Sound Off: Diagonals
By Austin Sound • Jun 30th, 2008 • Category: Sound Off •The Diagonals slice an infectious cross between classic garage guitar jangle and Eighties underground dance beats. The quintet unloads more than their fair share of quirky anthems, and over the past year has solidified with a distinct sound that adds some welcome new textures to the familiar guitar and synth combination with their touches of surf licks and deadpan delivery. Diagonals are preparing the release of their debut EP this week and full-length in the fall, but you can catch them live any number of times this holiday weekend, including Saturday night July 5 at the new Monarch Events Center with Pataphysics, Silver Pines, Cari and Jason of Belaire, Hollywood Gossip, and Bear Claw, and again Sunday, July 6 with a free show at Red 7 alongside the Strange Boys and Strange Attractors.
Profile: Diagonals
Year Formed:
1964
Members/Instruments played:
Ryan-guitar, Todd-drums, Wiley-keyboards, Nate-bass, Steve-guitar and vocals
Former Bands/Side Projects:
Steve was the nineteenth and fattest bass player for Austin legends Black Lipstick.
Albums:
We have an ep coming out July 4th and a full length LP in the fall on edible vinyl.
Influences:
13th floor elevators, old REM, Sonic Youth, Tom Petty, Velvet Underground, Dick Dale
Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:
Dude once told me “it sounds like shit”. Thanks alot dad.
Favorite local bands:
Horse + Donkey, Yellow Fever, Follow That Bird, Octopus Project, Golden Boys
Favorite local venue:
Beerland has always been very supportive and done a nice job with the sound.
Upcoming shows scheduled:
July 4th big time party at this warehouse art space called the Complex, July 5th at the Monarch with Pataphysics, July 6th at Red 7 with Strange Boys.
Ideal band to open for on a national tour:
The Stones
Austin Sound questions:
Top 3 favorite geometrically inspired songs?
Most of the songs are based on some sort of love triangle. Only one song is based on a square – “Clownfucker”
Y’all always have amazing show posters. Who usually does the artwork for y’all?
Ryan has done some and Wiley.
Song Introduction:
”Clones” is about meeting a clone of myself (Steve) and he destroys my relationship with my girlfriend. She leaves and I’m left fucking myself. Then he kills me and starts a new life with my shit.
Sound Off:
Drinking problem weed smoking three a.m. holy mountain donkey kong galaga e chord a chord d chord change married bald chubby cigarette video store. Mexican short stack wizard gamer for hire strands leading packs of wolves. Frontiers white and black stunned and perplexed magnet chicks buried in a paragraph divorced from the 90’s. Four levels of knowledge forged in disco octaves covering hotheads hotheads new guy old amp. Mormon lizard hatched from eggs meant for scrambling beat up kits beat down shits trading days for less.
Website:
Myspace
they sound like interpol who tries to sound like joy division! in the end, it all goes back to joy division! funny none of these bands like to list them as their main influence, probably b/c it would mean full admission to the obvious!
your prolly the same guy that said that at the chronicle.
this band sounds nothing like those bands. unless all you hear is the tone of the vocalist.
in that case go check out celine deion.
duh! exactly! the tone IS ian’s signature! chronicle? no, not me. but funny that i am not the only 1 out there that shares that sentiment!!
So you admit that all your looking for in a band is the vocalist tone! At this point I should admit that I’m a fan of Diagonals. Really Gus you should listen to them a little closer. nothing about this band resembles joy division or Interpol. nothing against those bands but really man what’s the point of coming on here and talking shit? The reality is this band has no relation to the above mentioned bands with the exception of the fact that the lead singer has a certain vocal range that he is comfortable with. On top of that fact, listen to what he is singing about, it’s totally comedic and playful, no heart on his shoulder BS. Look at the interview again, they were strait up about what influenced them. At this point in ROCKNROLL music everything is an adaptation of the past! (to a certain degree) How dare you talk shit about a new band that has made no real impact on society, and leaves themselves open! Why not use your knowledge of music to talk shit about bands that are getting recognition from the masses that you cant stand? Ok so im drunk and that’s obvious, go to their show on the 11th watch it and come back n tell me that they sound like Joy Division. All the shit ive said prolly makes me sound like im in this band. The truth is they are my boys and im partial.
chill man! yes, you do sound like you are in the band?! and can someone have an opinion??? maybe the reason all the shitty bands make it nowadays is b/c we are all pc and caught up with saying the right things, b/c people are so freaking sensitive now! so in other words, don’t share an opinion about music or a band unless it is oozing with love and flattery!! art is subjective, pretty ironic that this being the month of independence and I get told what to feel and how to express it! b/c i am high and not drunk i am finding this amusing and WILL check out their show on the 11th! take care all, and keep having YOUR opinion of art, music, and all of creation!
Man, I wish Ian Curtis had written songs with surf-guitar about selling drugs at Dell and getting in circle-jerks with his own clone. That would have been awesome.
Anyway, no worries, we all like Joy Division, but I don’t even think Steve’s vocals sound remotely similar, and the music isn’t even remotely similar. I think there’s a special breed of music writer who has only heard two or three bands that they have to keep returning to every time they’re expected to describe something. We’re still trying to figure out the weird ‘Old REM’ comparison, too.
Who the FUCK is Interpol?
Holy shit it’s Ian Curtis.
The keyboard player looks like that kid from Dazed and Confused.
/sorry