Relay - Still Point of Turning...

I heard Still Point of Turning last night by Relay and it got me thinking that I should probably say a few words about it on here. Relay is the project of studio engineer/musician Jeff Zeigler who has done work with the Swirlies in the past. By stepping out and doing his own thing, Zeigler and his band Relay have created a pretty strong debut full-length that will undoubtedly please listeners of the dreamy shoegaze crowd.

On Still Point of Turning the group doesn’t necessarily rely on droning guitar fuzz for drastically long periods time, rather they focus more so on melodies, driving guitar rhythms, and a high level of synth to move their songs along. The synthesizer in particular caught my attention as it’s more of a driving force on the album than one would probably expect. It also contains a bit of a distinct sound to it that manages to help set the album apart from anything else I’ve heard this year. Although I do wish some songs were a bit longer, in retrospect it’s probably better that everything is kept within a fairly tight timeframe. It does everything one could hope for in less than forty minutes and will not run the risk of losing anyone’s attention thanks in part to some terrific pop songwriting and undeniably catchy melodies.

Relay – New Domestic Landscape [MP3]
Relay – Context [MP3]

For those that like what they hear, you can head on over to the bands MySpace to purchase Still Point of Turning.