people have said things about our records in the past you can work it out from there;
is this music?, June 2005
empire-builder - "How the Mighty Have Stagnated" (Gringo)
"With Thunder! Thunder! Thunder! doing the raw guitar thing pretty well on the flipside, our focus is drawn to the 'Builder's first appearance in several years - and with their trademark stop-start rhythms and driving guitars, it's good to have them back."
4/5
(Bernhard Bessing)
Unpeeled, April 2005
empire-builder - "How the Mighty Have Stagnated" (Gringo)
SPOILING US
"Densely layered and rather snazzy guitaring over sleazy, strolling basslines and snarl-drawled vox make this fucking brilliant and more than we deserve. If the Darkness could do this they, well, they would."
Broken Violin #3, October 2000
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
"Waters of the Orient is an eerie starter but compels you to listen on. It's a slow and uneasy start but cascades into a brilliant middle section. Trade in Fiction and I am Vasco da Gama are also strong tracks and together the three round off a well-written and highly listenable EP. Empire Builder is a great new Glasgow band to lookout for, being a blast of creepy melodies and weirdly wonderful tunes."
(Claire Lim)
Fracture, Issue 9
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
"One of the best things I've heard on Gringo; EMPIRE BUILDER tend not to noodle around as much as some of their other bands, just going for straight stripped melodies and some crunchy staccato riffs in a blend that really works well. "Waters Of The Orient" sounds remarkably like BOB TILTON in their bare moments, those empty spaces, plucked guitars and spoken vocals are definitely 'in the style of...'. The other two tracks plod a little more than the opener, but "I Am Vasco Da Gama" is a nice slow-burner, building up into pretty powerful stuff. Can't help but think music like this works better in an album format, the atmospheres tend to lend better to longer time-scales than a 7" can offer, but this is a good way to start."
(Russell Remains)
Record Collector, August 1999
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
"Comparisons to Fugazi and Jesus Lizard have been carelessly thrown around when discussing empire-builder, but this Glasgow trio are walking an unpredictable path of their own. Drum lines that double-back on themselves abruptly, icy guitar twinkling and occasional vocal announcements raise this above the lowly level of the usual post rock scene."
(RC Collective)
Kerrang! July 31 1999
empire-builder - Waters of the Orient (Gringo)
Three Ks
"Empire-Builder tickle obtuse guitar lines, pick out unlikely harmonics and craft sonic still lives with sadcore vocal understatements and rattling incisive beats. It's the kind of experimental craft so beloved of the late-'70s new wave set and a welcome breath of fresh air."
NME 10th July 1999
Hirameka Hi-fi / Reynolds / EB @ London Highbury, Upstairs at the Garage
"Come on, try young: that's the Gringo Records approach. Plainly, a night such as this would be unthinkable had it not been for Mogwai's singular influence on the jazz-under-any-other-name genre of post-rock. But against all odds, there's a youth revolution waiting to happen.
And Glasgow's empire-builder are lighting the touchpaper. Fresh from recording their debut single in the Chemikal Underground studios, it's more than possible that they're being weaned to bolster the stables of Glasgow's Finest.
empire-builder are defiantly highbrow, squeezing painstaking complexities out of the sparsest three-piece line up. The difficult 'Trade In Fiction' is riven with tempo changes, straying into as many blind alleys as open highways, but 'Waters Of the Orient' is a furious warping of Slint's 'Good Morning, Captain', and it's here that empire-builder's maddening complexities become utterly compelling. It's not always easy to keep up, but empire-builder understand the thrill of the chase."
(Louis Pattison)
Kerrang! March 7th 1998
US Maple / EB @ 13th Note Cafe, Glasgow
"A small crowd greets local lads empire-builder. Part Jawbox, part Jesus Lizard, they employ a bewildering but coherent array of time changes, yet still infuse them with healthy doses of melody. Their stage-craft might need time and touring to develop further, but their songwriting is already well past the embryonic stage."
(Eddie Thomas)
Vic bar: Kaput! - New wave noise, rock 'n roll savages and primal swamp beat.
Free goody bag for the first 300 through the door - Including fanzine for the night, mix CDs from Numbers and Kaput!, some vinyl, stickers, badges + more! Hefty soundsystem imported, plus extra visuals, lazers and cheap booze!
Tickets: LIMITED CHEAP TICKETS - ALL SOLD OUT!
Normal advance: £23 (subject to booking fee) Available now in person from Rubadub Records (Howard Street), Tickets Scotland (Argyle Street) and the Vic bar, School of Art, Renfrew Street.
I come here from time to time and enjoy a minute or two's sweet relief from the bombardment of shite; hanging out with a cousin who I really get on with, but only see once in a while.
