playground noise

The good old days of vinyl wanted artists to always release at least one 7inch (sometimes more) before the release of their album. It was a foretaste of what would follow, or the official baptism for the newcomers. The first Playground Noise 7inch, a rare item in the year 2008, is sold out for a long time now, while their debut album released last year, entitled after the band’s name, has supported all the enthusiastic reactions provoked from their first recorded attempt and established the existing good reputation they already had as a band from their live appearances

The second 7inch, coming out in February by Inner Ear, remains true to the indie guitar sound of the band from Patras, while the new elements added to the arrangement and the lyrics influence the stylistic atmosphere of the tracks, without threatening the band’s solid music base. Playground Noise continues to monitor the lives of those who dance on the edge of life in defiance of the risk of fall, only this time their heroes fall with more style and a little light comes to play with darkness. “A part of nothing / Apart from everything / I can still breathe / I’m doomed but still I breathe”

The addition of more strings and brass, the title of track “Swinging Lowdown” (a possible paraphrase of Swinging London) that could alternatively be “Falling And Laughing” (like that old Orange Juice track), the calm light that penetrates the reeds on the album cover and the lyrics of Cohen [“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in”] on the back cover, are only a few signs …

The second album of Playground Noise will be released in late 2012 on Inner Ear. The tracks of the 7inch are available for free download through the Inner Ear Bandcamp page http://innerear.bandcamp.com

Playground Noise were formed in 2006 and have been through several lineup changes before settling on their current lineup which consists of: Nikos Ntentopoulos (keyboards), Theodoros Papadopoulos (guitar), Timon Kardamas (bass), Andreas Lampropoulos (drums) and Vasilis Sbilias (vocals, guitar). The five piece originates from Patras and they have already won the Greek audience with their live performances during the last three years. Two years after the release of their first 7” single, “Flowers/Sundays”, they return with a highly anticipated debut album, entitled after the name of the band, ready to leave their own mark on the Greek indie music scene.

The company of Playground Noise grew to include three friends that have contributed to the creation of this album: Konstantinos Pavlopoulos plays the trumpet and has taken the album cover photograph, Sofia Ioannidi plays the cello and Eirini Valaoritou plays the violin. The album was produced and mixed by the band’s bassist, Timon Kardamas. Both their English lyrics and their music style reveal their strong emotional bonds with the United Kingdom. The favourite bands of their record collection include among others: Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Interpol and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart.

The sounds of “Playground Noise” sometimes flow slowly in rhythms similar to those of the process of introspection and other times they travel at full speed like the colourful landscapes ‘in transit’, outside the windows of a train. The bright days of “Today” and “April 24” dip the sunny freshness of love into the fragile, grey hours of “Isolation” and “Divers” and the loneliness of “Last Cigarette” blends into the agony of “Whisper In My Head”. And all these through the romantic glance of a band that above all loves music.

After all, Patras is only 10 tracks away from the big island of rain. Enjoy the ride!

The first ever Inner Ear Records 7” vinyl release, which coincides with Playground Noise’s debut! The distant recollection of rainy Sundays, a dear-loved novel , the guilessness of childhood, the melancholic bitterness of parting, the discrete scent of Flowers turn to sound through one of the most hopeful bands of the new Greek indie scene! Echoed piano riffs, warm, full-range guitar chords and bass themes along with sincere, moving lyrics and daydreaming drum patterns typify an ageless artistic amalgam of pent up emotions, making this single a well-merited addition to any record library!