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Bailter Space

Bailter Space (a.k.a. Bailterspace) was an atmospheric noise rock] band that formed in Christchurch in 1986 as Nelsh Bailter Space; they had previously recorded as The Gordons. Its members were Alister Parker (guitar, bass), John Halvorsen (bass, guitar), and Brent McLachlan (drums/percussion, samples). After releasing seven studio albums, numerous EPs/singles, and a career retrospective compilation, Bailter Space is assumed to be on hiatus or disbanded as of 2007.

History

Nelsh Bailter Space was formed by Parker in 1986, later shortening its name to Bailter Space. It was often spelled as Bailterspace, as well; the origin of their name(s) remains an enigma. There was a shifting line-up during the late 1980s, featuring members of other New Zealand rock groups including The Clean and The Pin Group before the line-up stabilized (with the original The Gordons lineup) for the Thermos album, recorded in 1989. It is unclear why they chose not to simply go back to using the name, The Gordons.

Aural and lyrical consistencies which existed throughout their career include: extremely high volume (and its resultant traits of distortion and Feedback, harmonics, rhythmic experimentation, and subtle use of Sampling. A fascination with the interplay of technology and humanity (often played out in metaphors of space travel) mark the lyrics. For example, Retro has the lines, "The rockets have landed, the spacemen are stranded/ Not where they want to be." "Robot World" has him singing, "I think of a robot world with neutron decay/ All the love's taken away/ And the words you had to say/ You were a light in my darkest day." Parker's vocals are generally sung in a detached-sounding monotone, though are delivered in aggressive yells when needed. The vocals are usually treated as another musical instrument, and are featured at a lesser volume in the mix than on most bands' albums, often seeming like an ominous whisper. A subtle layer of white noise/ feedback generally bathes each song, especially in the Thermos through Vortura era, adding to their dreamy-yet-nightmarish feel. Great attention was always paid by the band to sonic details and tones. Songs such as "Control" and "Get Lost" are heavy enough to qualify as Metal, yet retain Bailter Space's fluid shoegaze trademarks. "Grader Spader" and "So La" feature mutated surf-rock guitar riffs. The band's blurry, pastel-rich album artwork, always done by Parker and/or Halvorsen, corresponds with the aesthetic of their sound.

Significant events

After several releases on Flying Nun, fledgling New York City indie label Matador Records signed them for release in the United States, in approximately 1990. Thermos was actually intended to come out on Matador, and it even has a (blank) roster spot in the official Matador discography; however, Matador never released a Bailter Space full-length until 'Robot World. The 1992 The Aim EP was the band's first official U.S. release. The band moved to New York City during the 1992 Robot World sessions, and would end up living there on a fairly permanent basis. The EIP EP was released, containing slightly-remixed versions of two Robot World tracks and two that would appear on the forthcoming Vortura. Vortura would be their heaviest, most menacing album; however, it was followed a year later by their poppiest, most traditional album, Wammo.

After this, their U.S. releases came out on nascent NYC-based label Turnbuckle Records, which folded circa 2002. In 2004, Matador Records deleted all Bailter Space releases from their catalog. Thus all of the band's releases are now out of print, except for in New Zealand/ Australia.

Bailter Space toured with bands such as Pavement, Helium, Spectrum, Sunday Puncher, The Grifters, High Dependency Unit, and Shallow. They were known for being one of the loudest live bands of their era.


Discography

Albums

Singles

Jan 1986
Tags: the gordons, bailter space, nelsh bailter space, bailterspace, vortura, thermos, robot world, wammo, tanker, capsul, solar 3,