OxjamBrum

Huge thanks to everyone who came down to Oxjam last Friday. There was a really great vibe, and they raised £2,500 for Oxfam which is awesome. There’s a cool review from the guys over at GigJunkies.com here complete with pictures galore.

Oxjam 2011

We’re really excited to announce that we’ll be playing at this year’s Oxjam festival in Birmingham. Time and venue are yet to be announced, but keep yourselves free on October 15th and head into Brum to help eradicate famine from the planet!

We have a couple of exciting announcements to make, so to kill some time while you hotly anticipate them, click the picture above and check out Oxjam’s wesbite to find out who else is playing and how you can get involved.

New Merch Store Now Open!

Hello everyone! We’re super excited to announce we’ve just set up our new merch store which you can check out here.

To celebrate the release of our new EP ‘On Tape’ on May 14th, we’re offering an incredible deal on limited edition pre-order packs. For just £12 you can get the 7-track EP, a t-shirt, 5 pin badges and 5 stickers. If that’s not a bargain, we don’t know what is!

Get ‘em while they’re hot, because the pre-order packs are limited to just 15 orders!

latest review of ‘On Tape’ from A Girl Called Sam

My favourite Birmingham based, Spanish Imperialism themed, rabble-rousing 4-piece, Conquistadors, are back with a new EP. It’s been a while since we’ve heard a release from them, but in that time they’ve progressed and matured more than any band of their stature has a right to. It’s a chunky release this time, a full 7 tracks of intricately woven angular post-punk, entitled On Tape. So what have the boys produced for us this time?

Well the EP opens with the sounds of radio static punctuated by brief glimpses of what is to come, before launching full speed into Black Swans, a wonderfully uplifting piece of perfectly crafted alt-rock that is faintly reminiscent of Wowee Zowee era Pavement. The off-kilter intro to the song swiftly leads into one of the catchiest verses I’ve heard in years (I use the word ‘verse’ tentatively as Conquistadors care little for traditional songwriting structures) - interlacing guitars, punchy bass and driving drums building to a crescendo of barely-contained chaos that will have you reaching to start the track from the beginning.

But resist the urge! Homework, my personal favourite on the EP, follows with 6-odd minutes of sweeping guitar melodies, soaring vocal harmonies and a ‘chorus’ featuring a line one could imagine Professor Brian Cox using on a lady (not sure what that says about my imagination but there you go). The perfect mix of progressive, intricate musicality contained in a framework of pop sensibilities on this track typifies Conquistadors’ ethos and is a perfect example of why you need this band in your life. Without a doubt, one of my favourite songs of 2011 so far.

That isn’t to belittle the rest of the EP at all though. Homework is followed by the Daughters-esque furious stabbing-tempo and razor vocals that comprise the first minute of Oh, Luxembourg!. The chaos subsides as quickly as it appears, shifting effortlessly into an escalating refrain of beautiful vocal harmonies and catchy rhythms that is simply a joy to listen to. The manner in which Conquistadors blend two vastly contrasting styles together in one 3-minute song, without it sounding disjointed, shows just how versatile this band are.

The EP also features a remastered version of Bake Your Cake And Eat It from the excellent 2009 release Rochelle, Rochelle, a review of which can be found here - unfortunately demand was so high that all handmade copies of Rochelle, Rochelle have sold out, however I am assured that the entire EP will be available for free download in the near future.

Rounding off the EP are remixes of the tracks Homework and Nails by Si Irving (of Inspired Insomniac/Tin Can Radio fame) and Sam Manville (former Blakfish member, now plying his trade with Hymns and Greatest Hits) respectively. The Inspired Insomniac remix of Homework is a wonderfully fresh take on a great song comprised of ambient electronic beats and loops that reminds me of Dntel, or some of Four Tet’s more restrained pieces. The Greatest Hits remix of Nailshas a darker, brooding quality replete with droning strings, threatening to, but never quite collapsing into a wall of static noise, perfectly suited to the feel of the original track.

In summary, On Tape is a bold release, broad in it’s scope, and daring in it’s approach. Never content to settle into one style or genre, Conquistadors have created a real gem here, an intricately woven tapestry of alt-rock with a smile on it’s face, the perfect way to kick start your summer. Released on May 14th through Godmonkey Recordings, you have absolutely no excuse not to check On Tape out, it is simply f*cking brilliant.

http://www.agirlcalledsam.co.uk/post/4632313317/conquistadors-on-tape

“On Tape” Review

Conquistadors  - On Tape EP

review by Pete Ringmaster @RockPulse

    Daring with sounds is a rarity from most artists but the reason for making music for Birmingham band Conquistadors. Well whether truly the reason or just a cool bonus for us, it is what the foursome produce with relish. They understand sounds and how to make which on the surface appear are random noises work perfectly within the structure of their compositions. I have always been a lover of bands that bring that discordant array of sounds together ever since the emergence in the mid 80’s of The Fire Engines so it is a real joy to find Conquistadors continuing those ideas with their forthcoming third EP ‘On Tape’. Shamefully not having come across them before I feel a loss and from hearing this 7 track release it is something I will be rectifying right away.

    The ‘On Tape EP’ begins fully after a brief intro with the track ‘Black Swans’ which upon the opening disarray of scaling notes gives notice of what is ahead. It is a delightful slice of indie pop kind of like Hot Hot Heat with balls and some real inventiveness and taste of adventure in sound that the Canadians have never discovered. I use the word pop loosely as they and their music are truly rock of the highest order skirting at times punk and more so progressive rock but this track is maybe the most accessible to many people who like a lighter formula approach. The progressive sound is fully on show with the 6 minute slightly jazzy grooved track ‘Homework’, maybe for me slightly overlong but never dull and always intriguing, something all tracks can be labelled with. The guitars of Adam Jaremko and James Sharp are exceptional throughout the track and the whole EP, more than once rivalling anything At The Drive In or Mars Volta, renowned for their musical ability in this genre have created. The bass and drums of Oz Powles and Andy Palmer respectively create an inventive framework of rhythm for the adventurous sounds to mould to and the twin vocal attack of Sharp and Powles are great instruments to compliment the overall sound rather than simply lead it.  

   Fourth track on the release ‘Oh, Luxembourg’, is an aggressive attacking clash of noises starting out with a punky and almost metal front line slowly mellowing as the song passes through its movements and fights for the best track on show. The ‘On Tape EP’ has the added bonus of a remastered version of ‘Bake Your Cake & Eat It’ from their last EP and it is the track that grabbed me most of all, a simply wonderful piece of sound that defies you not to have at least 2 parts of your body grooving as you listen. There are also a couple of remixes, one of ‘Homework’ remixed by Simon Irving of Tin Can Radio, under his solo-project pseudonym Inspired Insomniac and of ‘Nails’ remixed by Sam Manville, ex-Blakfish and currently in Hymns andGreatest Hits. I am no fan of remixes, just a personal thing, but I have to say the latter track is a neat atmospheric piece of music that had me imagining it as the backdrop to a slow motion desperate historical battlefield with men dying as they fall.

   Conquistadors with the ‘On Tape EP’ have created simply a musical masterpiece in its ingenuity and inventiveness. It may not be to everyone’s tastes; being too out of the box for those liking simplicity in their ears but this is stuff that inspires new musicians to think and try different avenues for their ideas, just for that Conquistadors should be checked out. The EP is released on May 14^th on the Godmonkey Recordings label and the band will tour it so try and catch them when dates are announced shortly. Find out more at http://www.conksmusic.co.uk/ or www.godmonkey.com

Twitter

We’re actually getting into this Twitter thing, so if anyone wants to follow us for mindblowing insights like:

- What’s our favourite Mexican restaurant?

- Is there a height difference between our band members?

- Which Z-List stars have we met?

find us on Twitter @conksband