Bikini Atoll were a post-rock band formed in London, though Ché Albrighton is from Jugenheim, Germany, and Bastian Juel is from Denmark.[1] The band was signed to the Bella Union label in 2004. They released two albums, Moratoria in 2004 and Liar's Exit in 2005.[2]
Bikini Atoll | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, UK |
| Genres | Post-rock |
| Years active | 1999–2006 |
| Labels | Bella Union (UK) |
| Past members | Joe Gideon Viva Seifert Ché Albrighton Bastian Juel |
| Website | batoll.com |
History edit
Joe Gideon (real name Gideon Joel Seifert) is the older brother of Viva Seifert.[1] Viva competed at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992 as a rhythmic gymnast, competing in the qualifying rounds.[3] Ché Albrighton is the son of Roye Albrighton, the guitarist and vocalist of 1970s prog rock band Nektar.[1] Bastian Juel moved to the UK in 1998.[1]
Though the band was fully formed in 1999, they didn't do any formal recording until 2002, between August and October, when they recorded the Moratoria album. This was mastered between December of that year and January 2003.[2] They were noticed by, former Cocteau Twins member, Simon Raymonde and signed to his[4] record label, Bella Union.[5] The album received a positive review in The Independent, being described as "...an awesome, soul-searching slice of sprawling Americana."[6] and the Drowned in Sound website described the music as "...beautiful and deadly".[7] The band was named after the atoll in The Marshall Islands named Bikini Atoll. The double-A-side release Desolation Highway/Then Amplify was runner up in NME's Single of The Week;[5] "Desolation Highway" was also used in the film My Little Eye.[8]
Liar's Exit was recorded and mixed by Steve Albini in Chicago, between 7–20 September 2004. It was then released in June 2005, again gaining encouraging reviews in both NME and Q Magazine.[2] The single from this album, "Eve's Rib" was released in May 2005.[2] After the release of this album, the band were invited to perform a session for Xfm.[9]
Bikini Atoll disbanded in October 2006. The Seifert siblings formed Joe Gideon & the Shark. Ché Albrighton has played with Audioporn,[10] Lynch Rider Lulu,[11] and Clock Opera.[12] Bastian Juel toured with Heather Nova.[13]
Discography edit
Albums edit
- Moratoria (February 2004) Bella Union
- Liar's Exit (CD and LP) (6 June 2005) Bella Union
Singles edit
- "Desolation Highway/Then Amplify" (January 2004) Bella Union
- "Cheap Trick" (June 2004) Bella Union
- "Eve's Rib" (CD and 7") (23 May 2005) Bella Union
References edit
- ^ a b c d "Bikini Atoll Bio". Batoll.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ^ a b c d "Bikini Atoll Releases". Batoll.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ^ "Viva Seifert Bio". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
- ^ "Bella Union Info Page". Bellaunion.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ a b "Bella Union Bikini Atoll Page". Bellaunion.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
- ^ Gill, Andy (30 January 2004). "Album: Bikini Atoll". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 February 2009. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
- ^ "Drowned in Sound band page". Drownedinsound.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ "IMDB My Little Eye Soundtrack page". IMDB.com. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ "XFM Session". XFM.com. Retrieved 24 December 2008.
- ^ "Audioporn About". audioporn.com. Retrieved 30 December 2008.
- ^ "Bikini Atoll News". Batoll.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
- ^ "Clock Opera on Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
- ^ "Heather Nova Band line-ups". line1.de. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 17 December 2008.
External links edit
- Profile at Allmusic
- Live review on BBC website
- Moratoria review by Uncut magazine