I was having a difficult time finding any solid information on this band, but then I found this, which gives us a little more insight than we had before. According to Best Coast it’s two hot blonde girls just shredding away, and it sounds pretty accurate going by the music – the only problem is we don’t know who the girls are. But what we do know is that this is their first 7″ record, and it’s unexpectedly awesome.
The 7″ begins on a song called “No Summer”, and if you ask me that’s quite a depressing name for a song, because everybody deserves a summer. Heavy, atmospheric guitars rule the mix as one of the “hot blondes” sings amongst the swirling, moody haze, and they’re led by an energetic drummer who changes up the beat to keep things moving right along. Flipping over to the B-side gets you into another mess of heavy guitar and crashing drums. It’s called “No Joy”, and the scuzzy guitars that introduce it continue to grow and grow, giving this song a huge, ever-growing sound that doesn’t stop until the song finally comes to an end. The drums follow along in the madness and destroy everything in their path while anybody who is watching is sure to have their jaw drop. The song changes pace about halfway through, but they don’t lose that momentum for a second.
That’s all the music from the 7″, and unfortunately for us I don’t know of any other No Joy songs besides these two. But either way, lets hope that these shreddin’ hot blondes continue to serve up their raw, high-energy, face-melting psych rock until we can’t handle it any longer – although I don’t think that’s going to happen. They’ve got some shows coming up in Brooklyn according to their Myspace, and I’m telling you this because they seem like one of those bands you have to experience in a live setting.
No Joy –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Psychedelic, Post-Punk, Dream Pop, Ethereal No Summer 7″: Tracklist:
1.) No Summer
2.) No Joy
By now I feel like most of you guys are already familiar with PURE ECSTASY. We’ve covered a handful of their 7″ records, and I’ve got another one here for you guys today. The only difference from the other two would be that this one is split with another band called SLEEP ∞ OVER. Sleep Over is a fairly new band led by Stefanie Franciotti, and some of you are probably already familiar with her. She’s the singer in her other band called the Silver Pines, and now she’s got a new band to share with the world. This appears to be the first Sleep Over release to be put out on vinyl, so if you’re interested you can buy a copy of it from Light Lodge.
The 7″ features one brand new song from each band, with one song on each side of the record. It’s starts off on the A-side with a track called “Dream Over” from Pure Ecstasy, and if you’ve already listened to Pure Ecstasy before this, then you’re going to be pretty psyched. Immediately from the start you’re thrown in the middle of familiar Pure Ecstasy territory, and Nate Grace is right there to greet us with his breezy vocals. He howls and woo’s over the grainy guitars throughout the song while lazy drums and buzzy bass lines hold down the slow rhythm – the perfect formula for a Pure Ecstasy song.
Now it’s time to flip over to the B-side, which is a song called “Your World is Night” by Sleep Over, and it’s a bit different from what we just heard. For the entire length of the song, these trippy, head spinning sound effects dominate everything, giving this song the feeling that you’re stuck in an endless dreamy-daze. Lots of echoing and obscure sounds, but I definitely think this stuff takes some getting used too. Chances are this song will have to grow on you a bit before you decide if you like it or not. With that being said, this stuff is also a bit far off from the Silver Pines, but that doesn’t mean you won’t like it!
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Lo-Fi, Dream Pop, Psychedelic, Witch House Split 7″: Tracklist:
1.) Dream Over
2.) Your World is Night
Dream Over –
Your World is Night –
BUY the 7″ directly from Light Lodge
You can buy the sold out Voices 7″ too – Get it at insound!
Pure Ecstasy on Myspace
Sleep ∞ Over on Myspace
Check out other stuff from Pure Ecstasy – Easy 7″ – Voices 7″
Check out the Silver Pines while you’re at it too
So the post for today wasn’t originally supposed to be this EP. Last night Twin Sister played in Philadelphia, but after a series of unfortunate events, I was unable to make it to the show and capture any footage of the band. You can probably guess that I was a bit upset, but that’s okay, because I’m sure Twin Sister will be back in Philadelphia in no time. As of now I don’t see any dates, so we’ll just have to wait for them to come back around. But moving on. Instead of show footage today, I give you the brand new EP from the one-man, bedroom-pop-band WILD NOTHING. The EP was put out by the UK label Warmest Chord, and they just released it about a week ago.
The EP features three brand new, unheard songs from Tatum and his Wild Nothing outfit, and they’re sort of a continuation of the songs we heard from his debut LP “Gemini” that came out earlier this year. The EP is just shy of 12 minutes long, and it’s equally parts poppy and dancey, but Tatum still does it all with his undying love for nostalgia and the buzzy sound of classic 80’s pop music. All three of the songs have their moments, but the real prize from this EP comes on the last track “Take Me In”. It’s a straight up jam-out with a shape shifting bass line and a glitchy guitar riff all over top of the glistening sound effects you would expect from a Wild Nothing song. I’ve uploaded the track below for you to listen to, so please check it out!
Take Me In –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Pop Evertide EP: Tracklist:
1.) Your Rabbit Feet
2.) Golden Haze
3.) Take Me In
Hey guys. So today marks the first day a cassette tape is ever being reviewed on the Styrofoam Drone – isn’t that exciting? The best part is it’s an awesome cassette tape from a band we’ve been hearing and seeing a lot about recently: Long Island, New York’s own TWIN SISTER.
The cassette was released not very long ago (in March I believe), and it was put out by the one and only Curatorial Club. The Curatorial Club is a branch of the ever-growing Chocolate Bobka brand, and they’re slowly but surely releasing new, limited edition tapes of otherwise hard-to-find music from some of the latest artists that have been making waves. Head on over to the Curatorial Club to see what else they’ve got in store for you, because most of these tapes sell out very fast. Unfortunately, the tape of topic today has already sold out long ago, but don’t get too down on yourself, because you can download both sides of the tape by using the links at the bottom of the post. See, it doesn’t have to be all bad!
This tape has a slew of songs from the Twin Sister catalog, being both equally old and new, and then some being completely unknown. The A-Side of the tape features rough versions of the songs from their very first EP, “Vampires with Dreaming Kids”. You’ll find rough versions of the songs “Ginger” and “Nectarine” amongst others from this era of the band. If you heard the final version of these songs first and then went back to check out these older ones, you’re probably going to be a bit shocked. The two versions of “Ginger” are completely different. One song from the A-Side of this tape that I hadn’t heard or seen anywhere else was the last track called “Jailbirds”. I’ve uploaded it for you to listen to below if you’re curious.
Now flipping over to the B-Side of the tape, this side comes dominated with rough versions of songs from the “Color Your Life” era of the band. Rough, unfinished versions of tracks like “Lady Daydream”, “All Around and Away We Go”, “Milk & Honey”, and “Phenomenons” appear on this side, with some of them being drastically different from their final version. For example, the version of “All Around and Away We Go” (credited as “White Bread” on the cassette) is a soothing acoustic guitar song wonderfully played by guitarist Eric Cardona. Him and Andrea Estella share the vocals efforts in this version of the song, and once again, the difference between this cassette version and the final found on “Color Your Life” is huge. You can ever hear the flowing water and footsteps-in-snow sound effects that they used to paint such a wonderful picture on the track “Galaxy Plateau” from the “Color Your Life” LP. Cool. So if you haven’t figured it out yet, Twin Sister totally rules, and you should listen to these songs below. Definitely looking forward to the next release (whatever it may be) from these guys, because lately they’ve continued to give us musical gold over these past few months or so. Thanks for reading guys, and be sure to check back yet again tomorrow!
Jailbirds –
Lady Daydream (Cassette Version “Smoke”) –
Phenomenons (Cassette Version “Synth Jamm”) –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Experimental, Electronic Alternates Cassette: Tracklist:
1.) Idea Bubble #20
2.) Ginger (Jab)
3.) Nectarine (Extended)
4.) I Want a House Built of Old Wood
5.) Excerpts from Other Side
6.) Jailbirds
7.) Smoke
8.) New Suit
9.) White Bread
10.) The Walk
11.) Synth Jamm
Not too long ago I initially came across the band Pure Ecstasy. In discovering Pure Ecstasy, I came across another band from the same record label as Pure Ecstasy, and their name would be SILVER PINES. They both have released something on the Light Lodge imprint, and if it wasn’t for Pure Ecstasy, I don’t think I would have come across this gem of a band.
Silver Pines come from the same place as Pure Ecstasy, (which would be somewhere in Texas), and they actually share some band members. Jesse Jenkins and Austin Youngblood from Pure Ecstasy also play in the Silver Pines, and if you’re asking me, Silver Pines is like the next step up from Pure Ecstasy with a few elements added to change things up a bit. They play deliciously hazy and atmospheric slow summer jams, all being drowned out, layered and as frothy as can be. Stefanie Franciotti takes vocals duties in Silver Pines, and that’s probably the most noticeable difference between them and Pure Ecstasy.
Their debut LP “Forces” is a dazed out journey across an endless beach, and it all begins on the first track “Timefather”. Franciotti voice hangs perfectly over the mix, being as moody as possible, but at the same time completely laid back and relaxed. It’s almost like she’s trying to sing you to sleep as all the little subtleties in the music come and go. Towards the end with about a minute left in the song, the guitar beings to squeal and swirl away, becoming a textured wall of sound that you probably didn’t see coming at first listen. Next up comes the darker ambient song “Polar Bear Music”, and while I’m not entirely sure this goes along with things a polar bear does, I can tell you that this one becomes another textured and layered mess of a song, with crashing cymbals and scorching guitars – except this one is instrumental.
Following up this song is the moody “Maypearl”, which is about as slow as it gets on “Forces”. The bass line shakes the ground below your feet as Franciotti’s vocals float above the song, and they even bring in the keyboards for this one. During the final minute of the track a crunchy guitar solo comes through to melt our faces, and before you know it it’s time for the next song, “Payasito”. This one is probably the most welcoming and accessible song on the album, as the joyous guitars that introduce the song continue on as it builds up more and more and gets louder and louder. The numbing guitars swirl around towards the end as they evoke a heavenly landscape that beckons you to jump in and just float away. Great stuff right here. Following that song would be the slow, strung out track “Travelin’ Bones”, filled with a bunch of subtle sound effects, tambourine hits, and Franciotti’s beautiful, comforting voice. Next up comes another instrumental track, and it’s strangely called “Fortress of Daughters”. The drums are ridiculously drowned out, giving you the sense that they’re being played from miles away. They echo like crazy in the beginning, and then everything else comes in midway and we’re in the midst of another textured Silver Pines wall of sound that they’re so good at doing. I’m not exactly sure why, but I don’t have the next song that should be the final track, “Old Sky”, so I guess this is where I’ll end for today.
One last thing: The Philadelphia Flyers MUST win tonight, or else they’re fantastic run in the post-season will finally come to an end. We’ll see what happens. Either way, thanks for a great season, and possibly the most exciting post-season I have ever seen in my 18-or-so years of watching ice hockey. See ya tomorrow!
Timefather –
Maypearl –
Payasito –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Ambient Forces: Tracklist:
1.) Timefather
2.) Polar Bear Music
3.) Maypearl
4.) Payasito
5.) Travelin’ Bones
6.) Fortress of Daughters
7.) Old Sky
Silver Pines on Myspace BUY the LP directly from LIGHT LODGE
Pure Ecstasy previously posted on the Styrofoam Drone: Easy 7″ – Voices 7″
Silver Pines on Discogs – They have a cassette tape that I’d like to get my hands on!
The Band is Heaven is a two piece band hailing from the beautiful West Palm Beach, Florida. On their Myspace they already have two incredibly accurate descriptions of their music, making this very difficult for me to do myself. I feel like any way I go about this is going to look like a cookie-cutter description of the band, and to be honest, I’m at a loss for words today. All I can think about is the Flyers game tonight. But when I downloaded the Demo file from the Band in Heavens Bandcamp page the other day, I immediately opened it up, and for whatever reason the first song I chose to play was “High Low”. This was a wonderful unintentional decision on my part.
“High Low” is a beautiful, murky mess of a dream pop song, dominated by fuzzy bass lines and gorgeous background organs. They put the extra icing on the cake right before the two minute mark as the guitar solo works it’s way into the mix. By that point you’ve probably already made the decision that you’re going to play this song again, because if you were ever desperately searching for a specific sound when it comes to gritty dream pop/shoegaze music, this is it right here. The moody, spaced out vocals drip through the song, and they’re enough to sing you to sleep while the guitars, drums, and bass twang, buzz, and crash their way right on through in this picture-perfect pop song. Ladies and gentlemen, this is textbook shoegaze right here. You can download it entirely for free at their Bandcamp page, too! Included in the file is a fantastic cover of the Cranberries song “Dreams”, along with a few other “rough” demos that when polished up should be just as buzzworthy as the song “High Low”. The demo track “A Tunnel into Your Dreams” has that extra layer of haze, along with more wonderful background organ that’s bound to bring you back for a second and third helping of The Band in Heaven. People, this is your chance to know about this band before everybody else does, because it’s bound to happen sooner or later. So please enjoy it!
High Low –
A Tunnel into Your Dreams –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/Tags: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Pop Demos: Tracklist
1.) Dreams (Cranberries cover)
2.) A Tunnel into Your Dreams (demo)
3.) Summer Bummer (rough)
4.) High Low
5.) Coal
the Band in Heaven on Myspace
the Band in Heaven on Bandcamp – You can download all the demos here.
Just the other day I got a brand new 7″ record in the mail from Acéphale Records, which I believe it based out of somewhere in New York. The 7″ features just under 8 minutes of brand new material from the hazed out beach rockers in Pure Ecstasy. Pure Ecstasy hail from Austin, Texas, and their music always finds a way to crawl under your skin. Going by their last 7″ we covered, they didn’t change too much for this 7″, but that’s totally okay with me. As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t gotten enough material from this band yet, which is why it’s 100% okay that they keep putting out these quick little 7″ gems. On their Myspace it says “LP coming soon”, so hopefully they won’t keep us waiting too long for that. Until then, maybe we can continue to see new singles released here and there.
This new 7″ features two brand new songs – one on the A-side and one on the B-side. The A-side is a track called “Voices”, and Nate Grace is there right away to greet us with “I know, I know, I know.” At times in these Pure Ecstasy songs, instead of an intense guitar solo, it seems like the guitar is being used to create a sort of texture before anything else. A bit past the 1 minute mark of this song and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Instead of coming off as a solo, it comes off more as a hazy wall of sound that gives the song a bit more depth. Flipping over to the B-side now, this track is called “Alexandria”. Right away you’re face to face with a ground shaking bass line, and it continues on this way for the entire song. It’s songs like these that are responsible for being stuck in your head for days at a time. Graces guitar is once again swirling away in the mix, creating textures and evoking hot summer days. Grace howls away towards the middle, giving this track that sense of longing that can be heard in most of these Pure Ecstasy songs.
While the music on this single is one thing, the vinyl itself is a completely different story. Acéphale puts the utmost care into their vinyl, and it shows with this release. The single is limited to 500 copies with no repress; the first 150 come pressed on a swirled maroon/beige vinyl with the remainder being maroon/black; and to top it all off they give the record sleeve a matté finish, which certainly gives it professional look and feel. Just take a look at this picture.
Be sure to listen to “Alexandria” below, and you can listen to the A-side “Voices” over on the Pure Ecstasy Myspace. Enjoy!
Going by the Moonbeams Myspace page, the main member of this band would be Ryan Lescure, considering he is the only band member listed as “always”. Of course these songs can’t be played live by Lescure alone, so he has some friends to come in a fill the open spots. Moonbeams play music drowned in an increasingly atmospheric environment, with guitars swirling above your head and buzzing basslines that hum through the music, almost as if it’s got to puncture a thick layer of haze before it actually reaches your ears. At this point in time, Moonbeams have put out two EPs, and we’re covering the later of the two. The In Transit EP was released on CD by Hop Skip Jump Records, and it’s a 5 track EP clocking in at just over 18 minutes long. These 5 songs were recorded in the Spring of 2010, and it didn’t take long for them to see a proper release.
The Hop Jump Skip Records description of the album reads like this: “Inspired more by C86 indie pop and jangly, chorus-laden guitars, In Transit is meant to be viewed as a bridge between the Moonbeams debut and their first LP, the Daisy Chain, to be released in the future on Hop Skip Jump Records.” With that being said, I guess “In Transit” was an absolutely perfect name for this EP. Everything they say here is true, although one song doesn’t quite fit into that description. The second track “I Am Forgotten” is certainly heavier than anything else on this EP, and they addressed that on the HSJ page as well. The song starts off with a thunderously distorted guitar, and it’s quite a haunting track. The constant hit of the ride cymbal holds everything together while Lescures vocals are enough to “sing” you to sleep. At times he sounds very bland, and not much like he’s singing at all, maybe more like talking. If you want a different flavor of Moonbeams song, then check out the blissful “Adorable” below. Still not enough? Head on over to the Moonbeams Myspace to check out a few more.
I Am Forgotten –
Adorable –
My Rating: 6/10 Genre/ Tags: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Pop In Transit EP: Tracklist
1.) Elise
2.) I Am Forgotten
3.) Adorable
4.) Portland
5.) Tulip
By now I feel like a significant amount of people are familiar with Wild Nothing. This would probably be because of that first 7″ the one-man-band put out on the Captured Tracks label in 2009. Since then, Jack Tatum, the man behind the music, has put out one other 7″ called “Cloudbursting” that was also put out by Captured Tracks. Now the release of the first Wild Nothing full length is upon us, and it’s due out on May 25th going by the Captured Tracks “coming soon” section. How perfect. The album is coming out just in time for summer. Although you’ll have to wait to hear the entire album, why not hold yourself over by checking out a few of the tracks below? You’ll be happy you did!
The album starts off on a good note, beginning with the song “Live in Dreams”. It welcomes you at the door and beckons you to come in for more, and chances are you’re going to find it hard to resist. Jack Tatum tells us right away that “Our lips won’t last forever,” and that’s exactly why he wants to live in dreams. This way, if you’re living in dreams, you can’t die. This song is bursting at the seams with hovering, gorgeous sound effects. As you listen to the album you’ll pick up on all the subtle effects and sounds that are thrown into the mix, but you have to listen carefully! The following track “Summer Holiday” is one that many of us have probably already heard, but in no way is that a bad thing. The only reason that is true is because of that 7″ we already mentioned. Up next on the album would be the totally blissed out track “Drifter”, with it’s heavenly sound effects and the ability to bring you to that special paradise you could only reach in your dreams. This is the type of song where you lose all train of thought while you become completely immersed in the sounds – Like I said earlier, once you’re stuck in it, it’s difficult to get back out.
Skipping ahead to the halfway point of the album brings us to the song “Bored Games”. Lots of quick and little intricate sounds dominate this song, all over top of a muffled bass line that’s sure to keep your head bobbing along to the beat. For about the last minute of the track, Tatum delivers a laid-back guitar solo as the song comes to an end and slowly fades out. Next up would be the other somewhat familiar track on the album, “Confirmation”. Just like the songs on the 7″ records, this track has been floating around on the web for awhile now, but it did not come on either of the 7 inches. Moving right along to another highlight from the album, “Chinatown”. “Chinatown” is drenched in more heavenly, spaced out sound effects that are present throughout the entire song, while Tatum’s voice continues to saturate everything even more, giving this track (and most of these other tracks) a real sense of longing. Second to last on the album comes the song “Our Composition Book”, which is a glamorous, picture-perfect pop song complete with shimmering sound effects and some excellent guitar playing by none other than Mr. Tatum himself.
In looking back on this album, I’d have to say it was quite a refreshing listen. Just about every last track sounds like it’s been dunked in a pool of spaced out, glamorous and almost ambient sound effects, which goes a long way for giving this album an otherworldly quality. If you’re still not sure what to think, then the best suggestion I’d have for you is to listen to these few songs below. After listening, it shouldn’t take long for you to decide whether or not you’re a fan of the one-man pop sensation that is Wild Nothing. Thanks for reading once again, and stay tuned as always!
Drifter –
Chinatown –
Our Composition Book –
My Rating: 7/10 Genre/ Tags: Dream Pop, Shoegaze, Glam Gemini: Tracklist
1.) Live in Dreams
2.) Summer Holiday
3.) Drifter
4.) Pessimist
5.) O, Lilac
6.) Bored Games
7.) Confirmation
8.) My Angel Lonely
9.) The Witching Hour
10.) Chinatown
11.) Our Composition Book
12.) Gemini
Hailing from the ever-populated Austin, Texas comes the band Pure Ecstasy, led by 27-year-old singer-songwriter Nate Grace. His band makes warm and fuzzy pop songs drowned in seemingly endless layers of reverb, and they’re all instantly catchy and bound to crawl into your head and be stuck there for days. The songs evoke a sense that you’re stuck on a endless beach somewhere, and there is nothing around but you and the hot, hazy, blistering sun. Although you may think the same thing, chances are you’ll come up with you’re own explanation for the music, but either way, get your repeat buttons ready for this band.
Just like every 7″ out there, we know there’s not going to be a whole lot of material to listen to. Most of the time after listening to a 7″, you’re going to want to spin it again because it was so short. That’s exactly what happens with this record, and even after spinning it countless times, it still doesn’t loosen it’s grasp. The record starts off with the poppy song “Easy”, and right at the beginning singer Nate Grace is there to welcome you. It doesn’t take long for you to realize how hazy and drowned out these songs actually are either. The distant hum of the bass guitar seems like it’s buried somewhere miles away, and you’ll notice that the music has an increasingly longing feeling to it. The track “Easy” ends somewhere around the 2 and a half minute mark, and then comes another “mini track”. The last minute of the song is another hazy-buzz jam with some calming guitar licks, and shortly after the song fades out and it’s time for the B-side. Flip that shit.
Now we’re on the B-side. Pretty intuitive right? Yeah, you guys are smart! Just kidding though. The B-side, in my opinion, is the highlight on this 7″. The song is called “Baby”, and it’s 3 and a half minutes of straight up mellowed out dream pop. Undeniably tranquillizing, this song is bound to bring thoughts to your mind like “Relaaaaax” and “Take it easyyyyy”. With that being said, it’s probably a good point to say this is a fantastic song to put on while trying to fall asleep at night. The song is held together by the constant shake of the maracas, all while Nate Grace’s spaced out guitar solos are sure to hypnotize any listener into spinning this gem of a 7″ again and again. Please do yourself a HUGE favor and listen to this band, and then do the band a HUGE favor and buy their records! Thanks for reading, and be sure to listen to the song “Baby” below! If you want to hear the A-side song “Easy”, just go to their Myspace.
Pure Ecstasy on Tumblr
Pure Ecstasy on Myspace
Buy the “Easy” 7″ directly from LIGHT LODGE before it sells out!
Buy their latest 7″ directly from Acéphale Records before that sells out too!
Styrofoam Drone 