Jon Bailey
31st July 2004
"I take my influences from old music, new music and everything in between and from all over the world, that influenced the name of the band. I had in mind drawing upon the vast "memory band" of music created since time began" - Stephen Cracknell, founder of The Memory Band.
To suggest The Memory Band are anything but unique, is an obvious understatement. A band whose genuine vision is to combine every ounce of music, into one complete format could never have boring results. So what do they sound like? Well, they simply make gorgeous music and they do it effortlessly. It's an idyllic, but impossible gathering of the Fence Collective and Paul Giovanni's 'Wickerman' soundtrack.
And to further put into perspective, the range of influences involved in some form or other - elsewhere, Stephen Cracknell makes electronic music as Gorodisch, Adem is Domino's latest acoustic troubador and Sam Jeffers, is of post-rock trio, Fridge. But to dismiss the collective as mere folk, is an obvious fault by anyone's standards.
Forgetting the obvious acid-tinged elements, there's Gorodischs's subtle electronica, the quasi hip-hop beats of 'Tomorrow' and 'Calling On', and scratchy ale-house soundtracks on closer 'Last Orders', adding a new, wide-eyed angle to the supposed 'new folk' movement. One of the more inspiring releases of the year, they don't get much better than this.
9/10
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