Weekly Shoegaze / Dreampop / Psychedelic / Indie Tips – NOVEMBER #45 – 22
PICKS OF THE WEEK:
- UK lo-fi /bedroom /dream /indie pop duo Harper – “Swanface” 2nd single off upcoming EP “Spider”
Recovery from last week, the new single by the synthy Dream Pop English Harper duo unfurls over crispy and swishing rolling rhythm patterns and hypnotic shimmering guitar chords veiled in creepy supernatural visions infused by ethereal and phantasmatic glowing synths, flickering and billowing gently around a beautiful vocal interplay between low airy fear and high angsty desire, to evoke light and dreamy moods of lovelorn fantasy.
- Argentinian garage /dream rock /indie pop duo from Buenos Aires, RIEL “TKM” new single on Casa del Puente Discos / Buen Dia Records
Two captivating and super catchy indie pop songs in the Hispanic idiom this week from two long-standing bands such as the Spanish Puzzles y Dragones and the Argentinian Riel, ever more distant, this latter, from the noisier garagey-pop bursts of the beginnings dated more than a decade ago. Bittersweet nostalgia drives reverb-drenched emotionally piercing guitar pines with obsessive longing vibrancy, wandering through a dreamy distorted tunnel of low bass line hums and skipping drum beats to carry flirty, angsty vocal chants, layered with high celestial cries, into the internet acronym-inspired lyrics ‘TKM’ AKA ‘te quiero mucho’.
- Singapore-based shoegaze /dream pop 5-piece Motifs “Valentine” the first single from the debut album “Remember a stranger”
Just yesterday a longtime expert blogger complained about the abundance of Cocteau Twins-inspired bands, echoing a common reflection, a sweet annoyance that is hard to get out of when a clear familiar sound matter is molded with such naturalness and grace as is the case of Singapore‘s combo, with a pinch of shoegazing Slowdive bliss for good measure, finally on the verge of releasing the anticipated debut album, previewed by yet another sublime new tune, “Valentine”, that beautifully fuses radiance, sentiment, and energy. Lost, melancholic moods waft and swell into a lovelorn reverie concocted by erratic heart-skipping beats, warm bass pulses, warm wistful synth sweeps, and shimmering ripples of chiming guitar melodies, shivering and soaring around soft, piercing, heartbroken vocals, longing in fear and regret amid cloudy billowing waves of dismal awareness.
- Portland, OR ambient /ethereal /electronic artist (half of Mind Julep), Hollie Kenniff “Shifting Winds" from upcoming LP "We All Have Places That We Miss” on Western Vinyl.
- Ambient /IDM /downtempo /neo-classical /post-rock /dream-pop new alias of Japanese filmmaker, documentarian, and electronic musician Noriaki Okamoto (aka Okamotonoriaki), aka Norio "Hazama (feat. Satomimagae)" from the album "Somebody" on Hush Hush Records
- Castlemaine, Australia-based minimal art-pop /dream-psych indie pop artist Carla dal Forno “Caution” off the third LP “Come Around” via her own Kallista Records
- Glasgow based indie folk /dream pop artist Dayydream "Sweet Release" from the debut "Bittersweet" EP
- UK orchestral pop collaborative project by Mr Martin Newell (Cleaners from Venus) of Essex and Ms Rachel Love (Dolly Mixture) of Sussex, The Light Music Company "December Fanfare" from the upcoming instrumental Christmas EP "Christmassy Music"
- Montreal, Québec electro-indie pop band Stars "Christmas Anyway" single
- Scottish indie rock supergroup led by former Bourgie Bourgie and Jazzateers, Paul Quinn & The Independent Group "A Quiet Night In" (recorded live in one take at the Glasgow Film Theatre in October 1994, Paul's final song written prior to his retirement in 1995) on Postcard Recordings Of Scotland
- Springfield, Massachusetts indie rock /folk solo project from MIRACLE LEGION front-man & singer from POLARIS (the Adventures of Pete & Pete), Mark Mulcahy "Please think like Me" (off the ‘The Last Word’ movie Soundtrack directed by Mark Pellington) from "Petals in the Well" album
- London based electronic /wave /avant pop music composer and sound designer, Rocheman "Come Clearly" from the upcoming album "Basin"
- London, UK pop noir /electronic /dream pop duo Dean Garcia (formerly of Curve) & Rose Berlin, aka SPC ECO “Sky High" from "Feel The Spice" EP
- Scottish cosmic electronic pop duo Lewis and Suzi Cook, AKA Free Love "Open The Door" from the new album "INSIDE", due for release on February 24, 2023, via Lost Map.
- San Francisco dark electronic indie pop female solo project New Spell "Uncertain Answer" single
- El Paso, TX Avant-Pop /Indie Rock /Dream Pop /Hip-Hop /Trip-Hop project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of shoegaze band EEP, The Rosie Varela Project “What You Want (feat. Who Is Raphael Leraux)" single
- Belgian ethereal /shoegaze /dream pop band Eosine "CIARÁN [Kieran]" single
- Californian bedroom psych /shoegaze /dream pop project of songwriter and producer Pete Pagonis, AKA The Ocean Greys “What Has Left Your Heart" off the EP "Caught in the Net"
- New York lo-fi shoegaze /jangle /dream pop collaboration between Federica Tassano and Matt Sklar, AKA Phantom Handshakes “At Six" from the sophomore album "A Passport to Remain" on Z Tapes
- Brazilian post-rock /indie /dream pop band OUSEL "Yellow Wallpaper" from "Yellow Wallpaper" EP
- Providence, Rhode Island jangly indie twee pop band STRAWBERRY GENERATION “Halloween” single
- Ottawa, Canada dream pop /shoegaze /indie rock duo SOFTCULT “Drain” single on Easy Life Records
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ambient /dream pop /shoegaze solo project Dramamine "Beauty Fades Away (feat. Andrea Lynn of Iceblynk)" from the debut album "Wind & Sand"
- San Jose, Costa Rica alternative rock /dream pop /shoegaze 4-piece Adiós Cometa - "Fiesta de la Alegría 94'" from upcoming V/A "Acústico 01" tape on Costarican label Furia
- London, UK psychedelic pop solo project, Looking Glass Alice "Spider" from the new single "Spider // 蜘蛛"
- Maidstone, Kent mid-90s founded four-piece Jangle Pop /Indie Pop guitar band, The Shop Window "Eyes Wide Shut" from the upcoming album "A 4 Letter Word" on Spinout Nuggets
- Three-piece British cinematic-pop group based in Saint Igest and London, Heist "Happy Families" from the third CD album "Births, Deaths and Marriages" on Super 8 Recordings
- Finnish indie pop band Ultrasport "The Boy That Never Lied" from V/A "Excerpts From: My Secret Garden" tape compilation on Gothenburg's My Secret Garden Recordings
- Boise, Idaho's indie pop band The Very Most "Sugar Pills" from The Very Most / Starry Eyed Cadet "The Very Most Starry Eyed Cadet" split 7" single EP on Sunday Records and Recorded Psychic Readings
- Late '90s formed UK indie pop /synthpop band led by Huw Bucknell, The Spanish Amanda “Steve McQueen" from "Le Petit Magritte" (prequel EP)” off of the soon to be released "Magritte" full-length CD
- Nashville, TN 60s Psych /Indie Folk /Powerpop band, Dungeon of Skeletons "Gonna Be Alright" from the album "Patterns"
- Spanish jangle indie pop band from Madrid, Puzzles y Dragones 'Gente Mayor" single from the upcoming second LP on El Genio Equivocado
- French C86 /shoegaze /indie pop band led by Thierry Haliniak (Meyverlin), aka MY RAINING STARS “Mirror 2” from "The Life We Planned" EP
- Richmond, Virginia veteran jangle /indie-pop band The Silent Boys "Driftwood" from the album "Sand to Pearls, Coal to Diamonds" on Too Good To Be True
- Queens, New York lo-fi /indie-pop solo project of Phil Sutton of Pale Lights and Cinema Red (and once of Comet Gain, Velocette, The Projects, Kicker and The Soft City), aka LOVE, BURNS “Pencils" from the EP "Fade In The Sun" on Calico Cat Records
- San Francisco jangle /indie pop project by Glenn Donaldson (Skygreen Leopards, Art Museums, etc) and friends, The Reds, Pinks & Purples “Marty as a Youth" from "Everything You Ever Loved" EP (unreleased outtakes)
- New York based veteran Indie Rock band originally from Hoboken, NJ, Yo La Tengo "Fallout" from the upcoming album "This Stupid World" on Matador
- Kalamazoo, Michigan psych /jangle pop band led by singer-songwriter Jeremy Morris (of The Lemon Clocks), Jeremy - "Waiting For The Sun" from V/A "Things Will Be Different: A Tribute To Little Murders" a tribute to legendary 1979 established Australian Power-Pop band Little Murders
- Southeast Ohio lo-fi /jangle /indie pop brothers Evan and Quinn Seurkamp, AKA The Laughing Chimes "Ice Cream Skies" from the upcoming "Zoo Avenue" EP on Slumberland Records
- Sacramento, CA new wave /dream /power /jangle /indie pop band (former members of Baby Grand, The English Singles, and Plastic Shoelaces), Arts & Leisure "Pretty" from the vinyl/Cdr album "This Vast Illusion"
- Vancouver, BC dream pop /jangle-pop /power pop band The Sylvia Platters “Norman 4” new single
- Parisian garage/indie pop band, En Attendant Ana “Principia” off from the third album “Principia” upcoming on Trouble in Mind
- Washington DC jangle pop /punky power-pop band (former members of Julie Ocean), Dot Dash "Forever Far Out" from the new 7th album "Madman in the Rain"
- Melbourne's jangle indie rock band Blackbirds FC "Magiclands" title track from the upcoming LP "Magiclands"
- Tilburg, Netherlands shoegaze /indie /dream pop trio Mood Bored "Pour Into Me" single on Mattan Records
- London, UK jangly /indie /dream pop 4-piece Bleach Lab 'I Could Be Your Safe Place' from the album 'If You Only Feel It Once ' off of the EP 'Nothing Feels Real' on Nettwerk.
- Toronto-based bedroom indie pop artist Freddy Kwon, AKA freddyboy "On and On" single on Spirit Goth Records
- Canadian indie /dream pop solo artist Eric Howden, AKA Raised by Swans “I want to burn” single from the forthcoming (2023) album
- Michigan-based twee /C86 /indie-pop solo project of London-native Sean Turner aka THE PHOTOCOPIES “The Pointlessness of It All” from the album “Hopelessly Devoted"
- Adelaide, South Australia experimental /ambient /psych /indie rock duo Blood Plastic "Jesus 2" from the new EP "Blood Plastic Ghost"
- Leeds UK post-punk /space rock /psychedelic outfit Deathtrippers "Higher" from the new LP "Passion & Fire"
- Belgian shoegaze /psych-pop/ dream-pop band led by Joachim Liebens, AKA The Haunted Youth “Stranger” off of the debut LP “Dawn Of The Freak” on Mayway Records
- Australian post-punk /shoegaze /dream pop quartet from Adelaide, DRAINING “Roses outside your room (ft. Ariya Gabell)” single
- Los Angeles-based shoegaze /dream pop band Powder Pink & Sweet "My Fragile Heart" from 12" vinyl LP "Little Stories"
- Austrian post-rock /dream pop /shoegaze duo from Innsbruck, MOLLY "The Golden Age" from the upcoming new album "Picturesque" on Sonic Cathedral
- Japanese indie /shoegaze project of producer Makoto Gomi featuring Collapse singer Shoko, Sphere "Hibernation" off the new 4th album "A Fusion Of Two Hemispheres" on TESTCARD RECORDS
- Portland, OR-based Dream Pop /Shoegaze band Helens 'Laundry' third single from upcoming album 'Somewhere In Nowhere'
- Wattignies, France dream pop /shoegaze solo project Jōetsu Shore “Bang” from the 12th album “Summit”.
- Indonesia indie /dream pop /shoegaze band, Unholy Pleasure “Cursed” from "when the sun dies/ cursed" second single
- Philadelphia, PA shoegaze band led by Paul Whiteford, AKA Cigarettes for Breakfast "The Sun" B-side demo from the upcoming album "Join the Circus"
- Columbus, Oh fuzzy noise rock /shoegaze 4-piece SHUTEYE “Reverser” single
- Thionville, French minimalistic fuzzy noise-rock power trio RIMEL - "Électrique" from the debut LP "Transparent"
- Philadelphia, PN bedroom /dream pop /grunge /shoegaze solo project Nostalgiaisfun "Sink Into Your Soul" single
- Los Angeles shoegaze band led by frontman Leon Mosburg, AKA Shaki Tavi “Crime” from the debut s/t album.
- Brighton, UK based shoegaze /indie /post-punk /alt rock band led by Nico B, aka BEATASTIC "She Loves Doing Nothing" from "Dispersion" EP on Shore Dive Records
- South-East of England, UK 60's psych garage R'n'B band The Beatpack "Black Sea Tobacco Pose" from the upcoming LP "All Good things (Turn To Dust)" on Spinout Nuggets
- Detroit, MI three-piece instrumental surf /garage rock band, The Brain Waves "Torpedo Juice" from "Torpedo Juice" EP
- Brisbane, Australia alt-country /jangle-pop /indie folk band Full Power Happy Hour "Strong in Numbers" from the album "Bit of Brightness" on Coolin’ By Sounds
- Los Angeles shoegaze /grunge /psych rock artist Taleen Kali "Trash Talk" the 3rd single from Taleen Kali's forthcoming album "Flower of Life" out March 3, 2023 on Dum Dum Records.
- Early 90s indie rock band Disneyfist - "Temptation" (1993) from the compilation CD album "Blues Into Gold - The Songs Of Gynia Favot" (a retrospective of the song of the late Sydney's singer and guitar player Gynia Favot) on Sound As Ever (Australian Indie 90-99)
- Richmond, Virginia noise power-pop band DAZY "Out Of Body" from "OUTOFBODY" LP on Lame-O Records
- Valencia, Spain indie pop/ pop punk all-girl duo LISASINSON “Últimamente” new single on Elefant Records.
- Lo-Fi /Emo /Noise /Indie Rock band of Montreal’s Vincent Ford (Gulfer, Stevenson, Golden Python) and UK-based electronic musician NEW CROSS (Chambre Claire), aka Looney "Relate" from "PICTURE" album
- Minneapolis, Minnesota emo /indie rock band Carcetti "Framed" from the EP "Modern Sideboard"
- Flint, Michigan post-hardcore /shoegaze /space rock band (members of Kid Brother Collective, Braidedveins, Deer Widow, and Empty Orchestra), Cold Joys "Let Them Bleed" from upcoming cassette debut EP "COLD JOYS" on Sloe Gin Fizz
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emo /indie rock solo project Longer 150 "Snaggletooth" from the LP "Lacross Street"
- Tampa, FL emo /indie rock band formed in 1994, Pohgoh "Weeds" from the third full-length "du und ich b" on Spartan Records
- Brooklyn, NY based indie-rock band GLOM "Afraid of the Rain" from the new album "BOND"
- Italian lo-fi /experimental /dream pop /jangle pop solo project WAKE IN JUNE “Giugno” from the EP "6w6" on Z Tapes
- West London dreamy indie pop band led by Far Caspian collaborator Sophia Mohan, aka SOMOH - "Anything" single on Tiny Library Records / Dance to the Radio
- Manchester, UK ethereal shoegaze DIY solo project TTSSFU “At All” single
- Copenhagen, Danish ambient /neo-classical /electronic artist Kasper Bjørke – “Abiogenesis (feat. Philip|Schneider)" from the album "Mother” on Kompakt Records
- UK ambient /experimental /dreampop /rural electronic /post-rock /guitar project of Ben Holton (epic45, My Autumn Empire), AKA Birds In The Brickwork “August (Another Summer Gone)" from the album "Twelve Months / Volume Two" on Wayside & Woodland Recordings