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.
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.
Indonesian based dreamy shoegazing five piece‘Heals’ have unleashed their second immense single & its accompanying video entitled ‘Myselves’ via the very impressive Indonesian based independent record label FFWD Records. The band are due to float their debut album this October and we’re eagerly awaiting its release. ‘Myselves’ is available to buy/download right now via iTunes
‘Myselves’is a driving melodic ball of gloriously addictive golden frequencies that melodically skip through reverberating instrumentation and soaring layered vocal lines. This is recommended listening from a band who deserve your attention!
Experimental Los Angeles based dreamy psych-pop trio‘Mind Monogram’ released their latest five track EP entitled ‘Mäus’ to the masses back on the 22nd April 2016. Their sound traverses dizzyingly melodic dream pop highs but has its roots firmly grounded within a reverb induced psych-pop stew and collectively they create swirling soundscapes that hang suspended within a shimmering sonic maelstrom! Now the band have unleashed ‘Howls’,the latest single to be pinched from the aforementioned EP, along with a stunning brand new accompanying video!
‘Howls’ floats on a wave of shimmering frequencies and gloriously golden sonic swells before exploding into its tumbling verses with relative ease as that stunning instrumentation takes centre stage allowing the track to loop and arc with reckless abandon! The vocals soar as the hypnotic bass lines throb making Mind Monogram the ones to watch going forward!
Milan based dream-gazing electronica outfit ‘Novanta’ AKA Manfredi Lamartina creates a wide range of stunningly beautiful and elegant alternative electronic soundscapes that paint a shimmering picture of a band who are fully pledged to their art form. Their sound swims within an electronic sea whilst being battered by shimmering shoegazing flurries & stunning swathes of blissful dream pop.Novanta are on the verge of releasing their latest full length album entitled ‘Hello We’re Not Enemies’ via the Palermo based independent record label ‘Seashell Records’ and we caught up with Manfredi and asked him a few questions about his musical influences, his latest album, the obligatory tech question and future plans. Check it out:
ML:Hey there! I’m an italian musician. I’m from Palermo, Sicily, but I’ve been living in Milan for almost a decade. I played with a lot of different bands. In 1997 (oh my god) I started my first band, called 2Young2Die (in my previous album, “Best-Selling Dreams”, there’s a song dedicated to that period of my life, called “2Young2Die”). At that time I was a big fan of the alternative scene: Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Bush. I loved My Blood Valentine too, thanks to the Pumpkins, but “Loveless” was too difficult to play for me! Nirvana songs are easier – you just have to play them louder and louder, telling everyone you hate the world. I started as a singer – not a good one, indeed, it was like I was screaming my lungs out – then I started playing bass and guitar. I started as a Gibson fan, with fat distortions: I played noise, stoner, post-metal. Then I moved to Fender, with a band called Moque. Our album, “Luna appesa con lo scotch”, was released in 2007: radio-friendly pop songs with bastard noise rock arrangements. Finally I went to Milan, where I started my solo project Novanta. “Hello We’re Not Enemies” is my new album.
ML: Novanta pays a huge debit to the Nineties shoegaze, slowcore and post rock bands, like Slowdive, Red House Painters and Mogwai, to name a few. German indietronica (especially Lali Puna and Notwist) represents another big influence, as well as artists like Nathan Fake, The Radio Dept, Giardini di Mirò, M83 and The Album Leaf.
ML: Two different experiences. It’s amazing to see how your songs grow up in a studio, while it’s amazing to change the structure of the songs and give them a brand new life on stage.
ML: The very first song I wrote was a crazy electronic track with fat synths and fatter drum machines: something like Prodigy, Nine Inch Nails and Lali Puna, all together. Pretty awkward. Then I went to Iceland, where I spent time traveling all around the country. I recorded some rough ideas with my iPad, ambient music mostly. Back to Italy I started to work very hard on that music and I tried to push further towards those Icelandic sounds. An example? That awkward song I told you before has become “Melted Eyes”. I think this album is a little less dark than “Best-Selling Dreams”. And I think it’s an evolution, thanks to the collaboration of these talented artists: In Every Dream A Nightmare Waits, Claudio Cataldi, Bialogard, Il ragazzo del Novantanove, Raniero Federico Neri (singer of the italian band Albedo) and Haas. You should listen to them: they’re all awesome.
ML: Well, it’s not easy to answer. The direction of this album was not planned, it has been a natural consequence of my experiences. Basically I was trying to follow a path that drove me one or two steps forward “Best-Selling Dreams”. But I didn’t plan to use more synths or more guitars. I just was looking for some good songs: a new album means that you have something more to say, otherwise no one would bother listening to you. It’s all about evolution: don’t forget about your musical roots, but let’s see what’s going next.By the way, Claudio Cataldi thinks “Hello We’re Not Enemies” is a perfect summer album: well, maybe a rainy summer album!
ML: I knew a beautiful sicilian homemade label called Woolshop Productions.Claudio Cataldi and Giampiero Riggio (aka Haas) were two of the artists of the roster. I loved their music, so it was been very easy to get in touch with them. Our first collaboration has been the Pluviôse compilation, released in 2014. I like the Seashell discography: in my opinion “Between the surface and the sun” by In Every Dream A Nightmare Waits is one of the best album I’ve ever heard.
ML:Shameless Promotion is helping me a lot, thanks to Shauna McLarnon (the ultra-talented Ummagma singer). She knows everything about this new shoegazing scene, and she loves to create connections between bands from all over the world. And I think this is the true strength of the new dream pop wave: it’s a strong community, with a beautiful taste in music. And people like McLarnon can really help the whole scene to increase its popularity.
ML: I’m still planning an Italian tour this fall. I’m working on a new live set, with a more shoegazing impact and a lot of distortions. We’ll make your ears bleed!
ML:I’d like to thank Primal Music for supporting independent music, it means a lot to all these bands, including Novanta of course. So keep up the good work!
PM:Thank you so much for the kind words Manfredi. We wish you all the best with the forthcoming release. RESPECT!
The sound of your summer is sorted, thanks to the arrival of Ultra Material’s debut LP, Double Date. Released just as spring finally arrived in the UK, this is a big record from the Brisbane-based band – in its ambition, accomplishment and scale. It sounds fantastic – each element of this sometimes densely-layered creation is clear, reverberating in its own space. In this genre, that’s quite an achievement and it certainly help set it apart. But, it’s the quirks that really make this one stick in the parietal lobe.
The tightly-timed female incantation on opener Eraser, the tricksy riffage of Art Show (doffing my cap to drummer Matt here), the total rushing joy of Crashall signal that this is gaze on a higher plane.Drop seems to have an otherworldy choir providing the beautiful bedrock. Always avoiding the obvious, Sarah swoons through a vocal melody that veers off into minor keys here are and there. The bass starts off as the star in Summit, the centrepiece of the record. But before long, the guitars, shimmering cymbals and atmospheric synths sounds pile up like layers and layers of sparkly quartz to create a huge track, one worthy of a name referencing mountains. But that’s just the start – the tone darkens, the propulsion increases, and that vocal melody. It’s a stomach flipping combination.
We first hear a male voice on Nothing is Lost, adding an interesting new texture. Drowned in reverb, the track emanates an unspecified melancholy, but maintains momentum with a super-fuzzy lead guitar line pushing it all along. Heat takes its time to reveal itself, a hazy vision. The drums open, pounding and insistent. The guitar is floaty and spare, the delayed vocals disorientate dreamily. Pleased to Meet You(which also features on last year’s EP)is where we hear the influences of past shoegazers most powerfully. But as we’ve now come to expect, those MBV-esque sounds are slowed, warped and shaped into something else. Something Ultra Material.
In her time, Sarah Cuthbert-Kerr has attended raves and rock clubs. She enjoys pedals, pizza and spy dramas. Sarah also plays guitar in Edinburgh-based noisemakers Wozniak and is co-founder of Morningside Young Teamwho put on gigs and put out records for discerning audiences who enjoy fuzz and confusion.
‘Anywhere But Here’glides on a beautiful wave of shimmering golden frequencies as its stunning reverberating instrumentation circumnavigates that impressive vocal progression. There’s a dreamy ethereal glow emanating from the entire piece as ripple after ripple of beautiful sound waves wash over the listener leaving them dumbfounded. This is music!
Indonesian based dreamy shoegazing five piece ‘Heals’ have just re-released their immense single entitled ‘Wave’ on cassette to celebrate Indonesian record store day. The very limited run (100) cassette release also comes with a previously unreleased track entitled ‘Myselves’ and you still might be able to get your hands on a copy if you beg the guys over at www.ffwdrecords.com
‘Wave’swoons and floats on beautifully emotive golden frequencies as it soars into the musical ether. Its duel vocal rides on layers of reverberating guitars and melody driven lead licks and it explodes into its chorus progressions on an intense wave of shimmering brilliance. This track is simply stunning and is most definitely recommended listening from us here at Primal Music.
Experimental Los Angeles based dream-pop trio ‘Mind Monogram’ release their latest impressive five track EP entitled ‘Mäus’ to the masses on the 22nd April 2016. With a sound that traverses dizzyingly melodic dream pop highs but has its roots firmly grounded within a reverb induced psych-pop stew, ‘Mind Monogram’ create stunningly blissful soundscapes that swirl in suspended sonic animation. The band got together in 2014 & are made up of Edgar A. Ruiz – Vocals & Guitar, Christian Caro – Guitar, Richard Delgado – Bass & Bryan Mejia – Drums.
Track one,‘Mäus’ opens up proceedings swirling within a beautiful shimmering cacophony of reverb drenched vocal’s and golden hued frequencies before we’re treated to its shuffling drum patterns and addictive streamlined guitar lines. Its stunning vocals effortlessly meander between the instrumentation as the track tumbles along its melodic axis making this a thoroughly enjoyable jumping off point for those of you who are new to the band. Up Next, ‘Between The Lines’ drives a psych induced wedge into the musical ether as it’s pounding drums and brilliantly executed bass lines keep everything grounded allowing for the fuzzy but powerful guitars to expertly escort that reverberating vocal line into the heavens with aplomb. The muggy opening bars of ‘Howls’ enters the musical arena as we float on a wave of stunning frequencies and gloriously explosive sonic swells. This track explodes into its tumbling verses with relative ease as the instrumentation takes centre stage, looping and arcing with reckless abandon. The EP’s penultimate track is called ‘Friend’. I just love how ‘Mind Monogram’ can inject a 60’s sounding psych vibe into what is a very modern dream-pop structure to create a massive experimental sound.‘Friend’ cruises like a steam train, pushing the musical envelope and shaking easily through its sonic gears. It’s a brilliantly executed slice of psych-pop and possibly my favourite track on this entire release.
The EP’s closing piece is the wonderful ‘Weeping Willow’. This track floats within layers of stunning reverberation as those impressive melodic vocal lines straddle that shuffling drum pattern, addictive bass frequencies and those swirling, jangling guitars. There’s a heady mix of reverb induced psychedelia & stunning melodic dream-pop swirling within the musical ether as this track lifts the listener up and carefully brings you with it on a journey of immense sonic discovery. Recommended listening as far as I’m concerned and a fitting ending to a what is a stunning EP.
Del Chaney has spent the last three 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, 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.
Canadian/Ukrainian electronic dream-pop duo Ummagma have unleashed a brand new single & accompanying video entitled ‘Galacticon’ lifted from their recently released, via Moon Sounds Records, eight track EP ‘Frequency’.
Ummagma consists of Shauna McLarnon, who hails from Canada’s Yukon & Alexander Kretov who is from Ukraine. Since bursting onto the music scene in 2012, they have made a significant impact on the musical underground. Their potent combination of uplifting & melancholic textured dreampop, shoegaze, postpunk, ambient and electronica rapidly gained them a sizeable international following despite the numerous issues they faced living between Canada & Ukraine. ‘Frequency’ follows the band’s two debut LPs, the mesmerising ‘Antigravity’ & the brilliant ‘Ummagma’which were simultaneously released in 2012 & it represents a slight departure from the first two albums, which whisked the listener through the romanticism of first meetings, big love, adventures abroad and optimistic dreaming through to the realities of birth, loss, death and departure. In contrast, ‘Frequency’ explores such themes as space and distance, timelessness, escapism, and the search for tranquility.
‘Galacticon’ showcases Ummagma’s immense ambient leanings as spacious swathes of sonic reverberation & melodic synth swells are expertly supplemented with atmospheric samples and beautiful cascading golden hued frequencies. The accompanying video instills warmth as the band takes you on an ariel view, close overhead some brilliant places, including the historic middle-ages town of Kremenets (in Western Ukraine) with it’s landmark Bona castle ruins and breathtaking landscape.
Hailing from Topanga, California‘Sun Colony’ are a collective of musicians that includes former members of Brooklyn based shoegaze bands Stargazer Lilies, Soren Well & Telltale. Collectively they create something completely different sounding to whats around today and their stunning sonic soundscapes permeate through layers of beautifully melodic, hazy shoegaze but there are also subtle hints of driving post-punk & soaring dream pop.
‘These Minds’ floats into the sonic ether on a wave of shimmering guitars before finding drums and throbbing baseline ushers in that intense vocal. The track heaves on shoegazing tectonics as it meanders its way into that stunning post-punk hued break before remerging back onto its chosen sonic course and on into to its immense finale. Simply stunning!
Recommended listening from a band who we will be keeping a close eye on this year!
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