From The Dark Room To The Bright Lights

By Joe Kavanagh

For many on the outside, being in a band is viewed as a somewhat spontaneous and even frivolous pursuit, particularly given the nature of a business so often associated with decadence and unbridled youth.

Like the opinions of outsiders when applied to any other business of which their knowledge is built on assumptions, the truth is often very different from the perception.

Metaphorically speaking, the lifespan of most musical acts is roughly analogous to what is referred to as a cryptophyte in the plant world, with years spent existing in a harsh underground before the fortunate few blossom into the bright lights of recognition.

In past times, this 'hard time' was spent whiling away endless hours learning an instrument, and then a further interminable period lugging musical equipment up and down the stairs of dingy venues in the pursuit of something that would in all likelihood never even materialize.

Hoisted on the petard of file-sharing, the well documented, and ongoing, implosion of the recording industry that has seen record companies go under at an unparalleled rate, has added a further component, as most acts are now forced to deal the business end of music, in addition to the usual cycle of writing, recording and gigging.

Like many of their contemporaries, Irish act, Dark Room Notes, have attempted to navigate these choppy seas with only their talent and intuition to guide them, but their pragmatic approach to their music career may yet lead them to success where so many others have seen their fortunes sink.

The story of Dark Room Notes began over a decade ago in Galway when teenagers Ronan Gaughan and Rurai Ferrie set out to form a band, inspired by the post-grunge scene that invigorated music in the mid-90s.

Playing under the name Obskure, they were initially content to follow in the guitar-driven footsteps of their forebears, but as time went on they felt somewhat hemmed in by a sound that had undoubtedly enjoyed its apogee.

In a moment of serendipity, they found their escape from guitar rock when their bassist quit, and they began to use programmed basslines in his place.

By 2004, the group were playing under the banner of Dark Room Notes and this initial flirtation with technology led them to further explore the art of programming, taking their music in a more electronic direction.

As their sound developed further, they decided to move to Dublin in order to pursue their musical fortune and by 2006, the group had added drummer Darragh Shanahan and vocalist/synth player, Arran Murphy to their number.

In December of the same year, they played their first gig as a four-piece and began recording with engineer, Ciaran Bradshaw, touching off a creative relationship that would eventually see the band referring to him as their "unofficial fifth member".

In June of 2007, the band made their presence known to the Irish music scene, and beyond, with the positively exceptional single, Love Like Nicotine, a darkly brooding but ultimately uplifting piece of electro-pop which called to mind acts such as Depeche Mode and New Order.

They followed this up with the equally beguiling Dead Start Program EP, which boasted four tracks which positively bristled with pop hooks, indie sensibilities and the ability to incorporate genres from the 80s onwards into a modern package, without ever approaching the type of plagiarism that too often passes off as fusion.

Tours of the country and a host of showcases followed as the Irish music media sung their laurels and music lovers waited with a sense of urgent expectancy for an album that everyone expected to see the following year. Only that's not the way events would ultimately transpire.

Cognizant of the old axiom about never getting a second chance to make a first impression, the four members resisted the impulse to follow in the slipstream of their momentum and get an album out at the first available opportunity, instead choosing to keep their powder dry while they continued to put in place all of the elements that they felt necessary in order to give themselves the best possible opportunity to succeed.

They continued to tour and work on their live show, using each performance as a testing board, as they tried out new material and tweaked old songs, using the reaction of audiences as a type of laboratory for their ideas.

On the business end of things, they sought out new contacts and familiarized themselves with the nuances of the industry and the type of savvy required to release an album and organize subsequent touring.

Realizing the financial burden that such an endeavor would incur, they also used the time to build a sufficient war-chest to ensure that they would be able to meet the strain of paying for recording, promotion and other expenses associated with releasing a record on their own imprint.

By July of last year, they were sufficiently satisfied that enough pieces were in place to begin recording in London, with Bradshaw at the helm.

Continuing this trend of mixing the businesslike with artistic idealism, the album was mixed in Dublin before being sent to New York, where it was mastered, but even still they resisted the urge to unleash their work on the public until all elements were firmly in place.

This confluence of events finally occurred in April, when We Love You Dark Matter finally hit shelves to near universal praise, vindicating the band's slowly, slowly catchy monkey approach.

Influential Irish music journalist, Edel Coffey, wrote: "Dark Room Notes, true to their name, sing dark songs of obsession, addiction, lust and passion. Despite this, they manage to be strangely uplifting, the songs buoyed along on a wave of electro-indie and male-female vocals calling to mind Human League and Joy Division. Dark Room Notes are a smart and stylish young band, exciting and exhilarating with sophisticated tunes to boot."

Speaking of their approach, the band claims: "We make music using computers and guitars and synths and drums and voices. We mostly keep the tempo above 120. We like to make people dance. We like to write pop songs that rock out, and rock songs that pop up, and club anthems that make you cry."

Further reinforcing the efficacy of their practical and measured approach was word that they have been chosen to appear at next month's CMJ Festival in New York, where the best new acts from around the world get to showcase their talents in front of the most influential movers and shakers on the American music scene.

Something of a holy grail for Irish acts, the festival is one of the most influential benchmarks in terms of determining which bands will be issued with keys to the world's largest music market.

This optimism in terms of the US market has been mirrored on the other side of the Atlantic, where the four-piece has already been featured in a host of UK showcases, in addition to an appearance at Berlin's Popkomm Music Festival, which is roughly the European equivalent of the CMJ Festival.

Spurred on by the response, in further testament to their preparedness and dedication to their trade, the band has built a permanent recording studio named the Black Ark - in tribute to Lee "Scratch" Perry's legendary Ark studio - where work has already allegedly begun on their follow-up album, despite their current album still having a long way to go in terms of promotion and effectiveness.

Naturally, an act can be as prepared, efficient and committed as they wish but it will inevitably amount to very little if they fail to produce the tunes to back it up, but Dark Room Notes certainly have the sonic firepower to underpin their calculated approach to making music.

With such a convergence of talent, work ethic and a sound whose inherent appeal carries potential far beyond the shores of Ireland, the name Dark Room Notes looks virtually certain to ring out on the music scene for quite some time to come.