Demos

Akira - Insert. Repeat. Roll. Over

Bill Cummings 10/04/2005

Rating: 3/5

Making music since 2001 the Cambridge space rock three piece, Akira, are a frighteningly good proposition. Standing for, “Star gazing” and armed “with the belief that pop and dumb don't need to fuck each over all the time.” On the immense opener “The Price of freedom is eternal vigilance” they create a powerful post rock, dark soundscape that clatters into the sky on the backs of Sonic Youth and Mogwai before shooting across the sky in a hail storm of post rock - Godspeed you black Emperor - guitars and scary twisted angular vocals.

Second track “Soho was always there for me” is a lurching jagged beast, all-atmospheric down tuned Radiohead guitars buzzing away in the background, topped by a lazy laconic vocal style. Not quite as successful as the opening track, this is clattering and chaotic; this is the soundtrack to a B-movie Thriller.

Akira show enough promise here to suggest that they have serious potential, an unsigned band that can produce a track of the quality of “The price of freedom…” is a band to watch out for: keep your eyes on the skies.