BANDS WE LOVE: PART 2352342

You can't help but sometimes feel a grotesquely large amount of jealousy when you come across a band such as The Edmund Fitzgerald. Being young, wildly passionate and talented essentially means that if they wanted the world to sit in their hands, it quite easily could. That’s not their style though, this is a band who entertain through the medium of sub-progressive mathematical delights. A band who take us on a journey you could only compare to a near-death plane ride through turbulence that lands in a sea of tranquility, replete with a euphoric sense of superiority and glee throughout.

A temporary duo now exists, comprising guitarist & occasional vocalist Yannis and the mildly imposing, yet endearing figure of drummer Jack, this is a band who have already played the cult Truck festival, toured endlessly with Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies and released a split with the aforementioned, plus a new 12” with noise-peddlers Bilge Pump through the delightful Noise Star label. Yet we are only now at the truly exciting bit of the saga - it’s only really just beginning.

“Who knows where it will go,” says Yannis, sucking on what is probably the 8th Marlboro Red of the 20-minute conversation so far, “with Lina [female second guitarist] leaving, we’re really excited to see where this could end up.” Exciting is an understatement, just sitting with the pair, seeing them so buoyant and instilled with a renewed energy for what they care most about - their music - is inspiring and gives me a vigour of my own.

“We don’t want to be constrained by the comparisons that are always drawn about us,” states Jack, “of course, we listen to and adore bands like Hella and Sweep the Leg Johnny, but at the end of the day, we really just end up playing together and enjoying what happens.”
“Our influences are so diverse and numerate,” Yannis interjects, “that we don’t really end up having influences anymore, of course we have things in our minds from the bands we enjoy, but we see ourselves as creative enough to just draw from ideas rather than finished products.”
Anyone who has listened to their records or seen the spectacle of a live show would be quick to agree. What The Edmund Fitzgerald may lack in the ‘sing-along lyric department’ they completely make up for with hooks that ingrain themselves in your mind and yet at the same time remain fantastically fresh and intriguing every time you hear them. I liken it to watching Airplane!, you always manage to find something new to enjoy every time you indulge yourself.

The Edmund Fitzgerald are a band now composing themselves, almost a preparation for something of an assault, be it aurally or otherwise. There will be a change of name, new members and quite possibly a new direction, yet what will undoubtedly remain is a passionate drive, technical skill and tune-crafting talent that will ensure we can all remain as excited and engulfed as we did the first time we heard them.

The Edmund Fitzgerald/Bilge Pump split 12” is out now on Noise Star. A self-titled three-track (mixed by Nat Fowler from Oxes) recorded before Lina left is due soon.
Find out more at their web site