• Teebs – E s t a r a

    April 4, 2014 - By 

    A visual artist as well as a musician, Teebs‘ (real name Mtendere Mandowa) work naturally invites comparison between formats (despite the philosophical problems that may entail). In both, Teebs’ noisy atmospheres drip off the page, and rough but delicate multicoloured textures extend in three dimensions. E s t a r a can be considered Teebs’ full length follow-up proper to 2010’s lauded Ardour.  It’s generally familiar territory for the Californian producer, whose use of repeated elements – certain synth sounds and drum beats are recognisably Teebs –  are mirrored by his habitual use of dripping, vibrant colours and flowers in his artwork. The furthest Teebs strays from his…

  • Interview: Tera Melos

    January 19, 2014 - By 

    There are few bands who can write a song that is equally melodic, complex, and crushingly heavy in quite the way that Tera Melos do. Even in their earlier, scuzzier part of their career – when the three-piece’s songs really just sounded like a patchwork of fairly disparate ideas and virtuoso instrumentalism – their first, self-titled release was a group of nine songs, ‘Melody 1’ to ‘Melody 8’. The band have always shirked the “math-rock” genre that is often applied to them, and as their sound has developed it becomes easier to see why. Their sound has followed a very…