Listening to Beak> is a bit like having the air sucked out of your lungs. The deep and pummeling Portishead passages of sound have lived on in my mind. They linger on like the smell of eggs as I wash dishes and stare at dirty walls for money per hour.
There is a formula to their sound, and it tastes like kraut. Kraut, I recall hearing somewhere, was an effort by German younguns to atone for the sins of their forebears – aka Nazi – possibly Stasi – shit. Whenever I hear kraut now, I see it as the music of atonement. There’s something about putting out the same sound, loudly, that is both cathartic to the player and the listener.
Repetition speaks to the mind by essentially wiping it. Giving a platform for your subconscious to emerge through. If that sounds pretentious, I assure you Beak> is not one of those experiences you have to pretend through.
The first song linked in this preview is a slightly new direction for Beak> – the EP, Life Goes On was recorded in super quick time after a tour of Mexico. The sonic vibe is different, the synth-horns a distinct evolution from the sighing lungs of the organs previously found on their records.
Bristolian band Beak> bring their kraut sound to Electric Ballroom in January 2020. Good gig, buy some tickets.
