A Bombazine White Xmas

Jayne and I are holed up in an apartment in Montmartre playing chess and writing songs for the next Bombazine Black album.  Snow is falling as I type and it's almost time to break out the vin chaud.

It's a complete coincidence that in the year we release a song called Montmartre we find ourselves here for Xmas - life moves in mysterious ways doesn't it?  Next year we'll release a song called the Maldives and let's see what happens.

Among other things it seems the perfect time to have a bit of a look back on the year and see if we actually did anything, or am I just tired because I'm suffering from mono.

Thank you to everyone that came to shows, bought records, gave encouragement or even downloaded our songs illegally.  It's just nice to be in your life.


2010: A Re-Cap

January

Matt, Dan and Daryl's 'other' band Gersey begin rehearsals for the Pavement Australian shows in March.


February

Gersey play their first show since 2007 at The Toff in Town, Melbourne.


March

Gersey tour Australia with Pavement and have an absolute blast.  Lots of photos up on Facebook.




April

Matt composes the score and Jayne is a twisted sister in the theatre production Cageling, conceived by the unstoppable force that is The Rabble. It opens to rave reviews and full houses at Melbourne's Forty-Five Downstairs. A "nuanced sound design" said esteemed theatre critic Alison Croggon among other things.




Dan and Daryl's other other band Tall Buildings record their debut album at SoundPark in Northcote.


May

Mixing of second Bombazine Black album Motion Picture completed by Tim Whitten in Sydney.


June

Cageling opens in Sydney to more rave reviews.  Curtain Call say the score is "one of the most engrossing and cohesives aspects of the work."
The Sydney Morning Herald said it was "a ringing score." 


July

Motion Picture is mastered by Roger Siebel at SAE in Arizona.

Matt and Marty from Gaslight Radio start record label/distro house Letters & Tapes.




August

Jayne completes the artwork for Motion Picture, with layout by Iain Downie.




Paris-based Bombazine Black bass player/drummer Taylor Holland releases a book of his photographs, Lignes.




September

Motion Picture is released to universal acclaim.  Wireless Bollinger called it "heartfelt, emotive music that trades in sincerity and timelessness" and The Music Blogs said "I’m a little speechless. This album is incredible."

You can read all the reviews for yourself here.


Bombazine Black perform the album launch show at The Toff in Town in Melbourne with The Marlon Winterbourne Movement and Sirens of Venice. The AU Review review the show and say "there are movies and there are motion pictures and the Melbourne based instrumental band led by Matt Davis of Gersey fame, proved that they are Scorsese."




October

Rehearsals begin in Berlin for theatre/dance piece Soft Landing that features music from both Bombazine Black records.




Letters & Tapes releases The Marlon Winterbourne Movement album Merry Go Round on the Moon.




November

Soft Landing opens in Berlin and sells out the season.

Tall Buildings finish mixing their new record with Sloth at Head Gap.  Expect the release early next year.


December

Matt completes score for Jonathan auf der Heide's new film The Day Before Yesterday.

Jayne publishes a book of her writing and artworks from The Existential Bunny Rabbit.




It snows in Paris.


Merry Xmas all, see you on the other side.

M

BMA Review..

Bombazine Black are cut from the same sonic cloth as Mogwai and Tortoise however they steer away from the done to death crescendos in favour of a more delicate dynamic.
Motion Picture is the second album from the Melbourne based instrumental band led by Matt Davis and made up of members from Gersey, Art of Fighting, The Hoodangers and Monroe Mustang. While there is no actual film to accompany this release, it is clear Davis has approached this with the same intent behind his other soundtrack work for Australian film Look Both Ways. Each track is linear, slow building and heavily textured. At the centre of each song is Davis’ shimmering guitar, plucking melodies that float amongst a vast assortment of instruments including cello, vibraphone and trumpet. The strength of this release is the subtle layering of instruments that allow each song to build carefully without ever getting over the top.
Like a true soundtrack it feels as if each track is trying to capture an emotion or moment in time. But sometimes these moments are presented rather obviously, a little too ‘heart on your sleeve’. The harmony and rhythmic ideas are all very smooth and pretty - they offer little ambiguity to these emotions. Though not entirely original Bombazine Black do the post-rock sound well. Motion Picture is a very pretty album that could have been written for a film or a daydream just as well.  JOSH BECKERhttp://www.bmamag.com/articles/cd-reviews/20100916-bombazine-black/

Australia / US dates - 25/7/08

Huge thanks to everyone that came to the La Set de la Butte show and a special thanks of course to the new recruits Amalia and MNO, it was an absolute pleasure to be on stage with them and it was terrific to hear the songs with vibes and cello, it got me thinkin'.

After a frantic dash to Mad Loc the next morning to drop off the amp I jumped the RER to Charles de Gualle and caught a plane to Sydney. I've come to see Jayne perform in Dan Spielman's 'Manna' at the Sydney Theatre Company. Apart from being a terrific keyboard, glockenspiel and tambourine player she is - for those not in the know - an actress of international repute and I can't wait to see her do her thing. Tickets available here.

The record is 95% finished, there's only a few small mastering and artwork bits to attend to and she'll be all done. Tracklisting and release details to be announced shortly.

One thing I can announce is that in August we are embarking on a showcase tour of the USA. Full details on the shows page but here are the dates:

Saturday August 23
Mowhawk
Austin TX

Sunday August 24
Red Scoot Inn
Austin TX

Tuesday August 26
The Living Room
New York

Thursday August 28
The Knitting Factory
Los Angeles

I'm bloody rapt to advise that in addition to Jayne and I the band will include Daryl Bradie and Danny Tulen of the mighty Gersey on guitar and drums respectively, and the irrespressible jack-of-all-trades Taylor Holland on bass. It's going to kill.

M