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Wonderswan were an alternative
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band, based in
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Career
Preceded by a self-released CDR, Wonderswan's first commercial release was on 4 May 2009 with the track "Hey Nature", which was included on the
Dance To The Radio
Dance To The Radio is a British independent record label, based in Leeds, England.
History
It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song " Transmission". The label launched with the release of a compilation album 'Dance To The Rad ...
release ''4x12" Volume 1'', followed on 10 May by their first 7" vinyl release entitled "Furrrpile". In 2009 Wonderswan played the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds festivals. In 2010 Wonderswan released a
cassette tape through Sea Owl Records which received favourable reviews from Collective Zine and
Drowned In Sound, who featured a download of the track ''Maple Syrup''. A video was made for the track ''Super Star Destroyer'' which was made entirely from clips taken from
Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam
''Dünyayı Kurtaran Adam'' (English: ''The Man Who Saved the World'') is a 1982 Turkish science fantasy martial arts superhero adventure film directed by Çetin Inanç, and starring actor/martial artist Cüneyt Arkın. It was first released in ...
, a bizarre
Turkish remake of
Star Wars.
Musical influences
The band is influenced by the work of rock and grunge bands from the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s, their sound has been frequently compared to
Pavement although the band themselves cite influences including
Sonic Youth,
Guided By Voices and
Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.
The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlo ...
making use of
Lo-Fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
recordings, distorted band compositions and elements of guitar solos along with influences from
Shoegaze bands such as
My Bloody Valentine with several
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
"sound experiments" featured on the EP ''I Wish I Was Deep Instead Of Just Macho''. Their somewhat messy style has been described as "sloppy yet brilliant" and "beautiful chaos".
Discography
Singles
*"Untitled (Bear)" – CDR, 2008
*"Furrrpile" – 7" Single, 2009 ''(Good Form Club)''
*"I Wish I Was Deep Instead of Just Macho" – Cassette E.P, 2010 ''(Sea Owl)''
Compilations
* 4 x 12" Volume 1 – ''Hey Nature'', 2009 ''
Dance To The Radio
Dance To The Radio is a British independent record label, based in Leeds, England.
History
It was named after the refrain of the Joy Division song " Transmission". The label launched with the release of a compilation album 'Dance To The Rad ...
''
* Kicking Against The Pricks Compilation No. 1 – ''Friends For Life (Pt. 1)'', 2010 ''KATP Tapes''
* Heavy Medicine – ''A Stitch In Space-Time'', 2010 ''Tally Ho! (Fanzine)''
* Hilarious Consequences by Babak Ganjei – Soundtrack To The Graphic Novel – ''Friends For Life (Pt. 1)'', 2010 ''Records Records Records''
Other activities
Members of Wonderswan also play in several other bands. Ged fronts the
indie-pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
band
Downdime, SS plays in
psychedelic outfit
Hookworms and Michael plays in
dreampop
Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...
duo
Martian Scorsese. Michael made the artwork for Wonderswan's first release, the untitled ''Bear'' CDR and also the video for the track ''Super Star Destroyer''. He recorded and produced the debut EP from indie-pop band
This Many Boyfriends which was released via
Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation
Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation, or Thee SPC, is an independent record label based in Sheffield, UK. It is one of the most influential labels in the Yorkshire area, having given early breaks and support to many bands in the so-called Ne ...
. Michael also writes a regular TV column ''Mike TV'' for the online
fanzine Kicking Against The Pricks.
References
External links
Wonderswan at Last FMLeeds Music Scene
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderswan (Band)
Indie rock groups from Leeds