hayden Calnin
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hayden Calnin

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"Leagues - Small Leaf"

Give these guys a few listens. It won't hit you straight away - but the subtle ideas and mood of their songs will sink in. I like how they've layered this song and how it keeps moving. They like Kubrick too - probably my favourite director.

20 January 2011 - RICHARD KINGSMILL


"LEAGUES"

‘Leagues…that’s a cool band name’. Yeah, that was the only reasoning I had for sussing out Leagues on triple j Unearthed last week but shit I’m glad I did as they are some phenomenally talented young dudes. Describing themselves as progressive shoegaze, Leagues live up to their boasts with some particularly icy tunes which trade off initially barren beginnings for a barrage of beats (processed and organic), waves of guitar squall and synth atmospherics. I’m seriously enamoured by what these Melbourne boys are doing. I hope you will be too. - Hyperbole Dave Ruby Howe


"Review: Leagues – Exhale EP"

As I’m sure you can imagine, unearthing information on a band so helpfully-named ‘Leagues’, with little more information than their Australian heritage to hand is a time-consuming project, but thankfully Hyperbole blog had that vital lead I required. They pointed their readers in the direction of their recent feature on Australia’s Triple J Unearthed, which in turn led me to their grossly under-viewed and less than two month old Myspace page, where they’ve uploaded several tracks from their debut EP, two of which seem to be widely available for free download. The band hails from Melbourne, and is made up of Hayden Calnin, Jack Prendergast, Thomas Sanderson and Josh Cain. They quote their influences as Joy Division, Bright Eyes and famed screenwriter Stanley Kubrick, though how much these influences translate is something which remains to be seen – certainly there is a mysterious, almost clockwork, 80s electronic vibe behind this otherwise guitar-based song-writing.

‘Small Leaf’ is possibly the strongest of the EP; its got a fairly British, urban feel about it – made perhaps more interesting by the erratic Burial-esque percussion which manipulates the tempo in a some fairly interesting ways as the song progresses. The vocals are deep and introvert, strong and decisively spoken, and this is a characteristic shared throughout the release. They label themselves progressive shoegaze, and there’s also some sparse post-rock influences in there too; guitars are clean, mechanical and cold, and as the perfectly restrained percussion builds, so does the arrangement. When the songs climax, the tension in the strings bursts in to rhythmic post-punk, reminiscent perhaps of Joy Division, but awash with electronic soundscapes and powerful rhythmic application. ‘Exhale’ has an undeniably huge ending, set with voice manipulation, streaming soft-synthesisers and that ever-challenging drumming, a constant highlight of Leagues’ music.
- Peter Lanceley


"GOODNIGHT OWL @ THE WORKERS CLUB 31/07/10"


'It can be hard for a solo act to hold a crowd's attention, after all it's just a man and a guitar, however Calnin was captivating. With a powerful voice, he brought a hush over the crowd and took us on an emotional ride. With lyrics like "I guess I tried too hard", he stuck a poignant cord whilst still being genuine and not over the top. He had some interesting affects happening with the use of loops and replay which added a depth to his performance and allowed him to create his own harmonies. The small crowd were vocal beyond their means in their appreciation. With a happy and gentle stage presence, Calnin is definitely one to keep an eye out for....
Sleep Decade then took to the stage and lead singer generously echoed the sentiment by saying how he'd been "blown away" by their predecessor‘s performance......... - Maureen Kruger, Rave Review


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

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Currently at a loss for words...