Steve Queralt ft. Emma Anderson - "Lonely Town"

In June, Steve Queralt, bassist for shoegaze legends Ride, will release his debut solo record, Swallow. For the first single,  "Lonely Town," he pairs up with former Lush member Emma Anderson, who adds her ethereal vocals over a driving, Joy Division-esque groove.

Miki Berenyi Trio - "Manu"

Miki Berenyi Trio's debut album, Tripla, is out now and stands tall with any of Miki's Lush albums. I am drawn to the dubby, dream-pop stylings of "Manu."

Clinic Stars - "Only Hinting"

Detroit slowcore/dream pop duo Clinic Stars offers the delicate title track to their upcoming debut album. It's an atmospheric Lush-like reverie.

Blushing - "Sugarcoat"

The title track off the Austin, TX shoegaze/dream pop quartet Blushing's new record gives serious Lush/Warpaint vibes with its reverb-drenched guitars, oceanic bassline, and ethereal harmonies. The entire album is like a blast from the 90s-alt rock realm. I dig it.

Jam of the Day: Snail Mail - "Heat Wave"

There is not a weak track on Snail Mail's debut record Lush. I love this spiky track.

Jam of the Day: Lush - "Out of Control"

Lush's first new music since 1996, it is a pretty amazing return to form, retaining their signature sound but adding a slightly new sheen to it.

Non-Sequiturs

Damn that is a beautiful belly.

Sexy daddy.

Lovely chest.

Grrrr.

Damn, he's bigger than that horse.

Love the downturned nip.

Boing.

Yeah, I just saunter around the gym with a huge amount of weight on my back.

Slyly sexy.

Damn.

Amazing back.

So cute.

Bubba bear.

Drool.

Stretch.

Adorable.

Sexy belly.

Grrrr.

Yum.

Another sexy belly.

Delicious.

Pull those shorts down just a little bit more.

UNF.

Stretch it out sexy.

Wow, that chest.

Those eyes.

Beautiful.

Damn.

I hate listening to a wonderful remix of a song then go to hear the original song and find it's shit.

If someone makes a point of telling you what a good person they are and how honest they are, most of the time they are going to turn out to be neither.

Google it people, I am not your personal information center.

I'd have to agree with that.

Another underrated record is Smashing Pumpkin's Adore.

I can't say I have ever heard a Biffy Clyro song before.

So, Miley Cyrus acted like a hootchie mama at the VMAs. I am so shocked. She is not stupid, she knows exactly what she is doing. She has one of the top singles on iTunes, everyone is talking about her, she is a meme-maker's dream, she comes up in Google if you type in "twerk." She is kind of brilliant actually.

To each his own, but to me, there is nothing sexy about feet.

Yes.

I forgot how brutal 14+ hour work days can be.

Happiness is finally parking in the premier princess parking spot at work.

My partner Andrew's alter ego is called JoJo Snow. You never ever ever want to mess with JoJo Snow.

While it was a funny bit for awhile, I am glad to have ridden myself of having an office nemesis. Sometimes all it takes is just a friendly conversation to make things better. Although it is not likely we will be best friends or anything, it is nice to at least get a friendly hello in the morning.

Until about 5 years ago, I religiously watched professional tennis and couldn't wait for all the major tournaments. Sad to say that I barely watch anymore. In fact, I completely forgot about the US Open being on.

Hee hee.

It is impossible to pick a favorite song or album.

When it comes to finances, I have found that trusting my initial gut instinct is the best way to handle things.

Lush were completely underrated as a band.

I hate car dealers. The entire process is a game to them to see how much they can bilk you out of your money.

This always cracks me up.

Anime porn is weird in its own right, but even weirder when the characters are animals.

You were hot, until I saw the fanny pack.

America just needs to stay out of the Middle East.

I don't think it is necessarily contradictory to pray when you don't believe in a god.

Baby marmoset.  Your cute of the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"Midstep, I changed
Heartburn and chest pains
I've moved, but no sound
We gave up our ground
Called it too late now
We're moving off
Cards have been laid down
We're moving

And I try to hold back
The hundreds of things I have wanted to ask
And I want it so bad so bad so bad
Yeah I want it so bad
When you say my name, the way you stare
You play these games, it's truth or dare
And I want it so bad so bad so bad
Yeah I want it so bad

Chin up, chest out
Feet set, and no doubts
You came and you went
Our time was so ill spent."

BASECAMP
"Emmanuel"

"I am just a copy of a copy of a copy
Everything I say has come before
Assembled into something into something into something
I don't know for certain anymore

I am just a shadow of a shadow of a shadow
Always trying to catch up with myself
I am just an echo of an echo of an echo
Listening to someone's cry for help

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Now look what you've gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

I am little pieces
Pieces that were picked up on the way
Imprinted with a purpose
A purpose that's become quite clear today

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Look what you've gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a

I am just a finger on a trigger on a finger
Doing everything I'm told to do
Always my intention my intention your intention
Just doing everything you tell me to

Look what you had to start
Why all the change of heart?
Well you need to play your part
A copy of a copy of a
Now look what you've gone and done
Well that doesn't sound like fun
See I'm not the only one
A copy of a copy of a."

Nine Inch Nails
"Copy Of A"

"I can feel the walls closing in
and I don’t want to talk anymore
wish I could quietly slip away
and leave you here with no void
the only reason I stay is to care for you
everything else in me has atrophied
and I am cold and painless now
I want to live but I feel nothing
when can I die, when can I go
when will I be free, when will I know
when can I run – my legs are bound
when can I go, when can I go
was born a blackened seed in the wild
and Inever was a child
I was pulled right out of the sea
and the salt – it never left my body
someone opened me up while I was sleeping
and filled my body right up with sand
I carry a heaviness like a mountain
it forces me to remain
alive and ugly, alive and ugly
alive and ugly, alive and ugly
when can I die, when can i go
when will I be free, when will I know
when can I run, my legs are bound
can I leave here, knowing you’ll be strong without me
they’ll clap when you die
they’ll love you when you’re dead
and they’ll understand
and you’ll be forgiven then."

Chelsea Wolfe
"They'll Clap When You're Gone"

Appealing Things

Tuna tartar
Twisted Dee at Xion
BASECAMP
The early start of a long weekend
Getting things done
Breaking Bad
Pasty Clines at Cowtippers

Annoying Things

DJs who put long stretches of beatless buildups in their sets
People with messy bathrooms or kitchens...hell, people with messy houses
Cuts on your hands, especially your thumbs
Car dealers trying to work against you

New: Frankie Rose - "Sorrow"

First teaser track from Frankie Rose's upcoming album Herein Wild. It brings to mind 80s dream pop from Lush, Cocteau Twins, and Sundays.

Album Review: The History Of Apple Pie - Out Of View

The History of Apple Pie
Out of View
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

With the first release from shoegaze titans My Bloody Valentine in over 22 years out in the world, new focus is laid at the feet of a bunch of upstarts to see if they can equal or better them in the sonic maelstrom department. While MBV still shows that they are the undisputed masters of the genre, there is still life to be kicked around from the young whippersnappers. British five piece The History of Apple Pie (one of the worst band names ever) show they have a big collection of shoegaze/dream pop/and alt-rock albums at their disposal and wear their influences well, but also have their own way to sneak their personality into the mix. Like peers Yuck, The History of Apple Pie are not afraid to drone out like Dinosaur Jr., create dense sonic soundscapes a la MBV, or pretty things up like Lush. Their debut album, Out of View is a nice mix of different styles and while it is a little too heavy on their influences, there are still moments where their own voice makes it into the wall of noise.

The History of Apple Pie are best when they hit shoegazing straight on and turn up the dense swells of guitars. Tracks like the buzzing "I Want More," which gets more and more complex as added layers of guitars take over,



hard-edged "Mallory" which grimes things up with hefty Dinosaur Jr.-esque guitar riffs,



subtle electronics buried underneath squalling guitars enlivens the Lush leanings of "The Warrior,"



and closing track "Before You Reach The End" never forsakes melody even while the guitars take off into Kevin Shields' flights of fancy.



It is not to say that quieter moments are less interesting than the more overtly guitar-centric tracks, it is just under a more razor honed microscope the leaning on their influences becomes more pronounced and you never get a sense that the band is owning the tracks. "See You" becomes a little too twee, with cooed harmonies and chiming guitars which echo bands like The Primitives and Catatonia,



"Glitch" tries to marry Lush-like drifting guitars with squalling blasts of feedback and ends up more muddled than interesting,



while "You're So Cool" merely becomes bland power pop, its sweet vocals laid upon a bed of choppy keyboards and droning guitars.



But these missteps are more signs of youthful idolization than a serious defect in band trajectory. Once they shed their reliance on these crutches they will be able to make their sound grow further. The foundation is already there for something special, and if they push themselves a little harder they will achieve great things.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Album Review: Eternal Summers - Correct Behavior

Eternal Summers
Correct Behavior
Rating: Grrrr

Roanoke, Virginia indie/dream poppers Eternal Summers have recently expanded from a duo to a trio and have slightly polished their bratty take on the typical early 20s view of relationships and life in general. Musically, their sound draws from a lot of 80s/90s alt-rock bands, from Lush's Brit-Pop phase, Primitives, Darling Buds, and Belly. There is a charming confidence to these tracks which storms out of the gates quickly with the brilliant, shimmering rush of "Millions" which is truly one of the great singles of the year.



While nothing else on Correct Behavior quite hits those giddy heights, there is a remarkable breadth of sounds here that carry the record and make it quite the little gem. From the brash, scuzzy guitars of "Heaven and Hell,"



beautiful, drum machine propelled shoegazey track "Summerset" which sounds like a cross between early Cranberries, Saint Etienne, and The Cure,



to the bratty kiss off track "I Love You," Eternal Summers plays with their sound and and change things up to keep you on your toes.

This is very evident from the new wavey strains of "Girls In The City" sung by male member Daniel Cundiff, which scrolls and winds its way around herky jerky guitars, with Cundiff's vocals getting more and more paranoid and shifty.



This definitely shows the band has some other avenues to explore and points to another direction, but for the most part, Correct Behavior's bread and butter are the 2-3 minute power pop track. Tracks like the dueling guitar chug of "Wonder,"



cool and fuzzy "You Kill,"



and the sunny and chipper "Disappear,"



are just perfect little pop songs that never overstay their welcome.

Correct Behavior is not a game changing or watershed moment, it is simply a really solid pop record that shows a band with a nice base sound that they enjoy taking on interesting tangents. It is a slow building record that keeps finding its way back onto your playlist. What a wonderful surprise.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Frankie Rose: Interstellar - Album Review

Frankie Rose
Interstellar
Rating: Grrrr

Frankie Rose, a Brooklyn singer/songwriter, is formerly associated with acclaimed acts Crystal Stilts, Dum Dum Girls, and the Vivian Girls, and has released one solo record under the name Frankie Rose and the Outs (unheard by me) and is now performing solely under her own name, Frankie Rose. Her first album titled Interstellar lives up to its title quite well, featuring ten tracks of lush, gorgeous, and catchy synth/dream pop which supports Rose's charmingly drifting vocals. The production on Interstellar has a dense, open quality of such records like The Cure's Disintegration, with lots of cavernous synths and drum programming, but also has a post-punk quality to it as well, with some brittle, ringing guitars and influences of acts like Magazine, Public Image Ltd., Echo and Bunnymen, and practically any artist on the 80s 4AD roster. The album is both expansive and intimate at the same time, filling wide spaces but also providing the listener with plenty of introspective, headphones-like moments.

The switch to using her own name shows that Rose is no longer content to work solely as a background player, or part of some trumped up band. The title and first track, "Interstellar," doesn't pull punches. Twinkling synths rise from a mist, her vocal upfront and direct, erupting into a shoegazey swirl of pounding drums, synths, and guitars.



"Know Me" practically borrows the drum programming from The Cure's "Close To Me," but instead of being of childlike wonder, the track is a spiky, guitar-driven romp about the power of words to hurt but not allowing them to.



The lovely multi-tracked vocals and spongy bass synths of "Gospel/Grace" flit over bouncy drums, spiky guitars, and washes of synths.



A brittle phalanx of guitars, tight bassline, and whiplash percussion drive the beat driven "Night Swim."



While the edgy atmospherics complements the icy guitars and chugging rhythm section of "Moon In My Mind," Rose's voice recalling the gauzy vocals of Lush. While I loved the darker, beat driven moments on the album, there are plenty of quieter moments on Interstellar. "Pair of Wings" is a lovely, almost ambient track, with some lovely lyrics about taking a chance again after being hurt.

"All that I want is
a pair of wings to fly
into the blue of
the wide open sky

Show me your scars
I'll show you mine
perched out of the city
on a pair of power lines"



Final track "The Fall" includes a lovely counterpoint between the guitars and a lovely cello part, and in combination with her densely tracked vocals could stand easily alongside the best tracks on a This Mortal Coil record. While "Apples for the Sun" features a haunting piano and organ drone underneath a heavily reverbed multi-track vocal.

Interstellar is a record to get lost in and to hibernate with. Its charms, while immediate, are many, and each subsequent listen brings you deeper into its bottomless pool. It's a lovely record for a cold winter day, or driving down a lonely highway. The music is so evocative and transportive, it acclimates to any setting. It is a phenomenal step forward, and in a direction I want to see her go further down.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Belong: Common Era

Belong
Common Era
Rating: Grrrr

I am a shoegaze addict. I admit it, and I am not ashamed of it. Generally, if I read a review and it even mentions the term, I will likely buy it. Doesn't mean I will necessarily like it; I have lost count of how many bands have been poor imitators of my heroes My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Lush, Slowdive, and Swervedriver. But the call of the genre always at least peaks my interest. I was astonished to hear that New Orleans drone due Belong had released their follow up to October Language (a classic of ambient glitch drone) and it was a shoegaze record. Belong has been very restless with their sound; moving from ambient drones to more song based structures. Their last EP incorporated vocals for the first time, in addition to having a more Krautrock inspired sound, and was the first indication that things would be much different on the next full length.

Common Era begins by merging the three different styles of their sound beautifully. "Come See" erupts with blistering feedback before flowing into a muted Krautrock groove, with droning guitars, airy synths, and impressionistic vocals buried within the mix:

belong - common era - Come See (kranky) by pdis_inpartmaint

Standout track "Never Came Close," sounds like The Jesus and Mary Chain mixed with Pornography-era Cure; the chorus is a gorgeous, swirling piece of heaven:

belong 'never came close' by kranky

The songs on the album veer between rushes of epically treated guitars and echoed drum machines to more ambient, droning pieces. I will admit that the dronier pieces are not my favorite, as they tend to kill the momentum of the record. Alone, however, they are all quite lovely. The haunting "Keep Still," moves slowly and methodically, washes of guitars creating a nice bed for vocals that sound like a cry from a fog buried moor. Title track "Common Era" uses what sounds like mutated air raid sirens and a hushed beat, the vocals buried deep in the mix.

The other, more beat-driven tracks are what keeps bringing me back to this record. I love the gothic darkness of "A Walk:"



And the exquisite rush of "Perfect Life:"

belong 'perfect life' by kranky

I had a very difficult time reviewing this record and coming up with an accurate rating. There is nothing specifically original about this record, and a lot of other reviews have whined that it all sounds like a mere genre exercise. I do understand those arguments and that is likely why I teetered on the edge of a Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It rating and a Grrrr rating. Eventually though, after much deliberating, I had to allow the higher rating. Common Era wears its influences on its sleeve, but I think there is enough originality in it, especially with the more drone-like atmospheres, to make it deserving of such rating. Besides, I just can't stop listening to it. It just beautifully encapsulates a mood for me.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart: Belong

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Belong
Rating: Meh

The self-titled debut by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart was one of my top albums of 2009. It was the perfect mix of late 80s early 90s alternative guitar bands like MBV, Lush, Ride, coupled with snarky Smithsian/Belle and Sebastian-esque lyrics, full of wry observations and black humor. Their sound was admittedly raw and unpolished, but this only added to their charm. When I heard news that the band enlisted the help of uber-producers Flood and Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails, PJ Harvey) to work on the follow up, I was worried that it would alter their sound too much, however, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and let the finished product speak for itself. So, here we have Belong.

It starts out promising with lead single and title track "Belong," which still has the same, twisted lyrical sense of humor, but the music is notably thicker, denser and more polished. It wasn't as striking a contrast as I initially imagined, but it was certainly different.



The song has more crunch, and the individual sounds are all crystal clear and mixed perfectly. And it is clearly evident that a lot of money and time was spent getting this sound down. In fact, probably too much time was spent on the production, as each song ends up bleeding into one another. Their debut was so rough around the edges and ramshackle, and gave the band a distinct sound. Each song separate from each other but coalescing into a marvelous whole. On Belong, what made the band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart so special is practically erased. Instead, we get a group of 10 extremely buffed and glossy alt-rock tunes, that have almost no character of their own. Furthermore, the vocals are so buried in the mix, you can barely understand any of the lyrics, which is one of the key reasons to enjoy the band.

Individually, there are several good to ok songs lurking within the album. I enjoyed the crunchy title track, and "Heart In Your Heartbreak," is propelled by a tight rhythm section, and a killer chorus:



"My Terrible Friend," is a terrific rush of whooshing Disintegration-era Cure synths, and bright acoustic guitars:



The remaining tracks all begin to blur into one another, lacking texture and differentiation. Moulder and Flood have buffed and shined the band out of any distinct personality. The songs start to follow a formula, directly opposite from their debut. Each song contains ethereal keyboards, sparkling guitars, and hushed vocals. The generic 80s-like synths and guitars of "The Body" sound like an outtake from Jesus and Mary Chain's Automatic:



It all begins to sound like something you would hear late into the second hour of 120 Minutes back in the day on MTV. "Even In Dreams," just meanders on a bland beat and crunched up guitars:



"Too Tough," sounds like it could fit squarely on any Lemonheads album:



Even when the band attempts to punch things up, the results are only slightly more successful. "Heaven's Gonna Happen Now," has a bouncy step and gorgeous guitars, but by the time of the chorus, and the expected crunch of guitars, it becomes predictable and bland:



"Girls of 1000 Dreams" falls into the same trap, luring you in with fuzzed out guitars and messier production, but it is just a little too late in the album to rescue what has become a slog; but it does somewhat hint at what the album should have sounded like:



As a general rule, I have no issue with a band wanting to change or improve their sound, however, it's difficult when the band messes up what drew interest to them in the first place. By relying on Flood and Alan Moulder to beef up their sound, they unfortunately went too far, becoming so generic that the songs lose any character. I listen to Belong and I "like" every song; they have good melodies and the sound is impeccable. The problem is the songs are not very memorable. Once the album is done playing I can hardly remember which songs are which. Belong is a slight misstep for this band. I hope on their next release they remember what makes them special to begin with and use that as a base in which to climb higher.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.