EP REVIEW | The Baltic – Archipelago EP (Misra Records).

ARTIST: The Baltic

RELEASE: Archipelago

RELEASE DATE: 20/06/16

RECORD COMPANY: Misra Records 

Colorado based psychedelically charged four piece ‘The Baltic’ released their latest EP entitled ‘Archipelago’ to the masses back on the 20th June 2016 via Misra Records (under Sub Pop’s umbrella). Their sound expertly shimmies through experimental reverberating tones, laced with dream pop swirls, psychedelic sonic highs & melodious guitar progressions that seem to hang suspended within a blissfully ethereal musical bubble. The band are made up of Graham Epstein – drums/vocals, Adam Dankowski – guitars, Josh Kaplan – bass & Ari Kononov – guitars.

‘Archipelago’ is available to buy/download right now from: thebaltic.bandcamp.com/album/archipelago

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Luscious ethereal tones float into earshot as the opening salvo’s of the ‘Archipelago’ EP are unfurled. Opening track ‘Turquoise’ permeates through an acid blotted landscape with its 60’s psychedelic edge as the hazy vocals are carefully added to the musical ether, accompanied by throbbing bass frequencies & a skittish percussive pattern. (As a side note; a musical doff of the cap has to go to the ‘Beatles’ on this opening track, as the verse progressions (which drag up way too many of their song titles to name off hand) are curiously reminiscent to the aforementioned band & although that may seem like a good comparison to some, for me, it kinda takes the shine off of those brilliantly executed shoegaze inspired chorus parts that make this opening track a tale of two halves as far as I’m concerned!) Up next, ‘Bloom’ breathes a more psych rock tinge to proceedings. It’s jam packed with experimental psychedelic twirls, faultless instrumentation and those vocalisations are stacked with melody.

‘San Francisco’ pulses beautifully arranged reverb drenched guitar lines, steadying drum patterns and addictively harmonious bass progressions with another impressive vocal performance that collectively produces what is the most dream pop orientated track on this entire release! Gone are the sonic experimentations & the 60’s revivalist tones, and whats left is a beautifully arranged track that is wholeheartedly relevant in todays revived dreampop/shoegaze scene.

The EP’s penultimate track entitled ‘Fortitude’ screams into the ether on a wave of glorious frequency laden noise as ‘The Baltic’ bring their shoegaze tendencies to bare for all to hear. It’s opening bars are layered with fuzzy reverberating guitars, throbbing baselines, shimmering tambourines and melodious vocals, reminiscent to those early UK based shoegaze stalwart’s ‘Ride’. It took a while but ‘The Baltic’ are finally allowing us to hear their gauzy side. This is my favourite track on the whole release and a solid recommendation from me. The albums closing piece is called ’72 Hours’. Shimmering tremulous guitar lines float into earshot and gracefully sweep you up, bringing you with them on a stunning hallucinogenic psych-gaze trip that expertly loops and arc’s through blissful layers of beautifully golden sonic frequencies, carefully following the throb of the infectious bass progressions & the hypnotic percussion as you meander through the musical ether. A fitting explosive ending to a slow burning but thoroughly enjoyable EP.

4/5

LINKS:

thebaltic.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/thebaltic/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Del Chaney has spent the last four years not only fronting popular experimental Irish Electronic duo Analogue Wave but also dedicating his time to uncovering the best artists in the unsigned or small independent label based shoegaze, ethereal dream pop, post punk, post rock & modern psych rock from all over the globe & reviewing them for this blog – The Primal Music Blog. He is also a contributing writer for The Sound Of Confusion. His other arm – Primal Radio – has gained considerable respect from bands and promoters alike since its conception in 2013 & has hepled him in actively promoting a genre of music that he is passionate about. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, he is a keen Vinyl Collector, Tattoo Fan & all round good guy! He is a self confessed music freak & is never far away from a studio console or a turntable.

NEW SINGLE PREMIERE | A Shoreline Dream – Whirlwind.

Colorado based duo ‘A Shoreline Dream’ have been best described as ‘progressive shoegaze’. They combine lush sampled textures, wall of sound dynamics, and vocals layered like a synth, similar in vein to bands such as Ride, Slowdive and Sigur Rós. The band are Ryan Policky – vocals/guitar/keys/bass/programming & Erik Jeffries – guitar.  ‘Whirlwind’ is the third single from their ever-evolving new record, which is being released song by song before its completion and will eventually culminate into the bands first ever vinyl release. This latest single gets its official release on September 2nd 2016 and will be available to buy/download from: ashorelinedream.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

 

‘Whirlwind’ is a driving sonic surge of glorious dark energy. The instrumentation pulses & swirls as it circumnavigates those hard hitting vocalisations, infectiously dragging swathes of impressive atmospheric reverb with it to pummel the senses. There’s also a subtle but refreshing hue of old-school post-punk swirling within the sonic maelstrom, reminiscent at times to Bauhaus, Joy Division & The Sisters Of Mercy.

Recommended! 

LINKS:

ashorelinedream.bandcamp.com

latenightweeknight.com

facebook.com/ashorelinedream

NEW VIDEO PREMIERE | The Gentle Cycle – Follow Light.

Swirling San Jose based psych aficionados ‘The Gentle Cycle’ have unleashed the lead single & its brilliant ‘Acid Drenched’ accompanying video entitled ‘Follow Light’ from their forthcoming full length album, due for release over the next few months. The band are made up of Derek See – guitar/vocals, Maxwell Borkenhagen – guitar/mellotron, Todd Flanagan – bass and Craig Heitkam – drums and they have a unique talent of creating infectiously addictive psychedelic soundscapes by utilising vintage gear and bygone recording methods to birth a swirling, grooving style of rock ‘n’ roll that’s both timeless and relevant. The overall outcome is mesmerising! The accompanying video was directed by & presented in a film by London based musician/ visual artist Gil De Ray.

READ ON –

‘Follow Light’ undulates as it works through its reverberating sonic gears, spewing out melodious instrumentation and highly addictive vocalisations that constantly swirl within an ink blotted sonic landscape. If this is the lead single from this impressive Bay Area band, we can’t wait for the full on sonic assault!

Recommended! 

‘Follow Light’ is available to buy/download right now from: thegentlecycle.bandcamp.com

LINKS:

thegentlecycle.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/thegentlecycleSJ

ALBUM REVIEW | Sexores – Red Rooms.

ARTIST: Sexores

RELEASE: Red Rooms

RELEASE DATE: 17/07/16

RECORD COMPANY: Coypu Records.

Following on from their stunning full length album release entitled ‘Historias de Frió’ back in 2104, the brilliant Barcelona based darkwave outfit ‘Sexores’ have returned with a blissful six track release entitled ‘Red Rooms’. With an intriguing sound thats full of noisy ambient swirls, ethereal vocalisations and dark repetitive percussive arrangements all gloriously intertwined with soaring walls of layered reverberating guitars, ‘Sexores’ have the ability paint stunning sonic pictures with their music. The band are made up of Emilia Bahamonde – vocals/guitar/programming & David Yépez – drums/programming with various touring members and guest musicians (including Alexander Kretov of UMMAGMA fame) appearing on the album. ‘Red Rooms’ was released back on the 17th July 2016 via Coypu Records and is available to buy/download on various formats right now from: sexores.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

 

Ethereal vocals coupled with a wall hazily layered guitars announces the arrival of track one ‘Sasebo’ and we’re instantly pulled into a beautiful world of sneaking drum patterns, underlying synth swells and hypnotically cascading piano progressions. The vocals are simply mesmerising as they cut through the swirling instrumentation and instil a gentle calmness over proceedings. Up next, ‘Sea Of Trees’ is a classic slice of beautifully arranged dream pop thats centred around a cascading synth line, a repetitive drum pattern and another blissful vocal performance courtesy of Emilia Bahamonde. ‘Me And The Void’ saunters into earshot riding an explosive drum pattern, dark throbbing bass frequencies and synth swells to die for. Emilia’s vocals shine as they pulse wave after wave of golden hued frequencies through the controlled reverberation and on into the maelstrom of fuzzy tempestuous guitar lines.

‘U.S.S.R Girls’ leans more into the realm of dark electronica with its sequenced synth progressions and repetitive drum patterns whilst the albums penultimate track, the impressive ‘Daywalkers’ instantly flatters with its floating boy/girl vocal attack, courtesy of Emilia & Alex Kretov (Ummagma), coupled with those beautifully arranged synth lines & its glorious instrumentation breaks. The album closes out with the highly atmospheric instrumental piece – ‘Loner’. A dark & foreboding reverberating drone opens proceedings before we’re treated to a slow, repetitive drum pattern and stuttering piano stabs. ‘Loner’ sounds like it belongs on a late 70’s sci-fi soundtrack as it deftly meanders through ambient sonic peaks and throughs, never losing its edge and all the while building slowly into a stunning cacophony of blissful atmospheric noise.

A fitting end to an absolutely stunning album!

4/5

LINKS:

sexores.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/sxrsxrs

twitter.com/sexores

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Del Chaney has spent the last four years not only fronting popular Irish Electronic duo Analogue Wave but also dedicating his time to uncovering the best artists in the Unsigned or Small Independent Label based Shoegaze, DreamPop, PostPunk, PostRock & PsychRock genre’s of music from all over the globe & reviewing them for this blog – The Primal Music Blog. He is also a contributing writer for The Sound Of Confusion. His other arm – Primal Radio – has gained considerable respect from bands and promoters alike since its conception in 2013 & has hepled him in actively promoting a genre of music that he is passionate about. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, he is a keen Vinyl Collector, Tattoo Fan & all round good guy! He is a self confessed music freak & is never far away from a studio console or a turntable.

EP REVIEW | Sidechick – Home Recordings.

ARTIST: Sidechick

RELEASE: Home Recordings

RELEASE DATE: 13/05/16

RECORD COMPANY: Unsigned

Released to the masses back on the 13th May 2016, ‘Home Recordings’ are the tentative first steps by a band who create stunning musical soundscapes that are heavily steeped in melodically astute, fuzzy alt-gaze promise. ‘Sidechick’ are a Texas based trio made up of Stephen McElwee – Guitar & Vocals, Austin Yates – Drums & Kelvin Givens – Bass and their debut three track release is available to buy/download right now from: sidechick.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

 

‘Home Recordings’ unfurls with excellent ‘Prisms’, a two minute plus instrumental masterpiece thats filled with golden hued guitar lines, steadying percussion and throbbing bass frequencies. The band give very little away on this opening piece as the tension builds, forcing glorious reverberating swirls into the sonic ether and pulsing fuzzy layered guitar squall through shimmering hazy frequencies. ‘Prisms’ soon burns out and courses headlong into track two, the blistering ‘Dimensions’, and its not long before we’re introduced to a droning guitar line that drags the listener into the impending explosive drum patterns, heavily tracked by fuzzy throbbing bass lines and screaming feedback laden guitars. The vocals here are sublime and they sit on top of the instrumentation like some sonic demigod vying for populous attention. ‘Dimensions’ is probably my favourite track on this entire release and worthy of your attention!

The EP’s closing track is a brilliantly melodious affair. ‘Mercury’ rocks on a thoroughly addictive lead lick that explodes through the chorus breaks whilst carefully balancing on a bedrock of pounding drums and hypnotically layered reverberating guitars. Another stunning vocal track adds atmosphere as it pierces the protective reverb induced bubble and soars into the sonic ether with aplomb. A fitting end to an interesting first outing from ‘Sidechick’.

Ones to watch!

3/5

LINKS:

sidechick.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/sidechickband

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Del Chaney has spent the last four years not only fronting popular Irish Electronic duo Analogue Wave but also dedicating his time to uncovering the best artists in the Unsigned or Small Independent Label based Shoegaze, DreamPop, PostPunk, PostRock & PsychRock genre’s of music from all over the globe & reviewing them for this blog – The Primal Music Blog. He is also a contributing writer for The Sound Of Confusion. His other arm – Primal Radio – has gained considerable respect from bands and promoters alike since its conception in 2013 & has hepled him in actively promoting a genre of music that he is passionate about. Hailing from Dublin, Ireland, he is a keen Vinyl Collector, Tattoo Fan & all round good guy! He is a self confessed music freak & is never far away from a studio console or a turntable.

EP REVIEW | Maheekats – Songs From The Woods.

ARTIST: Maheekats

RELEASE: Songs From The Woods

RELEASE DATE: 26/05/16

RECORD COMPANY: Unsigned

What do you get when you mix smooth soundscapes with rock’n’roll, hush with loudness or hypnosis with high flying vocals? ‘Songs from the Woods’ is what you get. This mini album/EP from dream rock duo The Maheekats seeks to remind the listener of the past, while evoking originality and something altogether interesting…  And it does so over the course of six dream inspired, folk-impinged rock and pop tracks.

READ ON –

 

The EP begins with the song ‘Lady in Space’, that begins with ethereal alternative guitars and the comfortable tap of the drums in the background, until the fantastic and hypnotic vocals enter the mix, giving the song a distant folk sound that mixes in brilliantly with the dream rock fused bass, thick and heavy. The song seeps ‘The Stone Roses’, in lyrical quality (see ‘Waterfall’) and with a similar production technique (except Maheekats production sounds much fuller). The chorus, which backs off on the instrumentation to allow for the catchy lyrics, is a warm and enjoyable creation. However, with the immense lyrical quality of some songs, ‘Lady in Space’ wavers between interesting and boring each listen. Its chorus and simple instrumentation (beside the fantastic bass) don’t allow it to stand out from 90’s alternative rock radio hits with the exact same style of writing, and ultimately the song sounds timid and tiresome. This song is followed by the refreshing and dreamy ‘Shotgun’ which sounds influenced by the Kate Bush styled art-pop that Maheekats blend together with greater and more experimental instrumentation. The vocals featured in the chorus are phenomenal, especially when they reach and grab the trance-evoking high notes that are underpinned with a brilliant array of horns. The song then introduces a breezy, shoegaze filtered synth line which finally mixes into the songs brilliant collage of horns, vocals, drum, bass, guitar, keyboards and more. ‘Shotgun’ displays all the greatest elements of Maheekats diverse and layered song writing skills, along with lyrics and a denser production style that allow the song to project itself beautifully. 

‘Starry Ocean’ is a fantastic post-rock, piano centred interlude… Simple, soothing, imagery evoking brilliance. The genius touches of smaller sounds (pads, strings) allow the piano to serve as both a background and foreground instrument for the listener, rather than an average and stock standard interlude or instrumental album fillers. The Pretenders influenced ‘Without Horizons’ acts as the EP’s biggest step into straight-forward alternative rock, not that’s a bad thing. The riffs featured on the song once again highlight the wide and talented vocals of Maheekats and the quality of the production (and mixing) are of a fantastic quality. The greatest element of ‘Without Horizons’ is that it features some of the EP’s most well-written lyrics. These lyrics read as poetry and arise as the songs ultimate feature after each listen. Musically it sounds like a seventies inspired heavy rock song but practices a subtle hint of nineties era alternative/garage musical expansion which propels it to be greater after reading (or in this case listening) into it.

The epic ‘Eureka’ follows, constructed at around seven minutes and featuring all the musical adventures that the band has embarked on across ‘Songs from the Woods’. ‘Eureka’ begins entrancingly intelligent, with soft sung vocals and basic instrumentation that feeds the listener the dreamy, poetic lyrics on a golden plate. The song then eases into a bizarre exercise in drum bashing and the lyrics roll out into ‘The weight of the world is in hand’ sung over and over… The brilliant guitars follow, but the lyrics don’t… Instead turning into a tongue in cheek Celtic influenced folk-dance underpinned with… Um, animal noises? Or something? I don’t know. Then the song continues with an interesting bassline which is slowly drowned out with cymbal rape (is there a reason we can only hear cymbals?) before the guitars and other instruments return to evolve the song into an interesting and engaging piece of music. The outro to ‘Eureka’ finally does the entrancing vocals justice, and uses them as an instrument rather than another mere feature. In fact, on the outro to the song, the Maheekats manage to mix all the instruments together to create a soothing and interesting piece of music, reminiscent but much more epic than on ‘Shotgun’ which saves the song and reminds the listener of the high quality of song writing they are listening to.

After listening to ‘Songs from the Woods’ I was confused, with what opinion? On one hand, elements of the EP shone through brilliantly and tied everything together to create a musical beast worth listening to over and over. But on the other hand I wondered, sincerely, about a few features on the album. For one, ‘Lady in Space’ became more and more generic after listening to the EPs other tracks, displaying the professional and engaging level of song writing on the other tracks but in turn doing the band (and ‘Lady in Space’) no favours. The instrumental interlude ‘Starry Ocean’ was fantastic… So fantastic that it was more enjoyable than ‘Without Horizons’ (which has its own merits), which somehow (while being enjoyable in its own right) bought the level of song writing back to near the same area as ‘Lady in Space’. And while ‘Eureka’ eventually highlighted and presented an extravagant piece of song writing and music, the middle section was completely baffling with its instrumentation, mixing and interpretation.

Let’s get one thing straight…  ‘Songs from the Woods’ features next to no post-punk, dream pop, shoegaze or hugely experimental music and at times the EP even seems far from the bands self-dubbed dream rock status. There is nothing wrong with that, however listeners seeking out these things should instead know that ‘Songs from the Woods’ is fluent with art pop, folk rock and even underpinned with large amounts of Celtic and Irish music in some songs. Altogether the band resemble Kate Bush more than any other artist; occasionally they dabble their toes in heavier rock, but ultimately the vocals direct the music into a style most reminiscent of Bush’s. And much like (but superior to) Kate Bush’s bizarre 00’s albums, ‘Songs from the Woods’ seems like a representation of a band obtusely seeking effort and thus creating something unchallenging, in patches greatly uninteresting and generic.

But this mini album is also greatly enjoyable, features brilliant performances and production and ultimately attributes top quality song writing within. On tracks like the outro to ‘Eureka’, ‘Shotgun’, the post-rock inspired ‘Starry Ocean’ and the riffs on ‘Without Horizons’ the band highlight beautiful and engaging soundscapes and construction, achieved through mixing, production, performance and sound.

3.5 / 5

LINKS:

maheekats.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/maheekats

twitter.com/maheekats

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cam Phillips is a writer and above all, a music lover, who seeks to gain experience through writing and listening. He is also an avid film viewer and art and literature junkie who enjoys creative writing. His most recent published work was featured on the Australian heavy music blog, I Probably Hate Your Band.

NEW VIDEO PREMIERE | Lazy Legs – Crush.

Chicago based dreamy shoegazing trio ‘Lazy Legs’ have just released a brand new video to accompany their latest single, entitled ‘Crush’, lifted off their recently released debut album – ‘VISIONDEATH!’ The album was released via the micro tape label ‘Wild Patterns’ back on the 15th July 2016 & it is available to buy/download right now from: lazylegs.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

‘Crush’ unfurls its musical tendrils by gracefully gliding in on a layered wall of reverb laden guitars & steadying percussion. It then leads us into that beautifully executed verse, ethereally rippled by gorgeous vocalisations before exploding into its chorus parts and magnifying the collective hazy frequencies to blistering effect! This is another blissful single from a band who can do no wrong right now. Plus, the accompanying video is sure to bring a smile to all of you dog lovers out there! 

Recommended!

LINKS:

facebook.com/lazylegsband

lazylegs.bandcamp.com

twitter.com/WildPatterns

twitter.com/lazylegsband

NEW SINGLE PREMIERE | Zeit – Wonder.

Swedish based post-gazers ‘Zeit’ have returned with a fantastic new single entitled ‘Wonder’ and it follows on from their stunning 2015 single release ‘Your Eyes’. The band have been mesmerising the underground fraternity with a blistering mix of layered shoegaze laden soundscapes intertwined with post-punk drive and overloaded with impressive melody driven vocal lines. ‘Wonder’ is available to buy/download right now from: zeit.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

 

‘Wonder’ swoons on layers of golden hued reverberating guitar lines, subtle bass frequencies and beautifully articulated vocal progressions that are chocked full of glorious atmosphere & inthralling melody! This is a magnificent return to form by a band at the very peak of the shoegaze wave!

Recommended! 

LINKS: 

zeit.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/zeitmusic

twitter.com/zeitband

NEW SINGLE PREMIERE | The Orange Kyte – The Lone Rooster.

Canadian based psychedelic explorers ‘The Orange Kyte’ have returned with another immense new single entitled ‘The Lone Rooster’. This latest single see’s the band continuing on with their musical manifesto of releasing one new track per month in varying sonic shapes & sizes and it is the follow up single to the mesmerising ‘International Caveman’. The band are made up of ‘Vancouver based but Dublin born’, Stevie Moonboots & a revolving door of likeminded musicians with players on this latest single track listed as: Bass, Acoustic Guitars & Vocals by Stevie Moonboots,  Synths, Electric Guitars & Tambourine by Robbie Brady (Exploding Eyes) & Drums by Dave Mulvaney.  ‘The Lone Rooster’ is available to buy/download right now from: theorangekyte.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

 

‘The Lone Rooster’ humbly begins on sequenced percussive hits and a wonderfully melodic acoustic guitar progression before the vocals swirl into earshot and instantly hook you into a meandering groove.  True to form though, ‘The Orange Kyte’ majestically launch into a stunning layered psychedelic extravaganza, reminiscent at times to ‘The Dandy Warhols & Brian Jonestown Massacre’! 

A bloody masterpiece! 

LINKS:

facebook.com/theorangekyte

twitter.com/theorangekyte

theorangekyte.com

NEW VIDEO PREMIERE | Blackfawn – Hopes & Dreams.

Berlin based psychedelic noise/goth duo ‘Blackfawn’ have just announced a brand new single & accompanying video entitled ‘Hopes & Dreams’. The band are made of Alexandra & Daniel and they began life nestled within the underground alternative music scene in Malta before the two decided to move to Berlin. ‘Hopes & Dreams’ is the bands second single and it follows on from February’s stunning debut release ‘Generations 14’. It is available to buy/download right now from: blackfawnproject.bandcamp.com

READ ON –

‘Hopes & Dreams’ shuffles on minimalistic sequenced drum patterns and a repetitive glitchy guitar line as hypnotic synth swells & throbbing bass frequencies meander menacingly in and out of earshot, carefully buffering that majestic vocal attack! The accompanying video is simply mesmerising! As it gently pulls you into Blackfawn’s golden hued, psych induced underground world. 

Recommended listening!

LINKS:

blackfawn.org

blackfawnproject.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/blackfawnproject

soundcloud.com/blackfawn