AIM LOW

Aim Low @ Casa del Popolo

I then ran two blocks down to Casa del Popolo, where local shoegazers Aim Low were setting up to play their set. It was the first time I'd seen the trio since their new lineup and I wasn't disappointed. They opened up with their usual wall of sound and thankfully this time I remembered to bring ear plugs. The audience got cozy on the floor - Aim Low's sound has a way of washing over you and draping you in its many folds, so sitting is a nice way to experience it. The pedal display is impressive without being pretentious. There were visuals provided by Julie Matson, which added another aspect to the show, lovely repetitive visuals that clicked right along with the guitars. They ended on a soft note which I really enjoyed and thought it brought a nice closure to the set. - CJLO.com

There seems to be a genre that’s gaining a lot of popularity in this town’s underground music scene. It mainly has to do with the quality of recording, but in recent times, it has also become a widely used term to describe a band’s specific sound.

Consisting of a lot of distortion, amplification, and white noise, this term is called lo-fi, and it comes in all sorts of different forms and levels of loudness.

If one were to rate the experimental lo-fi three-piece AIM LOW on a scale of one to ten for loudness, they would most definitely surpass the 10. If you rate them for noise factor… That would also most definitely surpass a 10. These guys are LOUD, and they thoroughly enjoy their time on stage. Here’s my experience from their last show I attended not too long ago at Casa Del Popolo:

For a tiny three-piece to reach their amount of decibels by only playing a few string boxes (really, only guitars, bass, and nothing else) and a few pedal effects, is quite amazing. You cannot pinpoint a distinct genre for them, but the closest I could get to accurately describing their sound to you would be some sort of extremely experimental post-rock, blasting out of tin-can speakers.



They were also very creative with their procedure; one of the boys would pick up a drumstick and rub it against the guitar strings, and the bassist would use a bow on his bass strings. The vocalist would take care of adding more distortion and reverb by close-to-physically punching an amp with his microphone, and the boys would even switch instruments between each other during songs. So, what is the one word I would use to limn their set? Mesmerizing.

That should give you a little idea of what they do and how they sound. For those of you who are curious for some visuals, check here (photos courtesy of Christelle St-Julien).

Their recordings obviously don’t compare, but this can also give you an idea of how boisterously loud they really are. So if you are so inclined, you can take a listen on their Bandcamp page, right here. If you want to check out the Montreal band they covered for CJLO Radio’s “You’re Related”, as well as all the other collaborating artists, click the link right here.

They’ve been keeping busy in the studios, so there are more sick jams to come, but they’ve also been playing a lot of shows lately, and they actually have one happening tomorrow night, so don’t miss out on the fun! Here are the details:

When: Tomorrow night! Show starts around 10:00 PM

Where: Jackie and Judy’s (6512 Parc)

Price: 0nly $5!

Facebook event: Click here

Note: Bring earplugs! - The MainMTL

Aim Low – Casa Del Popolo

The time came for Aim Low to take the stage. I’m so addicted to their sets, but the only thing I dread about them is losing my hearing. I was prepared with earplugs this time around though, so everything was fantastic. You don’t understand, these three guys aren’t just loud, they’re noisy. Actually, they usually categorize their sound as noise/drone. They’re so great to listen to though, with their three guitars, multiple pedals, and occasional chanting, which kinda makes you think of deserts and mirages, actually. Julie from Echo Beach even helped out with some background visuals, which added that much more oomph to their sweet Christmas lights. - The MainMTL

Aim Low:

I never thought I’d know what the sound of robots fucking while the world around them falls apart would be like until I saw Aim Low’s set. The trio used two guitars, a bass and their heavily processed voices in order to present a slow, plodding set full of peaks and valleys, going from restrained quiet to sheets of cascading white, swirling noise in a few scant moments. Beautiful dissonance at its best. (Brian Hastie) - Cult Mtl

Aim Low:

I never thought I’d know what the sound of robots fucking while the world around them falls apart would be like until I saw Aim Low’s set. The trio used two guitars, a bass and their heavily processed voices in order to present a slow, plodding set full of peaks and valleys, going from restrained quiet to sheets of cascading white, swirling noise in a few scant moments. Beautiful dissonance at its best. (Brian Hastie) - Cult Mtl

The music of Montreal’s Aim Low has its basis in the reflexive appropriation of what came to be the more or less standard equipment utilized within the shoegaze subgenre; the trio isn’t as much interested in emulating past forms and compositions as it is in the cunning and selectively resourceful re-appropriation and arrangement of effects pedals, noise, distortion, and whatnot, seemingly with the intent of sonically recreating the sensation of the sublime, in its purest — and most terrible — Burkeian/Kantian iteration.

Their Foulards EP was released some time back, but it was just too good to pass up, and it more than merits a mere single listen after all this time — high praise these days. Second track, “Black Molasses,” consists of 12 minutes of ominous sonic subjugation, liberating and rendering the listener insignificant in its wake at the same time. - Tiny Mixtapes

What is more thrilling than a high-speed boat chase? Answer: Rob Feulner creating a video for this collaboration between Montreal’s Aim Low & Les Beyond, featuring a high-speed boat chase (crosscut with some ducks). Seriously goosebump-raising greatness going on with these nine minutes; every single shot of this video is not only interesting and cool to look at, but also downright gripping. It’s the colors, the textures, how the natural composition of the shots in the source VHS videos are so vibrantly (and, to a degree, violently) accented with Feulner’s wax paper-layering style. But the music, yeah, the music is what’s got me clawing the arms of my easy chair like a nervous kitty here — rip-roaring guitars that swell and swell and swell as the action rises and the plot thickens, creeping with intimidating inertia, getting all up in the listener’s/watcher’s business while also psyching out the psyche in more subtle, subconscious ways at the same time.

Feulner’s They Live We Sleep Cassettes imprint is notorious for having rad releases thrown out in ridiculously short runs (like the measly 25 copies he printed of Acheron’s excellent debut tape last year). This Aim Low & Les Beyond tape carries a run of 32, so depending how quickly you can gather up your jaw once you’re through the video, you might want to get on this sucker quick.

• Aim Low: http://aimlow.bandcamp.com
• Les Beyond: http://lesbeyond.wordpress.com
• They Live We Sleep Cassettes: http://theylivewesleepcassettes.tumblr.com - Tiny Mixtapes

Wednesday, June 20:
Silver Dapple w/ Wymond Miles & Aim Low
Hailing from Montreal via Alberta and Chicoutimi, Silver Dapple make the sort of fuzzy noise pop that will get you out of your chair in about a second. It's got everything: solid beats, a smashing lady vocalist and wild guitar verses. A member of the Fresh & Onlys, Wymond Miles released his first solo album, Under the Pale Moon, in the midst of his dealing with loss and grief. His songs are strangely uplifting, and the singer-songwriter's pop is approachable and captivating. The local shoegaze/drone outfit Aim Low, a trio that makes dreamy pieces of epic proportions, completes this excellent lineup. - Midnight Poutine

So much threat infused on here. I can’t believe it. AIM LOW seems obsessed with tense clouds of sound. With only two tracks, they manage to accomplish quite a bit. In fact at times it feels like there are nearly two different bands. The first one is the calm. The second one is the storm.

The calm comes first. On the opener it has a near post-rock vibe to it. It’s slow. Even when it feels like it’s about to burst, it backtracks. For much of the song it sounds far away, like it’s transmitting through a tunnel. On this track there’s a clear sense of dynamics. A few times I’m reminded of mellowed-out ambient groups. The guitar twang definitely gives off that distinct vibe.

‘Black Molasses’ is what wins me over. I adore this track. It is so absolutely, unbelievably violent compared to what came before. I’d say sounds of early ‘Earth’ definitely make themselves known. It gets loud. It gets intense. The low end on this song is more prevalent. Add that alongside a greater willingness to experiment with distortion and random effects and you’ve got yourself an awful, intimidating beast of a track. By the end you give up trying to understand the aural violence and drift on its wonderful, tense drone.

Ah yes, AIM LOW does drone right. Begin softly and end with a wallop. This is good drone or metal or whatever you’d call it. Call it violent. That makes sense. I call it good. - Beach Sloth

So much threat infused on here. I can’t believe it. AIM LOW seems obsessed with tense clouds of sound. With only two tracks, they manage to accomplish quite a bit. In fact at times it feels like there are nearly two different bands. The first one is the calm. The second one is the storm.

The calm comes first. On the opener it has a near post-rock vibe to it. It’s slow. Even when it feels like it’s about to burst, it backtracks. For much of the song it sounds far away, like it’s transmitting through a tunnel. On this track there’s a clear sense of dynamics. A few times I’m reminded of mellowed-out ambient groups. The guitar twang definitely gives off that distinct vibe.

‘Black Molasses’ is what wins me over. I adore this track. It is so absolutely, unbelievably violent compared to what came before. I’d say sounds of early ‘Earth’ definitely make themselves known. It gets loud. It gets intense. The low end on this song is more prevalent. Add that alongside a greater willingness to experiment with distortion and random effects and you’ve got yourself an awful, intimidating beast of a track. By the end you give up trying to understand the aural violence and drift on its wonderful, tense drone.

Ah yes, AIM LOW does drone right. Begin softly and end with a wallop. This is good drone or metal or whatever you’d call it. Call it violent. That makes sense. I call it good. - Beach Sloth

/drifting space beacon/
/bleak buzz provokes stardust clouds/
/static shock echoes/ - Anti-Gravity Bunny

There is something mysterious about a band with a professional veneer that refuses to share the names of it’s members. Called to only by their initials, the members of Aim Low create dark and swirling drone shoegaze that uses waves of sound to insinuate melodies. It’s ambience is magnetic, gently pulling you in with sharp reverb and subtle loops. Their EP Foulard is available for free through Bandcamp, which will also alert you to upcoming shows. - Discosalt

Their set gave me major shivers up and down my spine. They mixed a blend of drone and shoegaze with gorgeous harmonies and mind-blowingly loud noise effects. The use of vocal filters was masterful, to say the least. - CJLO.com

Intense + Experimental + Drone = Aim Low. See...I can do math.I think we're at the point in the relationship where we gotta have a little trust. A little faith.Fans of Final, take heed! I dare you to not like this - Seasons In Hell

It’s never easy to create a soundscape that the average listener may find intriguing or captivating. Time and time again bands attempting to create a sonic landscape fail, creating nothing short of a twelve to twenty minute headache that never seems to end. This however, is not the case with Montreal’s Aim Low, who’s EP Foulards flawlessly creates an engaging soundscape.

Although Foulards only consists of two tracks, Duodenum (9:55) and Black Molasses (12:10), the EP succeeds in demonstrating exactly what Aim Low are capable of creating in just over twenty minutes. Droning, haunting, encasing, frightening – these are all words appropriate of describing the experience had when listening to Foulards.

The listener is taken through a slow build up of space and tension, featuring sounds suitable to appear in the next blockbuster sci-fi thriller. As the pieces progress, simple innocent sounds become menacing as their meanings change with the introduction of larger, overpowering sounds. By using conventional instruments such as the electric guitar in combination with effect pedals, Aim Low create a surrounding soundscape where a simple note on a guitar now becomes the distant beep of a beacon in space. Additionally, by overlapping these effected sounds, Aim Low conducts a symphony of normally unfamiliar noises to create suspense within the listener. Reverberated ticks and tocks, swirling pedal effects and more all come together to surround the listener in a 360 degree artificial space, removing him or her from reality and replacing it with the sounds and images within the EP. - Michael Langiewicz - Meet You at the Show

Aim Low kept everyone intent with their squalling versus droning feedback loops. - Sonic Diet

Its ambience is magnetic, gently pulling you in with sharp reverb and subtle loops - Discosalt

Its ambience is magnetic, gently pulling you in with sharp reverb and subtle loops - Discosalt

Montreal experimental trio Aim Low sets the bar high

One of the nicer surprises from ici this year is sans doute the trio known as Aim Low. Quietly bursting out of the gates via Montreal’s still-surviving alternative space/loft scene, the band – O.H. on guitar, effects, loops, vocals; D.A. on guitar, effects, bass, loops, vocals; L.F. on bowed bass, laptop, guitar, effects, vocals – create a calm uprising of six-string drone love chants that will satisfy both clandestine clans of metal heads and melody makers. Heavily processing and treating their feedbacked pop, Aim Low create a perfect storm of avant-garde experiments, noise, soft touches and popular tendencies.

Hour: How did the band come together?

Aim Low: We were all coming off various musical projects and we just wanted to make noise over our Friday evenings, and it all seemed to gel a lot better than what we expected. We convinced our friend Julie, who hosts a monthly drone/experimental music day-show at her hair salon Salon Identité to let us play, and from there people kept asking us to play with them and it kept going.

Hour: Are you surprised by the attention you’ve garnered?

Aim Low: Surprised might be an understatement. Considering that we just put it out there on a lark after two of us were chatting online one late night, it’s been a huge source of motivation to know that other people hear something in this too and are responding in such a positive way, especially when we really never expected anyone else to care. Making noise makes us all ridiculously happy, so it’s rewarding when that comes back in other ways.

Hour: How do you walk the fine tightrope between noise and melody?

Aim Low: It’s a precarious balance, especially when everyone in the band comes from very different musical backgrounds. The songs have definite starting and ending points and an overall structure – it’s within there that we incorporate a lot of improvisation. It’s really a matter of good communication and listening to what each other is doing all the time.

Hour: What’s with the band’s name?

Aim Low: A friend of ours, Dave Landry who also works at Salon Identité, joked that if he ever started a shoegaze band he’d call it ‘Aiming Low.’ We loved the name and it perfectly suited our self-deprecating nature really well. We asked if we could use it, and he was into the idea. Since then we’ve started putting a lot of energy into the music, so the name doesn’t really apply except as a nod to how we started and I guess to our general demeanour. - Hour Magazine

Another local release that I’ve been a bit late getting around to is the Aim Low CDR Foulards. Aim Low plunge their cheap effects pedals deep into the heart of darkness with a crawling crescen­do before finally letting the centre of the two pieces reveal themselves. Drone and 80s shoegaze exchange goods here, while guitars immersed in shards of feedback venture to go where drums would never dare. For any fan of droney soundscapes, try and get your mitts on this CDR before they’re all gone. - Montreal Mirror

Pauly here, wanting to give you the 514 on this brand new local band on zee scene.

A trio of Shoegazers/Noise Poppers/Droners made up of O.H. (guitar / effects / vocals) D.A. (guitar / effects / bass / vocals) and L.F. (bowed bass / laptop / guitar / effects / vocals).

Quite a bunch of overchievers.

Someone described their sound thusly:

Endless guitar drones or obscure and intense human screams are piercing these clouds of sounds, forming images that can be seen for short times beneath the fog of heavenly heavy haze of feedbacks.

That pretty much covers it.

A wide range of influences can be attributed to their sounds. From bands and artists as varied as My Bloody Valentine, Brian EnoNadja, Rhys Chatham, Southpacific, Jesu and Sonic Youth to name just a few.

These noisemakers are effect pedals junkies.

There is not a pedal outthere they have not set their feet on. Anything that distorts,
echoes, makes it squeal or manages to blend in their wall of feedbacks, they are down with.

Their first release, a 2-song EP titled “Foulards” is already out of print.

These lovely hand made CD-Rs are now part of the legend that will be Aim Low so hold on to your copy till they become indie famous so that you can unload it on Ebay for a large sum of sweet cash.

You can hear both tracks on their Bandcamp page:

A 12” will be recorded in the coming weeks and shall see the light of day
come Fall.

They were interviewed by local weekly The Hour, where you can find out how they came to be and the origin of the Aim Low name.

They have a few live dates scheduled for the next few weeks:

07.22 – Toronto, ON – Sneaky Dee’s (w/ Disappears & The Psychic Paramount)
07.23 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo (w/ Disappears & The Psychic Paramount)
08.12 – Montreal, QC – Cagibi (w/ Book Slave & Archery Guild)

You can follow their shenanigans on Twitter where they have dub this season the #summerofnoise. - A Good Day For Airplay

Pauly here, wanting to give you the 514 on this brand new local band on zee scene.

A trio of Shoegazers/Noise Poppers/Droners made up of O.H. (guitar / effects / vocals) D.A. (guitar / effects / bass / vocals) and L.F. (bowed bass / laptop / guitar / effects / vocals).

Quite a bunch of overchievers.

Someone described their sound thusly:

Endless guitar drones or obscure and intense human screams are piercing these clouds of sounds, forming images that can be seen for short times beneath the fog of heavenly heavy haze of feedbacks.

That pretty much covers it.

A wide range of influences can be attributed to their sounds. From bands and artists as varied as My Bloody Valentine, Brian EnoNadja, Rhys Chatham, Southpacific, Jesu and Sonic Youth to name just a few.

These noisemakers are effect pedals junkies.

There is not a pedal outthere they have not set their feet on. Anything that distorts,
echoes, makes it squeal or manages to blend in their wall of feedbacks, they are down with.

Their first release, a 2-song EP titled “Foulards” is already out of print.

These lovely hand made CD-Rs are now part of the legend that will be Aim Low so hold on to your copy till they become indie famous so that you can unload it on Ebay for a large sum of sweet cash.

You can hear both tracks on their Bandcamp page:

A 12” will be recorded in the coming weeks and shall see the light of day
come Fall.

They were interviewed by local weekly The Hour, where you can find out how they came to be and the origin of the Aim Low name.

They have a few live dates scheduled for the next few weeks:

07.22 – Toronto, ON – Sneaky Dee’s (w/ Disappears & The Psychic Paramount)
07.23 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo (w/ Disappears & The Psychic Paramount)
08.12 – Montreal, QC – Cagibi (w/ Book Slave & Archery Guild)

You can follow their shenanigans on Twitter where they have dub this season the #summerofnoise. - A Good Day For Airplay

Band : Aim Low
Venue : Le Cagibi
Town (country) : Montreal, QC (Canada)
Date : July 7th 2011
Grade : 3/5

Setlist :
A Decreasing Amount Of Effort
Phantom Cat
Coptic Christmas
Duodenum
Just Blink, You're Not Missing Anything

Comments : A new local band I have been wanting to check live for quite a long time. I am glad I did : a pretty good show and probably the loudest one I have ever seen at Cagibi. - New Zero Kanada

The name of this band should have been [ Aim High ] instead of [ Aim Low ]. The two tracks on “Foulards” clocks over twenty two minutes and brings together an apocalyptic drone sound, as if all hell breaks loose. Preview, download, and listen but above all… ENJOY ’cause you sure are just about to be elevated from your seat. Whatever you do guys DO NOT TO SKIP THIS ENTRY. - The Sirens Sound

Woke up, got my hands dirty grinding metal, watched Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, attended BVST’s 10th Anniversary BBQ backyard party (which included an hazardous set of Aim Low’s sweet shoegaze drone goodness), then joined some friends and saw White Lung play live, which was in turn some unexpected punk goodness and I stink of mosquito repellent.

Fantasia Film Festival 2011 Press Conference in a couple of hours. The only thing that would’ve made this near-perfect day perfect is not missing Nü Sensae’s performance and getting a copy of The Makioka Sisters. Oh well… - Film Ghoul

Aim Low – Foulards
http://aimlow.bandcamp.com

Label – Self released

Drone, Dark Ambient, shoegaze

01 Duodenum
02 Black Molasses

In addition to the online availability of “Foulards”, which is the debut e.p by Aim Low, if I understand correctly, a very small edition of nicely covered, hand made physical copies has been issued as well. One of these copies has found its way to my desk, accompanied by a professional information sheet that described the methods used in order to create this album, namely different uses of guitar effects pedals. Aim Low has three members, that I also know. Their names are kept secret, but they do reveal that they are using various guitar loops, as well as bass and vocals. With this information I went on and listened to the album, which turned out to be a really good blend of slow guitars, echoing through endlessly vibrating feedback loops, spanning over two tracks and actually, pretty mesmerizing.

Through the muddy, endless ocean of abstract sounds, Aim Low always keeps a bright beacon for the listeners to hang on to. Static formations of sounds, mainly from endless guitar drones or obscure and intense human screams are piercing these clouds of sounds, forming images that can be seen for short times beneath the fog of heavenly heavy haze of feedbacks.

Like other improvised compositions, getting into the recording room and making this album happen is a game for the members of this group, who collide sounds together and wait to see what happens as the different waves interact with each other. Playing with cables and pedals, as the members of this group describe, Aim Low enjoy releasing these ghost ships of sound unto this muddy sea, and in front of the listeners, only to sink them several minutes later and make them disappear beneath the endless ocean of sound.

“Foulards” sums itself up as a very interesting and rewarding E.P, documenting great moments of improvisations. The only question that remains is how the next release by Aim Low is going to sound in comparison to this one. I personally hope that Aim Low are going to add another dimension to their music, thus making a progress with their great potential. - Culture is Not Your Friend

A wonderfully crafted two-song slab of dreamy shoegazing drone. The monumentous buildup up is well worth the wait as the guitars buzz and screech as this huge wave of sound smacks you in the face. The noises that the band creates are chilling, as if you are setting out to sea on some intergalactic space ship. To hear what I am so desperately trying to explain, head over to the band's Bandcamp page to hear their EP. As the band states "music for paranoid insomniacs", indeed. - Heavy Planet

another excellent shoegazedreampopdroneband, all they need is better cover art. - Droning Earth