Summertime Mix - Part II

image from here

mp3 Summer

The Church - Forget Yourself


mp3 Summer Chill

Chapterhouse - Mesmerise


mp3 Summer Here Kids

Grandaddy - Under the Western Freeway


mp3 Summer

Mogwai - Ten Rapid (Collected Recordings 1996-1997)


mp3 Summer In The City

Vietnam - Vietnam


mp3 Summer Loop

Folksongs For The Afterlife - Put Danger Back in Your Life


mp3 Summer Skin

Death Cab For Cutie - Plans


mp3 Summer

Wheat - Medeiros

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New Inbox Music Downloads

Here's a selection of new indie tunes fresh from the Email Inbox, definitely worth checking out!

Here is the first single from Spiritual Mansions' - Give Us Your Hearts (Afternoon Records). Spiritual Mansions are from Minneapolis and are a band that favors big rock choruses, a classically trained pianist and writing good pop songs. Give Us Your Hearts will be out June 19th.

mp3 The Tumbler

Spiritual Mansions - Give Us Your Hearts


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Division Day are from LA and have recently "found a new home" at Eenie Meenie Reocrds. The band's debut album Beartrap Island will be "officially" released in the Fall. They will also be opening for The Fratellis in both San Francisco and Los Angeles next week.

mp3 Lights Out

Division Day - Beartrap Island


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The email calls Chicken Poodle Soup "The Last Living Ska Band Ever, Ever". The band is based out of Minneapolis, MN and if you like Ska, horns and all, then these guys are it. Good stuff!

mp3 The Panic Show

Chicken Poodle Soup - Fridge Full of Dreams Ep


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"Lejeune is a Washington, DC quintet dedicated to writing and performing romantic pop rock about the usual: Japanese nightclubs, dorm-room affairs, street violence, and magical thinking. The seasoned ensemble has honed its robust and velvety sound, finding inspiration in '60s torch singers, spaghetti-western soundtracks, and new wave pop."

mp3 Bizarre Histrionics

Lejeune - For Club And Country


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Airiel are from Chicago and bring us some serious shoegaze. "Many bands today are an exercise in minimalism, stripping everything down to bone and sinew. Airiel takes a different approach. Injecting their well-crafted songs with an arsenal of flangers, reverb, and distortion while simultaneously producing hummable and even danceable songs, much like Ride, House of Love, and Chapterhouse before them." Thinktank is a blistering track from their latest The Battle Of Sealand (Highwheel Records) which comes out August 21, 2007. Awesome!

mp3 Thinktank

Airiel - The Battle Of Sealand

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The Foundry Field Recordings - Fallout Stations EP

One of my favorite releases of last year was Prompts/Miscues from Missouri's Foundry Field Recordings. On June 5th, a new companion EP – Fallout Stations (Emergency Umbrella Records) will be released. The EP contains new songs, rarities and highlights directly related back to Prompts/Miscues. The last track on the EP titled Transistor Kids starts out with a one minute piano solo and then morphs into fuzzed out guitar shoegaze pop. Excellent!

mp3 Transistor Kids


Here's the video for Holding The Pilots/Holding The Facts from Prompts/Miscues.



mp3 Holding The Pilots/Holding The Facts

Foundry Field Recordings Website

Foundry Field Recordings MySpace

Pre-order Fallout Stations EP

Sign up to eMusic & download Prompts/Miscues with your 25 free downloads

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Shoegaze Fetish YouTubing

Lush were known as a Shoegazer band and rightfully so, especially based on their earlier work - Scar EP and Spooky LP (produced by Cocteau Twins - Robin Guthrie). Distorted walls of sound and Emma Anderson's beautiful vocals riding above the mix, this was Lush. The video below is from their 1994 Split LP which had Lush doing a more rocking, 'jagged' sound than the earlier classic shoegaze noise. Hypocrite is a classic track nonetheless and the video is fairly decent quality.



mp3 Hypocrite

Lush - Split

More Lush Audio here


The Drop Nineteens were Shoegazers from the US (Boston) and Winona is a classic from their 1992 album Delaware. The track stands the test of time since it was the first indie rock homage song to actress Winona Ryder.



mp3 Winona

Drop Nineteens - Delaware

More Drop Nineteens Audio here


Curve were an English Shoegazer band featuring singer Toni Halliday and guitarist Dean Garcia. Clipped is a classic track from their 1992 debut Doppelgänger.



mp3 Clipped

Curve - Doppelgänger

More Curve Audio Here


The Meeting Places are from LA and are of the new breed of shoegazers having formed in 2001. On Our Own is taken from the wonderful Find Yourself Along The Way (2003). Shoegazing at it's finest.



mp3 On Our Own

The Meeting Places - Find Yourself Along The Way

More Meeting Places Audio here

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Random Bits & Bytes

Checking out the email inbox and new music submissions:

Bonde Do Rolê is a Brazilian trio - "DJ Rodrigo Gorky gathered friends Pedro and Marina together, went to Role's, a snack bar that played heavy rock in their hometown of Curitiba and, many vodkas later, Bonde do Rolê was hatched". This is party music crafted from electro beats, metal riffs, and funky rhythms. This shit will drive you crazy to dance....

mp3 James Bonde

mp3 Bondallica

Bonde Do Rolê MySpace

With Lasers

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And speaking of Brazil, coming from Belo Horizonte, Brazil is Valv. My new friend Alexandre, who is in the band, sent me a message via MySpace the other day. Valv definitely have learned from the Shoegaze masters and play a heady mix of post-punk infused music with strong shoegaze leanings. Excellent sounds for sure!

mp3 The Sense Of Movement

Valv MySpace

Valv Website

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Multisofa are another Brazilian band that Alexandre introduced me to. Multisofa's roots are based in a folk acoustic guitar sound with at times an essence of shoegaze built into the song structure. Nice stuff!

mp3 Odd Chord

Multisofa

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Here is UK's The View performing Face For The Radio - Live In Dundee. This is a live version of the track from their Hats Off To Buskers LP.

mp3 Face For The Radio (Live In Dundee)

The View MySpace

Hats off to the Buskers

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New Ghosts are from Chicago and create epic, atmospheric music. "Evoking British bands like Echo and the Bunnymen, the Church, and Chameleons UK, New Ghosts blends jangly, echoing walls of guitar with haunting vocal melodies." These are orchestral tunes with shadows of shoegaze riding thru the post modern mist. Beautiful music!

mp3 Simplify

mp3 Blue Night

New Ghosts MySpace

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I really don't know what to think of this next one. Another Tortoise side project featuring John McEntire, John Herndon, and Dan Bitney are releasing a full album of instrumental percussion under the name Bumps. The promo track sent to me is titled Track 21 and is definitely a bizarre sounding piece of music, kind of cool though.

mp3 Track 21

Bumps

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Thrushes - Sun Come Undone

I first heard about Thrushes from my blogging friend Mr. Curiosity over at Covert Curiosity and then later from my Shoegazing Scottish brother Colin over at And Before The First Kiss. I was immediately entranced by their wonderful blend of noise pop and dream/shoegaze rock. Hailing from Baltimore, MD. the foursome have really put together a masterpiece on their debut album Sun Come Undone (Birdnote Records). Anna Conner provides the beautiful vocals that weave on and around the shimmering reverb drenched music. Each song paints an emotional canvas of sound, one that draws you in and won't let you go until the very end. I highly recommend you pick up this album, it has made it to my top ten list of 2007, it's that good!

Thrushes

mp3 Loyalty

mp3 The Hardest Part

Sun Come Undone

Thrushes MySpace

More reviews and audio here

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Shoegaze Fetish (*luhn, Stella Mora, Fjord Rowboat)

1972 Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp


Continuing on with new Shoegaze fetish bands, check out:

*luhn (pronounced "loon") is the work of Ryan S. Welfle from Oakville, Ontario Canada. Welfle creates an organic sonic sound "made up mostly of manipulated guitar and 'tape glitch beats', although other instruments such as bass, voice, bottles are often involved in the process". The overall result is a unique and enticing sound for some of the best shoegaze dreams you will ever have. Very nice indeed!

mp3 Ganymede

mp3 Siren

*luhn MySpace


Saint Louis, Missouri is not the usual place to find a new shoegaze band. Meet Stella Mora who are from Saint Louis and who hold strong to the sound of the shoegaze masters. "In true Shoegazer fashion, Stella Mora uses distorted washy guitars, fuzz bass, and dissonant vocal harmonies, to create a atmospheric wall of sound." Be aware though, that their music is far from derivative, Stella Mora possess some serious musical "chops" and add their own take on the wonderful Shoegazer genre.

mp3 Alone

mp3 Lucid Dream

Stella Mora MySpace


Fjord Rowboat are from Toronto, Ontario Canada and their debut LP Saved The Compliments For Morning was released in February. "Fjord Rowboat have been healing the world with reverb since the fall of 2004". The band has a reputation built on strong live performances that create a swirling and dynamic wash of sound with soaring guitars, driving rhythms and lush vocals. This is shoegaze done right and a joy to the ears.

mp3 Paragon

mp3 Spin Cycle

Saved The Compliments For Morning

Fjord Rowboat MySpace

Fjord Rowboat Website

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Shoegaze Fetish (The Evening Sounds, Tearwave, So Young, The Glass Set, And Crash City Saints)

image from here

Ahhh, nothing like some Shoegaze to make things better for the stressed mind. I haven't done a Shoegaze fetish post in a long while so was definitely due.


The Evening Sounds are from Oxford & Northampton, Midlands UK and are not signed to a label as of yet. A New Suggestion is a winding song full of atmospheric beauty, a wonderful listen it is. Check out their MySpace for more good music.

mp3 A New Suggestion

The Evening Sounds MySpace


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Tearwave who I posted about here, have released their s/t debut album on the Projekt label. This shoegazer/dreampop quartet are from Buffalo, NY and have resurrected the sound of the shoegaze masters. Beautiful female vocals hovering over droning, ethereal guitars. It can't get any better than this.

mp3 Lotus Flower

mp3 Dream Bliss

Tearwave

Tearwave MySpace


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So Young are from Japan and they put together some ultra psychedelic, shoegaze noise. Dean Garcia from the legenday band Curve labels it as "fucking cool noise". This is some tripped out delayed "atmospheric pedal love music". The band describes the track The Woods as "Suede meets Swervedriver" and (Sometimes I Get These) Urges as "a very thick, layered Curve styled track, sans the sexy Toni Halliday vocals"!

mp3 The Woods

mp3 (Sometimes I Get These) Urges

So Young MySpace


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The Glass Set are from Allston, Mass. and are probably better known for their take on a more angular type of post punk. But don't be fooled they have shoegaze within their souls. Listen to I Am A Camera and you will hear a shoegaze classic track in the making.

mp3 I Am A Camera

The Glass Set MySpace

Something Unknown


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Crash City Saints are from Kalamazoo, Michigan and they produce a sonic wash of noise and shoegaze. The band is working on a full length that will be out in the summer and from the sound of what's on MySpace, it sure will be good.

mp3 Council Of Elders

Crash City Saints MySpace

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New Music From The Inbox

pic Lost In The Trees

Lost In The Trees are from Boston, Mass. and on their latest EP Time Taunts Me (Trekky Records) they deliver wonderful orchestral music. These are cinematic songs built on strings and beautiful arrangements. Time Taunts Me is a very lush piece of music that will easily sweep you off your feet.

Lost In The Trees

Lost In The Trees MySpace

Time Taunts Me

mp3 Tall Trees

mp3 I've Always Loved The Fall

More Lost In The Trees mp3's here

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The Narrator are from Chicago and their album titled All That To The Wall will be released on May 15th via Flameshovel Records. This is true "slacker" indie rock, frantic guitars and quirky vocals. This is the type of music that Modest Mouse used to make....

The Narrator

The Narrator MySpace

All That To The Wall

mp3 Papal Airways

mp3 Breaking The Turtle

More The Narrator mp3's here

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Aria C Jalali! is a twenty year old, multi-instrumentalist musician from San Francisco. Aria C Jalali plays and records all instruments himself but he plays live with a massive 8-piece band. His Postmodernism! EP will be released through Filthy Little Angels Records on May 21st. The EP is a preview to his upcoming full length titled Assorted Submarines. This is beautiful bedroom pop that sparkles and twinkles on every note.


Aria C Jalali! MySpace

Postmodernism! EP

mp3 Postmodernism!

mp3 Bohemia (With A Sea)

More Aria C Jalali! mp3's here

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Jesper Lundager is from Denmark and was formerly with the shoegaze band Støjskolen. He has now gone solo and is producing some beautiful electronica tinged shoegaze music. Macuti is a meandering piece of fuzzed out music - an intriguing sound indeed.

Jesper Lundager MySpace

mp3 Macuti

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Six. By Seven

I was really bummed about a particular issue awhile back for a couple of reasons. One of my favorite bands had broken up and the last album(s) they released were only available as imports which I couldn't rightfully afford. The band is Nottingham, England's Six. By Seven. They announced around the time of the release of 2005's Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves that they would stop touring and the band would be dissolved. Of course they had solo projects with Chris Olley working on his Twelve project along with his new electro clash outfit Fuck Me Usa. And also of considerable note was the formation of Spotlight Kid by Chris Davis. After the release of 2005's ACPT, the band released two more albums Left Luggage At The Peveril Hotel (a collection of outtakes from recording sessions) and a new "unofficial" studio album in December of 2005 called Club Sandwich At The Peveril Hotel. But it appeared to be the sad end of a great band. Read this Stylus review here for a decent background of the band's history.

Well, things have recently gotten brighter for me regarding Six. By Seven. First of all, their whole discography is available now on eMusic, that made me really happy. Secondly, according to the Wiki, "In February 2007 it was officially announced via the band website that Six By Seven had reformed with their original lineup of Chris Olley, Sam Hempton, James Flower and Chris Davis. Paul Douglas however will not be rejoining so a new bassist is currently being auditioned for. Currently the band are rehearsing for gigs and recording new material. A best of (with songs chosen by fans on the official forum) is to be released in early 2007 which will include remixes and a DVD containing the band's promo videos".

Six. By Seven have always been the purveyors of atmospheric drone rock following the cues of bands like JAMC, MBV and Spacemen 3. They developed over the years a large underground following but they never really crossed over to commercial mainstream success (thank God). So, to celebrate their reformation here are tracks from each one of their properly released studio albums. Enjoy!

Six. By Seven

mp3 European Me

The Things We Make (Mantra - 1998)


mp3 Ten Places To Die

The Closer You Get (Mantra - 2000)


mp3 So Close

The Way I Feel Today (Mantra - 2002)


mp3 Catch The Rain

04 - (Saturday Night Sunday Morning - 2004)


mp3 All I Really Want From You Is Love

Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves (Saturday Night Sunday Morning - 2005)


mp3 Ready For You Now (Original Version)

Left Luggage at the Peveril Hotel (Saturday Night Sunday Morning - 2005)


mp3 Got To Find A Way Out Of Here

Club Sandwich At The Peveril Hotel (Saturday Night Sunday Morning - 2006)


Six. By Seven Myspace


Buy all Six. By Seven releases at eMusic here


And a Bonus:

mp3 Now

Twelve - First Album


mp3 Can't Let Go This Feeling

Spotlight Kid - Departure

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Saturna - Some Delicious Enemy

Wow, for the self admitted Shoegazer that I am, it's not quite clear why I haven't jumped on the Saturna bandwagon until now. I mean, I heard about the EP last year but for some reason even that escaped my tremolo ravaged hands. Well, it doesn't really matter now because I have fully sampled the new album Some Delicious Enemy which will be out in June and Damn, is it good. Saturna, are from Portland and with the aid of some slick production via Brin Addison and Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Stars of Track and Field, Elliot Smith), have produced a magnificent piece of rock 'n roll. All the right hooks are in place, ethereal guitars, echoing vocals, and a tight rhythm section make for one of the best new indie albums I have heard all year. Yeah, I am biased when it comes to Shoegaze but these guys have the chops to do it right. And it's all not just shoegaze but just overall damn good rock 'n roll. These guys are going places and what a sweet ride it will be.

Saturna

mp3 Roll Down

mp3 Much More


Saturna MySpace

Saturna Blog

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I Don't Know How To Tell You

mp3 Nightmare

Slowdive - I Am The Elephant U Are The Mouse Soundtrack


mp3 The Talk

Pablo - Half the Time


mp3 Call An Ambulance

Albert Hammond Jr. - Yours to Keep


mp3 Turn On Me

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away


mp3 Stray Talk

Maximo Park - Missing Songs


mp3 If One Of Us Should Fall

The Slip - Eisenhower

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Jatun

Depending on what dictionary you use online, the definition for the word "joy" can vary a little bit. Dictionary.com says that joy is "the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation"; while Merriam-Webster online says that joy is "the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires".

It is not hard to understand why Jatun (Scott Worley and Alan Grosvenor) decided to end their self titled debut album (Other Electricities) with the song The Temptation Of Joy. It is a befitting tribute to the end of a beautiful album and to the word joy itself. The song is an uplifting symphony transcending the listener to feel elation, to feel that they can achieve what they seek in life, to feel the grasps of joy.

The duo formed in 2004 and starting "writing the songs that slowly formed into the mish-mash of cables, circuits, ivory and alcohol known as Jatun". They deploy guitars, keyboards, bass and a laptop to create beautiful electronic shoegaze music. It is a lush, gorgeous, layered sound - the perfect soundtrack to life.

Jatun

mp3 The Temptation Of Joy

Jatun

Jatun MySpace

Jatun's self titled release is also available thru Darla, Parasol, Insound and eMusic

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Screen Vinyl Image - The Midnight Sun EP

In a previous life I worked for a large Finnish corporation and was fortunate to have traveled to Finland numerous times. By far, the summer was the best time to visit there since a day never really ends during the months of July and August. It was hard though to get up and go to work everyday since the midnight sun made it difficult to sleep at night.

Memories of my time spent in Finland started to stir the other day when I received in the mail a copy of Screen Vinyl Image's The Midnight Sun EP. Obviously, the EP's title was the cue to those good repressed memories and listening to the title track sure didn't slow things down. The song starts with a syncopated beat and about the one minute mark a fuzzed out droning guitar comes into play with a complement of echoing vocals entering through the mix. Further in the song erupts in a distorted fuzzed out haze creating an image of the Finnish summer midnight sun creeping thru the window blinds.

Screen Vinyl Image are J. Sequential and Electra Blue and their debut EP will be out on April 3rd on the small DC label Safranin Sound & Design (a label created by members of Alcian Blue). The Midnight Sun EP is a heady blend of synths and echoed guitars that create a surreal ride through it's layers of sound. It's a futuristic, expansive sound and is one that reveals something new on every listen.

Screen Vinyl Image

mp3 The Midnight Sun

Screen Vinyl Image MySpace

Buy The Midnight Sun EP (April 3rd) at Tonevendor and Safranin Sound

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Detail, Texture, & Depth Mix

These tracks represent detail, texture and depth. The first three up front are fuzzy, textured and detailed. The Voyager One track (4th track) is a combo of texture and depth. And the Tortoise track (5th track) is all about detail and depth.

Just for the hell of it....


mp3 Honey Power

My Bloody Valentine - Tremolo


mp3 Kiss Peach

Astrobrite - Whitenoise Superstar


mp3 Summer Of Freedom

Manual - Azure Vista


mp3 Monster Zero

Voyager One - Monster Zero


mp3 Glass Museum

Tortoise - Millions Now Living Will Never Die

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Shoegaze World

Resplandor are from Lima, Peru and they produce a wonderful classic shoegaze sound. The band was formed in 1996 with a sound highly influenced by the shoegaze and noise pop genres of music. They released their first recording in 1998 (Sol de Hiel EP). Currently the band is recording their third album and they have re-released their 2000 debut album Elipse.

Resplandor

mp3 Sol de Hiel

Sol de Hiel EP

mp3 En Tus Alas

Elipse

mp3 Luna

Ambar

Resplandor MySpace


Rasmus Rasmussen is from Copenhagen, Denmark and is Aerosol. Rasmussen is a member of the post-rock collective Limp which also consists of Manual, Syntaks and Jess Kahr. Aerosol released his first self titled EP in 2001 on the Active Suspension label. In 2006, All That Is Solid Melts Into Air was released on the Unlabel label.

mp3 Excess

All That Is Solid Melts Into Air

Aerosol MySpace


Skydivers are from Columbia, Maryland and are heavily influenced by late 80's/early 90's shoegazers. Their music is a heady mix of dreampop and shoegaze. These guys don't have a label and hopefully that will change soon.

Skydivers

mp3 If You Want

mp3 Outer Space

Skydivers MySpace

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Favorite Albums Of The Decade So Far - Part III

This series covers some of my top favorite albums of the past 7 seven year (2000-2007). There is no order or ranking - they are as a collective whole my favorite albums. And if you have read Part I and Part II, you are probably wondering where the Shoegaze is. Well, here is Part III.


Who would ever think that one of the top Shoegaze (Neugaze) albums of this decade would come out of a band from Estonia? Pia Fraus are from Estonia and they were formed in 1997. In Solarium was released in 2002 and it is a Shoegaze masterpiece for the current decade. Following closely in the footsteps of My Bloody Valentine, In Solarium rings out loud and fuzzy like a close cousin to Loveless. This is noisy dreampop just the way you diehard Shoegazers like it.

mp3 Outskirts Of Me

Pia Fraus - In Solarium


Driving their love for the late 80's/early 90's UK Shoegaze scene, California's The Sleepover Disaster wear their influences proud. 2004's Loud Is The New Quiet is full of layered, atmospheric soundscapes and is far from derivative. TSD add their own take to a classic sound via sparkling guitars and pounding rhythms. At times there is even a power-pop influence that sneaks in the background. Witness the track Don't Talk and let the droning shoegaze guitars take you back to another era. Rated highly by Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover) this is a band to not miss.

mp3 Don't Talk

The Sleepover Disaster - Loud Is the New Quiet


Coming from the wonderful label Elephant Stone (named after a Stone Roses song) is a band named after a Sonic Youth album - Daydream Nation. This Ottawa, Canada band evokes a psych/shoegaze sound on their 2003 S/T release. There is plenty of layered, fuzzy guitar work and precision like drumming to bring these songs home. Sweet Child fits the bill so well, with it's swirling, droning atmosphere and hypnotic vocals.

mp3 Sweet Child

Daydream Nation - Daydream Nation


I really thought that this band didn't exist anymore but after reading their MySpace page it looks like they are still alive. Charlene are from Newton, Mass. (which is good in my book since I am originally from New England) and in 2002 they released a little gem of an album (S/T). Their music is psychedelic noise pop (with Shoegaze overtones) filled out with hypnotic beats and bass lines, arpeggiated guitar chords, and unusual effects which remain buried in the background of the music. All of this gives the music a wonderful backdrop of distortion and guitar feedback. The longest track on their S/T release is titled Stunner and quite honestly it is just that.

mp3 Stunner

Charlene - Charlene


Vitesse are a New York via Nashville duo who are one of the best synth pop bands of this decade. On 2002's You Win Again Gravity, the band evokes the best of early OMD and New Order. In fact, listenting to this album makes you feel like you have stepped back in the early 80's and in a good way. The track Out Under Stars is a classic example with it's dreamy ambience and sweet keyboard riffs. This is music that has serious roots in the past but is still entirely timely today.

mp3 Out Under Stars

Vitesse - You Win Again Gravity


Part I of the series is here

Part II of the series is here

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