Artigos com o marcador dream pop
Brittle Stars – Brittle Stars (2000)
21/08/10
Even though the Brittle Stars hail from Florida, their sophisticated, seductive dream-pop is imported directly from Europe.Their full-length debut focuses on a hybrid of keyboard-soaked elegance and a gentle flow of lighthearted guitars. With Estelle‘s contribution of heavenly vocals, the quartet takes an influential bow toward the likes of Stereolab and Lush. ~ Mike DaRonco, AMG
My Rate: 9.8/10
Áudio de “Four Words”
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Orchids – Unholy Soul (1991)
23/06/10
ALLMUSIC The Orchids’ second full-length release — first if you count Lyceum as just an EP, admittedly –Unholy Soul is one of those albums that, hearing it for the first time, just makes you wonder where the band has been all this time. If Striving for the Lazy Perfection was their pinnacle, Unholy Soul is more than simply a lead up to it, 12 songs of emotional wit, sparkling U.K. indie pop arrangements spiked with a variety of electronic elements and a killer touch in James Hackett‘s vocals. While as seemingly drowsy as that of so many contemporary shoegazers — something that the band’s arrangements often parallel as well, though the Orchids favor a richness of texture over feedback overdrive and lots of digital delay – Hackett‘s understatement isn’t precious fragility but rumination, the voice of someone thinking things over in his head who occasionally finds courage to speak. So the impact of a song like “Bringing You the Love” relies on how gently but winningly he sings, especially on the chorus, over the low-key lope of the arrangement, snapping one’s fingers and skipping down the lane. That his singing and the band’s playing so perfectly match song for song makes for one treat after another — the gentle melancholy of “Long Drawn Sunday Night,” the proto-trip-hop-meets-ringing-guitars of “Waiting for the Storm.” Meanwhile, the soulful singing of Pauline Hynds on three songs, including the stellar, techno-driven “The Sadness of Sex, Pt. 1,” provides a contrast for Hackett without overriding him, a beautiful combination over beautiful music — even while the band indulges in a bit of silly humor with the cartoon-sampling “Moon Lullaby.” ~ Ned Raggett
My Rate: 9.8/10
Áudio de “Me And The Black And White Dream”
The Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth (2010)
30/05/10
PREFIX Although two of this band’s members broke through with their work in blog-faves the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the Depreciation Guild was their first project. And, while it wasn’t as instantly successful as Pains, the Depreciation Guild’s free debut, In Her Gentle Jaws, gained the love of plenty of critics. The reason why was clear: These were guys bringing back the ’80s/early ’90s shoegaze era with a heavy dose of chiptune. Think of it as your favorite Nintendo game’s soundtrack mixed with fuzzy guitars and lovelorn vocals. Spirit Youth is the Depreciation Guild’s sophomore album, and it follows the group’s style closely while reaching out to a new audience with even bigger hooks and poppier inflections. [by Andrew Martin]
My Rate: 8.5/10
Vídeo de “Dream About Me”
Wild Nothing – Gemini (2010)
30/05/10
CAPTURED TRACKS Wild Nothing, is the solo-project of Jack Tatum whose music is inspired by a longtime love affair with nostalgia. His debut full length album, “Gemini”, coming out on Captured Tracks, is full of dreamy, carefree synth-pop songs that linger with an inexplicable sense of regret. Prior to embarking on this recent solo-project Tatum sang and played guitar with the Abe Vigodaish tropical punk band Facepaint and the singer/songwriter project Jack and The Whale. In the summer of 2009 The Virginia tech-college student decided to embark on his first creative-solo project playing bass, guitar, synthesizer and drums while recording in his home-studio. He soon emerged with a unique brand of dreamy pop-songs influenced by bands like, My Bloody Valentine, Shop Assistants, Go-Betweens and Cocteau Twins.
Equal parts teenage wasteland and inexplicable regret, his songs are the kind that could only be made by the young at heart. Unlike the current herd of one-man bedroom bands, Tatum creates complex textural environments that aim for something higher. Melodies that yearn to stay with you. Warped interpretations of Johnny Marr’s guitar work and The Cure’s careful synth arrangements. Dreamy, catchy, and intriguing. Here’s to missing your youth.
My Rate: 8/10
Vídeo de “Chinatown”
Fonda – Catching Up To The Future (2003)
29/05/10
ALLMUSIC Fonda’s third album, Catching Up to the Future, is also their best and most realized record yet. Although it was recorded in bits and pieces, often by one member at a time, the album amazingly sounds like the work of a quintet playing together in the studio. The sound is mostly sunny guitar pop with the occasional cloudy ballad thrown in for balance. Vocalist Emily Cook has a rich style reminiscent of classic indie pop singers like Amelia Fletcher of Heavenly and Miki Berenyi of Lush. In fact, the band’s sound is also very musically similar to Lush and other bands of the early-’90s shoegaze/alternative scene (Catherine Wheel, Ride, House of Love): a wall of gauzy guitars, vintage synths and organs, layered vocal harmonies, insistent but not up-front drums. Anyone who is nostalgic for that sound should find Fonda to be a soothing balm. Soothing but not exciting, pleasant but not essential, Fonda’s music is much like that of their guitarist/producer David Newton‘s former band, the Mighty Lemon Drops. Sounds great, less filling. They never came up with the songs to really make their sound come alive. Same with Fonda. Their songs pass by in a blur of similarity and amiability, making for fine background music but never doing much to engage the listener or make them drop everything and really listen. It could be a lot worse, and pleasant isn’t all that bad a thing to be, but there are just so many bands out there playing with passion and imagination that it is hard to imagine anyone listening to Catching Up to the Future more than once. [by Tim Sendra]
My Rate: 7/10
Vídeo de “Surrender” (Live)
