Sunday Herald Music Round up 11/07/2010
‘Endor’ Album Review on White Tapes
German review :By Iain WhiteTapes, Translated by Urusla Burger
Endor – Endor (self-titled), 9 1/2 out 0f 10
It is rather astounding that upon entering the band name Endor into Google one is presented with 1.060.000 results (effective 8th July 2010, 2:13pm) and eventually finds – after a plethora of Star Wars entries – a link to the Glasgow quartet’s Myspace on spot number 8. There they already have managed to gather 119.875 hits. However, this is rather meagre bait compared to their friends We Were Promised Jetpacks who have received 1.131.725 hits so far. But the times where Myspace was decisive for a band are long over. Nowadays you have to discover bands yourself again, for example through Bandcamp where Endor among other things published their debut album digitally. It was produced by Marcus Mackay who is responsible inter alia for the original version of the Frightened Rabbit debut ‘Sing the Greys’. The rest they managed on their own and it’s a shame that this is probably why they will only receive little attention.
They deserve a similar hype like We Were Promised Jetpacks received for their debut and Frightened Rabbit for their second album. Because on ‘Endor’ there are many things to discover. This starts with the opener ‘All Your More Buoyant Thoughts’, which cheerily surges ahead offering a moody refrain, which Frightened Rabbit or the Counting Crows would be proud of. They are not even afraid of using choruses or trumpets to add a little bit of bombast. The production plays its part, is nicely clear and direct and delivers the emotions right through the ear into the heart. And the emotions are as varied as the scene Endor come from. Often they march along with a smile on their lips, stomp onto the refrains and ask the listener to dance cheerily. All qualities which they seem to have copied from Frightened Rabbit. But Endor can also be more solemn and almost, but only almost, come into the neighbourhood of Meursault with the silently mourning ‘The Observer’. Surely, references could be drawn from other places too but Endor are so deeply rooted in their Scottish homeland that comparisons with their compatriots literally impose themselves. ‘Chapel Doors’ then evoke purest goose bumps. Mark Chapel’s [sic] voice has wonderful shivers run down one’s back, the instruments leave the voice enough space which it uses until the end, without giving in to the bombast. With this mixture of Folk, Indie-Rock and Indie-Pop, the quartet have created a debut that follows closure from beginning to end. The red thread is clearly distinguishable and coherently replicable and the mixture is so brilliant that in the end, there is no other option than to press the repeat button. Not least because of the spiffing ‘Two Lovers’, one of those mid-tempo hits that do everything right. Slowly, the band builds up around the singing of Mark Church [sic!] and leads into the chorus with the right amount of bombast and pathos, only to make a small break for a bridge and then again, at first only instrumentally, get everything out of the intriguing mood with full force. This is what a song with goose-bump factor sounds like, a song that screams for Endor to have at least as many followers as We Were Promised Jetpacks very soon.
9 1/2 out 0f 10
Es ist schon erstaunlich, gibt man den Bandnamen Endor bei Google ein, bekommt man 1.060.000 Ergebnisse (Stand 8. Juli 2010, 14:13 Uhr) und erhält nach einer ganzen Reihe Star Wars Einträge bereits auf Platz 8 einen Link zur Myspace Seite des Quartetts aus Glasgow. Dort haben sie es auch auf immerhin schon 119.875 Aufrufe gebracht. Allerdings eher eine magere Ausbeute, zum Vergleich, ihre Freunde von We Were Promised Jetpacks haben bisher 1.131.725 Aufrufe. Aber die Zeiten, in denen Myspace ausschlaggebend für eine Band war, dürften lange gezählt sein. Heutzutage muss man Bands wieder selbst entdecken, zum Beispiel über Bandcamp, wo Endor ihr Debüt-Album nun unter anderem digital veröffentlicht haben. Produziert wurde es von Marcus Mackay, der sich unter anderem für die Urfassung des Frightened Rabbit Debüts “Sing The Greys” verantwortlich zeigte. Den Rest machten sie auf eigene Faust und es ist schon bedauerlich, dass sie deshalb wohl nur wenig Aufmerksamkeit bekommen werden.
Verdient hätten sie nämlich einen ähnlichen Hype, wie es ihn um We Were Promised Jetpacks bei ihrem Debüt und Frightened Rabbit bei ihrem zweiten Album gab. Denn auf “Endor” gibt es jede Menge zu entdecken. Das beginnt schon mit dem Opener “All Your More Buoyant Thoughts”, der fröhlich voranprescht und einen launigen Refrain bietet, auf den auch Frightened Rabbit und Counting Crows sicherlich stolz wären. Da schrecken sie auch nicht vor Chören und ein paar Trompeten zurück, um ein wenig Bombast reinzubringen. Die Produktion tut ihr übriges, ist schön klar und direkt und liefert die Emotionen genau über das Ohr ins Herz. Und die sind vielfältig, wie die Szene, aus der Endor stammen. Häufig marschieren sie ein Lächeln auf den Lippen tragen voran, stampfen auf die Refrains zu und fordern zum fröhlichen Tanz auf. Qualitäten, die sie sich bei Frightened Rabbit abgeschaut zu haben haben scheinen. Aber Endor können auch ruhiger und begeben sich mit dem still trauernden “The Observer” dann beinahe schon ein wenig in die Nähe von Meursault. Sicherlich ließen sich auch woanders Referenzen herholen, aber Endor sind so tief verwurzelt in ihrer schottischen Heimat, dass sich ihre Landsmänner geradezu aufdrängen. Richtige Gänsehaut ruft dann “Chapel Doors” hervor. Die Stimme von Mark Chapel lässt herrliche Schauer den Rücken runter laufen, die spärliche Instrumentierung lässt ihr viel Raum, den sie schallend bis zum Ende nutzt, ohne sich dem Bombast zu ergeben. Mit dieser Mischung aus Folk, Indie-Rock und -Pop hat das Quartett ein Debüt erschaffen, das stimmig von Anfang bis zum Ende geraten ist. Der rote Faden ist deutlich erkennbar und schlüssig nachvollziehbar und die Mischung so gelungen, dass am Ende nur eine Wahl bleibt, die Repeat-Taste. Nicht zuletzt wegen des famosen “Two Lovers”, einer dieser Mit-Tempo-Hits, bei denen einfach alles stimmt. Langsam baut die Band das Stück um den Gesang von David McGinty auf und ergibt sich dann im Refrain in der richtigen Dosis Bombast und Pathos, um dann einen kleinen Bruch für eine Bridge zu machen und dann noch einmal erst Instrumental und dann in voller Stärke alles an eindringlicher Stimmung raus zu holen. So klingt ein Hit mit Gänsehaut-Faktor, der geradezu danach schreit, dass Endor bald mindestens genauso viele Anhänger haben, wie We Were Promised Jetpacks.
Interview for The Scotsman’s On the Radar – 2nd July 2010
Few things are quite so exciting in a band’s life than the release, finally, of their debut album.
Endor – Mark Church (guitar/vocals), Richard Ferguson (drums/vocals), Calum Johnston (bass) and David McGinty (vocals/guitar) – have been preparing for just this occasion since they met as schoolboys.
“Having the CDs in our hands feels really strange”, says David, “All the work you put in is suddenly just a massive box sitting on the doorstep, with a delivery man asking you to sign for it and you definitely can’t then say ‘No, I’m not signing for these, I want to record an alternative guitar part’. But the physical copies look great.”
Their self-titled album – released on Monday (5 July) – was recorded in The Diving Bell Lounge in Glasgow, with Marcus Mackay.
“We recorded our two singles for Say Dirty Records with Marcus a few years back at his old place, but around a year and a half ago he called and told us about this new building he had bought, and what he was going to do with it. He gave us a tour when it was just a shell, and we decided to wait and record the album there regardless of how long it took.
“Working with Marcus is great as he knows exactly what we’re talking about when we gabble on about a specific sound we want – but also knows how to control us and stop us from wasting two days on a ridiculous idea which we’ll probably never use. He can encourage the best from us, and knows when we can make something better.”
This relationship has certainly paid off. Endor is at some points delicate – shimmering with pretty intros and charming harmonies – and other times pounding with choruses which build up and up, voices shouting and cracking emotionally, a mix of raucous and polite. Recent single ‘Without the Help of Sparks’ should give you a good idea. For a debut album it sounds remarkably self-assured, with a clear flow of ideas from song to song.
The band had some help recording from Fergus and Pete of the State Broadcasters and singer Hana Waclawski.
Many friends also contributed in what was dubbed “The Can’t Afford a Choir Ensemble” – choir parts, clapping and shouting all recorded in a merry party at Richard’s house.
The band is releasing the album themselves – to be found online at the usual outlets, in independent record stores and of course via the band. “We wanted to record completely independently, then take it all the way through to mastering on our own,” David says. “It was a bit of a Forrest Gump running sensation, once we got that far, we thought why not just put it out ourselves?”
Recording the album gave Endor a chance to think back and rediscover old influences. “I actually even wore my old Weezer t-shirt to the first day of tracking, to get my head back to where we were when we first started playing together,” says David, “but the album represents where we are as a band now.”
And, promisingly, he adds: “And we already have some ideas of what we want to do for the next one.”
Solo Show Review from Washington Irving’s EP Launch
Jarv, of esteemed Glasgow act Endor, was next. In fine voice, his introspective meandering took the crowd on a journey through his mind. With Endor being notorious for melodic guitars and the aforementioned heavy thinking, it was no surprise that Jarv’s set had the room near silent. A good showing indeed.
Reviewer: Peter McGee, www.bluesbunny.com
Album Preview – Reviews
It’s good to see these guys back, almost assumed they’d split up. Their contemporaries We Were Promised Jetpacks and Frightened Rabbit may have overtaken them in getting all the plaudits of late, but perhaps now the time is right now for Endor to make the sort of impact they’ve always promised. The four tracks from the new album that I’ve heard so far, including that one (‘Two Lovers’), sounding immense. So I think exciting times ahead for Endor.
Jim Gellatly (Jim Gellatly’s New Music episode 75)
Endor are a four piece from Edinburgh/Glasgow, who have garnered much critical praise over the five years they’ve been around. The level of exposure reached by their friends; Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks, has been notable, but with a fully independant album in the pipe line, we’re sure to hear more from the quartet.
All Your More Buoyant Thoughts is the first track to be previewed from the forthcoming record and harks more towards their live sound than previous offerings. With it’s varying degrees of tempo, a little yelping and a cacophony of instrumentation, the track proves it is more than just a little two minute ditty.
Leith Records
We Live In Doors – Reviews (released April 2007)
‘A second amazing EP of charming indie pop from Glasgow – the kind of killer song that will become an indie dancefloor moment very soon.’
Pure Groove Records
‘Glasgow indie kids Endor follow their much hyped first single with ‘We Live In Doors’ (Say Dirty Records ), a lovesick mix of twinkly xylophone and throbbing guitars.’
The List Magazine
‘Endor are apparently Scotland’s next great hopes, they haven’t quite cracked the rest of Britain yet but I can’t see why they wouldn’t. The hype surrounding their debut release ‘Hold On’ lead BBC Radio 1’s Vic Galloway to near mental breakdown when the bands fans harassed him daily to play it. Apparently he called for an end to the living hell, but did they stop? Did they heck. This, their second release picks up on the momentum and spins its 10 turns. There’s something invigorating about this band. A breath of fresh air. It took me a few plays to get the vibe which is also a very good thing. Think Wedding Present meets Idlewild meets Bloc Party before they went pap. ‘We Live In Doors’ is a cracking single. Even though it’s laden with glockenspiels and tinges of twee it’s got a spritely spring in it’s step. Heavy drums thud as things kick off. Singer David McGinty sung backing vocals on Snow Patrol’s latest lp, but don’t let that put you off, he’s a fine voice. Sort of like a cross between Simon Neil (Biffy Clyro) without the Americanisms and Roddy Woomble’s younger days when Idlewild were good. It’s all wistful, stomping pop and I love it. Everything about it is spot on, even the fact it took more than one play to impact on me. “She Breaks Down in Crisis” McGinty croons. Superb.
The beside is ‘Lead Balloons’ which sounds like an Oxes song title but this is far from being mathcore noise. There’s acoustic guitars, organs and splashes of Arcade Fire majesty until things pick up the pace turning this song into a folk romp. McGinty recalling Michael Stipe here, not quite the quality of his voice yet but certainly showing huge potential.
Endor are worthy of any hype knocking about. ‘We Live In Doors’ should be play listed and played to death by national radio. I’m quite partial to good singles and if this is only their second release, we really have something to be excited about.’
Pete Stanley, Plastic Ashtray
‘It comes as no surprise to learn that Endor’s lead singer, David McGinty, sang backing vocals on Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open album. The similarities in sound between the two bands are instantly obvious. But although Endor may share that same knack for epic, emotional tunesmithery, they provide enough evidence to show that they’re not merely some poor facsimile: second single We Live In Doors has plenty of interesting twists and turns amid all the pining romanticism, and the lilting melody on b-side Lead Ballons shows that there is distinctly Celtic blood running through the local band’s veins.’
Barry Jackson, The Skinny
Hold On – Reviews (released March 2006)
‘Once it was only the Proclaimers, now it seems every decent Scots band sings in their own accents and not a cod American one. Playing tight new wave indie pop, Endor, like trio stopstarts and genre leaders Franz Ferdinand, blend edgy guitars with music that girls can dance to. Their debut single Hold On is a tight wee beast with handclaps that sit it in the Undertones camp of young love with repeated lyric: “Four little letters don’t matter anymore”. Better/Smarter growls along but once again sits in Indie Pop – changing tempo and enjoying harmonies and claps where necessary. Endor play Glasgow dates – King Tuts on April 29, Brel on 13 June & Oranmor on June 21. ‘
Rick Fulton, Daily Record
‘Endor, are four blokes from Glasgow. They look to bring forth their unique brand of wistful Glaswegian pop to the uninitiated masses that have not yet been privy to their charms. The first track ‘Hold On’ smashes along nicely with its jaunty beat that sweeps you along and carries you on a quick sojourn through the finest exponents of jock rock. Meeting up with them like old friends in the pub, Endor can comfortably hold their own as ‘Hold On’ is the sort of killer Indie pop tune that sinks its teeth into your brain gnashing away until you become drunk and receptive to its accoutrements. The subtle tin drum sound that punctuates the song at various points is the sort that the brain loves to latch on and hold on to. Having had its merry way with the listener, you’re left wondering just what the hell happened a few minutes previous. No time to recollect on what went on before as the next song rolls along and makes itself known. Big breath in, chest out, ‘Better/Smarter’ is not quite the bashing chest beater that it could be. Thankfully, it comes armed with a mighty swagger and sounds like a Scottish accented take on the annuls of Pavement in their prime with some guitar sounds reminiscent from said band throughout and Sonic Youth towards the end. The double whammy of this corking single does all the right things and is not bereft of nagging tunes. Memories will come whooshing back when you finish listening to the single and all you’ll notice is a warm, fuzzy feeling, knowing that you’ve had a cracking time.’
CD Times
‘Of a handful of promising new DIY Scottish labels, Say Dirty Records are one of the most exciting, especially if this endearingly ramshackle first single from Endor is anything to go by. “Four little letters don’t matter anymore because you know that we’re just primitive” they sing, without arrogance or pretence, and you’re ready to give your heart to them. The carefree backing vocals and fragile harmonies add to the joy’
[MMc] Is This Music? Magazine
‘Local 4-piece Endor serve up a lovely wee slice of Scottish pop/rock with their debut single Hold On.
Singing in your local accent has worked wonders for bands like the Arctic Monkeys, Oasis and Bloc Party – but for Scottish folk to try it, an image of ginger-haired twins in glasses usually appears in the mind of the listener. But Endor have managed to pull it off. Elements of relaxed Idlewild shine through, and the hand-claps throughout and clever, though provoking lyrics may even force this lot onto Saturday morning TV one day.
B-side Better/Smarter is another tight, toe-tapping cracker. Go buy it on Cd or limited 7 inch single.’
Joe Sach, The Lick Mag
‘A single release called ‘Hold On’ for Glasgow band endor. The fact the single launch party at King Tuts sold out pretty well sums up this cd – on tour soon, make sure you catch them live. ‘
Music News Scotland (What’s Hot April 2006)
Interview With Endor For The Skinny Mag – April 2006
‘Grassroots Adoration, underground pop penetration, collective effort: all rather rude sounding concepts but nonetheless apt for describing the musical strategies of Endor, the first band to release a record on the West End’s own Say Dirty Records.
Nubile young pups, still coming to terms with the appearance of a beard on their lead singer’s face, Endor combine winsome,naive charm recalls Yo La Tengo if they’d grown up shivering through interminable Scottish winters. At just nineteen, the band hooked up with Say Dirty through their gigs at the Goat, a pub around which a fledgling scene focused around members of the Reindeer Section and the Tweedy gents of Wake The President. Sharing boozy Sundays and hanging about at the increasingly influential Cold Night Song evening on Thursdays, Endor quickly attracted the attention of the bloody mary sipping Goat crowd.
The boys are distrustful of the press’ demarcation of artificial scenes, citing the “ludicrousness of the NME when they coined the phrase ‘The New Jock Revolution.’It was just bloody ridiculous.” It’s not as if they’ve needed a scene so far, having scored airplay on Lamacq Live, witnessed teams jogging onto Parkhead to their single and corralling their fans into the ‘Help The Endorly’ campaign which saw Vic Galloway’s mailbox stuffed with pleas to play the single Hold On. Such was the response that Vic phoned Bjorn, the manager of Say Dirty, to get him to stop the barrage. You can join in the fun at the link below, although I can’t imagine Vic would thank me for telling you that.
Having sung in a choir for the recording of Snow Patrol’s new album, during which they met Eugene Kelly and felt as if “we should call him Sir,” youth is no barrier to Endor’s unaffected ambition. The band’s easy going charm and breezy,sun through the cloud melodies, carry a weight of feeling you’d expect from a band twice their age with their success driven by no other desire than to “play for as long as possible.” Their “Quirky Glaswegian pop” is unabashed in its flirtatious, unpretentious frolic with tuneful beauty. They see no point in being “obscure for the sake of it,” and claim to want to make music that resounds with heartfelt emotion, tips its hat to the underground yets sets off straight for the gleaming shores of the pop world.
Their’s is what pop music would have been if John Lennon had listened to Belle & Sebastian, smoked hash and strumming in Kelvingrove park. Arresting, ethereal and blissfully evocative, Endor’s tunes manage to pull off the trick of sounding instantly familiar whilst being utterly unique.
By Jasper Hamill April 2006
Endor – The Herald June 15th 2006
Listening as one does, to some very loud music indeed, it is easy to forget just how powerful acoustic guitars can be. Tuesday night saw local heros Endor headline an excellant evening of acoustic entertainment at Brel, as part of Glasgow’s West End Festival. Both Endor and Wake The President are on the newly formed Say Dirty label, and co-founder and WtP vocalist Erik Sandberg gave us a short but very sweet solo set of their idiosyncratically Glaswegian tales of guys sitting in bars, doing crosswords and dreaming of beautiful blondes. Endor are making a name for themselves on the local circuit, and the substantial crowd, having eschewed the attractions of Brazilian football, greeted them as conquering heros.
In this acoustic guise, the band wore their influences on their sleeve – and covered Belle & Sebastian’s Lazy Painter Jane just to emphasise them. Their own songs, however were excellant. Emergency Getaway Plan and the single Hold On prompted a mass clap along and Big Night Out, which vocalist Mark Church told us hadn’t been done for a while, came off beautifully, reminiscent of Nick Drake at his finest. The rest of the band – drummer Richard Ferguson, bassist Calum Johnstone and guitarist David McGinty – provided nicely understated support. **** Stuart Morrison
Endor at T-Break – Pure Dead Brilliant Music May 2006
Endor had undoubtedly brought the biggest support tonight as the place swarmed with bodies; like eager kids waiting to be served at an ice cream van; and they were all served with lovely delights from the second the first cowbell was struck – yes COWBELL! Definitely the home-made tablet like yer granny used to make… sweet, lovely and more-ish with a traditional flavour. The dulcet tones of bearded singer David McGinty melted in the ears; just as your granny’s tablet would melt in your mouth; producing a warm and happy feeling within. Right from the offset, toes were tapping and the crowd clapped along as Endor modestly rocked King Tut’s with a brand of Indie Folk/Pop which tipped its hat to the likes of Teenage Fanclub and Idlewild. “You’re too good to us!” remarked McGinty, whilst earlier trying to calm down the uproar – such was the response this band drew. One couldn’t help but feel that the support was of the ‘bussed in’ variety – comprising mainly of friends and family – but this was neither here nor there as this band couldn’t fail to impress… even in a room full of strangers! The persistent chants of “T in the Park!” did get rather grating after a while, although it’s probably a safe bet to say we’ll be seeing Endor on the T-Break stage at T! As the set progressed, visiting tracks such as ‘Better Smarter’, ‘Emergency Getaway Plan’ and ‘Hold On’ along the way, distinct elements of Idlewild and even a more upbeat and rocky Nizlopi (dare I say it!) poked their heads through. The final song (Hold On) even sounding very Kooks like in its intro! Endor has talent and charisma and oodles of appeal in today’s market – a market which is being driven more towards ‘proper’ musicians every day – all hail the resurgence of guitar bands! The multi-talented crossover appeal of Mr McGinty with his acoustic/electric guitars, harmonica and sweet voice should sell records by the truck load! An honourable mention should also go to the Richard Ferguson who, as well as thumping the tubs without losing a beat, provided eloquent harmonised vocals throughout.
Andy Inglis
Endor = Scottish Band Of The Day 8th March 2006
The guys behing Glasgow’s youngest and coolest new label “Say Dirty Records” www.myspace.com/saydirtyrecords live and sweat music from every pore and not content to just sit and perform as Wake the President, (a great band in their own right) they have put blood into launching new bands they are committed to. In the great tradition of labels like Postcard, 52nd & a 3rd or Jeepster, Say Dirty’s first release is a band called Endor whose music combines all things special about Scottish celtic and pop history!
Alec Downie, NEMIS
Endor At Oranmor 26/10/05
So I’ve never been much of a ‘Star Wars’ fan; in fact, I was completely unaware of the Sci-fi connotations of Endor until a more galactically inclined friend clued me in. Now – in my head – I have images of a bunch of guys on stage dressed like David Bowie in ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’, which is a little far fetched, but you never know. But I put these slightly outlandish thoughts to one side, being rather delighted to find that Endor’s acoustic set at Oranmor (supporting Malcolm Middleton) is an enjoyable one; showcasing a talented young band beginning to find their way in the local music scene. Their set worked mainly around a lush blend of acoustic guitars, the brightest moments being found in their sleeker arrangements of their self proclaimed “poppier” songs. Here, the Idlewild-ish vocals seem to carry more weight and the harmonies really hit the mark.
Stuart Purcell – Skinny Mag Dec 05
