Member Since: 27/04/2006
Band Website: www.charge-group.com
Band Members: Matt Blackman (voice|electric guitar)
Jason Tampake (violin|voice)
Adam Jesson (electric bass guitar)
Matt Rossetti (drums)
special guest player on 'Escaping Mankind':
Bree van Reyk (drums|percussion|voice)
All original paintings (album and poster art) by Jack Warren
Influences:
Sounds Like: "A tense, sparse amalgamation of folk leanings and tender electric passages. On songs such as Speakeasy Death Song their mood is apparent, but Lullaby For The Apocalypse displays their ability to dramatically resolve atmospheric movements. An album to dig deep into."
**** - Sydney Morning Herald
"A breathtaking piece of work. A bona-fide conversation-stopper."
Mess+Noise
"Managing to pull off this kind of sweeping, symphonic sound sincerely is often difficult, but this band delivers the goods without ever venturing into ridiculously dramatic or cliched territory...'Escaping Mankind' is one of the few truly special releases of 2008. Do not miss it."
(Album of the Week) - dB Magazine, Adelaide
"Escaping Mankind - a gorgeous unequivocal piece of musical excellence."
**** - The Brag, Sydney
"Escaping Mankind is distinctly Australian, steeped in colonial blood and next in line in that slowly-drawn, murky billabong of acts like Dirty Three, The Drones, Something for Kate and Because of Ghosts. It's verging on the gothic, like a blackened creek bed. Very ornate, always dark. And, fittingly, Charge Group's first show was an interment, when Blackman and violinist Jason Tampake played a funeral for a friend. Arcade Fire rose, phoenix-like, out of a set of these. And you first wonder if Charge Group really ever will. Escaping Mankind is sad and hard and sometimes stifling. But then there are little flecks of hope, in the violin and pathos, the chance encounter with a faster pace. So it never gets quite as desperate as you might think, but sheds its weight and crawls out into the sunlight.
The 'Charge' here refers not to the maelstrom of storming the barricades. No, it's all about 'charging' as in slowly drawing in, gradually getting ready. That's what Charge Group do, and, like a battery, it all takes a long time to drain out, but that's where the beauty lies. It's a process that allows the music to just sit and gather weight, and you can't help but let it seep in, eventually.
From the violin and scattered drums, not simply flavouring the music around the guitars but rather structuring it (this is an album built like a long bow) to Blackman's worn and tired vocals that sometimes soar into heartfelt chorus, there are many subtle and grand aspects here to absorb."
Beat Magazine, Melbourne
"Their sound exists on a knife edge, balancing perfectly between emotion-fueled freedom and complete fragility. Well-controlled silence, mountain-sized whirling soundscapes and orchestral intermissions."
8.6/10 - Polaroids of Androids (blog)
"The attention to detail is countered with a relaxed and gentle air, though each time you lose your guard the band kicks back in with intense climaxes - a final nod to their shared days as Purplene. You'll listen to this record on your own and be consumed entirely."
Drum Media, Sydney
"What I’m trying to say is relatively simple: Charge Group’s debut record, Escaping Mankind, is brilliant. No two ways about it."
Who The Bloody Hell Are They? (blog)
"Matt Blackman’s beautifully simplistic near-deadpan Australian drawl...one of the more compelling and original voices on the Australian musical landscape. Charge Group’s triumph is their ability to marry moments of unbridled beauty with complete sonic chaos at a level scarcely matched in this country."
**** - Time Off, Brisbane
"My favourite band of 2008."
Meagan Loader
Station Director, FBI radio
Record Label: Remote Control (Australia), Own Records (Europe)
Type of Label: Indie