| Title: | Waters of the Orient EP |
| Recorded: | December 1998, Chem 19 Studios |
| Release Date: | 12th July 1999 |
| Formats: | 7" Vinyl |
| Label: | Gringo Records |
| Catalogue Number: | WAAT006 |
| Tracks: | Waters of the Orient |
| Trade In Fiction | |
| I Am Vasco Da Gama | |
| Info: | Limited pressing of 500. |
Available to buy from Gringo Records
.Click on a link to jump to a review of this EP:
Is. #1, January 2001
Broken Violin #3, September 2000
Underpop, December 1999
Paper Cut, October 1999
Robots & Electronic Brains, October 1999
Fracture, Issue 9
Jockrock, August 1999
Record Collector, August 1999
Music 365, 2nd August 1999
Kerrang!, July 31st 1999
Collective, July 21st 1999
NME, 17th July 1999
Is., January 2001
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
"This is good, really good. Sounding like bits of june of
44, polvo and unwound but retaining it's own character
completely and managing to sound glaswegian rather than
american, which is unarguably a good thing (who wants to see
a band that sounds like an american band when there are so
many american bands that come and play here anyway.)the band
are taught and emotional repetitive in an effective rather
than a lazy way, discordant and awkward like polvo at their
finest. The lyrics are interesting (if a little hard to
hear), something you don't usually find with british bands
influenced by touch'n'go stuff (as this band obviously are),
these bands tens to concentrate on being accomplished
musicians rather than all round good song writers: blame
slint. Waters of the orient and trade in fiction are the
choice cuts on this 7" as I am vasco da gama is a fairly
dull instrumental which I 'm hoping isn't typical of their
other stuff."
Broken Violin #3, October 2000
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient
(Gringo)
"Waters of the Orient is an eerie
starter but compels you to listen on. It's a slow and
uneasy start but cascades into a brilliant middle
section. Trade in Fiction and I am Vasco da Gama are
also strong tracks and together the three round off a
well-written and highly listenable EP. Empire Builder
is a great new Glasgow band to lookout for, being a
blast of creepy melodies and weirdly wonderful
tunes."
(Claire Lim)
Underpop, December 1999
empire-builder - Waters of
the Orient (Gringo)
"Debut single for this
awesome Glasgow three-piece who weave together atonal,
spidery melodies and obliquely punctuated rhythms to
clean, considered, brilliant effect. Emphasis is placed
more on creating abstract structures rather than a wall of
noise, but this lends greater depth to the songs, you get
the feeling they really know how to play with space and
silence, not every moment of every song is filled with
every instrument, things cut out and return when the song
asks for it. Lazy comparisons have been made by other
people everywhere, and Slint has come up too many times as
a reference - any band who use a strange timing or a clean
guitar suddenly sound like Slint, when Empire-Builder and
Mogwai (the other band 'accused' of Slinty tendencies)
couldn't be any more different. Empire-Builder are
adventurous and experimental, and for a debut single
'Waters...' is a sharp, fresh sign of life in a complacent
scene."
(Andrew Friendly)
Paper Cut, October 1999
empire-builder -
Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
"Gee, how do I
describe this record. This is how guitars are meant to
sound, what they were made for. There's so many things
I love about this record: the time changes, the Xmas
Steps riffing, the menace, the quiet and the loud. The
Xylophone. Just everything. I so want to see
Empire-Builder live and hear these guitars louder. You
just don't realise how much you want this record."
(Marceline)
Robots & Electronic
Brains, October 1999
empire-builder - Waters of
the Orient (Gringo)
"Empire builder, given the
geographical bent of the title, are played by Slint
Eastward on this release for Essex's Gringo label. But you
probably knew that anyway as your interest in the band
will be determined by your attitude to all the other
hopefuls that sound almost exactly the same. As it goes,
this is a darned fine effort---dynamic and jerky in all
the right measures and at all the right times---but
nothing wildly new."
(Jimmy Possession)
Read this review and others here
Fracture, Issue 9
empire-builder - Waters of
the Orient (Gringo)
"One of the best things
I've heard on Gringo; EMPIRE BUILDER tend not to noodle
around as much as some of their other bands, just going
for straight stripped melodies and some crunchy staccato
riffs in a blend that really works well. "Waters Of The
Orient" sounds remarkably like BOB TILTON in their bare
moments, those empty spaces, plucked guitars and spoken
vocals are definitely 'in the style of...'. The other
two tracks plod a little more than the opener, but "I Am
Vasco Da Gama" is a nice slow-burner, building up into
pretty powerful stuff. Can't help but think music like
this works better in an album format, the atmospheres
tend to lend better to longer time-scales than a 7" can
offer, but this is a good way to start."
(Russell Remains)
Jockrock
Fanzine, August 1999
empire-builder - Waters of the
Orient (Gringo)
"Empire Builder seem to get a bit
of what I suppose is 'bad press' due to the perception that
they're making 'math-rock' or 'post-rock'. Well, we should
get this straight, what they're producing is 'stealth-rock'.
That's right - well, they said it themselves... in fact,
they seem to encapsulate a lot of what is part of the
Glasgow 'sound' at the moment - 'difficult' time-signatures,
'quiet-bit-loud-bit' dynamics, and rather too much use of
'quotation marks' when people review them. 'Waters of the
Orient' doesn't have too much singing on it, but plenty of
slightly askew fretwork, plus some good blasting guitar
which comes in unexpectedly. Rather creeps up on you in
fact. (Stealth, see? Ithengyou...)"
(Stuart McHugh)
Record
Collector, August 1999
empire-builder - Waters
of the Orient (Gringo)
"Comparisons to Fugazi
and Jesus Lizard have been carelessly thrown around when
discussing empire-builder, but this Glasgow trio are
walking an unpredictable path of their own. Drum lines
that double-back on themselves abruptly, icy guitar
twinkling and occasional vocal announcements raise this
above the lowly level of the usual post rock scene."
(RC Collective)
Music 365, 2nd August 1999
empire-builder - Waters
of the Orient (Gringo)
"Back, kicking and
screaming, into the belted raincoats of the class of '79
art school. Unexpected guitar harmonics ping betwixt
self-consciously clever-clever tempo hiccups, mumbling
sadcore vocals occasionally deign to twitter and a
discernible tune is entirely out of the question. This
positively reeks of too many Velvet Underground records
and not enough red meat."
(2/5)
(Ian
Fortnam)
Kerrang! July 31
1999
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient
(Gringo)
Three Ks
"Empire-Builder tickle obtuse guitar lines, pick out unlikely
harmonics and craft sonic still lives with sadcore vocal
understatements and rattling incisive beats. It's the kind
of experimental craft so beloved of the late-'70s new wave
set and a welcome breath of fresh air."
Melanie: "I Loved that. That's my favourite so
far. I'll never play the guitar the same way again."
Tairrie: "I have to painstakingly disagree. I couldn't
hear the vocals - and that guitar!"
Melanie: "That was cool, man."
Tairrie: "That was NOT cool! You're f**king
insane. Melanie's had a long day today and she can't
differentiate between good and bad."
(Ian Fortnam,
with Tairrie B and Melanie Makaiwi of My Ruin.)
Collective,
21st July 1999
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient
(Gringo)
"More self-indulgent, yet intriguing,
noodling from a Gringo band. This is the latest release from
that label, and it carries on their tradition of putting out
worthwhile bands.
Empire Builder deal in moody,
mainly instrumental, precise post-hardcore, probably
inspired by all those American bands that I am not cool
enough to listen to. And, unfortunately, the insert doesn't
help me out as to what these influences are called. First
song, "Waters of the Orient" is mainly off-beat and slow,
breaking into occasional bursts of noise every now and
again. What vocals you do get are quiet and understated
talking. Following that is "Trade In Fiction" which is more
of the same, which vaguely sounds like the Van Pelt but not
much. Finally we have the extravagantly entitled "I Am Vasco
Da Gama". Oh yeah? Anyway, this carries on the style of the
other stuff, meandering, long, no singing. Personally, I
think they need to break into bursts of screaming or crying
when they do the more hardcore parts, get more emo. Heh.
Not the best thing Gringo have unleashed, but worth a
listen if you need your quirk quota for the month to be
filled up. Solid, but I don't think I could abide a full
albums worth of the stuff."
Rating: 6.5/10
(Andy Malcolm)
NME 17th July 1999, single
reviews
empire-builder - "I am Vasco da Gama" (sic)
(Gringo)
"empire-builder: band from Scotland
dedicate their young lives to the work of Slint.
Isn't it great when people surprise you?"
(Victoria Segal)