65daysofstatic
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65daysofstatic (also known by the abbreviations 65dos, 65days, or simply 65) are an instrumental post-rock band from Sheffield, England. The band has thus far released three albums: The Fall of Math, One Time for All Time, and The Destruction of Small Ideas.
The band intersperses heavy, progressive, guitar-driven instrumental sections with live drums and off-beat sampled drums akin to those of Aphex Twin.
History
The band was originally formed in 2001 as a three-piece, consisting of Joe Shrewsbury, Paul Wolinski, and Iain Armstrong. The popular belief (and as the band once stated) is that they took their name from the unreleased and little known John Carpenter film Stealth Bomber starring Kurt Russell.[1] Another theory that holds is that the band took their name from the CIA's 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état during which the CIA put a white book instrument to use according to which 65 days of disabling the communication systems of a nation while spreading propaganda is enough to overthrow a country.[2][unreliable source?] Alternatively, New Statesman has presented the theory the name was derived from psychological experiments conducted in the 1960s, in which it was found that exposure to 65 days of white noise (or static) would render the listener insane.[3]
The lineup of the band has changed significantly since its initial formation. Armstrong left in May 2003, and later went on to form a new band, Actionier. Feedle joined for a brief period and played a part in writing the band's first single from The Fall of Math, "Retreat! Retreat!". By the end of 2003 Rob Jones (drums) and Gareth Hughes (bass) had been recruited, increasing the band to four members. Gareth left around the time of the release of their debut album The Fall of Math. Simon Wright took over on bass duties. Members of other bands, particularly The Mirimar Disaster and Youthmovies, often join them in their live shows.
In 2005 they remixed Alkaline Trio's single "Burn" from the album Crimson. The track appears on one 7" vinyl out of a set of 2. In the same year, the band also remixed "...Spooks the Horse," a track by Youthmovie Soundtrack Strategies, for inclusion on the reissue of their debut album, Hurrah! Another Year, Surely This One Will Be Better Than the Last; The Inexorable March of Progress Will Lead Us All to Happiness.
Their third album, The Destruction of Small Ideas, was released on 30th April 2007. The album features contributions by members of The Mirimar Disaster, Digitonal, and Circle Takes the Square. The track "Don't Go Down to Sorrow" was released as a single three weeks before this on 9 April[1], backed by a new song "Morning in the Knife Quarter" and a remix of "The Major Cities of the World Are Being Destroyed One by One by the Monsters", a version of which appeared as a b-side on the Retreat! Retreat! single. This single was released on 21 March 2007 in Japan, while the album was released there on 23 April. The video for the single was made by Medlo.
Currently
An EP, "The Distant and Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties", will be released on 7th April 2008. The band have confirmed this release will contain four new tracks, two of which will be alternate versions of the title track, itself taken from The Destruction of Small Ideas.[4] An ARG (Alternative reality game) has been launched to promote the release. The band will also embark on a short tour of the UK and mainland Europe in support of this EP during April, in the break between The Cure's European and American tours.
Throughout February and March 2008 they are supporting The Cure on their European Tour, finishing at Wembley Arena on March 20th. In May and June 2008 they will be supporting The Cure in their North American tour (a tour re-arranged from 2007).
Live
The band have repeatedly stated that they love playing live. Towards the end of 2005, in a mailout to subscribers of their newsletter, they said that they were "a little disappointed" only to have played 91 shows in that year. They have received critical acclaim from independent music websites, such as Drowned in Sound, for their live shows [2].
In 2006, they played to their biggest crowd yet at that year's Summer Sonic festival in Japan, alongside such bands as Metallica, Lostprophets, Linkin Park and Deftones. 2006 also saw their first European tour, playing in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy and France.
Frequently they perform with live visuals from Medlo, long time collaborators with the band. They appeared on a UK tour in 2006 and are set to tour with the band again in 2007. Medlo have also produced the majority of their music videos, including Radio Protector, Drove Through Ghosts to Get Here and Don't Go Down to Sorrow.
Having played their first American shows at SXSW in March 2007, they embarked on their first American tour supporting Fear Before the March of Flames [3] in July and August 2007. Following that was The Destruction Of Small Ideas Tour Part 2, which saw them play venues across Ireland, the UK, and several other European countries.
Discography
Albums
- The Fall of Math (September 2004)
- One Time for All Time (October 2005)
- The Destruction of Small Ideas (April 2007) #151 UK
Singles and EPs
- Stumble.Stop.Repeat. (EP) (December 2003)
- "Retreat! Retreat!" (November 2004)
- Hole (EP) (March 2005)
- "Radio Protector" (February 2006)
- "Don't Go Down to Sorrow" (March/April 2007)
- The Distant and Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties (EP) (April 2008)
Unreleased/Unreleasable
- Volume 1: 65's.late.nite.double-a-side.college.cut-up.trailers.for.the.looped.future. (May 2003)
- Volume 2: How I Fucked Off All My Friends (March 2005)
- Volume 3: The Kids Have Eyes (DVD) (October 2005)
B-sides and Rarities
- Volume 1: Then We Take Japan (CD + DVD) (November 2006) (Released in Japan only)