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Christmas 86 EP review – Ech(((o)))es & dust
Just as ‘Calaveras’ release from last year was my early Christmas present, so happy I was to hear I get to get another one from the same band this year! ‘Christmas 86’ (nomen omen) is a 5 track EP from Upcdownc, released not even half a year after their recent full album. The technical, boring details are: 5 tracks, 3 of them brand new, one live and the title track being an old friend from ‘Calaveras’.
The thing is, I would really love to find out what and whereabouts in the world happened during the title Christmas in 1986! I have to say that during reviewing ‘Calaveras‘ and cracking the Mexican death skull under-theme, that particular song, with this particular title, just didn’t really follow the whole thing. I guess the EP is the answer. And even though the band’s sound is still as distinctive, there’s something different about this release’s tone.
Call me crazy, but with this title in mind, I can really hear nostalgia. The guitar melodies just take me back a few years, creating an imaginary memory of some really good family times (imaginary is the key word here). Opening title track introduces the spacious, melancholic, high pitched melodies that start to paint the post-rock picture of the good old 80s. Apart from the band’s signature unique electronic guitar sound, we’ve got some cymbals and some bells… ‘Scott Jason Smith’ (sounds like a tribute to a fellow Kent born comic artist, also a child of the 80’s) follows the theme. ‘The Gun’, a teeny piece of music (a whole 00:21) is an intermission, reminding us of the soundtracks to spaghetti westerns. The jingling bells in ‘Omni Rock’ add this unbeatable 80’s kitsch factor, but they are placed and blended in so precisely that it simply makes perfect sense. ‘Dad Rock (live)’ obviously sounds a bit rough compared to the recorded and produced rest of the EP, but then again – we have a Dad joining the scene and the Christmas family picture is complete.
‘Christmas 86’ is then a yet another really well thought of release. Upcdownc’s sound is already known for it’s freshness thanks to how they use their guitars. This time around we’ve got some rather unique instrumental additions that help to paint the 80s nostalgic, winter musical landscape. After all you don’t get jingle bells in post rock every day do you?
Christmas 86 EP review – Nine Hertz
UpCDownC have been ploughing their own individual furrow since 2000, and with their fourth album ‘Calavera’ last year, this is a brief, but fantastic follow-up EP.
Reviews of post rock music or music that is simply instrumental often refer to epic crescendos, a sense of building emotion and the like and I’d love to make this one different, but UpCDownC play a Mogwai and This Will Destroy You-like sound so well, that’s exactly what occurs.
What I will say though is they do a lot more than the average instrumental and thoughtful band can normally be bothered to do. There’s sections of percussion taking over and the individual players are combining their efforts, rather than plodding along together with the same riff. The effect is a shimmering water ripple effect that brings to mind a passing shower, pleasant and reinvigorating.
They can turn it unpleasant too, the end of ‘Scott Jason Snith’ cranks up the distortion and unusual time signatures to create an off-kilter section that grabs your attention.
A special mention must also go to the 21-second track ‘the Gun’ which sounds like a burst of Ennio Morricone before the slow-burning and Boards Of Canada-esque ‘Omni rock’ kicks in.
It all ends with a live track to, the excellently-named ‘Dad Rock’ which is a bit more straight-ahead and angrily resonant. the stuttering staccato riffage on display here is probably more interesting than the calm of the EP, but the whole works together.
Another excellent release from Field Records, can’t wait to hear what they send us next.
Christmas 86 EP review – Music News
Score: 3/5
UpCdownC is a four-piece band that call Kent home. They’ve been making instrumental music together since 2000. The oddly named Christmas 86 is a follow up to Cavaleras, the quartet’s prior full-length. This new EP is named after a song of the same name, which clocks in at a long 8:49.
Sure, eight minutes is a long time for a song. And while it is the longest track on this five-song EP, UpCdownC is a group that seems to love extended instrumentals. “Dad Rock,” which was recorded live, lasts over seven minutes, while “Omni Rock” pushes the envelope to just over eight minutes. All of which makes one wonder whatever happened during “The Gun,” a kind of abbreviated spaghetti western snippet that takes a mere 21 seconds to complete. What, did the group just get bored with it?
There is a bit of the jam band mentality running through the collective UpCdownC mind, it’s true. However, something like “Omni Rock” includes repeated rhythmic/melodic guitar figures that sound a little like some of the classical pieces Philip Glass is famous for.
The fun thing about UpCdownC is that these musicians do not play typical rock & roll. You won’t hear many blues grooves or classic rock riffs. Only “Dad Rock” sounds like it might fit onto a typical rock radio playlist. Instead of doing what’s expected of them, they treat electric guitars as though they’ve never heard them played before. Therefore, the music comes off fresh. These instrumentals sometimes create the same sort of moods that classical music can. Instead of spelling things out, UpCdownC create music that causes the listener to use his or her imagination. Sadly, there is very little music like that in the world today. The best thing about Christmas morning is finding an unexpected gift under the tree. Christmas 86 is just such an unexpected treat.
Dan MacIntosh
Calaveras review – Lords of Metal
It happens rarely that I receive a post-rock record, so I was positively surprised when I got this disc in. With this disc, the quartet from Kent, England release their seventh record so far. I am a big fan of post-rock, but what is it exactly? The post-term might be the most vague way to describe a genre. Is it what came after rock? But what is it now then?
Ah well. Just for the sake of ease; for me this is the genre where giants like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Gregor Samsa and others succeed in releasing a (usually) instrumental, grotesque wall of sound and varying this habitually with ambient-ish passages. Just as UpCDownC does. ‘Calaveras’, the title of this album, is a reference to the Mexican ‘Día De Muertos’, or the day of the dead, which is something that always fascinated me. I expected a darker tinted album, where the theme would have been customarily used but sadly this is not the case. It would have been wonderful! Luckily, these gentlemen succeed in lifting themselves above the gigantic pile or mediocre bands in this genre, which is quite impressive. Acoustic guitar is being combined with banjo and electric guitar tremolo work, electronic passages and the whole is a travel through sadness, joy, life, death and everything around it. A very impressive album and I will definitely listen to it more often.
Sir Blastalot speaks: 75/100
Calaveras review – Silent Ballet
Score: 7.5/10
The evolution of a band is a funny thing. Assuming that a group even sticks around long enough to have a career arc in the first place, and excluding trend-hoppers, it usually follows one of two well-trodden paths: do the same thing over and over until the band burns out, or slowly change from A into B. Then there’s Upcdownc, who doesn’t seem to give a damn about consistency or gradual change. I imagine many readers can remember Embers, and how it blew us away, how it seemed to signal at the time a rising star in the world of post-rock. Then we got Firewolf, which, while good, left us scratching our heads at the dramatic stylistic shift. Now there’s this, Calaveras. Long and short, those who didn’t like Firewolf probably won’t like this, but there’s no denying that there’s been a pretty tremendous growth in the the quality of that sound.
Unlike the band’s first two albums, which were clearly post-rock, Upcdownc’s Firewolf attempted to shift the focus to heaviness, or grit, or some other similar concept, and in the process most of what had made its predecessors successful records was sacked. Track lengths were trimmed, and the tracks themselves didn’t seem to be as fully fleshed out as they previously had been. New sonic elements – vocals, especially screamed, and extra heaviness – were off-putting to some of the post-rock faithful, and they won’t be coming back for this one either. Most of the other weaknesses that hampered Firewolf have been straightened out, though. Calaveras is still a heavy record with compact songs that shares little with ‘post-rock’ as we know it, but the songwriting is much improved. Opener ‘Sky Net’ is fairly disposable as a stand-alone track, but it functions well as a fully-composed opener: it sets the tone of the album and flows into the first proper track, ‘Sons of the Desert’. And here, a line break is necessary.
‘Sons of the Desert’ and ‘Wolves in the Walls’ will rock your face off.
The guitar sound makes it clear that, while indebted to metal in some form, neither of these tracks (nor the rest of the album, in fact) are interested in reproducing or participating in that scene. The first sounds like an alt-rock-tinged Mogwai piece at points before veering hard into Pelican-style twin-guitar riffing, yet neither reference really does justice to the way Upcdownc has distinguished itself in this case. These riffs are definitely imports from the world of hard rock, and the band’s use of effects – the importance of basic sound – helps them remake the riff in their own idiom. Like wise, ‘Wolves’ is straight metallic hardcore out of the gate before a really tasteful and excellent sounding acoustic transition shifts the mood. In fact, most of the band’s best moments seem to fall in this vein, and the easiest referent, awkward though it is, is the alternative rock scene of the early 1990′s, particularly grunge. There is sort of a refracted line of decent from Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Green River, and Melvins in a fair bit of the record, which could easily come off as nostalgic once it is recognized, but it instead seems to anchor the band and provides a base from which to launch Upcdownc’s various experiments.
On the other hand, there is a clear resurgence of the more obvious post-rock style on tracks like ‘Monumental Mood Shift,’ ‘Christmas 86,’ and ‘(the plains) skeletal.’ Here, the guitars take on that hyper-clean, reverberating sound that groups like The Workhouse treat as gospel. The first of these tracks is virtually indistinguishable from the output of Maybeshewill – arguably this is Calaveras’ weakest moment. The other two tracks on that list are more distinct, but still less immediate or gritty. Even here, though, the band seems intent on reminding the listener this is not the same Upcdownc, so ‘Christmas 86′ nods vaguely at alt rock again and ‘skeletal’ doesn’t wait for the halfway point before kicking it into balls-out rock. Clean vocals grow into a scream, clean guitars become increasingly distorted, and cymbals get smashed with greater frequency as the latter track wears on.
The outlying tracks, ‘Roman Horses’ and closer ‘Sky Net (reprise)’ will probably be polarizing for their aesthetics, but both are well conceived, composed, and constructed, so a little forgiveness for their eccentricities isn’t unreasonable. The biggest takeaway from Calaveras is that Upcdownc is a very different band from what it was in 2008, and the records from that era a probably not a reasonable reference point either for comparison or for future expectations, and frankly, that’s okay. Calaveras – which means ‘skull’ in Spanish and refers to the Mexican Day of the Dead – is not as mesmerizing as Embers, but it is a thoroughly engaging record that improves on the blueprint of Firewolf and shows that Upcdownc is both anxious and able to adapt as creative circumstances demand. I for one will be happy to stick around for whatever that means in the future.
-Lee Stablein
Live Review – Chameleon, Nottingham – Notts about Rock
With the clock almost striking midnight, Kent’s upcdownc (formerly upcdowncleftrightcabc+start, Google it if you don’t get the reference) close the night out for us. Since their last show at the Chameleon, the band have released another full length album, Calaveras, and so it is a good opportunity to see some new material from a band who have now been playing shows for several years. This fact shines through in the performance, which is confident, professional and emotional. The band has experimented with many different styles across their 4 albums, so in the space of a 40 minute set we were treated to gentle, ambient introductions, melodic keyboard parts, droning guitars and intense drumming, which concluded with an almost apocalyptic wall of noise and all 4 members of the band breaking drumsticks left, right and centre, in a scene more akin to a military tattoo than a rock gig. The set once again leaves those in attendance with very little doubt upcdownc are one of the premier bands in the UK Post-Rock scene, and quite simply you should go and see them whenever you can. The comment I heard from someone as they were leaving the show was ‘that has just rewritten the rulebook for how I rate gigs’. I think that says it all.
Calaveras review – Rocksound
‘We’ve long been championing UpCDownC here at Rock Sound Towers, and with good reason. Bolstering their eclectic post-rock with heavy riffs, the Kent four-piece have always been unafraid to kick down the barricades and push the boundaries. So when the dreamy Fleet Foxes-esque ‘Roman Horses’ plugs straight into the metronomic electro-pulse of ‘Sky Net’, it’s no great surprise. When they touch base with sorely-missed UK riff-monsters Capricorns in one song, then go all Múm with xylophones and crackle ‘n’ crunch electronics the next, it’s no great surprise. When UpCDownC put out another great album it’s no great surprise.’ 8/10
Calaveras review – Bearded magazine
Mixing elements of both post and stoner rock, UpCDownC (or to give them their full title upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start) return with their 4th album ‘Calaveras’. The previous four being well received by critics and fans a like, it would be damn shame if the latest offering from this 4 piece (previously 5) from Kent be anything less.
Thankfully being minus one in number has not adversely effected another strong effort. Both live drums and loops drive compliment the song structures well, and whilst the producton treads the boundary between under-produced and raw, thinly at times, it is refreshingly honest. The swirling synths & arpeggio guitar bring to mind a piece of apocalyptic science fiction written in the past but set in the future. A moron might call it post-futurism – and gritty post-futurism at that. Like that zone in the crystal maze. If you’re into that sort of thing.
And they will not sit still with an idea. As quick as one down tempo prog chord pattern settles, it’s replaced with a pounding simplistic riff. Because any one section rarely repeats itself, it can be tough to really latch onto a song, particularly during a casual listen. Equally however, it’s impossible to get bored when nothing average outstays it’s welcome, and anything good leaves you wanting more.
‘Wolves In The Walls’ is a prime example. Initially underwhelming, it undergoes a metamorphosis and becomes an aggressive powerhouse and probably the standout on the record. It’s a bit like standing in a corridor between Explosions In The Sky and Kyuss shows.
At first, it’s easy to wonder whether they are a bit confused, or overcomplicating things, but after a few tracks it becomes apparent that they know exactly what they’re doing and what’s more, UpCDownC are pretty damn good at it.
Calaveras review – Incendiary mag
A fine record made by a fine and long standing band, and this release is maybe the favourite of all the things I’ve heard of theirs. It’s a record of remarkable breadth, they have a magnificent track called (and sounding like a) Monumental Mood Shift and this could be the key phrase for this LP.
Starting off with the pulverising and relentless Sky (the drumming sounds like an operating an industrial pressing machine) and followed up by a sloth rock of Sons of the Desert – a mix of gargantuan gestures and growling, post metal chord shapes with reflective passages that get almost pastoral – the record only really starts to get unhinged and loose with the marvellous Wolves in the Walls, which starts of like a true hell raiser, driven by a mix of and some throat shredding screams. Suddenly we’re off to Led Zep III territory and I’m expecting someone to get a lute out. Luckily we get a battery of metal laying waste to any hippy dippy stuff. It’s obvious, overblown and very much the sort of revenge soundtrack for a bedridden gaming addict. And despite being momentarily packed off to a more subdued landscape, we are sent scurrying yet again as the record builds to a climax. The pastoral side gets an airing almost immediately in the raggle-taggle gipsy stylings of Roman Horses which comes straight out of the English Pastoral tradition, though there is a metal buzz that invades before the end. We love it.
Elsewhere a monumental noise and beauty is captured (almost to perfection) by Monumental Mood Shift and quiet reflections are beautifully played out with Spectral Fires and Sky Net. Christmas 86 is some track too, beginning in the same tremulous manner as British Sea Power’s True Adventures and becoming a wistful, dreamy essay that just keeps on going. Following that (The Plains) Skeletal is a dry and increasingly powerful work out that hits a high point midway through with a tremendous wall of guitar. Sky Net brings everyone down to Earth again.
Calaveras review – Scene point blank
At the rate I’m going, I’m going to seriously depreciate the value of the phrase ‘like Mogwai, only better.’ Then again, it’s not exactly my fault that it’s such an easy status to obtain (*zing*). The latest band to fall under this label, Kent-based post-rockers up-c down-c left-c right-c abc + start (thank god they’re now going by simply UpCDownC), continue to raise their bar with the release of their fourth studio album, Calaveras.
The best thing about this album is that Up C Down C are absolutely full of ideas, and each piece is crammed full of curve balls designed to throw you off. It feels like the band are trying to strike a balance between their earlier, more majestic and delicate works and their recent, drastically more compact and abrasive material. The spirit of the album is probably best captured with the aptly-titled track ‘Monumental Mood Shift.’ The song starts off with a brief, moderate march before turning into a heavy metal rocker, and then promptly shifts into a 5/4 buildup; the best part is that we’re still not even half way through the track. And it’s not isolated to that track alone, either; just try listening to ‘Wolves in the Walls.’ The piece starts out with guttural screaming and furious riffing (Ã la Firewolf, fittingly enough), but then drops out to almost nothing, rebuilding itself back up into the most oddly-placed-yet-still-effective talk box solos I’ve ever heard.
Of course, not all of the pieces are as chaotic as that – ‘Sky Net’ is a short, electronic-based sketch, and ‘Roman Horses’ is a simple, pastoral acoustic interlude. And of course, tracks like ‘Christmas ’86′ and ‘Sons of the Desert’ aren’t much more than your standard, sweet post-rockers; they would’ve sounded right at home on Embers or And the Battle Is Won. It’s good to know that even amongst their continued stylistic growth, these guys still have time to continue writing some of the music that made them popular in the first place.
UpCDownC have really exceeded expectations here. This is a truly well-done album that is not only incredibly rewarding to listen to, but gets better with every listen. If you enjoyed the styles they experimented with in Firewolf but resented the runtime, then you’ll definitely enjoy Calaveras. Actually, I highly recommend it for all fans of post-rock or indie rock alike. It’s not a good starter album, but anyone who’s listened to enough of the genre to have a good understanding of it will find Calaveras remarkable.
8.5 / 10
Calaveras review – Rough Trade
A four piece kent group, upcdownc have toured and shared influences with the likes of 65 days of static, oneida, kinski and damo suzuki while honing their own distinctive brand of drawn out doom and sheer eviscerating catharsis. ‘calaveras’ is the group’s fourth long player and shows a growth in the dynamics of the instrumental interplay. a lesson in high drama, upcdownc take the traditional guitar band formula and wrench new emotional depth from the strings and skins.
Calaveras review – Glasgow Podcart
When I noticed UpcDowncLeftcRightcabc+start’s album was up for review I picked it out as fast as I could. There are a number of reasons why; firstly, I love post-rock and everything associated with it. Secondly, UpcDowncLeftcRightcabc+start are one of my favourite band names, possibly because the video game geek in me gets the reference. ‘Tertiary’, I fucking love post-rock! So I was pretty excited to get going with ‘Calaveras’, the band’s third (fourth if you include ‘Embers’) album.
The album opens with the electro-infused ‘Skynet’, a nice Terminator reference but also sounds like it should be in the movie. This is followed by ‘Sons of the Desert’, which begins with something of a resemblance to Pelican’s more melodic efforts, but slowly builds to crashing intensification with much heavier, darker guitar riffs. Also surprisingly short, at a mere 4 minutes 15 seconds. In the very next song, however, UpcDownc (as they shall now be shortened to) really kick in to gear.
‘Wolves in the Walls’ grabs your attention instantly like a swift kick to the danglies. Some impressive screams of the title, surrounded by a pretty chunky bassline lure you in immediately. As with most post-rock songs, it’s all crescendos and diminuendos, but you’re still hooked in the slower parts and are thoroughly rewarded with the expertly polished second half of this song. I’m looking forward to hearing this live, because I’m sure it’ll sound incredible.
After that ball buster, the album takes a change in direction with ‘Roman Horses’. The delightful acoustic guitars, playful banjo and vocal harmonies prove there’s more than meets the eye (or ears) to these post-rock stalwarts. It doesn’t last however, and is followed by a tremendous change with the track ‘Monumental Mood Shift’. A song that does exactly what it says, and the juxtaposition between this and the previous track doesn’t feel forced, infact almost necessary. This track really epitomises the genre, and how a song can grow and create an atmosphere that is so absorbing you can’t help but get caught up in it.
We come next to ‘Spectral Fires’, a short yet whimsical effort with the returning electro feel, but combined with the heavenly guitar it’s far from pointless. This track is followed by ‘Christmas ’86′ which is, if not quite an ode, certainly a tip of the hat in the general direction of Explosions in the Sky. I know, I know, a comparison to Explosions was inevitable, but it certainly has that ambiance about it. That something can resemble Explosions is never a bad thing people.
The penultimate track on ‘Calaveras’ is ‘(The Plains) Skeletal’, complete with unnecessary parentheses. I wanted to avoid making comparisons to other bands, but I couldn’t help it, the opening of this has Red Sparowes all over it. Again, not entirely a bad thing. The lyrics are lost somewhat in the crashing symbols and catchy riffs; however it’s another fine example of why UpcDownc has lasted for over a decade in a pretty uncompromising genre. The album closes with ‘Skynet (reprise)’, complete with necessary parentheses. Back with the electro feel, it does round off the album with a sense that it’s gone full circle, tying it all up in a neat bow.
For post-rock lovers, it’s been an excellent year for new releases. From the previously mentioned Explosions in the Sky, to the deceptively dark cacophonies of ‘Tunnel Blanket’ by This Will Destroy You, and of course our very own sexy bastards Mogwai. All wonderful bands with outstanding albums, and whilst UpcDownc don’t quite have the same standing within the genre as they do, ‘Calaveras’ certainly doesn’t look out of place alongside them on your playlist.
Iain Valentine
Calaveras review – Echoes and Dust
There are rare moments in life when you receive an assignment that turns out to be as good as a Christmas present – that was precisely my case with the new Upcdownc album. My story with them is typical and proves that ‘last.fm’ as my religion choice on facebook is not an exaggeration. Every now and again I take whatever my last.fm homepage tells me to listen to for gospel and simply do it. That’s how I got addicted to Maybeshewill and that’s how I came across a new band with long and weird name with no spaces in it. I launched the artist’s radio every time I got stuck with no new sounds to nurture my ears and every single time when one of their songs came on I’d be thrilled. I remained an ignorant when it comes to their discography, probably due to the fact that last.fm scrobbles them as Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start and this did not come up in any search engine I’ve tried. So when I saw ‘Calaveras’ in my Dropbox I got ridiculously overexcited. When I played the first track I got excited even more. And after a good few listens (last.fm will tell you exactly how many) I got stuck with what to *really* say about it – and then I discovered I’ve been listening to it in alphabetical song order and that answered the question of why it didn’t make too much sense!
There is a lot of sense behind it in fact. The clue comes from the title itself – Calaveras are associated with the Mexican Day Of The Dead, they are both the skulls and the poems about skeletons from Death’s Dance. The poems seem to be more crucial here as they mock the dead and tell funny stories about them as in Mexico the holiday is not sad at all, on the contrary – it celebrates life and the opportunity to get in touch with the lost ones. A typical meeting of life and death, joy and sadness, celebration and mourning. And that’s exactly how Upcdownc’s album seems to flow – opening ‘Sky Net’ brings uplifting electronic sounds but it soon merges into heavy riffs of ‘Sons of the Desert’ (wonder if was that inspired by the cult 1933 Laurel and Hardy movie?) bringing sounds rather dark and gloomy and showing off band’s grunge and classic hard rock inspirations.
It doesn’t get any less scary as ‘Wolves in the Walls’, an obvious tribute to Neil Gaiman and and Dave McKean’s book about little girl’s nightmares, brings some truly frightening growling to the repertoire. The nightmare gets soothed by the sounds of a Spanish guitar and soon ‘Roman Horses’ will take you to the place where you belong.
After that my favourite song from the album (even if just for the title) ‘Monumental Mood Shift’, introduces’¦ well, a monumental mood shift. The mood in question becomes more post-rocky, with ascending riffs, Explosions In The Sky-esque crescendos and this feeling that I love when I listen to a good post rock track that lifts you right up in the air and makes you feel like you’re flying (please don’t judge me). It just doesn’t get any better.
The brief ‘Spectral Fires’ is this tiny little gem with soft cymbals clashed with a dirty electronic beat and sparks up the atmosphere. And so it continues, with long intros, built up guitar sections, mood swings, everything that I love in good album. Listening to the part after the monumental mood shift makes me forget about looking for reasons to like it and browsing Google like crazy to find legitimate clues. They just sound great and create this post rock ambiance that simply makes me lose myself and forget about the world outside – highly recommended with headphones, preferably not in the middle of a busy road!
The Day Of The Dead theme comes back before the end, just to remind that ‘Calaveras’ as an album title didn’t appear out of the blue, however the sounds make the theme of Death’s Dance self explanatory – there’s a noticeable nostalgia and gloom hidden behind the notes of ‘(The Plains) Skeletal’ and the track brings back the grunge influences with some indecipherable singing, but it reminds one of the circle of life.
‘Sky Net (Reprise)’ finishes the album on the same note it began with, completing the cycle and bringing happy electro beats to override the sadness and look forward to the future with a smily face. After all calaveras laugh at Death in her face.
To cut the long story short – ‘Calaveras’, even though it took me a while to figure out why, is a very accomplished album, showing off not only the spectrum of Upcdownc’s possibilities and influences, but also their dry sense of humour and simply – balls. Last.fm as my chosen religion did a good job yet again sending me those guys. 4/5
Firewolf review – Medway gig guide
BY RICHARD BATCHELOR
UpCDownC have been making a name for themselves lately with a number of local performances. After seeing them live recently its great to hear that they have been able to take all the energy and sound that you hear live and place it onto a CD. Intro and following track ‘The Tavern’ and ‘Black Lodge’ set the tone for the album; thumping and chugging guitar riffs that want to break your speakers!
The Fantastically named ‘Def Zepplin’ and ‘Dad Rock’ also keep the album chugging along, the album is largely instrumental with a few screams bringing home the power. If you’re looking for a good musical way to spend 27 and a ½ minutes you can’t go wrong with UpCDownC, extra kudos points for the great album artwork!
8/10
Rocksound – Firewolf review
7/10
Although on the outset tongues are firmly in cheeks (the album art looks like one of those wolf T-shirts you see over weight ramblers representing down the local tavern), Upcdownc’s music deserves to be treated with a bit of respect. There are moments of drawn-out doom that tickle the spine, such as the creeping riff of ‘Smiling bag’, but ‘Firewolf’ is at it’s best when the catharsis gives way to sheer anger. ‘Black Lodge’ explodes into fits of faraway screaming and the awesomely named ‘Def Zeppelin’ sounds like the onset of a gruesome tribal war. It’s an undeniably stirring offering.
Michael Copus
Silent ballet – Firewolf review
Score: 6.5/10
It is always amazing to discover how easily preconceptions can subconsciously be created. Owning both pervious releases by Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC+Start (henceforth Upcdownc), I greeted this new album with much trepidation; I adore the band and was afraid it would be unable to capture the magic of its past efforts and would release a post-rock album that simply revisted old ideas. My worries never came to fruitation: Firewolf is anything but a repeat of things past. The first two proper releases by Upcdownc, And The Battle Is Won and Embers, received high praise from the press and established the band as one of the best new post-rock bands around. After such accolades, it seemed inevitable that the band would once again create an album of rising and falling crescendos. This, however, is very far from the truth.
Opening track ‘The Tavern’ is far removed from the band’s previous characteristic sound — the riffs coming out of the speakers sound more like a rock band than accomplished post-rockers, and it quickly becomes evident that the ‘post’ has been dropped and the rock has been pushed up to full. Following track ‘Black Lodge’ mixes more influences than Upcdownc previously disclosed and shows a whole new side to the band. Not only have they included beautiful vocals, delivered in much the same way as Oceansize, but they also sweep from structured soaring guitars into a full-on distorted movement that would make Torche fans sit up and take note. There are still moments of familiarity in ‘Black Lodge’: the tempo of the song drops from its soaring start and the guitars lead the build up. Just as a crescendo would be expected, however, the almighty distortion pedal is nailed firmly to the floor and the band proceeds to storm to the end, even throwing in some screaming.
Vocals, screaming, and heavy distortion sound like a bit of a departure from what many people liked about Upcdownc, but it really does them no harm to mix in these new features. It has taken away the predictability of the music and the listener gets a fresh surprise at the end of every build up. When someone becomes familiar with a band’s music, he generally knows what will happen next. Bands can only go so far with their sound and ideas. Upcdownc have taken their ideas from the previous album and given them an injection of steroids, highlighting the influence of rock music and making it hard to ignore the heavier sound they are creating. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that this is Upcdownc; post-rock bands are generally stubbornly opposed to massive shifts in their sound, but this is one band that’s not afraid of the risk.
There are still those moments of post-rock’s glistening guitar work on this album, particularly on the title track and also on the superbly done ‘Agent Cooper.’ At a running time of only one minute and thirty-nine seconds, ‘Agent Cooper’ goes through all the post-rock motions: build up, crescendo, and spiralling end. Harsh vocals are even added, and they help make this an outstanding creation and prove that plenty of emotion can be released from a song in a short span of time.
As with the majority of albums, there are a few moments that bring the overall package down. As mentioned, the short opening sounds like an average pub band. iI may be that Upcdownc use it to announce that they are going to offer a new sound. ‘Smiling Bag’ and ‘Def Zeppelin’ both do well to build up atmosphere, but they don’t really go anywhere; for fillers they show a great deal of promise, and it’s a shame they are not fleshed out further. The biggest let down of the album is that ‘Dad Rock’ is not a post-rock cover of Journey, and this shows just how far Upcdownc have progressed. Firewolf is an album that offers something different, but still seems familiar.
-Gary Davidson
Kent Gig Guide embers review
Post rockers UpCDownC have come a long way to release the album ‘Embers’. The material has been ready for a year, but due to many difficulties arising between the band and record label; Tap ‘n’ Tin records, the album was only finally released in October 2008. It was worth the wait though… full of powerful post rock guitar anthems, Embers delivers on many fronts and the band should be more than proud of their achievements despite the difficulties.
‘Murmurs Part 2′ is a favourite stand out track of the album, full of beautiful melodies, it has an anthemic quality akin to the mastery of Sigur Ros. The band have already prepared a second album called ‘Firewolf’ due to be released soon. I for one am anxiously waiting to see what the next album will bring.
9/10
Kerrang and Rock Sound reviews for embers
Silent Ballet ‘embers’ review
Score: 9/10
Almost two years ago I went to see Motivesounds label-mates Capulet play with Mt. and a band I had heard little about, upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start. I attended the show with the expectation to be thoroughly entertained by the Motivesounds roster, but I was completely surprised by the third band who actually ended up impressing me the most. Quickly I attained a copy of And the Battle is Won, and frequently relived the magic of that incendiary live experience.
Forward ahead two years and roughly 12,000 listens of And the Battle is Won, and we are eagerly awaiting the follow up from Kent’s mighty upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start (hereafter referred to as upcdownc). Sometimes a band can create a fantastic debut album and struggle to follow it with something that is even close in quality to the original. What makes this common situation even more difficult to overcome is when fans stir up the hype, attract more fans, and then those fans stir up even more hype…until somewhere along the way the band finally announces a new album, only to then have it eventually delayed a year in a strategy which seems to accomplish little more than to frustrate the heck out of loyal fans!
So, three years after And The Battle Is Won, expectations are high – but do they live up to the rather relentless hype? In short, the answer is yes. What upcdownc have done here is to take their trademark sound, a kind of stripped-down melodic heaviness, and to embellish it with all kinds of elaborate flourishes, without losing the immense appeal of the debut. Some of the beautiful timelessness evident in ‘New Year’ and ‘Sadako’s Fury’ from the debut is replicated in this instance, but amplified tenfold. ‘Get To The Chopper,’ for instance, begins the album proper, after a short introductory song. Drawing the listener in with beautifully panned delicate guitar notes over a droning bass part, the piece slowly crescendos into the crushing assault that immediately reminds you why we waited almost three years to hear this record.
Another fine example of this depth of feeling is found in the grandiose ‘Murmurs Pt. 2.’ Segueing slowly into a beautiful acoustic guitar and layered with uninhibited violins and almost celestial chimes, it feels as though the piece could stay just the same way for over a week and not lose any of the charm it exhibits in these first few seconds. Before long, the oft-used but (surprisingly) never boring crescendo becomes apparent. Layering guitars over each other and slowly increasing the volume of the other parts sounds rather obvious, doesn’t it? It is, but in this case, it is done with such panache that it makes you wonder why everyone doesn’t take their time in doing these things.
One thing that I constantly allude to in many of my reviews is that a sense of continuity is absolutely vital to an album having that mass appeal, and because Embers shifts so much between opposite ends of the dynamic spectrum, it is a credit to them that they manage to maintain even a shred of cohesion throughout the album. Forget the shred, the shred is long gone, what we have here is a fully realized linear narrative, made even more impressive by the time it takes for this to become wholly apparent. As the album continues, the delicate intervals become fewer and the heavy sections become more pronounced, giving the feeling of a journey. The cadences become darker, and the guitars more scathing with each passing track, truly pummeling the listener with the light/dark contrast, and adding even more to the unimaginable depth of feeling portrayed with each movement.
As I mentioned before, making a follow-up so long after the original album is always going to be a hard feat to accomplish, but with Embers, upcdownc manage without a shadow of a doubt. This is an album steeped in inexplicably beautiful consonance, juxtaposed with crushing heaviness, and at no point does any of it feel labored. What could have so easily been a disappointing elegy has triumphed in a way that will have their fans (old and new) willing to wait as long as it takes for a follow-up.
-Barry Smethurst
Beacon Court, Gillingham by Chris Thomas KRNM
UpCDownCLeftCRightCABC+Start made a noise that really shouldn’t come from only four people. They managed the balancing act of sounding massive and delicate at the same time, drawing the crowd into their clutches and refusing to let go until they were done. As the members flailed around to their captivating brand of post-rock, you couldn’t help but wonder if they would collide with any of their equipment which dominated a good third of the stage. As it was, members darted between guitars, keyboards, samplers percussion instruments and more with ease, often within the same song and always seamless. A highlight came at the end when all three guitarists switched to drums, playing a marching beat which brought an unexpected end to an impressive set. The post-rock canon is beginning to look a little overcrowded but Up C Down C’s eclectic approach and lack of overindulgence, a failing of so many acts in the genre. Although it seems a crime an act of this caliber isn’t playing bigger venues, you couldn’t help but feel the confines of the Beacon were the kind of intimate setting them music should be enjoyed in.
Purple Turtle, Reading by Simon T Diplock, Rock Sound
Of all the five senses the last you’d expect a post-rock band to mess with is touch. But Kent quintet Upcdownc are all about contact. And it’s not just the confines of tonight’s tiny basement venue that means they get to cop a feel. From their very first note the band reach out, tickling the hairs on your neck with beautiful, hushed gentleness or punching holes in the foundations with massive, stirring volume and a double drum attack. They build songs that press on chests, shake brains, rattle teeth and posses the sort of riveting bass sound that should come with a health warning for folks with weak hearts. The oomph being one new tune in particular is like a suckerpunch to the gut. Sure they entertain your eyes and ears too, but there are moments here when it feels like the music could actually move you to a better place. Superb.
Purple Turtle, Reading by Victoria Hall
Have you ever watched a band and felt like you were intruding on a very personal, secret outpouring? That’s how I felt on Wednesday night at The Purple Turtle where UPCDOWNC performed.
It’s a bold statement, but UPCDOWNC are the best post rock, progressive act I’ve seen in over a year.
They opened their set by playing their guitars with bows. They were experimental, yet extraordinarily tight, throughout their entire performance. Vocals were absent from the set, but musical wealth was present in abundance. The band played for themselves and I felt like a voyeur. It was a passionate and honest display of musical flair that has been absent from all of the local gigs I’ve been to in recent months.
I literally stood watching this band either open-mouthed and in awe, or I was off on cloud nine with my eyes closed and letting their music wash over me… it’s been a long time since that’s happened.
UPCDOWNC were humbly confident in front of their audience and held a very alluring, personable aura about them throughout the set. They were smiling and enjoying themselves and had none of the haughtiness that many acts display nowadays.
Unfortunately for UPCDOWNC and the support acts (the somewhat average Last Days of Lorca and Polar Remote) the live performances were delayed by about 90 minutes! This meant that UPCDOWNC didn’t get onto stage until around midnight. Many punters (including some of my own ‘superlightweight’ friends) couldn’t wait around any longer and missed out on the headlining band. As such, the crowd was pretty small, but we gathered close anyway… in fact, any closer we would have been on their pedals!
So, if you were one of the imbeciles that left early, or simply didn’t go at all, make sure that you get to another UPCDOWNC gig as soon as you can… I promise you, you will not be disappointed!
Live review, Oxfordbands.com
If Flies Are Spies From Hell were akin to Kandinsky, UpDownCLeftCightCABC+Start reveal themselves to be Dali, Picasso and Monet all rolled into one (something I previously only thought possible from Battles). Their sound is exquisite, lush and transcendent. Last year’s release ‘And The Battle Is Won’ explored the more ethereal, warped side of post-rock and provides material from which they draw heavily tonight. The collective from Kent employ a twin drumming assault that reassuringly and upliftingly increases the dynamics rather than losing them to a chaotic mess, which seemed the initial potential. From the opening highlight of the rocktastic ‘Stand Shadowless Like Silence’ though to the glistening gem of ‘Sadako’s Fury’ and the final, seemingly-improvised crescendo, the pace is kept snappy and bathed in abstract, impressionistic verve. Barring one track, parts of which suspiciously bear an uncanny resemblance to Mogwai’s ‘Guardians Of Space’, UpCDownC… make the post-rock sound their own tonight and have the hellishly hot venue eating out of their hands throughout.
Amazon Reviewer rockthenchill, Glasgow
Yet another Instrumental Post-rock band? You won’t be complaining when you hear this album. It’s the Post/prog-rock music you’ve always known and loved, compiled into one neat little cd box under the very long name of ‘Upcdownc…’.
It’s like Mogwai, Explosions, Mono and 65daysofstatic all rolled into one – (except without the prolonged passages of annoying feedback) Plus, it would appear these guys have something extra up their sleeves: Talent!
Stunning intros and bridges of beautifully fingerpicked tunes will sooth your soul before blowing you to the firey underworld and back…and when Up C kick in, boy do they kick ass!! Some seriously meaty guitars will knock you to your knees – often more than once in the same song! Oh, and a couple of songs even feature string sections – something surprisingly uncommon in bands of a similar vein, though goodness knows why, because it sounds Awsome!
You will feel like you already know these songs when you hear them, but that doesn’t make ‘And the battle is won’ any less enjoyable – on the contrary it’s therefore more readily accessible.
Superb drumming (often with that classic marching snare sound), shrill flowing lead guitars, deep walking bass riffs, always melodic, always with oomph, and never tiresome.
You need this.
Kerrang! album review – 4/5
Once the last outpost of pedal junkies, post-rock has now grown and expanded into a diverse and healthy genre, with a lack of vocals and grandiose ambitions as the only real unifying factors. Leading the new vanguard are Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start – it’s the cheat instruction for ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ – whose debut is a lesson in musical architecture. Segueing some stirring classical into layer upon layer of guitars that crash like the falling pillars of Pompeii, ‘Not Of The Fallen’ is indicative of Up-C’s deft way with creating high drama with guitars in new ways. Their future looks bright.
Voted number 6 out of the 50 Top post rock albums of the year on Decoymusic.com
After years of fine-tuning its sound, Up C Down C finally connects with And the Battle is One (appropriately titled). It’s albums such as this that make it truly a joy to partake in the post-rock genre. And the Battle is Won is the result of the last four years of song writing, and the selection of tracks on the album could not be any more diverse. At times you might liken the band to Pelican, and at others to Mono, and still at others you might describe them as a space-rock band. Each song adds it’s own unique flavour the to album, and no matter what your preferences may be–quiet, loud, long, short, epic, subtle–Up C Down C has it covered. It looks like all of Up C Down C’s hard work is beginning to pay off with And the Battle is Won, which shows a stunning drive in the band. It’s difficult to say where the band will embark from here, but they’ve shown that no matter the direction, they’ve got a good place to start.
Album review from Sounds xp
Here’s a true story: Cruising along in my modest automobile (my baby wasn’t beside me at the wheel at the time though) I was poised to place ‘And The Battle Is Won’ into my car stereo for the first time. Just as I placed the CD in, a car nosed out in front of me. Mildly narked for a brief moment and gradually quelling my rage, I stared in disbelief at the last three letters on the car’s number plate: ‘UPC’. And it wasn’t just any old car. It was a BMW Z4 Coupe. Now make of that what you will, but I saw it as a sign.
Hailing from the hotbed of Kentish musical talent that is the Medway towns, the Up-C Down-C boys deal in what pigeonholing types might call ‘instrumental post-rock’ but the rest of us would call quality shit-kicking music. Ignore their somewhat dodgy moniker, these five men are out to create some truly gargantuan cinematic tunes to soundtrack Armageddon (and we’re not talking about the rubbish Bruce Willis film here).
The record opens with the excellent ‘Stand Shadowless like Silence’, gentle guitar purrings giving way to a fat slab of skull-crushing guitar noise and a fluid, constantly shifting bass-line. Their penchant for splitting layered multipart riffs with paint-peeling chords reveals a fondness for art metal and hardcore as well as a nod to the complex rock of bands like Slint.
‘Not of the Fallen’ begins with a sumptuously arranged chamber orchestra lulling you into a false sense of tranquility until somebody stamps a jackboot on the pedal marked ‘instant sonic death’ and the elemental force of two drumkits rages out from the speakers like a brutal audio shockwave that entirely melts your ears and face. One of the album’s finest moments comes with ‘New Year’, which initially comes across like a plaintive Angelo Badalamenti score before morphing into what sounds like the soundtrack to a viciously deranged Martial Arts flick.
True, their music is not groundbreakingly original (other obvious reference points being Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai), nor does it pretend to be, but unlike many of their musical forebears, they know the value of taught economy. The majority of their songs are never longer than they need to be, often stopping way short of the wearying ten minute one-idea dirges occasionally peddled by the likes of Mogwai.
Only in the medieval-jig-on-steroids of ‘Shallows’ do they stretch a single idea to its monotonous breaking point and the wheels of the Up-C wagon start to loosen. But hey, it’s a tough bloody wagon and the superb closer, ‘I Think About Forever’ comes as sweet relief, featuring gently serene percussive chimes and a mournful intro likely to reduce even Vin Diesel to tears.
Up-C Down-C then – not quite the musical equivalent of a BMW Z4 Coupe, but on the evidence here, most definitely firing on all cylinders of a ruddy big V8 engine.
Album review from Decoy music.com
After a series of self-recorded EPs and albums, Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start received a break from Tap n tin records and brings their new album, And the Battle is Won to the world with proper label backing. Paying tribute to the invincibility cheat in old-school Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis), Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start should not be confused as a childish band. The sound created by this band challenges the hard-rock mentality of Pelican while remaining soft enough to dance with Mono without breaking any toes. Those who felt elation at the fragile composition of Pelican’s acoustic ‘-’ will salivate for the smooth ride of Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start ‘s tranquil ‘Comfort Me, I’ve Lost My Heart,’ who step up the ante by introducing a violin to the picture. Yet, on the same page, the band offers blistering rock in the form of ‘Sadako’s Fury’ and the heart-stopping ‘Silent Fire,’ which dives into a space-rock composition featuring a sharp breakdown that is so powerful it snaps itself literally in two as it progresses further into the track. Clearly the gem of the album, ‘Silent Fire’ is a bit of new taste for the band, as it brings together many of the different sounds the band is exploring into a concise five minute song that drives the point home with undeniable authority. ‘Shallows’ is a similarly attractive track, starting off slow and melodic and building towards an epic, loud finale. This is a song that the band has struggled with over the past three years, repeatedly attempting to perfect the song but always finding themselves unhappy with the final production. On And the Battle is Won, the band can claim just that–that the struggle with this song has finally ended, as it shines as brightly as the rest of this superb album.
Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-C ABC + Start accomplish a rare task with And the Battle is Won. They’re able to convincingly pull off an album that simultaneously taps into the pool of softer sounds of the instrumental genre, in all of its various ‘post-rock’ forms, and also the rich history of instrumental hard rock. Often these experiments result in oddly paced albums or create a disorienting experience through jarring transitions. However, Up-C Down-C Left-C Right-CABC + Start show that over the years they’ve found their unique blend of instrumental rock, and those who care to joint them on this adventure will be well rewarded.
Album review from Sound of violence (translated from French)
Several years after first getting together, the post-rock group Upcdownc, who hail from Kent, can be proud to have succeeded in their fight – they have found a record label on which to release their first true album ‘And the battle is won’
The first opus truly is a reflection of how the superb single ‘Shallows’ released on 12′ vinyl, managed to leave us last summer. Blending delicacy with powerful interludes highlighted by the use of two simultaneous drumkits, the post-rock music played by these five Englishmen is meant to be both catchy whilst knowing how to remain simple. In fact, the group rejects all use of electronics and they totally forsake vocals, all whilst attaching great importance to the use of guitars, even if a violin managed to find its way onto ‘Not of fallen’, ‘New year’ and ‘Comfort me, I’ve lost my heart’ too.
The majority of tracks on this CD don’t shine with originality, rather it is their effectiveness which makes them stand out. Those who appreciate this kind of music will not be able to stop themselves from tapping their feet and nodding their heads when listening to ‘Sadako’s fury’ or ‘Stand shadowless like silence’, to name just two tracks. Admittedly, the band do seem to have a few repetition problems, but the overall quality of composition counterbalances this slight downer perfectly.
Whilst it most probably won’t revolutionise a style of music which has got by perfectly well on its own for many years now, ‘And the battle is won’ does at least prove that Upcdownc now deserve to be taken notice of – much more notice than has been awarded them these last few years. One of this autumns most pleasant surprises!
Album review from Boomkat
What is it about the new generation of post-rockers that impels them to employ such spell-check crippling appellations? Last week we had 65daysofstatic and now it’s the absolute ball ache of Upcdowncleftcrightcabc+start. Moving away from their moniker for now (which we presume is a favourite computer game cheat code), UpcdowncÔøΩ indulge fully in all the orchestral stature and gale-force rock tendencies we’ve come to expect from the likes of Mogwai and Shellac. The kind of HUGE that caps lock simply can’t do justice to, tracks like ‘Not of the Fallen’ and ‘Stand Shadowless Like Silence’ broil upwards in an Eos-enhanced dawn of soaring strings, subterranean bass and sweaty riffage that could fell a marauding army. With the former single ‘Shallows’ still a soaring edict on the power of traditional post-rock (it essentially sounds like a Christmas song being torn to bits by Hades), ‘And The Battle Is Won’ proves that a silly name never stopped anyone.
Live review from pretentious heathens.co.uk
Upcdowncleftcrightcabcandstart (a reference to an old cheat on the mega drive I was told) Well, I was very impressed with them. Two drum kits, for a start! Performing instrumental rock music that was both musically complex, yet easily accessible. From the first few notes, I was entranced by their sound. There was a depth and scale to their songs that had me both physically, moving and emotionally ‘moved’ too. Strings were made much of in a few of the quieter passages of some of the songs played, and added a certain pastoral beauty that was elevated and extended, when the other instruments joined in and the songs evolved. Some of the songs played were epic in sound, and had an almost richly dark flavour.
A stunning start to the day…I rushed to buy their debut album ‘and the battle is won’, after the set.
Plan B featurette
‘Spiralling whirling guitars at the ready as the two-drumming, prog rock, math pop, formula known as Upcdowncleftcrightcabcandstart emergeth. With riffs as big as fillet steaks and pastoral passages straight outta Middlemarch, Upcdownc’s debut album, And the battle is won (tapntin), is a symphonic sprawl of bucolic tinkering and prolonged colossal feedback that has me reaching for my mathematical dictionary to make sense of it all. And it has me realising, to my chagrin, that I’ve never known a man who spoke the other universal language – that being, of course the mathematical tongue’ Nicola Meighan
Rock Sound Live Review (Notting Hill Arts Club, October 2005)
The Arts Club has never seen anything quite like it: two full drumkits sit atop the tiny stage, forcing multiple amplifiers and more pedals than there are in central Beijing onto the floor. Three-fifths of the Medway instrumental outfit stand at eye level, and an unusual intimacy is immediately assured as they trigger a combat sample and engage their gargantuan guitars – the band have our full attention from the very outset. Their music – both dynamic and replete with post-rock referencing repetition – owes a degree of debt to many an act before them, but Upcdownc’s live performance has to be seen to be believed; rarely has the skin been freckled by such tingling static and the soul shaken by continental plate-shifting switches in volume. ‘Sadako’s Fury’, for example, begins its seven-minute duration with considered calm but soon erupts into an Isis-rivalling controlled cacophony. Such comparisons aren’t made lightly.
And The Battle Is Won, Drowned In Sound – 4/5
It’s the collision of two worlds, expertly documented: the schools of instrumental elegance and metallic brutality entwined and embalmed for posterity by five men from Medway, each proffering as much of a nod to Karate as they do Khanate.
Up-C Down-C might not look the rock part, nor call a particularly rock locale their home, but they know their strengths and play to them: even the more immediate tracks here – those that bear similarities to songs written before them – are executed with expert precision. When Up-C Down-C truly hit their stride, such as on the awesome ‘Shallows’ (previously released as a limited-edition 10′), the sensory effect is phenomenal. Ears open acceptingly, the throat dries, eyes swell.
Consistently startling originality is not what makes And The Battle Is Won a worthwhile purchase for those enraptured by Sigur RÔøΩs and Sunn O))) alike. What will are the more technical strengths: the band’s competency is astounding, their craft finely honed, and the overall feeling of satisfaction come closer ‘I Think About Forever’ is second to none. Repeat will frequently be engaged. This is deep nourishment served aurally, a banquet of riffs and double drum kit bombast, forever bound in subtle beauty. This is a rock that stands freely of post or prog prefixes.
This is a rock that requires a wider audience, today.
Medway Messenger album review, August 2005
On paper, an instrumental five-piece makes a limited visual experience. In the flesh, however, the Upcdownc live show – with two drummers – is hugely exciting and highly entertaining. Seeing the band work at its relentless musical onslaught is like watching Steve Irwin struggling with an angry croc. Brutal and loud, yet melodic and almost orchestral, Upcdownc’s sonic explosion feels massive in this tiny venue. In truth, it’d probably feel massive in any venue. Martin Kahl.
Shallows single review from DJ magazine
Sure player. 4/5. Like an unkempt, middle-aged man offering sweets to unsuspecting children in exchange for a ride in his Volvo, ‘Shallows’ might appear harmless on first impression, but give it half a chance and you realise its intentionsare less than honourable. Enticing you in with a gently plucked guitar motif and some conforting, military-style drums, it slowly drags you in further and further. By the time it’s finished with you, you’ve been assaulted by dense, heavy feedback, angry, growling guitars and enough post-rock to knock out a smack head. Great. (FS)
Shallows single review from Smallfish record shop
Bit of a gem, this. The A-side is a tremendously evocative piece of quiet/loud post-rock that’s almost like a slightly more pastoral/folky Mogwai! On side two, things head down a more State River Widening / Tortoise / Thrill Jockey dust-track, concluding with a more electronic John Amino remix (whose name rings a bell, but I’m not sure why, sorry… he adds a touch of Ulrich Schnauss to proceedings). Fans of Silver Ray will really go nuts for this. One to watch.
Shallows single review from Boomkat.com (independent music specialists)
Alongside Sheffield’s 65daysofstatic, Updownc (have none of these bands heard of parenthesis) are at the very vanguard of the British post-rock movement, looking up to Mogwai, Shellac, Slint etc. for riff teasing guidance. Following the dogmatic blueprint of these things, ‘Shallows’ begins with a genteel guitar part (in this case quite folky and very addictive), then incrementally batter it about with staccato rhythms and roaring, white noise riffs. Yes it may have been done before, but it still has the ability (if done well) to thrill and exhilarate. Updownc do it very well. On the B is the Smashing Pumpkin Xerox ‘Don’t Be Sad That I’m Gone Just Happy That I Was Here’, whilst ‘Sadako’s Fury-John Amino Remix’ is a brittle re-reading of the above, bolstered by some iron clad beats.
Shallows single review from Phonica records
A beautiful post rock record which has something truly uplifting about it, with a guitar sound reminiscent of Ariel M and hypnotic guitar lines such as that in the title track ‘Shallows’ which have a folk tinge. This is the follow up to an excellent 7′ from 2004.
From DMC Update magazine
This three tracker is gonna get a lot of play at the Big Chill and plenty of other events on a similar vibe. The opening title cut ‘Shallows’ starts with a riff that lands somewhere between The Velvet Underground and Lemon Jelly, other guitars start layering, including a Doors like one, whilst military drums build, then the whole thing explodes into a swirling ball of psychedelic distortion. Aaaaah! Bliss. ‘Shallows’ Ep is only the second release from Upcdownc and already there’s a big buzz about this band. 5/5.
Shallows single review from smallfish virtual record shop
Bit of a gem, this. The A-side is a tremendously evocative piece of quiet/loud post-rock that’s almost like a slightly more pastoral/folky Mogwai! On side two, things head down a more State River Widening / Tortoise / Thrill Jockey dust-track, concluding with a more electronic John Amino remix (whose name rings a bell, but I’m not sure why, sorry… he adds a touch of Ulrich Schnauss to proceedings). Fans of Silver Ray will really go nuts for this. One to watch.
