There is a hum of excitement rippling through the Hi-Fi Bar as Sydney instrumentalists Decoder Ring take to the stage for the launch of their fourth album They Blind The Stars, And The Wild Team. They introduced the latest delights of their audio alchemy with a captivating build-up of anticipation. Slowly, the music expands like a sonic puzzle, with the pieces falling carefully into place. Before too long the sound is ringing through the room in epic waves of joy and we are spellbound and staring slack-jawed at the hypnotising visuals.
Decoder Ring in 2009 are all about the instrumental interludes. Tonight they tie in microscopic visions on a huge screen behind the band on-stage to accompany their macro-level sounds. While the images feature utterly intricate footage of cells dividing and extreme close-ups of minute critters, the soundtrack was anything but diminutive. The new album's songs have been meticulously constructed from an amazing battery of sourced and summoned sounds which, when even further enhanced by the live volume and the visuals, make for an especially stimulating experience.
For those of us lucky enough to see Decoder Ring at Splendour a few weeks back, it’s a most attractive prospect indeed to catch them doing a longer set in a more intimate venue. Like many instrumental groups, they are more musicians than performers, so their audio-visual blend of film projections with oddly soulful electronic-anchored rock creates a set that is beautiful, inventive and, yes, fun!
