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Gyroscope
They
came together as Perth band Gyroscope Sunday in 1997, four would-be musicians who lived in
the same area, went to neighbouring high schools and went to the same
parties. Learning of each other's interest in music led them to the
formation of the group, playing cover songs by the likes of local heroes
Jebediah and Regurgitator in the rehearsal songs while they developed their
songwriting. Determined to find their own style it was their own songs
which formed the basis of their repertoire, but the kind of bands they
appeared alongside of saw them labelled with the punk tag. There were a
couple of earlier bass players who didn't fit in. When Brad Campbell joined
in 1998, the group realized they were onto something and became plain
Gyroscope. From the beginning the band became known for their appetite for
a seemingly endless gig schedule, becoming known for their tight and
energetic shows.
In 2001
Gyroscope took a break. Drummer Rob Nassif chose to study overseas. The
group thought about going with him and starting again in Canada. But the
state of their finances prevented doing that. Instead, in Rob's absence the
rest of the group members reassumed ordinary lives, moving out of home,
sharing houses, and taking day jobs. All the while they kept writing songs
which they shared with each other, and with Rob by e-mail. With the others'
blessing and encouragement, guitarist Zoran Trivic joined another group,
Perth rock heroes The Critics. Gyroscope's singer Daniel Sanders and
housemate Brad Campbell attended every gig they could. Watching The Critics
made Sanders think about his role in Gyroscope. He decided to concentrate
on his vocals. Zoran was the guitarist.
When Rob
Nassif returned, Gyroscope immediately reassembled in the rehearsal room.
The first song written to mark the start of the new beginning was 'I've
Been Struck By Lightning Once'. During the break Sanders had actually been
struck by lightning while fishing. Gyroscope kicked off 2002 with an
invitation to join the Perth end of the Big Day Out. In March they recorded
their second EP, 'Take Time', beginning a long-term relationship with
"fifth" member, Perth producer Shaun O'Callaghan.
In June
2004, seven years into their career, with major label backing finally,
Gyroscope released their first album, 'Sound Shattering Sound'. Five of the
twelve songs on the album were remixed rather than re-recorded versions of
popular songs previously released on EPs or as singles. Recorded with
O'Cannaghan in the same Perth studios they were a seamless match for the
new songs. And anyway, Gyroscope are not a group for studio trickery. They
wanted their album to sound like the group on stage, like the hard-driving,
earnest, versatile rock band Gyroscope had evolved into.
In May
2005, Gyroscope were sent to Los Angeles to record their second album with
in-demand producer and engineer Mark Tromboni best known for his work with
Jimmy Eat World, The Living End and Blink-182. An album-in-process video
was shot for 'Fast Girl' in Death Valley. That second album 'Are You
Involved?' saw the band moving away from traditional rock templates and
occasionally experimenting with drum machines, synth washes, lush harmonies
and acoustic guitars. 'Are You Involved?' was nominated for the inaugural J
Award, Triple J's Australian album of the year accolade.
Gyroscope
spent eight months writing and eight weeks recording their third album
'Breed Obsession' in Liverpool and mixing in London. The video for the
first single 'Snakeskin' saw the band playing in their own crop circle made
at the same farm near Stonehenge as the crop circle that featured on Led
Zeppelin's 'Remasters' cover. The creation of Gryoscope's crop circle was
noted and analysed by watchers of such phenomenon around the world. ‘Breed
Obsession’ entered the national albums chart at No.1.
Following
an Australia-wide tour with The Living End Gyroscope started the writing
process towards a fourth album. When the time came to start choosing a
producer fellow Western Australians Eskimo Joe happened to be working with
Gil Norton (Triffids, Pixies, Foo Fighters) and put in a good word. When
Gyroscope’s demos arrived for Norton’s consideration he was already
well-disposed towards the group and liked what he heard, He recommended
that the album that became ‘Cohesion’ be recorded at Rockfield studios in
Wales, scene of Queen's ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Oasis's ‘(What's the Story)
Morning Glory?’
In the
past Gryoscope had seen the studio as a chance to experiment. It meant that
not all of the songs they recorded ended up being performed on stage. With
‘Cohesion’ they set up to record an album filled with songs they could and
would want to play live. For the first time they rewrote songs, looking for
ways to improve on the initial versions.
‘Cohesion’
is the band’s first album under a new deal with Island Records.
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