A Good Home

I had to put music on a back burner for five or six weeks while I looked for a new place to live and then move there, but I am now pretty much settled in to my new digs, so back to work I go.

Someone else looking for a good home is Modern Charms—one of the bands featured on Vibrato 12.01. Band member Mark Palm was nice enough to send me an MP3 copy of the self-titled six-song EP Modern Charms would like to release as soon as they find a label to help them do so.

The first two songs on this EP—which can be previewed here—are easily the strongest, but I did find one other song good enough to go on my iPod, “Epsilon”. Even though half of the songs were headed to my iPod, I was still leaning toward a three-and-a-half star rating before trying an experiment with the song order that I think makes a world of difference. The third song, “Falling Sun” is the slowest/quietest song on the EP and it seemed to kill the momentum created by the first two. When I moved it to fifth, however, it fit perfectly, continuing the gradual slowing of “Ancient Cities” and preceding the obvious closer, “Silver Lanterns”.

Modern Charms by Modern Charms (©2012 Modern Charms)

01. When We Get There (3:11)
02. Someday (5:36)
03. Falling Sun (5:49)
04. Epsilon (5:08)
05. Ancient Cities (4:09)
06. Silver Lanterns (6:21)

A Girl Can Change Yr Mind, Can’t She

There I was, thinking I had made my last Vibrato compilation, when, one after another, I kept stumbling upon good, new Shoegaze releases from bands I had, for the most part, never before heard of.

My discovery of Drowner was the result of some kind of screwup with my revived Twitter account. Somehow, Drowner ended up on the list of bands I was following, and in trying to clear that up, I managed to open up their website. I was about to close the page, when I recognized the SMR logo in the banner. I knew that Saint Marie Records was the home of Vibrato alums The Sunshine Factory, Sway, Bloody Knives, and Jetman Jet Team, so I decided to give the music of Drowner a listen. I was knocked out by what I heard. I liked it so much, I wished that I was still putting compilations together so that I could help spread the word about this band.

The next day, I was browsing Bandcamp and came across two songs from the six-song, self-titled release by Modern Charms. My enthusiasm for both songs inspired me to say to myself, “okay, I’m going to ask these guys for a song and, if they give it to me, I’ll do another compilation, if not, I’ll stay retired.” Obviously, permission was obtained.

While trying to figure out how to contact Drowner, I discovered that broaddaylight had not only become their labelmates at SMR, but had also put out a second EP in 2009 that I had somehow failed to detect. After listening to Stars Out, I knew I wanted a song from them as well, and with the aid of Wyatt Parkins at SMR, I was able to get songs from both bands.

The fourth band, Miniatures, is another one of those hidden gems that makes digging through Bandcamp worthwhile. A spokesman for the band claims that the four-song, self-titled EP is badly in need of polishing, but I like it very much. It is one free download for which I would gladly have paid.

Download: Link expired 10 April 2012

The title of this post refers to the female vocals found in the songs of the two bands that lured me out of retirement.

My original intention was to have Vibrato12.01 be a ten-song compilation, and I did get as far as collecting nine songs: four Dream Pop, four wall-of-sound Shoegaze, and one that landed somewhere in-between. I had considered dividing the songs into a virtual A-side/B-side (“soft”/”hard”) kind of arrangement, but then things started to go south with the Shoegaze contingent: one band pulled out for fear that being included here might complicate their search for a label, and two others are experiencing difficulties getting their songs mastered. So, this turned out to be a four-song, Dream Pop EP. Hopefully, the other songs will be ready to go on Vibrato 12.02 in a couple of weeks or so.

Special thanks to Wyatt at Saint Marie Records for his help. I would encourage the reader to visit SMR‘s (constantly growing) Artists page; there you will find the above mentioned Vibrato alums, as well as personal, local and regional favorites: The High Violets and Trespassers William respectively.

Vibrato 12.01
01. “Point Dume” by Drowner from Drowner (©2012 Saint Marie Records)
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Drowner features the talents of Darren Emanuel on guitar/drums/keys, Sean Evans on guitar, Mike Brewer on bass, and Anna Bouchard on vocals. Their big, atmospheric sound draws on influences as varied as Shoegaze, Dream Pop, and Post-Rock. Their expanded, self-titled EP was released this morning, 13 March 2012.
SMR | Facebook | soundcloud | website

02. “Everything” by broaddaylight from Stars Out (©2009 broaddaylight)
broaddaylight was formed in Los Angeles in 2005 by James and Sarah Eakins. They were joined at some point by guitarist Henry Bennet, and together they have released two EPs—both mastered by Robin Guthrie—and are currently working on a third release. The two EPs: The Bell Jar EP (2006) and Stars Out (2009) are both available for download in a variety of formats from Bandcamp. Brady Renick is credited as the bass player on “Everything”.
SMR | Facebook | Bandcamp

03. “When We Get There ” by Modern Charms from Modern Charms (©2012 Modern Charms)
Modern Charms is a trio formed in San Francisco, California with geographical tendrils spreading outward to the Pacific Northwest and far-reaching aesthetic roots in Dream Pop and fuzzy, blissed-out Rock. The band’s debut recording―soaked in the grey marine layers of San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, where much of this record was composed―glides through six tracks of gorgeous guitar damage and crystalline, female vocal melodies. Modern Charms temper atmospherics with confidence and clarity to sweetly excoriate your eardrums.
Bandcamp | website

04. “Midwinter (Air)” by Miniatures from Miniatures EP (©2012 Miniatures)
Originally conceived as a solo project of Christchurch, New Zealand native Ché Walden, Miniatures drifted through various directions and ensembles until a partnership with Annemarie Duff set things properly in motion. Steven Marr later rounded out the group as a bassist, while an extensive bank of effects-laden (though personality-devoid) programmed tracks continues to serve in lieu of a drummer. Miniatures is relatively new to performing, with only a handful of shows under its belt, but over the last twelve months the band has managed to record the four songs found on its self-titled EP―available now as a free download from Bandcamp.
Facebook | Bandcamp

All copyrighted materials used with the permission of the copyright holders.

A Change of Direction

Although most of the problems I was dealing with at the time I decided to take a break from blogging have been resolved, I am not going to return to trying to uncover and introduce new bands. I will instead leave that task to the more than capable folks at When the Sun Hits (and a few other sites) while I return my attention to a project I first conceived nearly ten years ago: compiling the ultimate Shoegazing box set.

A Worthy Cause

If you liked Gypsy Death and You‘s E.P. No. 1 (and who didn’t?), you’ll want to drop by their fundraising page and make a donation that will help Alex and Emily finance their second release. Donations can be as little as $1 or as much as $1000—the full amount GDaY are trying to raise—and all come with premiums (think PBS telethon), some of which are quite unique. So, if you’d like the band to come play a private show at your house as well as bring the pizza, donate the full amount. Myself, I am drawn to the personalized cover song (although I don’t require the placement of my name in the lyrics—wouldn’t really work for the songs I have in mind, anyway).

Let’s see, do I go with “Bad” by U2, “I Have the Touch” by Peter Gabriel, “Our Lips Are Sealed” by Go-Go’s, “All That Matters Now” by Breathless…

Work Stoppage

Due to massive upheavals in my personal and family life, I currently don’t have the time or inclination to write about music. I don’t know when (or even if) this will change, so I would like, once again, to thank all of the artists who have been so generous with their music and their time. I enjoyed the interviews; I just wish that I knew what I was doing. Still, they turned out pretty good, and that is definitely down to the artists. You guys were great. Thank you.

Is that you, Dave?

Dave Allison of Custom Made Music sent me a song from an upcoming release that I liked a lot. It turns out that Dave has a band of his own; he and Chrischa Ives are the Virginia Beach duo Last Remaining Pinnacle. “Students Of The V.U.” is their contribution to a split 7″ single – with fellow Virginians Pan Galactic Straw Boss – due to be released 26 April. The song is also featured on Volume 4 of Tom Lugo’s six-volume* Rock Back for Japan compilation.

Dave is also the subject of a short interview given to The Blog That Celebrates Itself. Don’t worry; the introductory paragraph is in Spanish, but the interview was conducted in English.

*A seventh volume – to benefit the animals affected by the disaster – is being added.

The Overflow

Even though Tom Lugo has managed to round up contributions from more than eighty artists for his Rock Back for Japan compilation series*, it turns out that there are still a few Shoegaze bands he didn’t get, so I did (some of them, anyway). Special thanks to Brian Foote of kranky for giving me the choice of using one of two great songs from Belong – both of which are going on my iPod.

Link expired 12am PDT, Sunday, 01 May 2011

Vibrato 11.06
01. “Don’t Touch” by [aftersun] from Pain Sounds (©2011 [aftersun])
The solo project of Stephan Cherkashin (Telltale and Audn), [aftersun] is based in Brooklyn, New York and combines the swirling layers of sound from Shoegaze with Trip-Hop beats and Darkwave moods. Pain Sounds, this artist’s debut EP, was released this Spring as a free download on Bandcamp – as was the Goodbye single.
bandcamp

02. “Washer” by Mood Rings from Sweater Weather Forever (©2011 Double Phantom Digital)
Sweater Weather Forever is the debut EP from this Atlanta, Georgia based band which formed in 2009. The EP was released on Pink House Tapes and online at Double Phantom Digital and Bandcamp.

03. “Girl Upstairs” by Moonbeams from Radio San Francisco (©2011 Hop Skip Jump Records)
Based in San Francisco, Moonbeams is a Shoegaze and Psychedelic Pop ensemble headed by Ryan Lescure. He is supported on his recordings by several talented friends, and the live band consists of Ryan Haynes (guitar), Kyle Baudour (bass), and Alvin Fenner (drums). The CD of Radio San Francisco can be purchased from Hop Skip Jump, and digital downloads are available on Bandcamp. The upcoming LP, The Daisy Chain, is slated for release in the summer of 2011.
bandcamp | myspace | facebook | website

04. “No More Canyons” by Quiet Lights from No More Canyons (©2011 Eastern Seaboard / Old Flame Records)
Quiet Lights is Chris Curtis, Robin Fowler, Nikhil Kamineni, Yseult Tyler, and Marcus Smith, and they create aural landscapes of both light and dark, blurry sonic envelopes tinged with “looking through a glass-bottle” hazes. Currently, the band has two singles available from Bandcamp.
bandcamp | myspace | facebook | website

05. “Starfall” by Poor, Useless Me from EP001 (©2011 Poor, Useless Me)
Poor, Useless Me is a side-project Vadim Vasilyev (Sun Devoured Earth) from Aizkraukle, Latvia started in 2011. The music is heavily influenced by Astrobrite, My Bloody Valentine and Skywave. This EP was released on 3 April 2011 and has already been joined by two subsequent releases – all available for download on Bandcamp.

06. “Single Man” by Ghost Animal from Single Man/In Your Room (©2011 Ghost Animal)
Ghost Animal is a Pop duo from California currently living and studying in Portland, Oregon. They have been playing together since April 2010. Single Man/In Your Room and Through Your Eyes are both available as free downloads from Bandcamp.
bandcamp | myspace | tumblr | blogspot

07. “Underneath Tonight” by Lowtide from Underneath Tonight/Memory No. 7 (©2011 Lowtide)
Australia’s Lowtide has its origins in Three Month Sunset, a solo project Gabriel Lewis began in 2005. Once consisting of the ambient, soaring textures of a single guitar, the sound has been widened by the addition of male and female vocals, drums, and dual bass courtesy of Lucy Buckeridge, Anton Jakovljevic (The Morning After Girls), and Giles Simon (The Sun Blindness). In 2010, the band released You Are My Good Light, their debut EP, to a sold out crowd at Melbourne’s Cherry Bar. The new single can be downloaded from Bandcamp.
bandcamp | myspace

08. “Never Came Close” by Belong from Common Era (©2011 Kranky)
The music of Belong is the result of a collaboration between New Orleans, Louisiana natives Turk Dietrich and Michael Jones. The band’s mostly instrumental, 2004 debut, October Language, was composed, recorded, and produced in Dietrich’s bedroom studio as a tribute to the city and as an illustration of the beauty that can still be found in things worn and decayed. This new album utilizes instruments and technology to create a sound very similar to the original Shoegaze of the ’90s – including vocals.
kranky | myspace

09. “Sunspots” by Sunshower Orphans from Avenue Abyss (©2011 Mike G)
Sunshower Orphans is Mike G., Rob A., Travis F., and Brian A. – a bunch of lowlifes from Queens, New York who grew up just blocks away from places where The Ramones once lived. They have been playing basements, parks, and stages in and around New York City in various incarnations since 2007. The city has changed since The Ramones ruled, and the Orphans’ music reflects that, as they often make New York – in all of her manifestations – the focus of their lyrics. “Sunspots” is from their first album, Avenue Abyss, which you can download for free on Bandcamp. Their debut EP, From the Fire Escapes, is available on vinyl from State Capital Records – a local indie label, and digitally from the iTunes Store.
bandcamp | myspace | State Capital

10. “I Am Here” by Red Moon from I Am Here (©2011 Red Moon)
Red Moon is a duo comprised of sisters Eva and Katarina Thulin, who live and make music in Göteborg, Sweden. The music, which they have been writing, producing, and recording together for more than ten years, combines simple and direct melodies with complex soundscapes. Their sound reminds me very much of Azure Ray at its best and, while not strictly Shoegaze, I believe this song is close (and good) enough for me to be forgiven for including it. Red Moon has previously released a two-song single in 2003 and a four-song EP in 2006; both of which can be downloaded from the band’s website.
Record Union | soundcloud | website

All copyrighted materials used with the permission of the copyright holders.

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