Submarine Fleet

Submarine Fleet create utterly seaworthy slabs of gothic shoegaze, interspersed with the occasional foray into instrumental ambiance. A Very Strange Sight in the Distance swells with chorus-laden guitars that rise in waves and crescendo, pulsing bass lines, and atmospherics as cold as the ocean depths. The drumming and the vocals on this record are particularly striking; the drums manage a nice blend of propulsive and understated, while Mark James Linder's vocals stake out a hazy territory somewhere between Lycia, Audra, and the more emotive side of 80s goth rock. Submarine Fleet manages to craft a dense, complex sound that is immediately accessible, fit for moods both somber and introspective. This is top stuff and, if it takes your fancy, also recommended is their In a Case of Fire EP. - liarsociety

Looking like a posse of professors on a spree, Submarine Fleet seem endearingly un-rock 'n' roll. The vocalist looms quizzically at the mic as if about to deliver a lecture on Etruscan pottery; the guitarist, wearing a velvet jacket (he's obviously the bohemian of the staff room) weaves around on stage as if trying to dodge the flying fragments of music he's wrenching from his instrument. The vocals are smooth and strong, and the overall impression is of a kind of psychedelic after-darkness, a dense mass of sound boiling up like steam from the sidewalks, but with detail and little shafts of light in there, too. For all the guitarist's gyrations, Submarine Fleet seem a fairly self-effacing bunch, content to stand in the half-light and let the music assert itself. But, low key though they might be, they're good. - Uncle Nemesis

Imagine floating amidst a dark turbulent sea with a twilight sky beckoning eerily above as you seek the dawn. This is the scene invoked while listening to Submarine Fleet’s debut album In a Case of Fire. The hybrid sound combines a fair serving of Buck-Tick, a trace of Lisa Gerrard, and a splash of Enya. Each song is an orchestra piece for modern instruments, unfolding in slow dramatic turns. The songs are long, from just less than four minutes to more than eight.

Mark Linder, as singer, possesses a lower tenor with a strong vibrato. Primarily staying within his middle range, Linder’s use of ornamentation is exceptional and well executed. With precise phrasing and commendable breath control his voice rises like a siren from the watery flow of the music. His voice is similar to that of Kazushi from Rouage.

Guitars played by Lauren McKenzie and Ash Sain are as prominent as the voice and at times even outshine it. Their riffs are both the evil and the light of the sound, in essence its soul. Keys played by Sain are the cold watery tendrils pulling you in deeper. Ashe Ruppe’s muted bass twists and pulses just below the tides of melody, supporting and lifting it while adding darkness to the sound. Drums by Dan Canty are solid if not varied with vibrant cymbals crashing like waves.

The artistic insight and dark musical wisdom apparent on In a Case of Fire is a sparkling gleam on the horizon as we sail into the future of an amazing band. (Self-released) - PerformerMAG