domingo, 30 de junho de 2013

Mixtape #19 - The Stars That Hang Above Us









After two mixtapeless months (the last one was posted April 30th, exactly two months ago!), I apologize for that, yaddayadda. You all know I'm sorry and didn't forget our traditon, I just wasn't able to keep it running as I wished. Well, apologies accepted, let's talk about the 19th edition of loverswhoareseekers mixtape. This time, there's no specific theme for that but the love of fuzz, feedback and sugared dreams feeding our minds with pure sonic bliss. As usual, I tried to make a mix between classic and recent pieces, ranging from famous to obscure acts, and from Shoegaze in its most "purist" sense to Dream Pop, Ambient, Post-Rock, or anything Alternative-related. While the classic side is starred by Catherine Wheel, Swervedriver, Medicine, the newcomers are represented by the forces of jesu, DIIV, Wild Nothing. Besides, we also feature a song from some cult guys like the kiwi Bailter Space, with the song I.C.Y., besides the japanese gazers of Sugar Plant. To the end, there's an unexpected participant in this edition: Here Come The Warm Jets, from the early work of Brian Eno solo. Although this material was written over 40 years ago, you'll see why it's featured in a Shoegaze-based mixtape. He was antecipating what we'd all know and appreciate many years later, as a truly avantgarde artist he is.

Ok, I talked too much already. Just click in the link below and enjoy the trip! ;)














tracklist:


Catherine Wheel - Black Metallic
Wild Nothing - Drifter
Bailter Space - I.C.Y.
jesu - The Stars That Hang Above Us
Curve - Hung Up
DIIV - Wait
The Bilinda Butchers - Half Open
Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets
Swervedriver - Up From The Sea
Sugar Plant - Brazil
Seefeel - Polyfusion
Medicine - A Short Happy Life



get it!

sexta-feira, 28 de junho de 2013

The Stargazer Lilies

"The Stargazer Lilies slow motion bathing through space music is like sun glistening on the water in sound, ambient rock for daydreamers to bob their heads to. The Northeastern Pennsylvania based trio of guitarist/bassist/drummer/producer, John Cep, singer/bassist, Kim Field, and live drummers EJ DeCoske and Johnny Lancia, bring back the raw rock primal gaze, no bullshit sunshine haze."

That's how The Stargazer Lilies (TSL) define themselves in the bio presented in their own official website. John Cep and Kim Field names may sound usual to some of you as they're also part of the nugaze act Soundpool, who gained some attention in the last several years due to a nice combination of Shoegaze and Dream Pop, sharing stages noise masters such as Chapterhouse, A Place To Bury Strangers, Robin Guthrie, Ulrich Schnauss and many others. However, TSL purpose is a bit different from the duo's original one. They follow a more stripped out musical direction, focusing more on the basic ingredients that make the noise we all love and worship: sweetened melodies hidden beneath impenetrable layers of fuzz, ethereal female vocals, Supernovae, cosmic voyages,  lysergc delirium, besides butterfly wings flapping on fields of sonic flower buttoms.

Is that enough for you? It surely is. They have 4 songs available so far, the same ones that are available right below in the bandcamp links for free-streaming and acquisition by the name-your-price method. Oh, and don't forget there is a TSL full-length coming on September 10th!

As usual, I hope you enjoy it! ;)



TSL - We Are The Dreamers: 





TSL - Ahh:














TSL - Fukitol:















TSL - Sunday Is Monday At Midnight:






quinta-feira, 27 de junho de 2013

Dråpe




Dråpe (pronounces: draw-pa) is one of the most pleasant surprises to hail from the scandinavian lands lately. Its birth happened in 2009, under the name of Takk, but changing to Dråpe in 2010 due to the departure of one of the founding members. By the hands of Riot Factory, their maiden appearance to the world came in 2011, with the self-titled EP, surprising the world with an explosive but delicate mix of swirly guitars, ethereal vocals and cosmic sonic textures that brings names such as My Bloody Valentine, Deerhunter, Radiohead, naturally and easily come to our mind. A few months ago, Dråpe resurfaced to the world with two new songs: Memories and Blue Skies, both present in their brand new work, the full-length called Canicular. Canicular, as you must've already figured out, features an evolution of the already-great EP. To put it simple: pure ear candy! For those into these brilliant modern wave of Dream Pop (Wild Nothing, The Bilinda Butchers, Beach House and the former cited Deerhunter), there's no way you can go wrong with Dråpe, and I assure it'll readily become one of your dearest album of the year. ;)









get it!










get it!

segunda-feira, 24 de junho de 2013

Introverts


Introverts are a London-based (yeah, today is London day in this blog) duo composed by Dean, who's responsible for the lyrics, and Izzy (for the music). There's also a third member, Alex, who's in charge of the bass in the live line-up. Although they must be a relatively new band (there's no much information to be found, the band's name says it all...), they're already delivering us top-quality post punk in a modern, revitalized clothing. Of course, the classical references can be easily heard in their work, i.e., Joy Division, Sisters Of Mercy and the early, eerie and cold days of The Cure, however, they're not limited to this. Some Electronics and Shoegaze scent are included wisely in some moments, relating them to nowadays' hot names of dark-than-deepest-sea music such as The Soft Moon, Motorama and Soviet Soviet, just to give you a reference. 

I'll play a clairovyant now and tell you: pay attention to these guys. They're gonna be huge, and it's not going to take too long for that. You can check with your own ears what I've just written in the soundcloud links right below. 


Enjoy! ;)





















To check what else they have in their extense soundcloud list, just click here and, if you wish to purchase their material, you can do it at their bandcamp right here. ;)

Submarine

London-based Submarine (not to be confused with the yellow one from Liverpool) was a short-lived band dedicated to a Shoegaze-fueled Alternative Rock, being active from 1989 to 1995. They shared stage with Moose, Radiohead (in its earliest days), Tool and many other alternative legends during those years, in addition of the magic hands of The Flaming Lips' Kevin Cleversley producing the 1994 self-titled debut album. As I said before, Submarine sonic world melts the qualities of the likes of Mercury Rev, The Boo Radleys, The Telescopes (st phase) and, of course, The Flaming Lips in their best shape (1990-1995) with the fuzzy cosmos of Shoegaze, creating delirant guitar-driven songs that will make a question mark pop up in your head, asking why didn't you hear anything about them before and why they faded into total obscurity despite such great works accomplished?


The fate of Submarine? No, it didn't sink, but resurfaced a little after its demise under the name of Jetboy DC, which is still sporadically active. However, their legacy is here for us to taste and enjoy, as you can do with the link right below for the Kiss Me Till Your Ears Burn Off, a compilation of early singles plus a song extracted from a John Peel session circa 1993 and a cover of Tugboat, which was also astonishingly covered by Galaxie 500. 

That's the message, boys. Enjoy it! ;)


























get it!

sexta-feira, 14 de junho de 2013

Bemônio

Bemônio consists of a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, duo composed by Paulo Caetano, who's in charge with samples, synth, besides being the mind behind the project, along drummer Gustavo Matos. Differently from most of material posted in this space, Bemônio is all about Drone, Noise, Dark Ambient with a Sludge, free-style-ish improvisitional flavour. Its appearance to the world came not too long ago, at middle-2012, with the album Vulgatam Clementinam. Four months after, another full-length, Serenata, was born, and its latest record was released at May 5th, 2013, a single-track EP (divided in 9 "interludes") called Opscurum


Not only the production's pace of Bemônio is outstanding, but the art itself too. It's hard to figure out how they managed to achieve such high-level material in such little time! Bemônio's music is lugubrious, amorphous and deep, full of religious  and heretic provocations, and bold enough to incorporate elements of Sludge, Industrial and Doom Metal that would make masters of (really) heavy music like Neurosis, Godflesh, Melvins, Naked City proud of their vast influences. And proud is also me to see a great project emerging from the hot, sunny and chaotic vaults of my dear (cof cof). You can stream all Bemônio's work, besides free-downloading it, in the links right below. As I always say, I hope you enjoy! ;)











enjoy!







quarta-feira, 12 de junho de 2013

Colfax Abbey

Colfax Abbey (CA) is one of those great Shoegaze bands whose name was little spoken about and was melancholically forgotten by the tides of time. They come from Minneapolis, MN, USA, and started its activity somewhere in the first years of the '90, being one of the few, but brilliant, groups dedicated to flaming waves of sonic blast back then together with Half-String, lovesliescrushing, Alison's Halo, Swirlies, as well as the later Bowery Electric and Bethany Curve

They released two records, the Drop full-length and Penetrate EP, both at 1996. The first one received a little help from Keith Cleversey, the guy behing some of the nicest records of the early '90 such as Transmission From Satellite Heart (Flaming Lips), the single Medicine from the debut album of Spiritualized, as well as You'd Prefer An Astronaut (Hum), relying on heavily atmospheric, stellar tapestries much like Slowdive's Just For A Day with a more Drone-ish vein. It feels like gazing the elements and particles of Universe through blurry, multi-textured filters. On the other hand, the EP is more focused on Electronic and Ambient, reminding me a bit of, surprise surprise, Slowdive in its 5 EP, although the connection between both works are easily noticed, feeling much like an evolution from the earlier material. 

Finally, you can get a taste of CA's great work right below. For those into the more Ambient, cosmic side of the beautiful noise, there's no way you can go wrong with it. Just close your eyes, dream on and enjoy!






























Tokyo Shoegazer

Tokyo Shoegazer, aka 東京酒吐座, is a japanese Shoegaze/Noise Pop (orly?) assemble composed of five people who also take part in many underground local bands, such as Presence Of Soul, Acid Androids, etc. Toward the end of 2011, they released an album, Crystallize, which I didn't know about it until a couple of weeks ago. The reason? TS contributed to two songs of the Yellow Loveless, a very nice tribute to the MBV's masterpiece made by japanese bands-only, and whose songs were Only Shallow and I Only Said. To put it simple, they did an amazing job in there, you'll swear that's Kevin, Bilinda & friends themselves without losing a bit of quality...


But, hey, how about their own work? I couldn't use another adjecitve other than amazing too. Of course they owe a lot to My Bloody Valentine legacy, besides all the classic gazers as the likes of Ride, Slowdive, Robin Guthrie, however, they add an oriental sauce to their sonic sea in a very similar fashion to their j-gaze mates (Purple Blooom, Lemon's Chair, Hartfield, Oeil), although TS explores the fuzz pandemonium a bit deeper than these, including sweet elements of Drone (with a Boris accent) and Mono-like Post Rock here and there to give an even special flavour to their songs.   

To sum it up, as long as you have TS in your headphones, you'll feel like going on an interestellar overdrive to unreachable realms of Cosmos, however, there is space (sic) for blooming sakuras in a sunny sunday afternoon among the whirpools of feedback, sure. The final result is a must-hear album for any ear-bleeding music fan, as you can find at the link right below. ;)

update: New TS record right below, the Turnaround full-length. I hope you enjoy it as well! ;)



















get it!


























enjoy!








ps: It's mandatory for anybody to say "awwwwww!" after seeing the album cover.






quarta-feira, 5 de junho de 2013

Deardarkhead

Deardarkhead was born circa 1988 at New Jersey, USA, one of the few band dedicated to the feedback worshipping at the ocidental side of the Atlantic back then. 
Having its name was taken by an irish poem of the 19th century, they released a stream of EPs during 1991 to 1993, Spiral Down And Vibrate, Melt Away Too Soon and Ultraviolet, besides 1998's Unlock The Valves of Feeling, featuring a kinda fuzzy-twee sound that sometimes makes Pale Saints and Adorable come to our dissolved minds, although bands like The Pastels, Beat Happening and even Post Punk acts such as Lowlife, The Chameleons and Echo and the Bunnymen are summoned in some melodies. 




Well, it's not hard to figure out they didn't accomplish any success back then and still largely unknown even by the most curious gazers, along many bands we've been featuring in this space lately. They did one of the nicest "heavy" Shoegaze of that golden era and still sound modern evey by today's standards. If you're not convinced yet, just check both links above. One is for Oceanside 1991-1993, which compiles all songs for the earlier 3 EPs, and the other is for Unlock The Valves of Feeling, their first and only full-length till this moment. Fortunately, they're back on the field and eager to play around the world and, who knows, craft new material. This will surely crack a silly smile in many gazers orphans around the world, as well as their previous work did! 










get it!









get it!