Friday 28 October 2011

Vacation.

The first time I witnessed Big Scary perform was back in 2009 at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne. They were supporting British India, and after the gig I just remember thinking, "I actually enjoyed that supporting band better." For a band with only two members, I was surprised by their 'big' sound.

The Melbourne duo, Tom Iansek and Jo Syme, have seen a steady rise in the music scene; from their early beginnings in 2008 with 'The Apple Song', to a four track EP, 'The Mini', where their song 'This Weight' did rounds on Triple J.
In 2010, Big Scary released four seasonal EP's; with it, culminating into a full length LP, namely, 'The Big Scary Four Seasons'. The album is an eclectic mix of sounds and emotions, from distorted guitar jams like 'Tuesday is Rent Day', acoustic tracks like 'Home' and even the melancholy piano of 'The Deep Freeze'.

This year sees Big Scary's release of 'Vacation', and what an amazing debut it is by the band. Tom's dreamy vocals throughout are really a stand out from the album; he hits his falsetto with apparent ease. From seeing them play live, I remember Jo being a ball of energy on the drums, and she has definitely brought this to the album..

Standouts include 'Mixtape', 'Gladiator', a new version of their old track 'Falling Away', and 'Bad Friends'. 'Bad Friends is an acoustic song that says "bad friends are looking for something new, bad friends aren't looking for you." In the song, Tom's vocals are softer and have a more vulnerable tone, which adds to the sombre message of the track. The acoustic picking definitely isn't perfect (their are a few twangs noticeable), but I think it again adds to the effect of the song. And if you have heard any of their older stuff, you'll understand that Big Scary's imperfection is what makes them such an interesting band to listen to.

Check out 'Bad Friends' below:



You can purchase 'Vacation' on iTunes here:
http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/vacation/id466411464

Or if you a little short on coin, you can stream the album in full on Big Scary's Soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/bigscary

You can also find out more about Big Scary here:
http://www.bigscary.net/
http://www.facebook.com/bigscaryband
http://twitter.com/#!/bigscarymusic

#FALLENFORBIGSCARY

xo