quinta-feira, 25 de julho de 2013

True Widow


True Widow (TW) is a Texas-based three-piece and one of the nicest discoveries I made this year (ok, I know I've been repeating this a lot in this blog lately, but what can I do if it's true?). They started activities in 2007 and one year later they already had a full-length in the hands, the self-titled one. Since then, the musical direction of TW was made clear and they've been following that until the moment, which is the so-called Stonegaze, a label the trio has adopted to themselves in a half-joking way. Although labels can get quite corny and pretensious, that's not the case, as it fits the sonic world of the texan assemble perfectly.  Imagine that crunchy, sluggish guitar-driven rythms of early Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Alice In Chains, Pelican and many others blended with the blurry Indie qualities of My Bloody Valentine, Belong, Codeine and Low. It's laid back, hazy, monotonous, contemplative and, of course, really stoned, perfect for road tripping or walking into a swampy forest. Now you have an idea of what's all about. If you're still having trouble trying to figure it out, that's easily solved if you click the bancamp link right below and give it a stream to their latest work, the fresh and warm Circumambulation, which came out just yesterday. That's a serious candidate for the best album of the year and I'm sure it'll appeal not only for the weed-fueled wandering spirits that inhabit these unholy lands out there, but for most daydreamy gazer fans as well! ;)  



















bandcamp




In case you wish to dig even deeper in the TW's universe, just check the links right below for their previous releases, the 2011's "As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth", the also 2011's EP Ino, besides the 2008 self-titled I talked about. I hope you enjoy them all! 




















get it!























get it!






















get it!

terça-feira, 23 de julho de 2013

Robedoor

Ladies and gents, this is the our blog's first anniversary! And to celebrate this special day, we offer you one of the most amazing projects we came across this semester, really.

Robedoor is about the LA-based duo of Alex and Britt aka Notnotfun, whose discogs profile counts 66 releases and 12 appearances from 2005 up to now. That means excess of creativity or TDAH? I can't tell, but I sure can tell they're one of the greatest Drone assembles I came across in a long long time! Sonically, they craft whirling walls of fuzz driven by tribal/ritualistic beats, mantra-like vocals, psychotropic-induced daytime hallucinations. Now, imagine these scenarii packed and shrouded in darker-than-black atmospheres that capture the post-urban desolation we all live and will sink deeper and deeper in the future to come. While they can be compared to the noisy juggernauts such as Sunn o))), Earth, Nadja, Skullfluwer, Godflesh, Fudge Tunnel and many others, they also share a great identification with the New Weird America scene that revelead us names like Wet Hair, Religious Knives and Pocahaunted, with whom they collaborated with a split a few years ago. Besides, their  music can be easily appreciated by fans of colder-than-ice acts as The Soft Moon, The KVB, HTKR, Tropic Of Cancer and many other gloomy modernities that make our joy (sic) through the bleakness we're all diving in our day-after-day lives...

No need to talk more, right? Just check the soundcloud right below in case you wish a preview of their latest work, Primal Sphere, or you're just too eager for a test-drive, check the link at the bottom which contains the same album. As always, I hope you enjoy it! ;)




























get it!

quarta-feira, 17 de julho de 2013

The Emerald Down

The Emerald Down (TED) saw the first light of the world circa 1997 originally in Olympia, but moving to Ohio not too long after its birth, whose activities endured until 2003. Despite the quite short story, the band left a very interesting legacy that remains unveiled even to the most avid Shoegaze fans 10 years after their breakup. The reason? That's a total mistery for me since the group had all elements that would make any gazer smile at the end of the day. Layers over layers of shimmering and swirling guitars? Check. Ethereal female vocals whispering almost uninteligible lyrics (IF they have any lyrics at all)? Check. Opaque, hazy and stellar sonic atmospheres? check too! As you must have figured out, Slowdive's first EPs and first album is probably the most evident influence of this four-piece, but there's room for some Cocteau Twins and their characteristic angelic melodies and a bit of Curve too, as it can be noticed from the occasional electronic faster-paced moments. 

As you can imagine, the early '00 wasn't a gentle period for Shoegaze and Dream Pop and the band released only two works, the Scream The Sound full-length (2001) and Aquarium EP (2002 or 2003) before the final call. Although they weren't the most original ever or didn't change the paths of music as their influences did, they've put out great works that shouldn't be buried into the deepest realms of the oblivion as they are up to the moment. You can have a taste of both works by accessing the link right below. Enjoy!





































domingo, 14 de julho de 2013

Levitation





Levitation is one of the most forgotten and underappreciated british bands of the early '90. It was funded by the hands of Terry Bickers. Yes, the eccentric guitarist of House Of Love, so, you have an idea that they weren't exactly novices and they knew what they were doing with this project. Levitation's sonic world can be identified with the rising and flaming Scene That Celebrates Itself during 1990-1991 due to the use of (very heavy) fuzz-fueled guitars, however, Levitation ventured into psychedelic spheres much more often and deeply than most of the shoe lovers used to do. The Telescopes 1992 album can be used as a frame of reference for their most laid back and lysegic moments, but it should be mentioned that Levitation's music was quite more complex than Stephen Telescopes' assemble.  However, it seemed Mr. Bickers wasn't quite happy with the musical direction the band was taking as the years passed by and called a quit in June 1993. As Steve Ludwin replaced him, they completed the writing and recording of this new material which saw the light of the world in 1994, however the band didn't last much longer and sadly split up still in that year. It seems there are still plenty of unreleased material from the late phase of the band, even some with Terry Bickers still on the lead of them, but there seems to be no plan of releasing it until further notice... 

For those interested in the heavier, muddier and somewhat more esoteric side of the oldschool Shoegaze, all their material are  worthy of great appreciation and love. Right below, I'm sharing Levatiation's two full-lengths, Need For Not (1992) and Meanwhile Gardens (1994) along the Coterie (1991) album which compiles their early singles. As usual, I hope you enjoy them and spread the love as deserved!











 













get it!

























 get it!
















get it!

Bright Channel


Bright Channel (BC) is the sonic child of Jeff Suther and Shannon Stein born in the year of 1999, and was one of the responsibles of keeping the flame of our beloved noise alive in USA lands during the early-mid '00, back when almost all classic bands have disbanded or seemed long forgotten by everybody. They released a demo in 2003 before a debut album, the self-titled one posted right below in late 2004 and the 2006's Self-Propelled. However the band unfortunately wouldn't last longer, as they announced they were entering in an indefinite hiatus in August 2007. Although there seems to be no news about a reuning from these guys or a comeback album, they had already written their name in the Shoegaze history with their mesmerizing maiden record. BC crafts rich sonic textures fueled by melted guitar lines bleed delirant yet sweet melodies. Do you imagine the underrated cult Bailter Space having a baby with Slowdive in Just For A Day phase? if so, now you have a dim idea of them. The usual atmosphere of the st album is hazy, however, every little bit of noise that constitute its tapestry is easily noticable. Maybe Steve Albini engineering and mixing has something to do with it, just maybe...

BC is surely one of the most underrated acts that came up in the so-called 2nd generation of Shoegaze (or the third, or maybe the Nugaze generation, who knows?) without a shadow of a doubt. It should explain why it's being featured here in these pages and why should all of you listen this underappreciated gem. Just plug the phones and enjoy!
























get it! / buy it!

quarta-feira, 10 de julho de 2013

STAR

STAR (all caps) is the name of a project headed by Scott Cortez, the mind behind fantastic acts as Astrobrite and lovesliescrushing along Chicago-based Shannon Roberts in charge of vocals and guitars and Theodore Beck taking care of percussion and guitars. We all know Cortez love for fuzz and surreal sonic atmospherics, but STAR approach is quite different. It's more straightforward and follows more linear structures than his other projects, however, it really does not imply a decrease of quality. The songs are usually short, about 2:30-3:00 long, and very easy-listening, but the love for fuzz and delirant sonic waves are still there, rumbling and reverberating, fueling each of the twelve songs that compose their single release so far, the 2007 Devastator. It sounds somewhere like a Pavement demo clashed with Pixies' Surfer Rosa, My Bloody Valentine best poppy moments of Loveless and the brainmelting ear-candy noise typical from Astrobrite

While it may not be a really spetacular record, it's sadly overlooked in the Shoegaze cosmic sphere. Devastator is surely deserveful of great regard by any gazer in the Universe, that's why I'm dropping a lossless version of this wonderful album right below to correct this mistake. I hope you enjoy it!



















get it!

sexta-feira, 5 de julho de 2013

Sweet Smell Of Shining


Sweet Smell Of Shining (SSS) is an italian outfit consisting of three core members: Marco Ciardelli, responsable for the vocals, with the company of Masimiliano Piccagli (guitars, vocals, programming, drum machine), and Alessio Osculati (bass, programming). They also collaborated with electric guitarist Stillscreen (Ireland) on 5 tracks. On July 1st, they released their first full-length album: Beyond Waterfalls, as the result of three years of work. The SSS soundscapes orbit around the Shoegaze, Indie and Dream Pop, absorbing influences from the fuzzy world of Darklands' era J&MC, Adorable and Chapterhouse with the soothing layers of good ol' Indie such as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure, Radiohead and Depeche Mode such that they dress each song with a feel-good-yet-nostalgic sensibility. And they accomplish it with such naturality that make hard to believe it' only the maiden work! So, that's no surprise they're being featured in these pages.

You can have a taste of SSS (sic) right below , where the address of their bandcamp page is, and where you can get the album by the name-your-price method. I hope you enjoy it the way it deserves! ;)










bandcamp

quarta-feira, 3 de julho de 2013

Mellonta Tauta


Mellonta Tauta, named after a poem by Edgar Allan Poe, consists of a Shoegaze/Dream Pop band from our "hermana" Argentina, who were active during the early to mid '90, and sadly remains little known even for the hungriest noise fans. They released nothing but a full-length at 1994, Sun Fell, released by the defunct label Hyperium. After that, they released a couple EP, Fishes and Ocean, in the following year, and contributed to one song in an argentinian tribute to The Cure, fading into oblivion after that...



About their art itself, it could very easily fit in the 4AD catalogue of those years, as all the sonic elements required for that are accomplished with honour: buried and sweet female vocals,  melted guitars, ethereal atmospheres, everything carefully packed with a sort of nostalgic bucolism. Besides, they explore a Folk vibe in some songs, instrumental ones, giving them a Ethereal/Darkwave  flavour that could only be found in Love Spirals Downwards and Lycia at those times. By now, I guess it's not hard to realize their musical inspiration owe a lot to Liz Fraser and Robin Guthrie, as well as Lush, Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Throwing Muses and all those oneiric noisy makers that branded those times and we still regard with a lot joy and admiration. 

However, Mellonta Tauta never had a small fraction of their recognition and very few know about their existence even now, in the worldwideweb era. To be sincere, I only knew about them by my blog partner, Paloma, that showed me these guys and put their most famous song in Mixtape #2, Pull The Charriot, before that, not a single information about them reached me. That's why I have to do my contribution and share their beautiful work to the world, which can be found at the bandcamp's links right below.


//update: Mellonta Tauta reunited after almost 20 years of silence, pleasing us with a brand new album, Rainbow Melodies. All the ingredients that made these argentinians so beloved by us are still there: the ethereal vocals, dreamlike melodies, some bucolism and lush beauty in shape of soundscapes. I'm sure each one of you have a smile in your faces now when reading this news and it will grow even wider when you actually listen to it. Enjoy!









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Mechanimal

"Mechanimal, formed in 2011 in Athens Greece, in the midst of an unprecedented economic and social decline. Spawned out like a “living creature with wires as veins” pulsating with abrasive vocals into a murky terrain of quirky sounds that are painted on with monophonic synth arps, delays and distortion. Mechanimal persist on finding beauty and hope in the unforgiving urban terrain not by distance but by submergence, a living, breathing new kind of music. Serious synths. Fuzzy drones. Spoken word. Mechanimal is alive."


...or pretty much like this. Mechanimal was founded by musical producer Giannis Papaioannou with company of Freddie F. and guitarist Tassos Nikogiannis and not long after its birth, the first effort was already done. Due to the great repercussion it had, it was re-issued worldwidely by Inner Ear Records and Rough Trade Distribution on June 15th. Their music can be compared to some Shoegaze-y Post Punk-meeting-Electronics such as The KVB, HTKR in some aspects, however, the Electronic beats is ahead of everything. Trip-Hop and IDM influences are visible (or, better, listenable) too, although Mechanimal vibes are usually darker than the usual of these genres. Each song that composes the self-titled album is a great portrait of the urban landscapes of the post-modern world and its inherent chaos, nihilism, unfulfilled desires and the economic decadence surrounding this scenario. Although there are many people working with this proposal, I assure you that most of them are not able to reproduce these portraits in shape of music as naturally and accurately as Mechanimal does.


If you're still skeptical about Mechanimal great potential, just check the bandcamp and soundcloud links right below. There you can free-stream the album or purchase it if you wish to. I hope you enjoy it!















bandcamp