Borne out of frustrated Sunday afternoons spent eating nine types of pudding on the same plate, and equally painkiller-sodden Saturday evenings experimenting with body butter face masks and Need For Speed II gaming marathons, Blue Screem became a serious entity entirely by accident.
Their genesis lay in Luke Page's previous project Death Of A Salesman, which featured producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Gardiner in the background. Heartfelt acoustic peans were frequently interrupted by bursts of percussion and noise, and as the songs evolved so too did the ambition to take these floundering specimens and bring them into the light. Salesman suffered several very questionable gigs before slinking back to Twelve Whitby to rethink matters.
A punk epiphany for the duo cemented a new thirst for edgier, racket-based arrangements, and the band was rechristened Blue Screem. Beginning within the confines of a studio project, the pair recruited Andy Warmington and Ryan H. Fleming to help them bring their ideas into fruition live. Rehearsals commenced.
These were scrupulously documented on YouTube, becoming a viral hit with friends. Often featuring violence, nudity, and the complete absence of musicianship, the videos resembled something one viewer described as "the kind of thing you film before going on a killing rampage at work".
Gigs to frequently mystified audiences, sporadic recording sessions both at home and in studios, and songwriting that began to reflect the chaotic nature of life within the home of Ex Libris Records, ensured that progress continued to trickle forward.
The old acoustic balladeering of old was slowly replaced by sparse bass lines. Everyone appeared to be playing the instrument they were least proficient at. At least three of the band at some point played the drums. Luke bought an effects box for his vocals, which regularly caused oceans of unwanted feedback. References to The Wire, Prison Break and feeding dogs chocolate grew.
It all seemed like such a merry tongue-in-cheek affair, until a London gig in 2011 went unexpectedly well, encouraging the band to record a full session at Colerabbey Studios - now sited within an abandoned church - later that year.
However, it would not be until early-2013 when the spoils from this session would be mixed. Definitive versions of several of the band's oeuvre had already been captured via dictaphone tapes made during rehearsals, previous studio sessions and the infamous YouTube submissions. 'Ribenaland' therefore drew on all these varied sources to offer a comprehensive overview of Blue Screem's unconventional journey taken so far.
• • •
Written by Blue Screem Of Death
[except 'Prayer To God', which was composed by Shellac]
Produced by Andrew Gardiner
Recorded at Colerabbey Studios, 2009 - 2013
Sleeve by Shyrooken
• • •
Luke Page - vocals, lyrics, guitars, bass, keys, effects
Andrew Gardiner - bass, drums, percussion, vocals, lyrics, kaoss, keys
Andy Warmington - drums, guitar, bass, vocals, lyrics, organ
Ryan H. Fleming - guitar, drums, bass
• • •
Released digitally to the sound of Four Lane Ends traffic congestion on Friday 15th February 2013.
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