shoegaze

Holy Ground: NYC Live with The Wordless Music Orchestra

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 09:32:00 +0000

MONO is a golden goose. Their live album, Holy Ground, is a golden egg. With three guitars, drums, and sans vocals, they are completely focused on the music at hand. Both their music and performance are intense and entrancing. MONO's sound is a mix of classical and rock, at times gliding with genres such as shoegaze and post-rock. For a better idea, imagine a movie score set to beautiful, dramatic visuals. At times, they remind me of bands such as Dead Can Dance.

On Holy Ground, band members Tamaki Kunishi, Takaakira Goto, Yoda, and Yasunori Takada are joined by The Wordless Music Orchestra. Here we have a literal celebration of strings. The band sets the mood while the orchestra really makes the music fly. Takaakira and Yoda have fun dueling with fingering, distortion, and effects; Tamaki sways with her guitar and ruminates at the piano; Yasunori forever fuels the beat. The Wordless Music Orchestra takes the drama of each song and blasts it into outer space, taking the listener along for the ride.

Each song delights the senses in a different way. My skin bristled with chill during "Ashes In The Snow." The solemn emptiness is felt in "Burial At Sea." "Where Am I" made me think of a lonely person roaming a rainy street at night.

The album also comes with a DVD of the concert, which is great. I think DVDs of live shows are a perfect backdrop while cleaning, crafting, or moving furniture in your apartment. While you're working, you receive the benefit of music and when you're sitting for a spell, there's something interesting to watch on TV. Though the film quality is a bit on the grainy side, it's still a treat to see how these musicians play live. It's easy to pretend that you were actually there.

Holy Ground: NYC Live With the Wordless Music Orchestra is a flawless collection from a skilled ensemble.

Written by: Jacquie Piasta, May 26th 2010

Thirteen

admin — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:00:00 +0000

By Tribella

Rocklittleface Music

“Jangly” is a complimentary adjective in my music lexicon. It's a descriptor applied quite often to indie rock bands of the early '90s: think classic-era music from UK label 4AD. In the case of Texas trio Tribella, jangly serves as both a term of endearment as well as a nod to their forebearers. These darlings of the Austin music scene produce edgy ethereal power pop, showcased in fine form on their debut full-length album Thirteen.

Released on the heels of the six-song EP My Guest List, and following the band's 2009 U.S. tour, Tribella's Thirteen is an ambitious collection, featuring nine (highly) original songs and one remix. Tribella has three members: lyricist, guitarist and lead vocalist Sarah Glynn, bassist Rae Golding, and drummer/vocalist Dena Gerbrecht. They've kept good live company, sharing stages with such artists as San Antonio trio Girl in a Coma and music festival mainstay Sarah Bettens (K's Choice). The group dips its toes into pseudo-Britpop, indie rock, prog, shoegaze, and even math rock. The result is a gleaming multifaceted expanse, leaping joyously from rhythm to rhythm–often within the same song–while still achieving a constancy of sound that successfully unifies the album.

With lyrics like “Think of all the books you'll read/Now that you're rid of me,” the title track is wry bittersweet barb. Its sting hearkens back to the Lush song, “Ciao!” (featuring Jarvis Cocker of Pulp), in which a recently separated couple barrage each other with insults while wallowing in regret and denial. “Revolution Script” eloquently considers the socio-political impact of our actions, sans preachiness: “Look back with a rock in my hand/Throw it in the future/Hope it might land.”

Previously released EP lead track “My Guest List” also features prominently on Thirteen, both in its original form and as a tinkling, yet somewhat tepid, remix courtesy of Eric LeRoc. There's a sassy defiant charm to its chorus: “And all the world that matters/Will be on my guest list/And all my friends that matter/Will be on my guest list.” It seems to be at once mocking such a shallow mentality, while at the same time celebrating the truly important things in our own little microcosms by bestowing upon them the honor of VIP status.

For me, Tribella's sound is so familiar that it's difficult to critique. I just... like it. I delight in their use of irregular meters (highlighted with the title song, which is played in 13/8 time), their cynical-sweet lyrics, and most of all, Glynn and Gerbrecht's dense harmonies. If your heart doesn't beat to the rhythms of groups like Belly, Throwing Muses, Lush, or Metric, then Tribella might not be your cup of tea. Not everyone cottons to the complex flavors of genre-defying rock. But do me a favor: give it a teensy taste. Please? You never know. You just might like it.

Written by: M. Brianna Stallings, May 24th 2010

Arminico Hewa

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:13:00 +0000

By OOIOO

Thrill Jockey

When I was twenty, I flew off to Japan one spring with a stated mission “to be alone.” While this may sound more glamorous than it actually was, I did accomplish my goal. Unable to speak to anyone, wandering between cities and sights in dazed confusion, I was undeniably alone. It was either the best ten days of my life or the strangest—and really, it was probably both.

Japanese band OOIOO recreate the strangeness of that experience. Their all-female lineup, which has made space for the likes of Sean Lennon in the past, plays a mix of experimental and minimalist noise rock. Much like their counterpart band, The Boredoms, OOIOO vacillate between enjoyably listenable and disturbingly avant garde.

On Arminico Hewa, tracks range from under two minutes to over six. Songs like “Ironrun” and “Konjo” run together and sound like Japanese tribal chants—if such a thing exists outside of a Kabuki theater. “Polacca” could almost be mistaken for a rock song. For balance, tracks like “Ulda” bring to mind the shoegaze fuzz of My Bloody Valentine. MBV's Kevin Shields scored much of the music for Lost In Translation. It all comes together, no?

My partner’s brother—a twin in DNA only—recently returned from a conference in Osaka with pleasant things to say about his time abroad. While I’ve recently warmed to the idea of returning to the islands nation, I’d no doubt do better with some company this time. As demonstrated by the constantly shifting OOIOO lineup, comfort—or at least safety—comes in numbers.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, October 20th 2009

Rainwater Cassette Exchange

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:25:00 +0000

By Deerhunter

Kranky

Deerhunter's latest album, Rainwater Cassette Exchange, is just five songs in fifteen minutes. Five songs perfectly placed and executed, there is nothing superfluous and nothing lacking. The five-piece group creates an experimental synthesis of noise pop, shoegaze and psych rock to produce an incredibly refreshing and complete masterpiece.

Rainwater Cassette Exchange is vivid, mesmerizing and transcendent. Ethereal vocals and fuzzy guitars coalesce with heart-pumping bass lines as they transport the listener to another world. The band draws on bells, slide guitars, organs, synths, theremins, and more to produce a disorienting and stunningly beautiful sound.

Ghostly echoes and ambient reverb are offset by dark lyrics charged with raw human struggle. When singer Bradford Cox asks, "Do you believe in love at first sight?" the response is taunting resignation: "Oh yes my son, I did before I died. And now it does me no good on the other side." The vocals are sweetly hypnotic, but they are also foreboding and tormented.

While it seems impossible to choose a favorite, "Disappearing Ink" is one of the best tracks on Rainwater Cassette Exchange. The song fearlessly drives the album with untiring guitar riffs, pulsating bass lines, slurring vocals and airy moans. Despite using disappearing ink, "the words still sting." The song leaves no room to escape the inevitability of pain and suffering. Thrashing drums finish the song with a naked moment of self-loathing, "What was I thinking? What was I thinking?"

Each song on this album cleverly develops complex themes of impermanence, mortality, futility and our susceptibility to life's merciless unpredictability. Cox gives us a taste of his own experience struggling with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by abnormally long limbs and a proneness to heart disease.

What's truly gripping about this album is that with each listen, there is something new. What at first sounds distorted and chaotic becomes deliberate and clear. What sounds encouraging and optimistic is fraught with conflict and distress. There is something in these carefully crafted songs, traversing the gamut of competing human thoughts and emotions, that is both disturbing and cathartic. The depth and complexity of each song make every listen better than the last.

Deerhunter has composed an album that intoxicates listeners as it gracefully navigates beyond contradictions. It is upbeat and drenched in anguish. It is confident and exposed. It is both deer and hunter.

Written by: Sofia Marin, September 28th 2009

Outside Love

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:23:00 +0000

By Pink Mountaintops

Jagjaguwar

Pink Mountaintops—a Canadian band comprised of Stephen McBean and his collected associates—is an evocative, addictive blend of psychedelic melodies, fuzzy guitars, and gospel-like lyrics. On Outside Love, McBean and company—including much of the same lineup as his downtempo, more melancholy-named band Black Mountain—are a less giddy Polyphonic Spree, a happier Echo & the Bunnymen, a not-so-freaky take on modern psych folk. Everything about the album is perfect for large headphones that block out everything except shoegaze-caliber chords coupled with whistling and windy gusts that blow through the tracks like ghosts of albums past.

The band’s third LP assembles quite an indie cast, including musicians and vocalists from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Jackie-O Motherfucker. Outside Love also features the haunting vocals of songstress Amber Webber. If you have an incredibly skilled ear and a love of innovative folk rock, you’ll no doubt recognize her from previous Black Mountain albums and last year’s collaborative album with Bonnie Prince Billy, Lie Down in the Light.

The band’s press release claims that, among other phenomenon, real life events, and musical history, Outside Love was inspired by “being depressed in the sunshine [and] people who haven't made out yet but will in the future.” I could be the most high-functioning depressed-in-the-sunshine person you know (or don’t), and though I do not await unknown make out sessions (I have a super cute guy lined up for life, thanks), this album is my perfect springtime friend. I sit around, listen to morbid love songs, stare at the crazy ocean horizon mere blocks from my home, and I wonder if “outside love” means being removed from romance and commitment or whether they simply mean, “Be in love in nature.” Look no further than the title track and “And I Thank You” for clues.

Tonight I’m in love with all the lovers
With their loose hips and O-powered lips
Just for tonight, get all those sad songs
’Cause I know in my heart, it’s gonna be alright

Grab a copy or listen to the full album streaming on the band’s MySpace page if you like Neko Case, The Jesus and Mary Chain, a subdued Animal Collective, or wish Slint would get some girls and brighten up a bit. If you ever thought you should care about any of those bands and didn’t bother, this would also be a great way to get started on your journey to better listening.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, June 11th 2009

Ma Fleur

admin — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:18:00 +0000

By The Cinematic Orchestra

Domino Records

Imagined by frontman Jason Swinscoe as the soundtrack to a movie which has yet to be made, Ma Fleur does have a grand and sweeping feel to it. It sounds especially pretty on a rainy afternoon, but I found it far too solemn to be tried on a sunny car trip. While this is a band made up of gentlemen, it is the female guest vocals that shine on this album. Seventy-seven year old soul singer Fontella Bass brings light and warmth to two tracks, "Familiar Ground" and "Breathe." My favorite track, "Time and Space," provides a lush background for Lou Rhodes’ heartfelt vocals, which are sweetly reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull. Patrick Watson, on the other hand, bears a vocal resemblance to Coldplay’s Chris Martin, which to me, is the extremely icky aural equivalent of stepping on a bug with bare feet.

In the nature of a soundtrack, this album seems meant as a backdrop for other scenes to unfold upon, which makes it lovely background music for conversation or meditation. Good for shoegazers and Coldplay fans, but also fine for those who prefer the slower songs on Moby’s Play, I have to thank this album for introducing me to Miss Rhodes, whose solo album I will now be procuring.

Written by: Melissa Ruiz, July 23rd 2007

City Morning Song

admin — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 02:38:00 +0000

By Sarah Shannon

Minty Fresh

City Morning Song is the second solo album from Sarah Shannon, former front woman for shoegaze band Velocity Girl. Her second solo attempt is not filled with the distortion of guitars, but with instruments like the piano, horns, bass guitar and strings. It contains twelve pop tracks that are reminiscent of Carole King’s work. What is definitive to Sarah’s style is that it’s hip to our generation.

City Morning Song is exactly what it sounds like: bright upbeat life and love songs. In fact, there few on the album that sound the opposite. The piano compliments her clear, strong singing voice, and her unique vibrato is stamped on each song. "Postwar Hope" and "Hey Heartache" seem to be my favorites. The lyrics are easygoing, yet expressive of a woman blowing off heartaches and thinking about her life. In "Postwar Hope," I am particularly in love with the piano and violin, while Sarah describes the scene with her lyrics. City Morning Song is not your regular pop from the candy machine. It has a contemplative quality.

Written by: Adriana Monrreal, March 8th 2007