Any band that tries to follow in the footsteps of Jason Martin, the genius behind Starflyer 59, has to be admired. But a band that not only follows, but follows well, is truly to be respected. Ester Drang is that band, as festival-goers at Cornerstone and Tomfest found out.
While following one unfortunate trend, the short CD, Ester Drang manages to pack quite a disc into this 23 minutes. The lack of a lyric sheet, unfortunately, makes the message perhaps harder to grasp than it should be.
If you believe the hype on their (firmly tongue-in-cheek) website, That Is When He Turns Us Golden is supposed to rank with albums such as the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's, the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, and Radiohead's OK Computer. They're not quite there yet, but they're on their way. Next time though, do you think they could give us a road map to follow?
4 tocks
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2001Reviewed by Nolan ShigleyMy "flying through space" screensaver pops on as I sit in front of the computer while listening to Ester Drang and I think "How fitting." I can imagine myself reclined in a chair and listening to this album as I float among the stars and planets while at the controls of a grand rocketship. I guess visiting your local planetarium with a set of headphones could accomplish the same effect (at a much…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Joe RockstrohThe chaos of a Training for Utopia only with a mellow SF59 "we're more indie then indie" vibe, Ester Drang digs into noise and chaotic distortion with their low tempo guitars, drums and Jason Martin influenced vocals. Swirling loosely connected strands of music intertwine with walls of slightly melodic noise and singing to make an EP that borders on complete "indie music" yet also manages to…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Josh SpencerShoegazers in space. Ester Drang follow the lead of My Bloody Valentine and early Starflyer 59 with their slow-tempo swirling distortion and soft vocals, but this is further out there. It's at the edge of the galaxy. Picture yourself all alone in a deserted, dilapidated space station, with some faraway pretty pop music drifting through the zero-gravity solitude. Except the frequent feedback,…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin W. JonesHave you ever seen those music comparison charts at your local Christian bookstore? Have you ever bought an album thinking it would be similar to the band it was suggesting? I saw one that compared Wu-Tang Clan to KIIS. That's like comparing GG Allin to Burt Bacharach. Those charts have no merit. Many people have been amused by their comparisons, therefore they should update it and put a new…
