For the Record: Early Day Miners – The Treatment

18/11/2009 Dan England No Comments

A band that will never receive as much credit as they deserve, the Early Day Miners are synonymous with the experimental and often ambient rock that has been prevalent in the last decade or so. Consistently enjoyable to listen to, and never falling into the traps of a particular style or sound, their music has always conjured up exactly what they were trying to portray; whether it be flat, barren deserts, or soaring peaks. I had always considered their sound as ambient and sprawling, turning up melodic lines to their simmering point but never boiling over. This is where they excel – where most of their contemporaries conform to the pattern of quiet-loud-quiet, or the other way around, the EDM owe more to bands like Bedhead and Rex than Sigur Ros and Explosions in the Sky. Until now, that is.

I was aware that the Early Day Miners could sound indie rock, but I wasn’t prepared to hear them producing that much of an indie rock sound. The Treatment, their latest full-length, sees the band emerging as capable of tackling a straight-ahead sound. As usual, the revolving door of cast members on each album has taken another turn, and kitted out with a new group of musicians sees the core trio of Daniel Burton, Rory Leitch and Joseph Brumley transform into a totally different beast altogether. Using post-punk guitar lines and prominent keyboards makes tracks like “So Slowly” and “Becloud” a real treat to listen to, and a particular standout is the fantastically dark and compact “The Zip”. It could be said that their older material was hard to swallow in larger doses and also somewhat taciturn at times; it is advisable to spend a week or more listening to each of them. The Treatment, however, is a different species altogether. It’s the sort of album that could sate the casual listener, unusual textures in the most unexpected places but a fulfilling and altogether wonderful addition to their respectable discography.