Greg Gilmore was the drummer in Mother Love Bone, a short-lived grunge act who also included future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament in their membership. Fellow musician Brian Yeager plied his trade in instrumental group US75 and Seymoure before concentrating on soundtrack work. The two are now part of the Seattle scene again as Elam and their debut EP shifts between haunting acoustic material and more ambitious expermental styles.
Elam have been compared to Sparklehorse and as if that influence wasn’t obvious enough, they even cover his ‘One Pig’ track. It’s a brave way to start any record; a song drained of any hope but delivered in compelling fashion. No less lighter are ‘Winter’ and ‘Blanked’ but the ringing guitar figures elevate these songs to fuller, less despairing melodies. ‘Somebody’, meanwhile, goes a couple of steps further with hand claps and eerie background noise. Finally – just in case you need them – radio edits of ‘One Pig’ and ‘Winter’ are tacked on at the end to bring the EP close to the forty-five minute mark.
Thanks mainly due to the rich languid vocals of Yeager and the resonant production, Elam sometimes approach the majesty of The Great Depression. Due to the omnipresent darkness though, ‘Daybreak Sleeper’ isn’t the most addictive listening experience you’ll hear this year.
Web Sites:
Elam Official Site
Elam MySpace
Further Listening:
Sparklehorse, The Great Depression, Upstate, Wicked Immigrant, American Music Club
0 Responses to “Review: Elam – Daybreak Sleeper EP”