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Red Book Audio’s debut, self-titled EP echoes with mellow and complex structures that are familiar to Austin from the likes of indie icons such as the American Analogue Set or Explosions in the Sky. The hypnotic late night haze of the songs could soundtrack a deep sleep, moving through soft textural swirls that morph and gently shift in almost visual patterns. The group certainly has a strong sense of media fusion that they have begun to exploit as well, with their live shows complimented by video projection that furthers the sensorial immersion. Yet what is so impressive about the four songs on the EP is that they are able to accomplish those atmospheric scores in such evocative ways on their own.
The instrumental track “Red Book Audio” achieves these visceral frequencies to full effect. The sampled-in sound clips – a subtle chant of the band’s name among them – build into a melodic stream that reaches into the Six Parts Seven or Tristeza’s best moments. The song seeks to smoothly reel the listener in, and does so expertly, bringing the effect to an almost subliminal swell. I’m not entirely convinced that Red Book Audio isn’t trying to brainwash me, to lull my senses and a filter of consciousness into a numbing and fully pliable state. But even if this may be the case, it’s difficult to even want to resist. Like locals Bello Ragazzo, Red Book Audio is impressively unsettling in the disarming musical framework that simultaneously makes you feel vulnerable and yet somehow full and comfortable within that openness.
For all the group’s musical preciseness between the expertly refined blend of guitar and keys and the carefully propelled percussion, the vocal harmonies that characterize the other tracks add another layer that, while moving them more firmly into melodic-indie territory, also sets them apart. The first track “The Man The Crime” is the most staid among the songs, but slowly bleeds out the opening lines and offers enough interesting twists to retrieve the more straightforward riffs and verses. The following song, “Shame Is For Those” immediately drops the album down into smoother textures that better captures the crests and troughs of Red Book Audio’s sound. If the EP seems to play out the waves of a beautiful sonic sleep, then the second track has lulled the listener into a lucid dream that unfolds into the satiating R.E.M. (the sleep mode, not the band) drop of the third instrumental track. But as if to bring us comfortably back to consciousness, the EP ends with the unexpected acoustic tune of “Coffee.” Again, the harmonies carry the song and keep it aligned with the earlier tracks despite the stylistic shift. If anything, the beautiful simplicity of “Coffee” displays a range that only further accentuates the ability of Red Book Audio to craft amazingly vivid soundscapes that are impressively affectively oriented, a quality that seems too often overlooked or ignored in music these days and one that makes these Midwestern transplants right at home here in Austin.
- Austin Sound
Doug Freeman
- Austin Sound
Discography
Self Titled EP
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Bio
"The group recalls the late night mellow guitar waves of The Six Parts Seven, or even the American Analogue Set. But when they add their harmonizing vocals, a beautiful indie-rock vibe emerges with shades of evan a Vetiver-esque folk. The mixed in sampling contributes to the other-worldly feel of the songs while also inserting interesting twists into the soothing sway of the tunes. Their name works as an appropriate moniker for the aurally colorful sensations that the tones of their music evoke." - Austin Sound
Red Book Audio was born from the life-long relationships of four Great Plains sons. Driven by passion and armed with a mind for media, the members of RBA converge their unique individual styles to form a singular vision of musical exaltation.
Since the "audio heads" original conception in 2004, the band has sustained the adversity of relocation and lost members to find itself anew in Austin. What lingers through these character building years is now the defining strength at the core of Red Book Audio's music. This deeply common perspective gives way to creation, community and the experiment that is Red Book Audio.
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