SOUNDS SO BEAUTIFUL...
December 2003
STILAIR - EP
This year’s Hard Rock Battle of the Bands brought with it many surprise
revelations, by all means a good sign for a thriving local music scene
that is finally being appreciated. Of these, one band that struck me in
particular was Stilair (yes, spelt with one L!), a trio of musicians
sharing common goals and similar influences. Lingering mostly within the
alternative rock sphere, these influences crop up in the band’s recent
three-track promo, recorded at Fore Face Studios and produced by the
band and Niki Gravino, the latter also a prominent musician with his
band Skyn.
What is immediately obvious from the three tracks – Numb Dancing, Icon
and What - is the band’s preference for glacial sonics, a characteristic
that defines the Stilair sound. Drenched in this atmospheric veneer and
twinned with Gilbert’s vulnerable vocals, Trevor’s delicate guitarwork
and Karl’s uncomplicated rhythms, Stilair comes across as a blend of
some great alternative bands; The Church’s simple but effective vocal
composition, the melancholic appeal of Factory darlings Joy Division,
the brittle melodies of Into Paradise or Echo & The Bunnymen.
And the more one listens to the promo, the more it becomes apparent that
Stilair don’t really look at current trends for inspiration or
motivation. Their focus goes beyond the corporate definition of
‘alt-rock’, and while there is just enough ‘pop sheen’ in the songs to
earn them both radio airplay and mainstream appeal, the band’s roots
clearly hail back to the period when alternative meant nothing but
alternative.
Recommended weblink:
www.stilair.com
