empire-builder ~ Gringo Records Singles Club 7"

Available to buy from Gringo Records.

Click on a link to jump to a review of the split single:

is this music?, June 2005
Unpeeled, April 2005
Mark's Tales 58 @ losingtoday.com, 20th March 2005

is this music?, June 2005
empire-builder - "How the Mighty Have Stagnated" (Gringo)
"With Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! doing the raw guitar thing pretty well on the flipside, our focus is drawn to the 'Builder's first appearance in several years - and with their trademark stop-start rhythms and driving guitars, it's good to have them back."
4/5
(Bernhard Bessing)

Unpeeled, April 2005
empire-builder - "How the Mighty Have Stagnated" (Gringo)
SPOILING US
"Densely layered and rather snazzy guitaring over sleazy, strolling basslines and snarl-drawled vox make this fucking brilliant and more than we deserve. If the Darkness could do this they, well, they would."

Mark's Tales 58 @ losingtoday.com, 20th March 2005
empire-builder / thunder! thunder! thunder! 'split' (Gringo)
"No information with this at all but hey - like since when did that ever stop some damn fine rooting tooting tunes squirming their way from the old hi-fi. This split single is part of Gringo's ongoing 'singles club' which we are horrified to admit we knew nothing about and are now much mortified in the knowledge that we've been missing out big time especially seeing as this release is the fifth of six in the planned set which incidentally has / or may (as the case may be) features choice cuts from Erase Errata, New Radiant Storm King and El Hombre Trajeado which for us is enough alone to have us weeping buckets at our loss. Each release comes packaged in a neat cardboard sleeve pretty much in the same style as those beloved Noisebox releases of yesteryear - and each is limited to 500 copies. Seeking solace then in this cute little ear pricker, Empire Builder despite being around for a few years you won't be to surprised to hear are pretty much unknown to me so what a joy it was to hear these Glasgow based dudes in all their melodic glory crunching their way through 'How the Mighty have stagnated'. Scratch away at the see-sawing riffs of what is ostensibly post rock-ist chiming noodles and you'll be greeted by something of a tender pop motif buried low down into the mix, in fact its such a sweetie that it has you on the back heel immediately but then Empire Builder being as they are realise this to their advantage slowly reeling you in dreamily before trouncing you with unbridled moments of reverse chord twanging thrusts as if to casually remind you who they are, what they are and why you need them doing their thang all over your hi-fi. Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! over on the flip are a little more resolute in their approach and hey guess what - no info (we really must get this journalist thing sorted). Anyway 'As in Stop' is bulging with all manner of jerky stop start dynamics much loved by the math rock fraternity though here displayed with less of an observation to calculus and more to obtuse angular contortions as the ensemble frug their way through three minutes of what sounds not unlike an autumnal 'fuck you - were cool' lazy as you like skewed Sonic Youth sharing stage space with a toned down Quickspace. Goes without saying you should have this."
Read this review and others here