The Observatory - a name that seemingly implies passive objectivity, but which
really describes a band whose musical output is an impassioned response to the
society it is enmeshed in, a society divided, a society in tumult -- where new forms
of oppression must be actively met with new strategies for resistance. The heart and
soul of The Observatory is in its constant reinvention. With each release, the
members have persisted in their experimental take on the pop songform. In 12 years,
the band has gone from folk electronica to prog to avant rock, to approaching a
more primal sound in recent years, evident in their fifth album, 'Catacombs' -- a
study in delusion, insanity and obsession, and a voice of social conscience. The
Observatory’s music is texturally complex and viscerally emotional, crossing wasted
borders and musical extremities that parallel polarities within human existence,
lyrically provoking and inspiring in a deeply enigmatic way. The members are huge
music fans. The gang of five draw inspiration from their Southeast Asian roots and
contemporary heroes of new music and art. Fusing a wide mix of influences, their
sound is a stirring concoction of potent and powerful extremes.
