artist
fourth floor collapse


Fourth Floor Collapse

BIOGRAPHY

Dan Forrestal – guitar, mandolin, piano, vocals
Rhys Kealley – guitar, piano, melodica, vocals
Michael Miller – lead vocal, acoustic guitar, piano
Mick Parker – drums

The tale of Fourth Floor Collapse began in the suburbs of Perth as far back as playgroup when Michael and Rhys first met in a sandpit. Dan was living only a suburb away, honing his guitar playing skills on his wooden ruler, before finally finding himself at the same high school as Michael. And so, a group of teenage boys with guitars, a garage and a need for an outlet for their songwriting talents came together and created what eventually became Fourth Floor Collapse in 1998.

Songwriting for the band is a democratic process as Dan, Rhys or Michael will bring in a song in basic form and the band will work on it as a whole. By looking at the world around them they can be inspired by friends, films, books, music, people, emotion, and even happy accidents to create music that turns raw emotion into richly layered songs.

Their music is honest – they feel it, they play it and sometimes they feel good, and sometimes they feel bad but they’re always honest. It’s music that doesn’t waste your time and doesn’t take the listener for granted at any stage.
Some of the characters may have changed as the story has unfolded but Michael, Dan and Rhys have remained constant. Now these ex-Perth boys are citizens of the world and have been joined on their travels by local Melbourne drummer, Mick Parker.

QUOTES

‘Straight up - Fourth Floor Collapse are one of the most amazing bands in the country’ - Beat Magazine

‘Another local act about to blow our minds’ - The Daily Telegraph

‘Absolutely, awesomely, inarguably amazing’ - XPress Magazine

‘Richly textured...a quietly brilliant gem’ - Rave Magazine

‘Paralysingly beautiful’ - Drum Media

‘Michael Miller’s voice soars’ - mono.net

MUSIC

Books with Broken Spines is the third album from Fourth Floor Collapse – an album the band describe as encapsulating their personal and collective experiences from the past couple of years into ten tight pieces of music.

There are themes of insecurity, personal trauma, transience, world affairs, and even fashion that have been woven into the creation of this album. But ten distinct cross sections have been captured which, when listened to as a whole, allow a reconstruction of the hope, frustration and melancholy that are felt, not only by the creators of the music, but by every person who has ever experienced joy or disappointment.

The album title evokes the complexity of emotion behind the moment when you have to decide whether a book you have loved should be shelved (though unreadable) for nostalgia or thrown to the fire. In more general terms, what do you do with something you’ve loved so intensely that you find it beyond repair.

Books with Broken Spines is an album you can listen to from beginning to end without losing interest for a moment. It’s the kind of album you’ll want to put on again and again for years to come.

Fourth Floor Collapse shifted their base from Perth to Melbourne in 2005 to give them opportunity to play their music to more people, more often. Tucked under their collective wings they brought with them the makings of their latest record, Books with Broken Spines.

The album was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Perth shortly before the relocation. Many records claim to be a journey but this genuinely is. You’ll want to immerse yourself in the album as a whole and after forty minutes you’ll have come full circle and be ready to put it on again and again.

The album starts with the out-of-control carousel in ‘Spin the Wheel’, then sweeps through pop gems like ‘Occupation’ and ’Ashes’ and rounds out with the choirs and massiveness of ‘Drink ‘til You Drown’ – the first single off the album – and winds up with the beautiful epic of ‘Winter’s End’.

Like the band, the album is evocative, emotional and complex. However, the music remains accessible while maintaining a depth that will keep you discovering its intricacies for years to come. Books with Broken Spines is the third album for Fourth Floor Collapse, released February 2006. This album will undoubtedly be one of the records of the year.

To date, the band has received extensive national airplay with tracks such as Made Believe, Sun, Stories Unglued, and Night Under Lights from their first two albums and regularly tour Australia. They have supported international acts such as The Tea Party, Badly Drawn Boy, Counting Crows, Teenage Fanclub and Turin Brakes.

For more information on Fourth Floor Collapse, visit fourthfloorcollapse.com or myspace.com/fourthfloorcollapse

RELEASES

FOURTH FLOOR COLLAPSE - Occupation (Single)

FOURTH FLOOR COLLAPSE - Drink 'Til You Drown (Single)


FOURTH FLOOR COLLAPSE - Books With Broken Spines (Album)

 

 


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