Miriam. On the Outskirts deals, by turns wittily and tenderly, with the minutiae of life, the overwhelmingly post-modern sense of ennui and how to deal with it. Like Leftfield, Alcatraz Swim Team mix brittle rapping in with blissfully laid back numbers, such as Aqui, sung hauntingly by Buce.

 It never feels forced - too often this sort of eclectic mixture seems to be stuck together with Superglue, but On the Outskirts flows together seamlessly, despite the occasional lyrical hiccup. Alcatraz Swim Team achieve a clarity of sound and vision that could make them very well known, should this CD get them the recording deal they deserve. In the meantime, this is the best pop album by a Stroud band I have ever heard. Go and buy it.

 8/10. Adam Horovitz


LIVE REVIEWS

Unsigned Magazine - Frogfest gig.

Unsigned Magazine: April 25th 2007.
Alcatraz Swim Team at The Forg & Fiddle, Cheltenham (4th Feb 2007).
words by Oliver Mintz-Lowe
 
Today, the music industry is over-flowing with unoriginal bands. Those who are simply prepared to dish out carbon copies of current 'scene' music in a vain attempt to gain a bit of popularity. So tonight's set from Alcatraz Swim Team is incredibly refreshing for many reasons. On a line-up of six fairly good bands, they are by far the most creative and innovative, which combined with a fantastic set ensures they go down a storm with the crowd.

Essentially they have three fixed members on stage, playing guitar, laptop, synth & decks. This provides the core sound; pounding drum machine beats, combined with crunchy walls of distortion and angular electronic soundscapes. Then you have four rotating vocalists to add yet more depth to the bands foundations.

The set begins with Harry G and Mr. Mustn't onstage, who produce a high octane trip hop/grime element to the band with their aggressive vocal deliveries, allowing the synths to whirl along in a siren-esque manner. Just over half the set however, AST are female fronted, which acts as the calm before the storm, pushing the sound more towards the atmospheric space rock sound, giving distinct nods to the likes of Massive Attack & Portishead.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the set, is the fact they've proceeded two screamo bands, and are on a bill which is generally very rock orientated. Often bands who attempt such a diverse and experimental sound will be received in somewhat of a perplexed manner by crowds at this sort of event, but the euphoric response from virtually everyone tonight only proves further how immaculate their performance is.  (9)


SNJ - Stroud Fringe Festival

Alcatraz Swim Team - King Street stage - Sunday (9th Sept 2007).
words by James Davies

An air of expectation oozed from the bustling crowd which gathered at the intimate King Street stage. Many were faithful AST disciples, who primed the unenlightened and curious for the show ahead with repeated chants of the band's three initials.

Momentum is clearly building with every performance for this group, who have mastered the ability to fuse wide-ranging influences - hip-hop, classical, rock and dance are sampled, spliced and rewoven into a polished, silky offering.

And while they have a self-declared ambition to emulate Bristol's genre-defying epic music pioneers, Massive Attack, AST succeed in creating a powerful sound which is fresh, stirring and at times haunting.

The soaring vocals of Lauren Candler and Buce fluctuate between unstoppable wall of sound and delicate hymn - providing the perfect foil to the combative, evocative, and in parts political, lyrical assault of MCs Harry G and Mr Musn't.

The set order meant it was a few tracks before the crowd felt the full force of a would-be AST anthem but few would have looked back after its arrival.