We haven’t featured a band from Thailand in quite a few months, so it’s time to rectify this. Death of Heather are from Bangkok and offer a really well-done take on dreampop.
It’s not often that I run into a combination of black metal and shoegaze music (blackgaze), but Japan’s Isiliel is such a beast. For black metal, the vocals are rather elegant and symphonic. Interesting and well done.
Rural Track are a band out of Japan who do heavy shoegaze rock, so those of you who miss My Bloody Valentine’s peak moments would do well to check this track out.
Brooklyn-based band Akudama don’t remind me of Bryan Ferry (or Roxy Music, for that matter), but they have a sound that does sterling work combining art-rock with shoegaze. This is an elegant single.
Composer and producer Sergei Guselnikov is based out of Russia, and he sent me one of his latest releases. As far as the music goes, the first two tracks are strong post-metal / post-rock, but what really intrigued. me was the last one, which was airy, atmospheric, and features the vocals of Daria Shakhova, who also fronts Hale De Mars. Also featured are the contribution of the Brandy Kills vocalist Igor Shapransky on the second track, and as I’m new to his work, it’s great motivation to learn more about all three musicians featured on this EP.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we present you a new post-rock band out of Mexico City called A Shelter In The Desert. The band’s sound incorporates a lot of shoegaze sounds and has a cinematic vibe to it. Impressive, and worth exploring.
Many years ago, I was enthralled with the music of 4AD artist His Name Is Alive, but lost track of what they were doing. That’s a shame, as Warren Defever has continued to be involved in great music, and this one has to be one of the most interesting I’ve seen in a while, as it’s a paean to Roky Erickson and The Thirteenth Floor Elevators.
Defever isn’t the only star on this compilation, however. Also featured are Phew (best known for her work with Can in the West) and Model Home, a band out of Washington, D.C., who left me feeling quite impressed with a sound that reminds me a bit of Suicide. The comp is rounded out by Ian Masters of the Pale Saints performing with Nick Davidson as 3 Eyed Monkey, who bridge this album with a song loaded with farfisa-laden bliss. For those who are happy to bridge shoegaze with garage rock.
This Z Tapes release left me floored. Rapt are a folk band out of London who have an ethereal sound which reminded me of musicians like Nick Drake fronting a band on 4AD. Think, perhaps, of a more airy-sounding This Mortal Coil gone neofolk. The sound is folky without being stale, and adding elements like shoegaze and dreampop make for a rich, rewarding listen. I really like this.
KAUAN hail from Estonia and bring something extra to both progressive rock and post-rock. Long, drone-laden, repetitive music that holds one’s interest throughout. Perhaps the best way to describe this is like a very much slowed-down My Bloody Valentine with a symphonic progressive tinge to it. Unique. I quite like this.
The Blog That Celebrates Itself was a website and record label based out of São Paolo, Brazil which dedicates itself to promoting shoegaze and other underground artists from all over the world, of course specializing in young Brazilian acts.
This particular comp leans more towards pop-psych music, with covers from bands such as the Velvet Underground and Herman’s Hermits done in a drone-like, hazy fashion. The blog and the label are worthy reading.