a review: If in 2002 Melbourne swelled with the sound of a hundred instrumental bands simultaneously stepping on delay pedals, by mid-2005 the city had decayed to normal size. The scene withered on the vine because the ideas ran dry – there are only so many pretty guitar arpeggios to go around. And now we're largely left with those bands who have something valuable to contribute – or those too belligerent to think otherwise. Thankfully Radiant City, a Melbourne based guitar and drums duo, have the ideas and smarts to make their debut EP a solidly enjoyable listen. Unlike some of their old cohort, they aren't afraid to rock, as Trans-suburban establishes. It opens with a Fugazi-styled figure and pounds on creative variations thereof for the remaining three minutes. Self-recorded by the band with beautiful depth and presence, Radiant City sounds both intimate and huge. It showcases a group with an innate sense of dynamics and melody. This is a record to file next to Because of Ghosts, Melbourne's other remaining post-rock gem. [Ben Gook – Mess & Noise Magazine Oct 06]

a blurb: The Melbourne two-piece somehow create an expansive sound with the capacity to both lull and shock the senses. Fugazi meets Mogwai, its been said, but the band draw from influences diverse as June of 44, Slint, Trans Am, Shellac, Godspeed... Sonic Youth, Tom Waits, Will Oldham and Miles Davis resulting in a delicious concoction of moody atmospherics and visceral, reverb-drenched fuzz. But it is within the inherent sonic contradictions that Radiant City truly shine. The guitars of Andrew McLaughlin inhabit their own space on the sonic spectrum, shifting from the intricate tinkering of melody, both sweet and dark, to a cathartic wall-of-sound, all the while driven by the ominous, spacious rhythms of Brad Marshall's percussion...

what others have said: "radiant city (the ep) sounds both intimate and huge. It showcases a band with an innate sense of dynamics and melody" (MESS & NOISE) …an aural atmosphere that ebbs and flows with climatic intensity. (BEAT) …an atmospheric but often noisy affair that's informed by NYC avant-garde guitar noodlings and a touch of jazz and warped blues. (RIP IT UP) This is an absolutely amazing record… With only two members they have produced sounds that some bands with 3 or 4 members could only dream of producing… (TOMATO) …a sonic cavalcade of strangely distressing beauty. A group in control of their craft… (SENSIS) Cinematic. In the hands of Radiant City it means texture all at once quietly meandering down an industrial back-alley (Thomas Mass) watching the hoodie-clad thug at the end of the next warehouse, then beating the crap out of him, stealing his cash, running off, finding the nearest pub, slapping a big wad down on the bar and saying 'so, where are you from?' (Trans-suburban) to the girl next to you, picking her up, waking up the next morning, making breakfast, settling down (Slow Point), relationship problems (Jack's Idea of Cool) on your own again (The Machine), and then all over again (Epic). Sound like the Best Movie Ever, right? (BEAT)

other necessary facts: Radiant City have had the pleasure to share stages with: Gareth Liddiard (The Drones) Love of Diagrams, Black Level Embassy, Sounds Like Sunset, Schvendes, Ninety Nine, The Tigers, Laura, Halogen, The Null Set, Cam Butler (Silver Ray), Seaplane, Aviator Lane, Group Seizure, The Black Hundred, Rhythm Bell, The Instant, The Wintership, Coldspoon Conspiracy (Ireland). Locales include Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Fremantle.

about the ep: Recorded and mixed by the band between June and December 2005 in the confines of Andrew's house in suburban Melbourne.

radiant city is Brad Marshall (drums, percussion, voice, programming) and Andrew McLaughlin (guitar, loops, keys, voice)