Casino Royal

Casino Royal is a three piece band based in Vienna/Austria being together in this line up since 1997.The main musical roots of Casino Royal are the likes of - to name only a view - the Smiths, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Primal Scream, Depeche Mode.Three albums recorded so far. The first two in cheap studios the latestet one in Casino Royals own studio which was set up just before Christmas 2002.The sound of the two first records was more guitar/bass/drums and a bit of keyboards - in the line of the Smiths or the Pixies.Since the latest album Rabble Rouser was recorded in their own studio more time was at hand and sounds and setup of the tunes became more sophisticated and with all the gadgets of a modern studio at their hands the sound of Casino Royal turned towards a more electronic feel. Still all tracks on Rabble Rouser are tunes with proper song structure and vocals on top of it - no pointless electronic frickling or boring wall paper music for lounge bars as background for urban hipster yuppies.Some of the tracks have been released on various samplers in Austria, Italy, England and Finnland. Two of their tracks are included in a movie which was screened in cinemas nationwide and also shown on Austrian and German television. The soundtrack featuring both Casino Royal tracks was released on Monkey Records.In reviews on Rabble Rouser the likes of Marc Almond, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Suicide where name dropped. Even though Casino Royal don't see their music so much in that way - but then again it is the listener who is the judge!Check it out and find out for yourself! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXReview of Rabble Rouser CD by Tunetrader: Constantly building, lush electro-driven crescendos characterized with moments of cybercalm illustrate the result of Casino Royal’s application of synth pop sounds to traditional indie song writing style on their third album, Rabble Rouser. Influenced by the likes of Depeche Mode and Soft Cell, this Viennese trio deliver a confident blend of contrasting styles to create a sound akin to an avante garde 80’s euphoric rave, punctuated with poetic lyrics.The ambient wave-beats that open up “The Seven Year Itch” quickly give way to synth-driven melodies and uniquely accented, somewhat aching vocals reminiscent of a synthed-up Black Francis. While the fade-out for the subsequent “German Speaking Generation” brings a moody DJ Shadow melody to mind, the ambient/euphoric electro-melody during the chorus of “The Rabble Rouser” highlights Casino’s subtle abilities to influence the mood of their tracks.Experimental sound effects and high velocity synth beats create a chaotic aural bedding that openly contrasts the distinctly calm vocals that lie over “Wasted Talent”. There is a moment of unique achievement with the dark intro to “Accountant’s Colleague”, quickly changing shape into an intense delivery of swirling vocals and driving “Kraft-qwerky” rhythms.“Orgastic Love Song” is perhaps Casino Royal’s finest achievement on Rabble Rouser. From the wind-shrouded female vocal intro, through the classic techno beats and clever bass rhythms, to the lashings of thrashy Blur-like guitar, Casino use this track to give a nod in two musical directions at once. With peaks of synth-rich melodies and troughs of grungy rhythms, “Orgastic Love Song” presents the full sonic spectrum of these Austrian artists.Rabble Rouser ends with “German Speaking Generation OV”, an electrified verse-chorus-verse number that completes the album closer to their Indie influences than any other track. It is the experimental nature of this band that stands out, with a confidence that promises more change yet to come.by TunetraderTunetrader - Tunetrader UK (Sep 24, 2005)