Archive for the ‘Psychedelic’ Category

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

School of Seven Bells

School of Seven BallsArtist: School of Seven Bells

Hails from: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Electronic, Pop, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Secret Machines, Blodne Redhead, Cocteau Twins

Why you should check them out:

School of Seven Bells is a chameleonic tapestry of darkly themed, futuristic electro pop. The trio helms otherworldly beats and fantastical melodies to create a distinct and mysterious mythos all their own.

Background check:

Guitarist Ben Curtis first met the Deheza twins, Claudia and Alejandra, while all three were on tour, Curtis in the Secret Machines, the sisters in On! Air! Library!  After a late night program about the mythical School of Seven Bells pickpocket academy in South America, the name inspired Curtis and the Deheza’s to eventually drop their current projects and hole up in a shared space to pursue SVIIB full time. After touring with Blonde Redhead and releasing the single “My Cabal” the trio came out with their acclaimed debut LP, Alpinisms, in 2008.

 
The music of SVIIB is a soaring assortment of Curtis’ understated shoegaze effects rooting the Deheza sisters’ electronic indie pop. The trio have an unusual writing process that begins with lyrics and is formed around the themes singer Alejandra conjures up. Often cryptic to outsiders, the group insists their songs are not mysteries to be solved, but rather to be simply experienced. And, indeed Alpinisms is like an album from a foreign world, often a swirling myriad of moods and states of mind. The group can keep things vibrant while the sweetly harmonized vocals swell and break against the music in a dramatic fashion, and  tone down the tempo to realize a more Eastern approach to songwriting without ever becoming the new age cliche.
 
As a group, SVIIB is completely different from what the members were pursuing before, yet this incantation serves the three perfectly. The Deheza’s sound like they were made for this kind of lush, dreamy pop, and the guitars and effects provided by Curtis are pitch perfect. All together, School of Seven Bells is a sprawling and hypnotic journey into a dream world of the highest caliber.

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

Wikipedia

MySpace

On Tour: 

JamBase

 

 

Posted in Electronic, Indie Pop, Psychedelic | No Comments »

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Woods

WoodsArtist: Woods

Hails From: Brooklyn, NY

Musical Style: Indie, Folk, Psychedelic

For Fans of: Pavement, Neil Young, Bon Iver

 

Why you should check them out:

Like a ghost in the machine, Woods make haunting campfire songs complete with outdoor recordings and eerily falsetto harmonies. This experimental outfit from the boys who brought you the label Fuck It Tapes marks an earnest and quietly arresting collection of folk freak outs and acid tinged lullabies. Their latest, Songs of Shame, is the most versatile and eclectic album of this band’s tenure, and an accessible gateway to their weighty ambiance.

Background Check:

One of the definite perks of living with an avid record collector is the continual influx of weekly 12″ boxes brimming with everything from the familiar to the most obscure albums imaginable. On one of my all too familiar “Who are we listening to?” inquiries two years back while listening to the song “All About Kitty”, my then roommate proceeded to enlighten me to the stylings of Brooklyn based duo Woods. And while their folksy tribute to cats made me ask, it was  their straightforward folk melodies that kept me coming back for more.
 
The real appeal of Woods lies within their casual approach to songwriting, and their apparent complete lack of pretension. Woods’ tracks may standout as the epitome of lo-fi, but the songs are steady and sturdy, reeling you in with their layered falsetto’s and near grunge edge. Formed by Jeremy Earl and Christian DeRoeck while performing in their primary band Meneguar, Woods released their first full length At Rear House in 2007 followed by How to Survive that same year. Countless shows as both Woods and Meneguar later, the duo has now expanded to four, completing the lineup for their newest and fullest release to date in Songs of Shame. With their new album retaining the characteristic lo-fi qualities embedded in all of their releases, I can safely say that their live shows sound even better, if only due to the enhanced sound equipment and lack of forest settings. 

Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

MySpace

Fuck it Tapes

On Tour:

JamBase
 

Posted in Alternative, Alternative/Indie Rock, Folk, Folk Rock, Indie Rock, Psychedelic | No Comments »

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Sleepy Sun

sleepy sunArtist: Sleepy Sun

Hails From: San Francisco, CA

Musical Style: Psychedelic, Rock

For Fans of: Black Sabbath, Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow, Black Mountain, Led Zepplin

 

Why you should check them out:

Riding forth with their battle cry of “Let’s Get Weird,” this San Francisco by-way-of-Santa Cruz sextet is like a psychedelic sunrise dappling the ears and minds of the willing masses with their sonic vibrations.

Background Check:

Sleepy Sun’s music is a bridge to summer. Their tunes make you want to shake off winter’s coat, grab a few loved ones and a few beverages of your choice, and lay out on a blanket at the fairgrounds to watch this freak-out troupe take the stage. Comprised of a right-on rhythm section and featuring guitar pyrotechnics that oscillate between Spiritualized drone and Black Sabbath riffage, the band’s singers are dueling shamans: Rachel Williams is one wild woman possessed in ecstatic reverie, totally one with the proceedings; and Bret Constantino is the lysergic high priest looking and sounding every bit the love child of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. It’s easy to imagine yourself kicking back and letting the Sleepy Sun experience wash over you and your environs.

 

The band’s compositions are alternately mesmerizing and shredding, utilizing waves of sound to great effect. Their 2008 release, Embrace, caught the ears of more than a few critics and began to wend its way through the underground. This is psychedelic music for the new century, and the group—whose power derives from the sum of its rocking parts—seems poised to take an already impressive oeuvre to the next level. So grab a cold one and some friends and head on into summer with Sleepy Sun as part of your playlist. While you’re at it, be sure to join in with your neighbors in chanting a hearty “Let’s Get Weird.” 

 Where you can find them in Cyberspace:

Sleepy Sun Website

MySpace page

On Tour:

JamBase

 

Posted in Psychedelic, Rock | No Comments »

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