Disappears

Disappears

Irreal

Kranky

***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Received a 7.0 rating from Pitchfork. Irreal, the fifth long player from Chicago's DISAPPEARS, is another trip down the rabbit hole. The album plays out as a dream sequence—hazed dub landscapes give way to the groupʼs most experimental and open music yet. If their last album Era confirmed the fact that Disappears are on their own trip, then Irreal is where it kicks in. Eternalism, roboethics, identity—it's a Ballardian mix of imperfect melodies, half thoughts and good ol' dystopian modernity. Itʼs a master class in texture, pace and control. Produced by JOHN CONGLETON at famed Chicago recording institution Electrical Audio, Irreal sits in the negative space where art rock and post punk collapse onto each other. It's the sound of Disappears reporting back from The Void.

Disappears

Era

Kranky

***CHECK STOCK!!! Received a 7.3 rating from Pitchfork. Era is the fourth annual report from Chicago powerhouse quartet DISAPPEARS. It was formed during the gloom of the Chicago winter at Electrical Audio by now regular foil JOHN CONGLETON. Insular and dark, the album sees the band further refining their love of dub, minimalism and repetition into their most original and stark set yet. It harks back to the early ‘80s post punk period, when almost anything seemed possible with the classic two guitar, bass and drums lineup, and exploration and expansion of what could be done with these elements was at the fore. Dueling wiry and squalling guitars lead the way while a lockdown rhythm section provides the perpetual forward motion. Era is Disappears at their most abrasive, contemplative, and paranoid—itʼs the sound of the void looking back.

Disappears

Pre Language

Kranky

***Right on cue, the third annual report from Chicagoʼs DISAPPEARS is submitted for your consideration. Following up on the acclaimed Guider album released just over a year ago, and with new drummer STEVE SHELLEY now fully integrated into the group, these songs were again forged into proper shape during live shows before heading to the studio and the tape machine. Never ones to dither or be indecisive, itʼs a full-bore assault from the opening track to the last as Disappears attack these new songs with their usual relentless determination. Itʼs a sinister proceeding—debut Lux was preoccupied with death and endings while follow up Guider with protection—but Pre Language finds the band speaking on, of all things, love. Direct allusions to Philip K. Dick, James Baldwin, and Joan of Arc sit side by side with songs about the lows of life and the characters that permeate it. Recorded in Hoboken New Jersey at Sonic Youthʼs Echo Canyon West studio and mixed with JOHN CONGLETON, Pre Language finds Disappears at their most potent and focused. The band has finally stepped into their own world and the results are thrilling. (STREET DATE - 2/28/2012)

Disappears

Lux

Kranky

***DISAPPEARS are that rarest of musical things, a 'rock' band affiliated with Kranky. But at least they are a rock band and not some less than reasonable facsimilie, because let's face it; most bands using that descriptor would not sonically intimidate your grandmother if she were alone in a dark alley. And deliver the granite the Disappears do from the opening chords, delivering scuzzy, driving rhythms that certainly imply a threat of ill will. Drawing on a combined reverence for reverb, heavy tremolo, distortion, delay and repetition, Disappears play minimal rock music inspired by krautrock, punk rock, the mid ‘80s New Zealand scene, and a bit of everything in between. And in their minimalist approach the band finds their real strength, hammering home chord structures that are tried and true and can and do remain fresh in the hands of the right talents such as these. As a wise man once said, "keep it simple stupid." (STREET DATE - 4/13/2010)

Disappears

Guider

Kranky

***CHECK STOCK!!! Received a 7.0 rating from Pitchfork. 2010 was a busy year for the DISAPPEARS. They finally saw their debut album Lux released, they did a fair amount of touring, and they recorded this new album. Having worked these new songs into proper shape in the live setting, they went into the studio and ripped through the recordings, using the first take on all but one of the tracks. And Disappears are so much about the NOW and not the THEN that they recorded over the same reels of tape that they used for their first album. “Guider” means to control or influence, which is what all the songs ended up being about in one form or another. This is a heads down, blinders on, damn the distractions, forward driving, controlled squall. Drop the needle, turn up the volume and surrender to the delicious. No Export to UK or Europe.