Built on a Weak Spot

I guess it’s probably a good idea that I go ahead and say that Republic of Sadness is the first album from Gate in over ten years. It’s an interesting record to get to talk about just for that reason alone really, as it’s been awhile since I’ve busted out a Gate record. Since it’s been some time between records, this may very well be the first Gate record some hear. So to get some background information out of the way, Gate is in fact the alias/side project for Dead C member Michael Morley. On older Gate records it was a bit safe to assume you were going to get some similar Dead C style noise improvisations but with Republic of Sadness things apparently change over ten plus years.

From the start Republic of Sadness presents itself to be a much heavier electronic based album than ever before. The white noise effect of guitar drone/distortion is almost nonexistent or completely gone for that matter in favor big electronic beats and trance like ambient flavorings. The first two tracks “Forever” and “All” are very much in this style and do a rather nice job building upon the given loops. The rather jolting element to these songs though are Morley’s vocals, which to some may either take you out of the trance-like state at which these songs seem to be driving the listener towards or his voice simply becomes part of the rather unique textures of sound at play here. Granted, Morley’s vocals work on variations of abrasiveness, occasionally making them almost the complete focal point of the song. Other times it sounds as if he’s trying to talk into a mic that’s submerged in the bottom of a fish tank. It’s easy to become a bit out of sync with what is going on within the songs when Morley’s vocals kick in, depending on exactly how much of them are going to be heard. What I enjoy about it though is that it does create a sound to a degree that seems out of motion. As if everything in the world is surrounding Morley in a manner that is much quicker than his reaction…not phased but resigned to the rush of it all. It’s an interesting characteristic of the songs throughout the album. However, things change a bit about midway through the record with “Desert”, at least in terms to the more electronic textures. Suddenly things become a bit “dance” oriented with a looping beat that maybe encapsulates exactly what I mentioned previously. Again, it’s an approach that very well could divide listeners and long time fans. The second half of the album sort of trends towards some of the harsher elements that past Gate records are more commonly known for, however it’s the forceful manipulation of electronics here on a track like “Freak” rather than rumbling distortion.

After ten years, Morley has released something that I doubt could have been foreseen by many of his followers. It’s not necessarily drastically different, however it certainly is a change of pace for what has been come to be known of Gate. Is it Gate’s pop record? Possibly, but it’s a pop record that only Michael Morley would put together and that should be enough for people to check this out. If that’s not enough, well…you’re missing out on a rather good album.

Gate – Forever (stream)

For those wishing to pick up Republic of Sadness you can do so by heading over to Ba Da Bing! Records. Enjoy!

I’ll come right out and say that this may not be for everyone, especially those who frequent the blog in hopes of hearing the more abrasive/ugly side of things. Apologies if that’s the case, but I’ve had the newest album from The Depreciation Guild playing pretty consistently for the past couple weeks and I honestly can’t deny it space on here after enjoying it so much. That just wouldn’t be right. Anyway, before I ended up starting to type all of this I don’t think I’d ever heard anything described as “chiptune”. Apparently that has something to do with incorporating elements of video game styled music into your very own material. Had no idea, and especially didn’t realize that was part of Depreciation Guild’s deal, in which they use an old NES chip to dish out some of the sounds you hear sporadically throughout their new album Spirit Youth. Honestly whenever I was around my brother more often, who is a very diehard videogame player, I would always call the stuff he listened to “video game music”. Never knew there was a nifty little name for it. Now I can feel hip whenever I talk to him again I suppose.

Anyway, I originally stumbled upon these guys when I heard their single for “Dream About Me” on Kanine Records a year ago. At that time my impression was quite positive, with their highly energetic and upbeat brand of dream-pop. I mean this stuff could kill you with its “all smiles and sunshine” vibe and really Spirit Youth just amps that up another notch. The beginning 8-bit sounds of album opener “My Chariot” about had me turning it off from the instant I heard it, but once the chorus kicked in you could practically consider me a goner at that point as it had me completely hooked. Incredibly catchy and when you combine that with the sort of oddness/beauty in the area of some of those late 80’s & early 90’s dream-pop/shoegaze acts, then I’ll bite and probably bite hard. The Depreciation Guild pretty much pull all the punches here with track after track of upbeat sugary pop and it’s really really good. Even the Nintendo retro beat shit is used in a relatively unobtrusive way that, honestly, had I never ran across articles explaining the whole “scene” behind this I wouldn’t have even noticed or known. So I guess that’s a win. Anyway, I suggest checking this out if you’re into dream-pop/shoegaze type material.

The Depreciation Guild – Crucify You [MP3]

Anyone interested in picking this up can do so by heading over to Kanine Records. Definitely recommended if you’re enjoying the tune above, much more where that came from.

Been looking forward to the second solo outing from Keith Canisius for a couple months now, or at least since I found out it was coming out. Canisius, as some may remember, is part of the amazing Danish dream-pop/shoegaze group Rumskib. In fact their album was just recently featured in my top albums of the decade post, so to say these solo outings come with great expectations is an understatement.

Canisius’ first effort Ferris Wheel Makeout definitely didn’t disappoint when it was released last year, delivering more of the otherworldly dream-pop sounds and melodies that hooked me from the very beginning. Now, just a year later, he has returned with his latest album Waves once again through Quince Records. The record sees Canisius continue in the direction of heavy Cocteau Twins influence, but inching away from some of the more extreme twist and turns melodically while offering up a softer ambient side of things that dominates a number of tracks throughout the album. It’s great to be able to hear him take the already distinct sound that has graced the Rumskib album and his previous solo effort and continue to build upon it. The added textures give it a much smoother feel while still allowing Canisius to interject some of the more extravagant passages that has by this point become sort of a calling card and a mighty good one at that.

While my coverage of such music has certainly waned over the past year or so, and really I have no explanation why, Waves is the sort of album that continually reminds me with each track as to why I fell in love with this sort of music in the first place. Once again, Mr. Canisius has delivered another solid effort.

Keith Canisius – Waves [MP3]

For those interested in picking this up in the USA, it’s available through Tonevendor or Darla. If you’re in the UK Norman Records has you covered. If you like what you hear above, there is much more of it to be found on the album, so definitely pick it up if you’re enjoying it.

Coming out this Tuesday (EDIT: The album has been delayed until the beginning of February due to vinyl plant delays.) is the debut full-length from the electrogazers Screen Vinyl Image. Ever since hearing their first EP The Midnight Sun over a year or so ago the wait for a full-length has become increasingly hard. Thankfully that will all be alleviated this week when they release Interceptors. The album will come out on Safranin Sound & Custom Made Music. Anything that has been associated with Safranin thus far has been ace and Interceptors certainly continues that trend.

For those not familiar with Screen Vinyl Image, the band contains former members of shoegaze group Alcian Blue. Some of the members have also done work in Skywave and Ceremony. A lot of the darker atmospherics that were found in some of the aforementioned bands have certainly carried over to Screen Vinyl Image. Combine all of that with doses of harsh feedback that carry a very heavy psychedelic vibe and plenty of pop driven synth and you have a slight image of where the group is coming from. Interceptors easily makes good on the few releases that have come before it leaving no doubts that Screen Vinyl Image will certainly be a force for some time. Check it out.

Screen Vinyl Image – Fever [MP3]

For those interested in picking up Interceptors, it’s available for order right now through Safrinin Sound. Definitely pick this up if you enjoy what you hear.

This is an album I had no idea was even coming out. In fact I began seeing people mentioning that the new London Apartments album Signals & Cities Are Forever was freely available through the projects website and then it didn’t take long after that for me to jump all over this. It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to get a bit excited about anything in the good old fuzzy and dreamy realm. Not that this is really a full on blast of either, but it still manages to do the trick.

For those not familiar with London Apartments, it’s basically the project of Justin A. Langlois who has been putting together various singles under the moniker for a few years now. While definitely influenced by shoegaze and dream-pop bands of old, Langlois takes the sounds in a much more electronic direction. Sometimes this doesn’t always work for me, however Langlois has never disappointed me with his work as London Apartments and has proved himself time and time again that he can craft some truly beautiful tunes with this method. The vocals, especially here on Signals & Cities Are Forever, sort of remind me of the similar ultra breathy and high pitched vocals of Scott Cortez’s wonderful project Astrobrite.

The London Apartments – Satellites [MP3]

For anyone interested in the full album, it’s freely available through The London Apartments website in high quality mp3’s. I would definitely recommend giving it a go for fans of this type of deal. In the meantime, enjoy!

I wanted to write about Roma 79 and their latest album Praise the Divide earlier this year, but kind of felt like it would be a better idea if I waited until it was actually widely available. However, the album has been available through the Ascetic Records website for the past three or four months or so. Anyway, ever since I got my hands on it from Ascetic it’s been nestled somewhere near to the top of the list for one of my favorite records of the year and at this point I don’t see many chances of it getting knocked down that list as we near the end of the year.

I must say, Ascetic has had a very fine year delivering stellar albums from just about every one of the bands on their roster and Praise the Divide is definitely one of them. Like their last album The Great Dying that was released in 2005, Praise the Divide took a bit of time to really sink in. I think at first I was expecting more the driving rock that was featured on their debut and that was definitely the wrong approach to take with their latest. In fact, Praise the Divide is a considerably different album than their previous one when it comes down to it, relying much more heavily on synthesizers and vocal harmonies than the last as well as featuring a heavier progressive flourish. A lot of the tracks casually build into what often seems like a multitude of sounds and melodies displaying an added focus on details as opposed to relying on a giant riff here and there to drive the point home.

Although from San Francisco, you’d hardly know it by listening to them. The band, despite the significant change on this album, still very much has Midwestern influences running throughout their music. For some it may be a bit too much of a drastic change and the less rock oriented approach might leave some second guessing, which is completely understandable. I sort of had the same feeling at first, but with repeated listens Praise the Divide only gets better. The melodies within are undeniably some of the catchiest and soothing that I’ve heard on record in quite some time. It’s a large step forward in my opinion and probably makes them the most diverse band on Ascetic.

Roma 79 – Colorful Acts [MP3]

For those interested in picking up Praise the Divide then head on over to Ascetic Records. I definitely recommend it if the song above is sparking any sort of interest.

Back in 2006 NYC’s Soundpool completely came out of nowhere with their excellent debut On High, which was some sort of masterfully executed danceable shoegaze…at least that’s what I suppose it could be called. Wasting hardly any time the band have returned here in ’08 with their follow up Dichotomies & Dreamland released this past March through Aloft Records here in the US and through Quince in Japan.

While it’s hard to determine whether Dichotomies & Dreamland will change the minds of anyone that disliked the first record, I can say that fans of it will notice a few favorable changes here. The songs have been scaled back a bit from the full bore bouncy pop rhythms that were fluent throughout On High. Instead here we receive a much more ambient and mood driven version of Soundpool, loaded with textures, guitar effects, and a number of songs that are dictated by slow burning crumbles of feedback. Jumping between variations of the two easily works in their favor. The electronic side of the band has also taken on a greater importance, giving them a sound that resembles at times a sped up Bowery Electric or a fuzzier Boards of Canada or Broadcast.

Fans may not fully embrace Dichotomies & Dreamland at first, as it’s not as instantly catchy as their previous effort. However, it’s definitely a further advanced and accomplished album in that it doesn’t lean too heavily on one aspect of the groups sound. With multiple listens it easily proves to be the clear winner between the two in the end.

Soundpool – Do What You Love [MP3]
Soundpool – Lush (What Becomes You) [MP3]

For those looking to pick up Dichotomies & Dreamland then head on over to Tonevendor and pick up this fine addition to the expanding list of fine 2008 releases. Soundpool are one of the bright spots amongst the rapidly growing shoegaze resurgence.

Some might remember back to 2007’s year end list for the blog and one of the records ranked somewhat highly on the list was an album by the Danish shoegaze/dream-pop group Rumskib. It was very nearly my favorite shoegaze related record of the year, only being barely beaten out by Airiel’s excellent full-length. Well one of the main creative forces behind Rumskib, Keith Canisius, has emerged early this year with his debut solo album. The record, which is titled Ferris Wheel Makeout, was just released this past February on the Japanese label Quince and has since been released digitally through Darla Records in March making it their very first digital release.

Unsurprisingly Ferris Wheel Makeout shares a bit in common with Rumskib. However, there is a notable added element of electronic drum programming here that loosens up the songs a bit and allowing Canisius to not have to completely rely on pushing the melodies to the absolute limit like on the Rumskib album. Although I quite enjoyed it, I think that was one of the main criticisms of that record from other listeners, which was understandable. The added electronics do a nice job of giving this album a slightly different feel and probably a satisfying outlet for Canisius. Helping him out somewhat on the album with some of the programming was Jonas Munk (Manual), which for the most part Ferris Wheel Makeout falls comfortably within that Manual and Ulrich Schnauss mold. In the end Canisius’ solo debut comes off as a solid midway between the hazy/ambient qualities of the aforementioned artists and Rumskib’s heavily Cocteau Twins synth influenced dream-pop. It’s definitely worth checking out for anyone that is already fans of any artists/bands mentioned in the post or just this style of music in general.

Keith Canisius – Far From [MP3]

For anyone looking to pick up the CD version of Ferris Wheel Makeout, then head on over to the excellent Tonevendor or Darla to do so. Anyone that would prefer the digital version can get it from the usual suspects of Emusic and Amazon.

Closedown were an early American shoegaze band that released the album pictured to left called Nearfield in 1994 though the ambient/electronic dominated label Silent Records. That could possibly be a small reason as to why this album isn’t better known than it is among shoegaze fans or just music fans in general. There is a fair amount of chill electronic/ambient material throughout the album, but in a few ways Nearfield reminds me of the brilliant album Quique by Seefeel that managed to be successful in being sort of a crossover success among the underground. Nearfield isn’t that type of album, but it shares a few similarities between it that I think is neat. The album takes on the same approach using waves of light distortion off and on throughout it, slowly and meticulously introducing layer upon layer. One of my favorite tracks off the album, “Red Oval” even comes close to matching the same type of powerful pulsing monotonous beat that eventually lulls you into a trance like state after awhile and then seven minutes have just flown by. Pretty solid stuff if you ask me. Nearfield is sort of an album of halves though, partly made up of slowly rising mood driven ambient pieces and then the glisten and sparkle of something similar to that of Slowdive, which they do very well I might add. I definitely recommend this to fans of that dreamier type of sound check this out.

Closedown – Red Oval [MP3]
Closedown – Sunangel Summer [MP3]

Anyone interested in obtaining this fine album can do so by heading over to Amazon. There are still a few albums floating around on their marketplace, and I imagine there are number of other places online that still have copies of this too. Anyway, definitely check it out if you’re a fan of shoegaze and/or dream-pop.

Continuing with the increasing amount of new material that I’ve been listening to lately in order to squeeze in as much as possible before years end leads me to this new record by Gouédé Oussou called Nothing Matters. The album vaults itself into the territory of late 80’s/early 90’s noise-punk and industrial, to which has consistently found itself falling further into obscurity so it’s both interesting and very refreshing to hear an album like Nothing Matters these days. The late part of the 80’s and early 90’s saw great bands like Godflesh, Terminal Cheesecake, Head of David, Cop Shoot Cop, and a ton of others all sort of emerge with a noisier and abrasive take on industrial music, giving it a bit of a metal flair whilst still reveling in the trashy cold sensibilities that made it so wonderful in the first place. Gouédé Oussou has created a record in Nothing Matters that draws a lot of influence from this time period and kudos to them for doing so. Full on with schizophrenic beats and loads of samples to boot; the disc rips through twenty tracks (five of which are remixes) that drench themselves in a hollow distant slow burn of distortion while jumping back and forth between countless eerie vocal tracks and samples that blend in very nicely with the overall vibe of the disc. In fact, one of the many highlights of the disc is a cover of John Carpenter’s theme for Assault on Precinct 13, which is a perfect choice as Carpenter’s compositions for his movies were fairly chilling in a heartless/lifeless sort of way as it was.

As I mentioned before, the disc contains five remixes done by Terminal Cheesecake, Cheju, Karhide, Living Tissue, and Puff Tube filling out a full twenty tracks that clocks in at about 80 minutes worth of psychotic noise

Gouédé Oussou – Human Cuisine [MP3]
Gouédé Oussou – Assault on Precinct 13 Theme [MP3]

For those interested in picking this disc up, you can do so by heading over to Gibbon Envy Recordings or it’s available through CD Baby for those that prefer that method. Either way, definitely pick this up if you dig the tunes above, much more where that came from.