Gerling gradually morphed into an offbeat electronica outfit not dissimilar to the Avalanches (it seems at one point in the late 1990s everyone was willing to trade in those Jazzmasters for MPCs), transitioning through the oddly schizoid (and generally excellent) debut, 1998's Children of Telepathic Experiences. I purchased that very LP at the Salvos down in Elsternwick where I think (but I'm not certain) I also bought Sandpit's Lessons In Posture. Much, much harder to find it seems is their debut EP of 1996, A Day Of Research, which was similarly released on Fellaheen Records.
After a year, it miraculously popped up on my saved eBay searches and I immediately lobbed my hard earned virtual dollars over. A bit over a week later, it arrived, and in lieu of any repressings I supply it below in all its glory.
Far removed from the sampler driven dance and synth-backed rock that Gerling would later purvey, A Day Of Research is surprisingly close to mid-1990s midwest emo, featuring jangly guitars (that I personally swoon over) and those big swells of suspended chord. Pressed to name a band though, I do struggle, though maybe early Get Up Kids and Acrobatic Tenement-era At The Drive-In. On the indie side of the spectrum, there's crossover with their then-labelmates Sandpit and the other kind of stuff you've seen popping up here over the past year or so.
It's great! It's exactly what my own band is trying to rip off! Yes!
Unfortunately, period-information on the band is very sparse. One of the sole candidates is this endearing fansite designed in typical Web 1.0 splendour by 15 year old Erika Findley. IF anyone can point me towards some more early Gerling info, I'd much appreciate it. In light of the release of his new album, it appears that Gerling original Darren Cross has archived some early Gerling info and placed it on a relevant Tumblr.
A Day Of Research (1996) - Gerling
*Photo credit unknown, taken from the archived Gerling Gerl site mentioned above, looks like circa 94.
P.S. I was aware that these tracks are up somewhere on the internet on a dodgy mp3 site or something but I completely forgot about them and waited to buy the physical release instead, which has a booklet printed on really nice paper.
2019 UPDATE: A couple more websites for your viewing pleasure, courtesy of the Internet Archive. Includes pics.
