GIAA

God is an Astronaut, or GIAA, is probably a well-known name for your ears. This irish ensemble is lead by twin brothers Niels and Torsten Kinsella who are dedicated to craft stellar soundscapes by combining the highest level Post Rock tapestries with Space Rock, Electronica and some layers of Shoegaze here and there. It's music not only for space tripping, but for the big cities' lights, our headphones  and the deepest realms of our broken souls. So, it's not hard to figure out they accomplished some of the most seminal albums of the Post Rock spheres, such as All Is Violent, All Is Bright (2005) and Far From Refuge (2007), and now they're coming back after 3 years of silence with the Origins album, scheduled to be released officially next month. For those who kept track with GIAA works along the last decade, there aren't big surprises on this one, however, it's possible to notice some guitar works which weren't previously explored in the former albums, as well as stronger electronic elements (which bring references to the GIAA debut, The End Of the Beginning) and "fuzzier" tracks. The often dream-like taste of their music is still present, however, gave more room to the post-futuristic elements this time.

It may not be a transcendental work as the aforementioned works, or the best album of 2013, but it's easily one of the top-10 Post Rock material of the year, besides being an ear candy four our delirant ears. Well, since I think I've got nothing left to say... I just hope you enjoy it! ;)

get it!


ps: yeah, it's a 192 kbps rip, very poor quality. As soon as I get a better version of this, it'll be posted here.  ;)

Purple Heart Parade

Purple Heart Parade, or simply PHP (not to be confused with the programming language, guys) is a very young five-piece act to hail from Manchester, UK. Yes, very young, since the group's birth was October 18th 2012, according to the facebook profile of theirs. Since then, they've been making some gigs, appeared as a headline of Glasgow Psych Fest, an gaining great attention from those who has a thing for psychedelia and fuzz, media or public. It's not hard to understand why, as they're highly dedicated to the combination of '60 multi-coloured sonic palette with the brain-melting fuzz of the late '80-early '90 Shoegaze, invoking the best moments of names such as the classic Spacemen 3, BJM, early Pink Floyd, early Verve, as well as many lysergic newcomers, e.g. The Underground Youth, The Black Angels, The KVB and many more. So far, they've only released a couple of songs, The Room and Lies and Kites, both very exciting pieces capable of showing the explosive power of PHP and capable of making us eager for more material from them as soon as possible. You can free-stream these songs right below, through their soundcloud page, as well as free-download The Room. As well as my previoust post (Trementina), that's a band to keep an eye on, because I'm sure they'll deliver mesmerizing material in the very near future.

As I always say, enjoy!

Trementina

Trementina is a chilean ensemble composed Lucas Martinic, Vanessa Cea y Cristobal Ortiz, and whose activities started earlier this year. Although they are just a newborn, they already have written some material and put it available in their soundcloud page (all these songs can be found at the bottom of this post and be downloaded for free). It's easy to see they draw much inspiration from My Bloody Valentine (specially the Isn't Anything era), Ringo Deathstarr, Fleeting Joys, the upcoming Kigo and such. To put it in other worlds, a faster-paced,  fuzz-fueled Shoegaze that has a hot affair with Noise Pop. How can anyone not enjoy this? As they're a quite young band, they still have a huge learning curve to climb and a lot of potential to explore, but it's easy to see they're in the right path and won't take long to launch themselves into stellar dimensions, therefore, a band to be paid attention to. 

Thanks to latinoamericashoegaze blogspot for presenting me this great piece of work. Just enjoy it!

The History Of Colour TV

"Berlin’s the History of Colour TV sounds more like you’re living inside the white static that happens when that TV fails. These are unabashedly dramatic, sweeping rock songs, full of swelling, squalling keyboards and crunching guitars. The vocals are hissy and distant, buried in all these sonic textures. It can be an effective mix." - an except from popmatters.


This summarizes very well the sonic sphere of The History Of Colour TV (THOCT). They're composed of USA and UK homo sapiens whose basis are currently in Berlin, Germany and dedicate themselves into crafting an explosive, multi-textured amalgamation of sugarcoated melodies muddied in overblown delirant highly inspired by names as Astrobrite, Bloody Knives and The Stargaze Lilies besides all the classic references (MBV being in the top list, of course). While this is not exactly news, their capacities of combining the Noise Pop, Shoegaze and Industrial realms are very impressive for a somewhat beginner band, being not only suited to melt yer brains but as a positive portrait of post-modern world we're all hopelessly drowned. So, just let yourselves sink deeper and deeper into these sheets of swirling noisewaves and enjoy the trip!

get it 

Lycia

Lycia, for those who were in coma in the last couple of decades, is one of the most influential Darkwave/Ethereal bands, if not the one. It was funded at the burning lands of Arizona, USA, in 1988 as a solo project of Mike VanPortfleet. Back then, Lycia followed a somewhat different sonic style, a lo-fi-esque Dream Pop-meets-Post Punk reminescent of the early days of Cocteau Twins and 4AD bands of the early-mid '80. But was not until the first full-length, the 1991's Ionia, that the band signed with the legendary label Projekt, the main reference when it comes to Ethereal, Dream Pop, Darkwave and related. After that, Lycia joined forces with David Galas (who left the band circa 1995) and vocalist Tara Vanflower, developing their "classical" sound which made them a cult reference among the dark siders of this planet thanks to amazing works like the double-album The Burning Circle And Then Dust (1995), Cold (1996) and Estrella (1998). As of 2003, the band entered in a hiatus that wasn't broken until 2010, with the release of Fifth Sun. Not too long after this album, Lycia re-surfaced again announcing a new full-length, Quiet Moments, to be released later in August. Those who enjoy their classical stuff will surely be pleased with this one, as every element that made Lycia so famous and beloved are there: hazy, pagan,  deep dark atmospheres, swirling dream-like melodies, the ethereally bittersweet vocals of Mrs. Vanflower... a perfect album to be appreciated in a mountain house, or somewhere in the woods, where you can communicate with the nature and vice-versa.

For those who are still unaware of Lycia's work, that's the ideal chance to dive in their blurry microcosmos. If you're into Cocteau Twins, Love Spirals Downwards, lovesliescrushing, Dead Can Dance, or Post Punk, Gothic Rock and Folk as a whole, there's no way you can go wrong with this album that I really hope you all enjoy the way it deserves. ;)

get it

Heavïness

Heavïness is a quite mysterious act hailing from Stockolm, Sweden, whose discography consists of a single full-length, self-titled, released at 2006. If you're used to read this blog, you should know, by now, that we really enjoy posting and writing about very obscure and underrated/underappreciated Shoegaze-related acts, so that's a surprise that I still haven't written about this band before, or even featured one of their songs in a mixtape until now, early August 2013. Heavïness music's is somewhat like My Bloody Valentine thrown in a  lo-fi blender together with The Ecstasy Of Saint Theresa, Pale Saints and Fleeting Joys. This lo-fi filter, by the way, gives this album a charming and fresh quality that is rare to be found in most shoegazer assembles around the Earth.

To put it simple, it's a highly pleasant album to enjoy in lazy and blurry afternoons. Such a shame it's been passing right under the radar for so many years. However, I read at the band's facebook they're recording new material. That's news from 2012, but who knows? If MBV broke the silence after over 21 years, everything is possible now. Let's wait to see what happens... for now, let's enjoy the great self-titled!

get it!

Amusement

Amusement is probably the most obscure outfit featured here in this page until this moment. Little information I've foudn about it, only that it was an one-man project headed by irish James Eadie who released only one album, the 1996 And After Optmism, featuring plain blue cover with the name "Amusement" written in golden letters at the left top corner of it. This extremly modest description and package, however, isn't consisting at all with the greatness of its sonic quality. This work is an explosive mix of Shoegaze with Noise Rock and lo-fi which brings memories of Bailter Space, Sonic Youth, Drop Nineteens, Swirlies, Pavement, etc. All 14 tracks are deliciously fuzzy, oozy and swirly as f*ck, and I'm sure you'll all wonder how did a single person did such amazing music by himself and still not get a single credit for it? I'm aware the musical (and life as a whole) scenario isn't fair at all, but this case of under-appreciation and obscurity is almost criminal. So, let's change this dark scenario by plugging the headphones and admiring this noisy bliss the way it deserves, I'm sure you'll all enjoy it with a smile over your eardrums (sic). ;)

ps: A big thanks to William Kidd for showing me this stellar rarity. ;)

get it!

Hexagrams

Hexagrams consists of the León, Mexico-based project headed by 20 year-old Kevin Cervera, whose first material came out earlier this year and first concerts started to happen just a couple of months ago. However, do not think they're just beginners trying to understand what to do with their instruments. They already show great maturity and capacity to craft beautiful and top-quality material. There are only two songs available, Idiomatic and Ghost, both powerful and touching, combining the best of modern Dream Pop and Nugaze in the vein of DIIV, The Radip Dept., No Joy with a dark touch that relates them to the Post Punk as the likes of Be Forest, Wild Nothing, Blouse and the also mexican Everything Is Falling Apart.

I'll drop a bandcamp link for both Hexagrams songs that were revelated to the world up to the moment. This time, I won't say I hope you enjoy it because I'm more than sure you will. ;)

update: Just three days after this post, Hexagrams put an EP available in their bandcamp. However, just yesterday I became aware of it, delayed and doppler-effected as I usually am. If you enjoyed the two singles from them, you'll not be disappointed in any way, as it's in the same level if not even better. Enjoy! ;)

bandcamp










bandcamp











bandcamp

Everything Is Falling Apart

Everything Is falling Apart, or EIFA for the lazy ones (like me),  comes from mexican lands and was born at the already-distant 2006, composed of the duo J. J. Cerda and Ernesto A. Martinez. Although  I've never seen their name anywhere in all the world wide web until a week ago, they have already composed a handful of songs and EPs,  whose best songs were compilared at the album called Greatest Hits (there wouldn't be a better name, don't you think?). Recorded was recorded between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 with an old notebook and modest instruments, and the same album was re-recorded later on, somewhere in the time interval between April of 2011 and the present moment. This time, with better equipment, and renaming it as Teenage Heart. 

Apart these curiosities and the technical limitations the duo endured, they did an astonishing work with this TH. Walls of noise, almost-muted vocals coming from some ethereal dimension, bittersweet gloomy melodies peppered with electronics here and there, some melancholy, hazy atmospheres, broken dreams... to summarize it all, plain great music for everyone into the classics My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Astrobrite and newcoming acts like Vinyl Williams, however (and fortunately), they go even further and guide their highly atmospheric Shoegaze with New Wave, Post-Punk and Coldwave vectors, reminding the works of A Place To Bury Strangers, Soft Moon and, of course, the eternally beloveth Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths and the likes. Just give a listen at their covers of these two aforementioned bands and the version of "I Wanna Be Adored", from The Stone Roses, to notice what I'm talking about...

As usual, I drop a download link right below. I thank Ernesto for providing me a link for downloading his album, as the original one was broken. No more words, just let us drown in sonic bliss. ;)

update: A brand new song from the (now) mexican trio, called Post-Romantic, was released August 5th and is available for free in their bandcamp. This piece relates even tighter with modern Dream Pop outfits such as The Bilinda Butchers, DIIV, Dråpe, The Radio Dept., among similars, although their identity remains clear and bright as crystal. I'm very glad to see how EIFA is evolving, I'm sure they'll become one of the greatest bands dedicated to this "new" Nugaze in the near future. That's why you all should pay attention very closely to them. As I said before, just drown in sonic bliss and enjoy! ;)

bandcamp

get it! (new link from Mega)

Mixtape #20 - How To Seek Love

Hello, my dear friends!

July, 23 was loverswhoareseekers first anniversary, and since then I've been preparing a special edition mixtape to celebrate it. I know, I know, there's been two weeks since then and I'm late in a Kevin Shields-style, but better late than never, as the old people usually say (the new MBV album is a great example of this). Ok, let's talk about the mixtape itself. It's a double-edition one, consisting of 30 songs instead of the traditional 13-16 compilation we usually do. However, we didn't escape the tradition of mixing classic stuff (represented by Slowdive, Swallow, Moose, Secret Shine) with forgotten but precious rarities (as the 4AD's Insides, the japanese "madchesters" of Flipper's Guitar, the grungy Nudeswirl, the psychedelic fuzzy stoners of Sun Dial and the woozy The Lassie Foundation), brazilian goods (as the classic Low Dream, who are reuniting to some live concerts, beside the amazing newcomers of The Sorry Shop). Talking about newcomers, they are exactly the focus here. Why? Just take a look around (figuretively, of course), and you'll notice tons of great artists appearing every day. Although the magic of the late '80-early '90 may never be recovered in its truest sense, they honour those times with great quality and some innovation that gives a fresh bright to its already incandescent sound. I selected Screen Vinyl Image, Wild Nothing, Airling, Fleeting Joys, No Joy, Yuck, Sounds Of Sputnik, among many others, to represent this front.

I know that, by now, you all must be drooling to give it a listen. The link for the collection can be found right below, as well as the full tracklist of the artists and songs featured in this cherished collection we prepared. That's it, folks. I hope you enjoy it, and never forget to seek love and gaze at your shoes! ;)

ps: A great thanks goes to Louise Trehy, for gently conceding me the song Heavenly, from the time she was still with Swallow. :)

get it! - full tracklist

get it! - mixtape