Laura (band)
Encyclopedia
Laura is a post-rock
band from Melbourne
, Australia
.
and released their debut EP
- Photographs... in 2002. Although it received positive reviews on the whole, it failed to gain the band a significant following. However, with their follow up album Mapping Your Dreams (produced by noted Japanese engineer Naomune Anzai) in 2004
, they became world renowned for their loud live shows and post-rock
sound.
The album garnered high-rotation airplay and promotional support from independent radio stations FBi Radio
and 2ser
in Sydney
as well as 3RRR
and 3PBS in Melbourne
. It was critically successful notably in the naming of self-released single We Should Keep This Secret (from their Mapping Your Dreams album) as Beat Magazine's single of the week in September 04, and later becoming the magazine's single of that year.
Radio Swan Is Down, their second album, was released in 2006 and was supported by a national tour.
In February 2007, Laura supported US band Isis
on their tour of Australia. (re)capitulate, released in October 2007, is a live recording that was recorded at the HiFi Bar in Melbourne during this tour. The live version of 'Radio Swan Is Down part 1' was voted Beat Single of the week as well as receiving much critical acclaim for its intesity and power.
Their second EP
Yes Maybe No, released in 2008 on US label Elevation Recordings, was limited to 2000 copies.
Having released a Japanese edition of Radio Swan is Down the previous year, Laura toured Japan in 2008 to promote the album, playing shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima. In 2009, they supported Swedish band Cult of Luna
and Japanese band Mono
on their tours of Australia.
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
band from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
History
Laura formed in 20012001 in music
See also:* 2001 in music Record labels established in 2001-Events:*January 1**Comeback of Guns N' Roses in House of Blues**Hum disbands.*January 17 – Bass player Jason Newsted leaves Metallica after 14 years with the band....
and released their debut EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
- Photographs... in 2002. Although it received positive reviews on the whole, it failed to gain the band a significant following. However, with their follow up album Mapping Your Dreams (produced by noted Japanese engineer Naomune Anzai) in 2004
2004 in music
See also:* 2004 in music Record labels established in 2004-January:*January 1**The Vienna New Year's Concert is conducted by Riccardo Muti.**Kurt Nilsen wins World Idol....
, they became world renowned for their loud live shows and post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
sound.
The album garnered high-rotation airplay and promotional support from independent radio stations FBi Radio
FBi Radio
FBi is an independent, not-for-profit community radio station in Sydney, Australia. FBi places a heavy emphasis on local alternative music: it has a policy that at least 50 per cent of its music content is to be Australian, of which at least half comes from Sydney musicians.FBi began 'test...
and 2ser
2SER
2SER is a community radio station in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, broadcasting on the frequency 107.3 FM and is a member of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia. The station operates as a company limited by guarantee and is jointly owned by Macquarie University and the...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as well as 3RRR
3RRR
3RRR is a popular Australian community radio station, based in Melbourne. It is the largest per capita subscribed radio station in the world....
and 3PBS in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. It was critically successful notably in the naming of self-released single We Should Keep This Secret (from their Mapping Your Dreams album) as Beat Magazine's single of the week in September 04, and later becoming the magazine's single of that year.
Radio Swan Is Down, their second album, was released in 2006 and was supported by a national tour.
In February 2007, Laura supported US band Isis
Isis (band)
Isis was a Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band, founded in Boston, Massachusetts, with a career spanning from 1997 to 2010...
on their tour of Australia. (re)capitulate, released in October 2007, is a live recording that was recorded at the HiFi Bar in Melbourne during this tour. The live version of 'Radio Swan Is Down part 1' was voted Beat Single of the week as well as receiving much critical acclaim for its intesity and power.
Their second EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Yes Maybe No, released in 2008 on US label Elevation Recordings, was limited to 2000 copies.
Having released a Japanese edition of Radio Swan is Down the previous year, Laura toured Japan in 2008 to promote the album, playing shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Hiroshima. In 2009, they supported Swedish band Cult of Luna
Cult of Luna
Cult of Luna is a Swedish post-metal band from Umeå. They formed from the remnants of a Umeå hardcore punk band called Eclipse in 1998. They slowly garnered critical appreciation and underground popularity with early releases Cult of Luna and The Beyond ; however, it is 2004's Salvation that can...
and Japanese band Mono
Mono (Japanese band)
Mono are a Japanese post rock band, formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Kantō, Honshū. The band consists of Takaakira Goto , Yoda , Tamaki Kunishi , and Yasunori Takada .Mono have released five studio albums...
on their tours of Australia.
Members
- Nathan Biggin (pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - Andrew Chalmers (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) - Carolyn Gannell (celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
) - Andrew Yardley (bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
s) - Ben Yardley (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s)
Singles
- We Should Keep This Secret (2004)
- I Hope (2006)
- Radio Swan Is Down part 1 - Live (2007)
- Mark the Day (2010)
- This Grey Earth (2011)
Albums
- Mapping Your Dreams (2005)
- Radio Swan Is Down (2006)
- Live Album - (re)capitulate (2007)
- Twelve Hundred TimesTwelve Hundred Times-Track listing:#"Visitor" - 07:10#"This Grey Earth" - 05:06#"Gravity Hill" - 02:18#"Mark the Day" - 06:07#"Glint" - 02:44#"x1200" - 00:50#"Stone Seed" - 04:32#"Fugue State" - 02:28 #"The Slow" - 05:50 #"Safe Confinement" - 01:00...
(2011)