THE RADIO DEPT. - CLINGING TO A SCHEME [2010]

Swedish dream-poppers shrug off the 'nu-gaze' tag for good on this charming winner of a full-length.

Nu-gaze. Like glow-fi, it’s one of those manufactured terms that is apt to make a music listener, be it indie rock critic or just casual fan, groan with annoyance. As a rule, people’s backs go up at the idea that some convenient, shorthand taxonomy could sum up a band’s entire artistic aim. Usually it’s the sort of thing that’s terribly inaccurate, not even appropriate for a record label’s press kit, and it’s the kind of dangerously short-sighted laziness that can actually keep potential new converts away from a deserving band. Nu-gaze? Really? I’ve even heard Titus Andronicus saddled with this term, and I can’t picture a less shoegaze-sounding band if I tried.

Call the Radio Dept. another unfortunate victim of this trend. Their earlier two efforts,Lesser Matters and Pet Grief, were instantly compared by salivating journa-clones to everyone from the cherished My Bloody Valentine to the Cocteau Twins to the effing Pet Shop Boys. Do the Radio Dept. really sound like these bands? That’s up to you. I say no, not really. But one thing’s clear, our Swedish friends are up to far more interesting work on their latest, Clinging to a Scheme, then just aping the nostalgic genres of ‘90s past.

First single “David” has the kind of surreal trip-hop bounce of latter-day Blur, another group once tagged as indebted to the ghosts of shoegaze past (as hard as that is to believe in 2010). Johan Duncanson has one of those voices that is utterly affecting in its disaffectedness, the apathetic lack of attachment sounding more emotional and harrowing in its defeated glory than any more ragged, extroverted effort by many of his contemporaries. There’s not a hint of over-driven walls of guitar here, just ambient keys breathing away over the beat, spinning into air.

Elsewhere, opener “Domestic Scene” nestles down on a beautiful bed of gently picked guitars before a sample cuts in at the start of “Heaven’s On Fire”.  “People see rock and roll as youth culture, and when youth culture becomes monopolized by big business, what are the youth to do?” a concerned voice asks, before the band answers with a good-time party jam that seems to snipe back: “just relax and enjoy it.” 
The album holds up this sort of consistency remarkably well over its brief thirty-five minute running time, moving from JAMC-Joy Division style mash-ups on “This Time Around” to mellow IDM on “A Token of Graditude”. The only hint of shoegaze influence here comes on “The Video Dept.”, which honestly bites more from Chapterhouse and Ride than heavier bands like MBV or Slowdive. The only real misstep here is “Four Months in the Shade”, which comes across as a feedback-soaked Crystal Castles experiment and little more. Thankfully, gears swiftly shift before gorgeous opener “You Stopped Making Sense” takes the wheel. If not for some of the more modernistic instrumentation, this could be one of Belle and Sebastian’s mellower jams, and ends the album on a perfectly appropriate high note.

Hopefully, Clinging to a Scheme will be enough to finally dispel the nu-gaze tag for the Radio Dept., and maybe it will help prove the futility of boxing bands as talented and unique as these into a tiny, neatly-labelled box. Probably not, at least not on the last count, but the fact remains that this is a solid, feel-good winner of an album that applies enough variety to feature in a number of your day to day routines and make them that much more special by association. Isn’t that what all great albums, nu-gaze or not, should do? Make no mistake, this is a very good, and very nearly great, album. So skip the one-sheet classifications, pick it up and judge for yourself.
popmatters.com
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THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE - WHO KILLED SGT. PEPPER? [2009]

"The Brian Jonestown Massacre was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The band has had over 40 members since then, but its driving force and main songwriter is Anton Newcombe. Prominent ex-members included Matt Hollywood, Dean Taylor, Jeff Davies, Brian Glaze, and Joel Gion. Their sound is heavily influenced by the psychedelic sounds of the 1960s, but also carries influences from shoegaze, jangle pop, garage rock, and lo-fi sonorities. The band is probably most famous from their mid-90s friendship/rivalry with The Dandy Warhols, and ensuing documentary, DiG!.
Over its decade-long history, the band has undergone a large number of personnel changes. Multi-instrumentalist and main songwriter Anton Newcombe is the only member who has stayed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre since its beginning, when it was founded by Newcombe, tambourine player Joel Gion (who stayed with him the longest), and guitarist/bassist/vocalist Matt Hollywood. There are at least two dozen musicians who have been in the BJM at one point or another.
Ex-members include: guitarist Jeff Davies; Matt Hollywood, a founding member of Portland band The Out Crowd; Peter Hayes, founding member of San Francisco rock trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club; Joel Gion, a founding member of San Francisco band, The Dilettantes; Rob Campanella, a Los Angeles producer and engineer who has worked with The Tyde, Beachwood Sparks, Dead Meadow, Mia Doi Todd, Frausdots, Scarling., and his band The Quarter After; Bobby Hecksher, founding member of Los Angeles band The Warlocks; solo recording artist Miranda Lee Richards; Matt Tow, founding member of the Australian band The Lovetones." LAST.FM

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ASOBI SEKSU - REWOLF [2009]

"Asobi Seksu is an indie rock/dream pop band which formed in 2004 in New York City, New York, United States. The band consists of Yuki Chikudate (vocals, keyboards), James Hanna (guitar, vocals), William Pavone (bass) and Larry Pavone (drums). The band’s name in Japanese consists of two words, “asobi” meaning “play” or “for fun”, and “sekkusu” the Japanese imported word for”sex” .
Their sound has been said to draw influence from the shoegazing movement of the late 1980s to early 1990s, which was coined to describe the textured and effects-heavy sound of alternative rock in that era.
Asobi Seksu released their eponymous debut album in 2004. The band regrouped with a new rhythm section for their second album, Citrus, which was recorded in Gigantic Studios, New York City with producer Chris Zane.
One Little Indian Records re-released the band’s first album Asobi Seksu and the follow-up Citrus in 2006.
The band changed its name to Asobi Seksu from the previous name, sportf*ck, when they signed to their current label.
According to the band’s official website “James and Yuki have almost completed writing songs for the new record and will be hitting the studio, once again with producer Chris Zane, this summer (2008). The new album will be released on Polyvinyl Record Co., the band’s new US label.” LAST.FM

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EASTSTRIKEWEST - WOLVVES [2009]

"I have to admit I'm a sucker for anything with sweeping strings, layered soundscapes, along with a somewhat progressive/experimental approach. So it's no surprise EastStrikeWest's debut full-length, 'Wolvves' has won me over greatly.
Opener 'God Can't Take His Eyes Off Me' sets the tone with its grand, epic sound and combination of raw guitars and spiraling strings that dominate and create a mesmerizing sound. Whereas 'Stumble' is a slower yet favourable track, which sees Tom Clark's vocal soaring above and beyond.
'Welcoming The Ghosts' is eerie and haunting with its slow, delicate build-up, whilst 'The Architect' sees the band heading down the dark indie rock route similar to that of White Lies. However EastStrikeWest manage keep their layered and lengthy sound intact, to keep up with the record momentum.
'Every Word And Whisper Said' is beautiful in its approach, as sweeping strings and distant pounding drums create an atmosphere that just grabs you, and helplessly admire. 'Electricity' is somehow the stand out track of the record, as it takes all that is great with this record and throws it into one; the sweet-sounding orchestra, Clark's superb, strong vocals, delicate rock guitars and much more, to create an awe-inspiring performance.
By now you're thinking this record is pretty much fault-less, however you'd be wrong. Despite it's grand, warming sound, 'Wolvves' is a lengthy record and one that is dominated by tracks lasting 5 or 6 minutes long. Therefore EastStikeWest are not the most accessible of bands.
On the other hand, it is a record that you have to live with until realise its brilliance. The bands song-structure is not too complicated, that it doesn't leave you in discomfort. It is a record that flows nearly seamlessly.
Therefore if you're a fan of bands that create a sound that is wide and layered with a slight touch of beauty, then EastStrikeWest might just be your new favourite band."
alterthepress.com

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A SUNNY DAY IN GLASGOW - ASHES GRAMMAR [2009]

"A Sunny Day in Glasgow began as a collaboration between friends Ben Daniels and Ever Nalens, both of whom had recently returned to Philadelphia after several years in the UK. The band name came from Nalens, who had been living in Glasgow, and Daniels kept it after Nalens left the project. In 2006, Daniels asked his twin sisters, Robin and Lauren, to start singing on the songs they had been working on. In March of that year the trio self-released The Sunniest Day Ever EP to great acclaim from college radio stations and blogs. Their debut release, Scribble Mural Comic Journal, came out February 2007 and received favorable reviews from Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound among others. Scribble Mural Comic Journal was recorded with one microphone in a bedroom in West Philly and pushed the boundaries of dream pop often drawing comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins. During the summer of 2007 the band toured the United States including in-studios on KEXP and Radio K and released a handmade tour only EP titled Tout New Age which was subsequently released as a digitally only EP. A year later the band emerged for a performance at the Whitney Museum as part of the Wordless Music Series and an in-studio performance on WNYC. A month later they toured across the UK and France which was celebrated with a string of 7”s coming out labels as varied as Slumberland, Disjuncture and Georgraphic North."

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SLOWDIVE - SOUVLAKI [1993]

"Though not as big and swirling as Just for a Day, there's more of an attempt to put advanced song structure and melody in place rather than just craft infinitely appealing, occasionally thunderous mood music. Everything is simplified, as if Brian Eno's presence on two songs -- he contributes keyboards and treatments and co-wrote one tune after turning down the band's invitation to produce -- hammered home the better aspects of "ambient" music. This is no Music for Airports though. On the opening "Alison," the largely uplifting "When the Sun Hits," and the darkly blissful "Machine Gun," Slowdive are still capable of mouth-opening, spine-tingling flourishes. They've found a way to be quiet, moving, and aggressive simultaneously, mixing trance-like beauty with the deepest delayed guitar sounds around, a sound at once relaxing, soothing, and exciting, and most of all harshly beautiful. [SBK released Souvlaki in the U.S. a full eight months after its English release on Creation, with three-quarters of the 5 EP tacked on the end, plus one unreleased track, a memorable, spacy run through Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's "Some Velvet Morning."] " AMG

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NADJA - TRUTH BECOMES DEATH [ 2005]

"Nadja is a Canadian duo featuring multi-instrumentalist Aidan Baker and bassist/vocalist Leah Buckareff. Originally formed in 2003 in Toronto, Canada as a Baker solo project, Buckareff joined in 2005 to bring the project out of the studio and into live settings. The now-duo creates music that has been variously called ambient doom, drone metal.
To date, Nadja has released 14 full-length CDs, in addition to various eps, splits, and collaborations with such artists as Atavist, Black Boned Angel, Fear Falls Burning, A Storm of Light, Pyramids. Nadja works with a variety of labels, including Alien8 Recordings, Important Records, Beta-lactam Ring Records, Crucial Blast, and The End Records." LAST.FM

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THE ANGELIC PROCESS - WEIGHING SOULS WITH SOUND [2007]

"The Angelic Process consisted of K. Angylus and M. Dragynfly, out of Jacksonville, AL and Athens, GA, respectively. They formed in 1999 in Macon, Georgia, USA, and released their debut “…And Your Blood Is Full Of Honey” in the same year. Their follow-up album “Coma Waering” was originally released in 2003 (by Artwrek) but The Angelic Process remained completely unknown until Paradigms Recordings re-released “Coma Wearing” in 2006. The Angelic Process signed to Profound Lore Records, and their last album “Weighing Souls With Sand” came out in may 2007. As of October 2007, the band was put on hold indefinitely due to K.Angylus’ severe hand injury." LAST.FM

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JESU - OPIATE SUN EP [2009]

"Jesu is a band formed in 2003 in Abergele, Wales, UK by Justin Broadrick following the breakup of Godflesh. Jesu was the name of the last song on the final Godflesh release, Hymns, and Broadrick decided to adopt it as the name of his new project.

The first release, the Heart Ache EP, was released in 2004 and featured Broadrick playing all of the instruments. It was followed in 2005 by the full-length self-titled LP, which featured the addition of bassist Diarmuid Dalton and drummer Ted Parsons, although not every song featured both new members.

With their third release, 2006’s four song Silver EP, Jesu took a more melodic and layered approach, gaining comparison to shoegazing band My Bloody Valentine.

Their second full-length album, titled Conqueror, was released in February 2007 in the US, UK, in Europe and Japan. The Japanese edition also contained a bonus disc featuring the two tracks that constitute the ‘Sun Down’ / ‘Sun Rise’ EP, released elsewhere as a 12” album on April 23.

The band made their United States live debut, in March of 2007, as an opening act for Isis, although work permit problems caused them to miss the first three weeks of the tour. Neither Ted Parsons nor Diarmuid Dalton were able to participate in the tour and were temporarily replaced by Danny Walker, of Intronaut, and long time Broadrick collaborator, Dave Cochrane, respectively. During this tour, Jesu also made its South by Southwest debut as part of a Hydra Head showcase." LASTM.FM

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SWEET TRIP - VELOCITY : DESIGN : COMFORT [2003]

"Sweet Trip's second full-length, Velocity : Design : Comfort, is an intoxicating blend of indie pop melody, shoegaze-style sonic overload, and electronic drum'n'bliss. A dense and sprawling record, each song is layered with skittering, glitchy drumbeats, distorted and broken sounding synths, hazy shoegaze guitars, and the blissful vocals of Valerie Reyes. Main Sweet Tripper Roberto Burgos has crafted a record that is overflowing with small details and sonic surprises that make each song a delight and add up to push the record into minor classic status. It may sound like empty hyperbole or press pack tomfoolery, but at its best, Sweet Trip truly sounds like what one might assume Kevin Shields would sound like today if he could ever manage to get his act together. Their sound is woozy, dreamy, deeply emotional, and extremely unpredictable. Songs like the epic "Velocity" or "International" are so packed to the brim with sound and adventure that every listen will leave you shaking your head at the sheer beauty and sonic achievement involved. Some of the other tracks that will have you jumping up and down with happiness are the glitchy "Dsco," a track New Order in its prime would have killed for, pulsating with overdriven synths and Burgos and Reyes' angelic vocals, "Dedication," a careening blast of noisy drums and breathtaking melody, and the simply stunning "To All the Dancers in the World, a Round Form of Fantasy," which stretches sound in all sorts of wonderful ways and is actually the most MBV-sounding track on the album. Most likely this record will disappear from view without a trace, but it really shouldn't. It should be at the forefront of the charge being led by bands like Manitoba, Four Tet, and Dntel, which make very forward-thinking records that confound expectations and don't leave the past (i.e., melody and songcraft) behind. Simply put, Velocity : Design : Comfort is one of the most interesting and best records of 2003; you really should check it out. "

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MOONSHAKE - EVA LUNA [1992]

"The only full-length album recorded by Moonshake's original lineup, Eva Luna is bursting with ideas and tension; dissonant instrumental lines careen off of both noisy samples and spacey dream pop textures, resting on a bed of hypnotic dub bass grooves and deliberate, deeply funky percussion. Just as exciting as the seemingly alien soundscapes is the precarious coalition between singers and songwriters Dave Callahan and Margaret Fiedler, who weave their divergent songwriting and performance approaches into something of a double-sided personality. Callahan delivers his tales of despairing cynicism and rage over modern urban life with theatrical growls and nasal wails, while Fiedler's hushed murmurs and understated purr belie the aggression lurking under her songs' often nightmarish psycho-sexual dramas. Above all, Eva Luna's sound collages are dark and edgy, regardless of whether their overall tone is mellow or furious; the album's dense layers of sonic detail and the ebb and flow between Callahan and Fiedler's contrasting songwriting styles make it a richly inventive, endlessly fascinating listen -- and unfortunately the only full-length album of its kind in the group's oeuvre. Matador's American reissue appends the three tracks from the "Secondhand Clothes" single." AMG

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A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS - EXPLODING HEAD [2009]

A Place to Bury Strangers are a power trio comprised of Oliver Ackermann (guitar/vocals), Jono MOFO (bass) and Jay Space (drums). The band play a heavy, atmospheric wall of sound-influenced blend of psychedelic rock, shoegaze and space rock.
A Place To Bury Strangers have been affectionately lauded as New York City’s “loudest band” by various indie reviewers and bloggers throughout the course of their live music career, as well as “the most ear-shatteringly loud garage/shoegaze band you’ll ever hear” by The Washington Post. The New York Times applauded their revival of “the ominous, feedback-drenched drones of the 1980s”
In 2006, the band gained some acclaim following their Webster Hall performance with The Brian Jonestown Massacre. They returned to Webster Hall in 2007 to play with one of their major influences, The Jesus and Mary Chain.
In August of 2007 the band suddenly gained national attention after a favorable Pitchfork review of their debut release A Place To Bury Strangers on the Killer Pimp label.
In 2007, the band joined Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on tour. In 2008, the band opened for Nine Inch Nails on a number of the midwestern tour dates.

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MY BLOODY VALENTINE - GEEK! EP [1985]

SIMILAR/RELATED: SLOWDIVE, RIDE, CHAPTERHOUSE, PALE SAINTS, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, LUSH, ASTROBRITE

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HAVE A NICE LIFE - VOIDS [ 2009]

"Compiled here are two separate EPs, the first being Have A Nice Life's extremely rare second demo, Powers Of Ten, and the second being What Happened Next Was Worse, a collection of tracks written around the same time as Deathconsciousness that didn't make it onto the main album. Together these two EPs make up Voids, a sort of footnote detailing a little more of what was going on during the five year period leading up to 2008's Deathconsciousness."

SIMILAR/RELATED: THE ANGELIC PROCESS, NADJA, PYRAMIDS, JESU, AMESOEURS, TO KILL A PETTY BOURGEOISIE, THE PAX CECILIA

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NADJA - BODYCAGE [2005]

"Based in Toronto, this ambient doom/metal/electronic duo was the brainchild (and originally the solo project) of Aidan Baker. Already a prolific musician who had released a number of works with labels worldwide -- including a vast catalog of CD-R only releases -- Baker used Nadja to explore the darker aspects of his musical soul. Taking on vocalist and bass player Leah Buckareff allowed the expansion of Nadja's sound, as well as the ability to play live. Established in 2003, Nadja's early releases followed the pattern already established by Baker, that is to say a lot of CD-R limited releases, but by 2005, the duo was ready for official release, and Alien8 released that year's Truth Becomes Death. More releases followed, including EPs and collaborative efforts, and in 2007 Alien8 and Nadja released the well-received Touched. The band also built a following by opening shows for such post-metal luminaries as Ocean and Isis. " AMG

SIMILAR/RELATED: AIDAN BAKER, THE ANGELIC PROCESS, FEAR FALLS BURNING & NADJA, METHADRONE, NADJA & BLACK BONED ANGEL, LEAH BUCKAREFF, SUNN O)))

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JESU - JESU [2005]

SIMILAR/RELATED: FINAL, GODFLESH, NADJA, ISIS, ROSETTA, PELICAN, BATTLE OF MICE

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MY BLOODY VALENTINE - YOU MADE ME REALISE [1988]

"Like the Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and the Jesus & Mary Chain before them, My Bloody Valentine redefined what noise meant within the context of pop songwriting. Led by guitarist Kevin Shields, the group released several EPs in the mid-'80s before recording the era-defining Isn't Anything in 1988, a record that merged lilting, ethereal melodies of the Cocteau Twins with crushingly loud, shimmering distortion. Though My Bloody Valentine rejected rock & roll conventions, they didn't subscribe to the precious tendencies of anti-rock art-pop bands. Instead, they rode crashing waves of white noise to unpredictable conclusions, particularly since their noise wasn't paralyzing like the typical avant-garde..."

SIMILAR/RELATED: SLOWDIVE, RIDE, CHAPTERHOUSE, PALE SAINTS, THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, LUSH, ASTROBRITE

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JESU - INFINITY [2009]

"Full album length song ‘Infinity’ on Avalanche Recordings (AREC017), written, recorded and mixed early 2009, with all instruments by Justin K Broadrick. ‘Infinity’ is the most expansive and organic jesu release to date, here JKB revisits his roots of heavy guitar driven music yet still retaining the ethereal atomsphere / soundscape of modern jesu.” justinkbroadrick.blogspot.com


SIMILAR/RELATED: FINAL, GODFLESH, NADJA, ISIS, ROSETTA, PELICAN

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HAVE A NICE LIFE - DEATHCONSCIOUSNESS [2008]

TRACKLIST:

Disc One: "The Plow That Broke the Plains"
1 A Quick One Before the Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut 7:53
2 Bloodhail 5:40
3 The Big Gloom 8:06
4 Hunter 9:45
5 Telefony 4:38
6 Who Would Leave Their Son Out in the Sun 5:19
7 There Is No Food 4:00
Disc Two: "The Future"
1 Waiting for Black Metal Records to Come in the Mail 6:17
2 Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000 6:29
3 The Future 3:50
4 Deep, Deep 5:26
5 I Don't Love 6:13
6 Earthmover 11:28

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THE GOSLINGS - GRANDEUR OF HAIR [2006]

TRACKLIST:

1 Own a Car 7:47
2 Croatan 5:26
3 Golden Stair 6:44
4 Overnight 10:47
5 Sanibel 9:47
6 Windowpane 3:18
7 Haruspex 13:21
8 Dinah 4:50

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