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• The et at it Archives

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  When they formed in 2001, Et At It - the trio of Fiona Griffin (guitar), Amelia Saddington (guitar) and Franke Vogl (bass) - may have seemed like a simple reconfiguration of the recently-dissolved RaRaFre+Am. But it would soon become clear that,although the two bands shared members, a near-total lack of drums and a yen for syllabic play, Et At It was a unit all its own. And, in short order, they would become easily one of the most exciting groups operating in D.C.. Over a brief, three year run, Et At It produced a small but rich body of work that extends the spiky chamber music Saddington and Vogl had been developing, but transforms it into something more intimate, sensual and lovingly oblique.
  
  The group was part of a cohort of bands whose work stretched into the avant garde in unexpected and thrilling ways: Members of El Guapo, Orthrelm and ABCs all had crossed paths with members of Et At It at different times, and shared an angular agnosticism towards the tenets of punk and post-hardcore that dominated the milieu. Et At It condensed this approach into something remarkable and fascinating. “Bore,” their first song, winds like a corkscrew chasing down a melodic fragment that keeps turning in on itself, expanding and contracting, shifting register and key until it abruptly stops. The double entendre title is a perfect instance of the group’s humor and points to an undercurrent of dry, knowing wit which was inseparable from their sound.
  
  The group made a conscious decision at the start that there would be no “personalities” in Et At It. This excision of typical showmanship tropes gave them surprising freedom to incorporate an intriguing range of sounds. The two guitars and bass, all played with clean precision, were the group’s core, but monosyllabic hiccups and gasps work their way in, as well as whispers, squelchy drum machines and moments of anthemic, overdriven ensemble playing (presented with exceptional dryness). Et At It has a sound, but more than that they have a feel, which can stretch and bend with the whims of its members. Take “From The Top,” where the three whisper “from the top of the mountain/to the bottom of the sea” in a round. At just over a minute long, it would hardly register except that it’s so cool.
  
  Et At It were inevitable outliers in a larger music scene that was in the first stages of a new professionalism and capitulation to pop. That’s what made their performances and recordings so vital. One always felt as if you were peering into something private and pure. The freedom the three members afforded each other to bend and reshape musical forms was infectious. It is a bracing reminder that musical liberation doesn’t always have to result in fireworks and catharsis. Sometimes it can be as simple as a small, carefully assembled tangle of notes.
  
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• Full Digital Discography

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  Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Selected Works: 2000-2001, HITS, Rench's Rifles, et at it Archives, and RaRaFre+Am. , and , .

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