'Paper Cuts' and beyond at Koltura

Israeli prog-rockers Solstice Coil perform in support of their debut album, gearing up for a European tour.

By BEN JACOBSON
solstice coil 88.298 (photo credit: )
solstice coil 88.298
(photo credit: )
Local prog-rockers Solstice Coil perform in support of their debut album A Prescription for Paper Cuts, Saturday night at Tel Aviv's Koltura Club. The collection of songs took over two years to make and was officially released in September. During that time, the band underwent several personnel changes, while constantly redefining their musical vision accordingly and recording tracks at the same time. Solstice Coil's style combines influences from the new generation of experimental electronic rock with those from the original school of Seventies progressive-style arena headliners. Radiohead and Muse can be heard on A Prescription for Paper Cuts almost as much as early Genesis and mid-Seventies Pink Floyd. The making of this ambitious album involved painstaking attention to detail, which can be observed both in its sound and in its visual elements; the booklet that comes with the CD doubles as a graphic novel, with layouts by experimental designer Opher Vishnia fleshing out the multimedia concept. Solstice Coil has managed to tap into the consciousness of the European prog-rock scene. The German music review website Babyblaue recently named the disc "album of the month," and the Belgian magazine Prog Resiste ran an interview with the band. With their reputation buzzing, Solstice Coil is gearing up for a fall tour of Europe, which leaves plenty of time for them to refine their stage presence in Israel first. Plans are already taking shape for a second studio album, and some of the new material has made its way into concert setlists. Opening Saturday's show will be the premiere of the band Ambitiza, with video artist D.J MosheL screening a montage of classic rock and roll concert footage in between the main acts. Paper Cuts will be sold at a special low price. Saturday, 9 p.m., Koltura Club, Herzl St. 154, Tel Aviv, (03) 518-7289, NIS 50.