Absentee (band)

(drums).

Born to the sounds of Barry Manillow and The Carpenters, raised on romantic comedies, and schooled in failed love and misfiring lust� Absentee emerge well-versed in the rigours of romance with their finest album to date, Victory Shorts.Finding a seat somewhere between unreachable romanticism and hopeless realism, Victory Shorts offers lush mini romantic tragedies for those who thought Casablanca ended a little too abruptly. Album opener 'Shared' sets the scene with a couple pleased as punch that they found each other, until things take a darker turn with Absentee smashing their way through 'Boy, Did She Teach You Nothing?' latest EP title-track 'Bitchstealer' and 'Love Has Had Its Way' in an attempt to get to the truth of the matter: Happy endings don't come easy.'The Nurses Don't Notice a Thing' takes us on a walk with someone looking for hope in a maternity wing: "our eyes meeting as your waters break and I'm born again as him or her," meditating on the beauty of innocence as: "the simplest feelings of love explode into the room like cowboys in saloons, I want to clap but it seems inappropriate." In 'We Smash Plates' the lovers' first argument and consequent makeup is summed up in a mess of broken crockery: "I ask you kindly to take a seat whilst I'm sweeping broken china from around your feet, like a miner bringing riches from the core... we both smile knowing there will always be more".By album closer 'That Old Ghost', we're left contemplating a lovers' grip: "the way that you hold me, it won't be my heart that breaks first" and the enduring qualities of love found the hard way: "you don't have to ask me if you want me to stay... I'm not a bird, I'm not a whore... you can just clap your hands and make me run away".Marked with the influence of Johnny Cash, Pavement and The Velvet Underground, produced/engineered/mixed by Nick Terry (Klaxons, Libertines, Bernard Butler), and shot through with the originality and humour we've come to expect from Absentee, Victory Shorts stands alone as the band's strongest, most honest record yet. (The above is the press release of their 2008 album "Victory Shorts")

The band have had two previousmajor releases. "Donkey Stock" in 2005 was a six track EP, which helped get the band noticed. In 2006, the band released a full length album called "Schmotime", which was well received by the music press, including a 7.1 Pitchfork rating. Much was made of the up-beat nature of the songs, in stark contrast to the morbid nature of the lyrics - 'There's a body in a car somewhere' - for example.

The album "Schmoetime" was produced by James Ford, of Arctic Monkeys and Mystery Jets fame.

Any free time has been spent touring with the likes of Magic Numbers, Brakes, Broken Family Band, Micah p Hinson, Bloc Party and Silver Jews.

Pre-formation

Before forming the band, Dan Michaelson and Melinda Bronstein collaborated to make the self-produced mini-album "Hawaiian Disco". Five songs from that mini-album, and other unreleased material was used in the 2003 film "Twisted", shown in the Raindance Film Festival. [ [http://www.drownedinsound.com/artist/view/7547 "Absentee"] , "DrownedInSound.com"; URL accessed May 20, 2006.] [ [http://imdb.com/title/tt0433656/fullcredits "Full Cast and Crew for Twisted (2003/I)"] , IMDB ; URL accessed May 20, 2006.]

Discography

Singles

* 2006 "Something to Bang" #180 UK
* 2006 "Weasel"
* 2006 "We Should Never Have Children"
* 2006 "There's A Body In A Car Somewhere"2008 'BOY,DID SHE TEACH YOU NOTHING"

EPs

* 2005 "Donkey Stock"2008 "BITCHSTEALER EP"

Albums

* 2006 "Schmotime"2008 "VICTORY SHORTS" (SEPT 22ND)

References

External links

* [http://www.absenteemusic.co.uk/ Official website]
* [http://www.memphis-industries.com/absentee.html Absentee at memphis-industries.com]
* [http://crossthepondmusic.com/?q=node/20 Absentee] at [http://www.crossthepondmusic.com Crossthepond Music]
* [http://www.popmatters.com/music/reviews/a/absentee-donkeyep.shtml Review of "Donkey Stock" EP at "PopMatters.com]
* [http://www.soundsxp.com/2248.shtml Interview with Absentee at SoundsXP]
* [http://www.nme.com/reviews/absentee/7724 Review of Absentee's "Donkey Stock" by James Jam] at NME
* Jelbert, Steve, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22875-2051225.html "Something to bang on about"] , Times Online, February 25, 2006.
* Jelbert, Steve, [http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14932-2161054,00.html "Absentee : Donkey Stock -- East London countryists' lugubrious wonder"] , Times Online
* [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:4gjm7ia5g77r Absentee] at Allmusic