ATHLETE

TOURIST (Parlophone, 2005)

STEPHEN LAMBE

Athlete were one of the more interesting indie rock bands to emerge in the early 2000s. The Londoners’ 2003 debut Vehicles And Animals was developed from ideas pooled in rehearsal, paralleling the early pioneers of prog like Yes, whose 1971 release The Yes Album was famously developed as a band in deepest Devon. While Athlete’s influences did not stem directly from such ‘classic’ prog, they did cite experimental indie outfits including Grandaddy as their inspiration. With a clear debt to The Flaming Lips, keyboardist Tim Wanstall’s sound palate was initially derived from ultra-cheap Japanese synths, enforced both by an interest in kitsch presets and a lack of funds. Vehicles And Animals was a sleeper hit on release, climbing to No.19 in the UK chart thanks to the singles El Salvador…

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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 133

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