Music
Press
“Birds Of Tokyo have risen from underground independent rock to one of the must-see groups on the national circuit. One of the year’s standout local rock albums”
- Rollingstone Magazine
“A contender for Australian album of the year for sure, there isn’t a weak moment to be found… they will blow you away every time. Pretty Much Perfect.”
- Bombshellzine
“This is an album of stunning depth and beauty. A rare bird, indeed”
- Beat Magazine
“Birds Of Tokyo push some serious air with a sound that’s got one foot at the bar at an honest pub rock gig, the other up on the foldback at a stadium with U2 and Pearl Jam supporting them. This album’s going to be bigger than Gordon Ramsay’s ego”
- People Magazine
“Broken Bones and Silhoettic are gifted with not only a sublime voice but inescapable, timeless melodies and rich shimmering harmonies… nothing short of spine-tingling”
- Inpress Magazine
“Kenny could sing the phonebook and make it sound like he was the only person that could ever do it justice.”
- Drum Media Sydney
“Blindingly original and as accessible as a bud in Amsterdam, Australia claims another world-class act”
- Zoo Weekly
“Replete with thundering power riffs, uplifting choruses and the admittedly mellifluous voice of Ian Kenny, fans will undoubtedly adore this album”
- J-Mag
- Vaious
Discography
ALBUM: UNIVERSES
GOLD ACCREDITED IN AUSTRALIA
RELEASE DATE: July 2008
Independent through MGM Distribution
Produced by Birds of Tokyo
Mixed by Tim Palmer
Debuted #3 on the ARIA charts
Debuted #2 on the iTunes charts
Debuted #1 on the AIR charts
The first single SILHOUETTIC received high-rotation on Triple J (national Aus radio) and is the 5th most played song this year to date.
Second single BROKEN BONES was the #4 most added song to ALL radio in Australia week commencing July 21.
Certified GOLD STATUS in Australia January 2009
ALBUM: DAY ONE
RELEASE DATE: February 2007
Independent through MGM Distribution
DAY ONE sold out of stock in its first week of sale and 4 singles enjoyed high rotation air-play.
EP: ONE WAY/STAY
RELEASE DATE: October 2005
Independent through MGM Distribution
Photos
Bio
While most bands these days tend to wait a couple of years in-between albums,
BIRDS OF TOKYO’s methodology is more in keeping with the greats of rock’n’roll than keeping up with the Joneses.
So, less than 16-months after their stunning independent debut, Day One,
BIRDS OF TOKYO are about to present UNIVERSES – their breathtaking and still proudly independent follow-up album.
“If it was good enough for The Beatles and Johnny Cash to release a couple of albums per year, then it’s definitely good enough for us,” laughs Adam Spark, the band’s guitarist, songwriter and producer.
And right he is. Though some things have changed over the years, BIRDS OF TOKYO have been smart enough to avoid trends, instead focusing on what seems to be a long-lost strategy: write great songs, then put them out. Seems simple really.
So, striking while the iron is hot, BIRDS OF TOKYO have wasted no time in writing great songs and putting them out… and if you thought their debut turned some heads, then UNIVERSES will just about break necks.
Darker than its older brother, but no less focused on razor sharp pop hooks, UNIVERSES is BIRDS OF TOKYO in full flight. Inspired by the runaway success the past year has blessed them with, the band are energised to an unbelievable level. Hell, according to Spark, they’ve already started writing their third album!
But let’s not worry about that just yet… there are more important matters at hand.
Recorded in a remote location in Western Australia’s renowned Margaret River region, UNIVERSES is an absolute flex of creative muscle. Though it builds upon the strengths already laid out in Day One, UNIVERSES is all about songs. The production might be bigger, heavier and more bombastic, but at the heart of the album is the band’s unarguable ability to write tunes that have an almost universal appeal.
To add the finishing touches, BIRDS OF TOKYO enlisted Tim Palmer – one of the few men whose mixing skills command the right blend of crunching fidelity and day-dreamy minimalism to make UNIVERSES come to life the way the band envisioned from the beginning. The man behind the more beautiful mixes of U2, The Cure and Pearl Jam – Palmer was an essential addition to the BIRDS OF TOKYO team.
“We didn’t want to dress the songs up in that big ‘American’ sound,” reveals Spark. “We just wanted to give every instrument its own unique space so the songs could breathe and come to life.”
Which is a great way to describe the album’s lead single, Silhouettic… alive.
Indicative of the album’s energetic feel (but by no means a template in itself), Silhouettic sees a band full of confidence. A more detailed trip through UNIVERSES, however, reveals much more than just a knack for writing singles.
Without spoiling anything for you, UNIVERSES is BIRDS OF TOKYO’s creative pinnacle.
At least thus far. Flowing like a well-written book, the album travels in many directions and heads down many paths, from the up-beat and immediate Broken Bones – set to become UNIVERSES’ second single, to the delicate and tender The Baker’s Son…
BIRDS OF TOKYO’s most innovative and capturing musical epic to date.
To call it a journey might be a bit wanky, but to call it anything else might be inaccurate.
As they always do, though, BIRDS OF TOKYO would prefer to have you figure it out on your own… on your own terms, and at your own leisure.
It’s the only way to go.
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