muso japan

Given the lack of recent activity, it is no surprise that Italian shoegaze outfit Sea Dweller has announced that it will be no more.  The band’s guitarist, Paolo, made the announcement on the Sea Dweller Facebook page and posted a link to a nostalgic live version of “She Whispers” recorded at an intimate gig some years back.  The individual members will still be active with their other projects (Cristiano’s CYMBLS, and Paolo’s My Violent Ego).  It really is a shame that Sea Dweller just seemed to lose steam after having done a lot over the years to build a reputation as one of the most promising artists in the global shoegaze scene.  Still, best of luck to Paolo, Paola, and Cristiano in the future.  Here is a screen shot of Paolo’s post:

One thing that will always have a special place in my heart is an intimately self-produced demo.  It’s always cool to hear a band working within their means to put the music about which they are passionate into a recorded form.  Obviously the sound is often lacking, but anyone who has been there before is certainly able to look past the poor production values and try to understand what the band was trying to achieve.

I was pretty stoked to see that Chinese noise pop/shoegazers The White Tulips put out a collection of tracks recorded at their rehearsal space in the form of “Wrapped in the Waves”.  Though they would call it their debut EP, the band’s drummer Milk has made it perfectly clear that it is merely a jumping off point for the band.  It is definitely a bit rough around the edges to say the least – snare rattling, murky guitars, soft vocals, and everything else that can be expected of some live demos.  Still the Xiamen-based band, who appeared at last year’s First East Asia Shoegaze Festival in Shanghai, put their passion into getting some recordings out there.

The band appears to be set on putting out a “high quality EP” in the near future, but for now there are six intimately recorded tracks to listen to.  The EP is currently available to stream (and with some understanding of Chinese or strategic use of Google Translate to purchase) at http://www.xiami.com/album/1795813587.  Be sure to keep an open mind when you give it a listen!

More great music being released out of Brooklyn, this time from Crown the Invisible.  The band released its self-titled album on April 8th and it is well worth a listen.  The 7-track release – which was produced entirely by the band – is loud throughout as it moves from huge droning guitars to more psyched-out grooves, offering a little bit of everything.  I’ve probably listened to the whole thing start to finish about ten times already and it’s stayed fresh and interesting.  You can get the album at the band’s Bandcamp page and be sure to give them a follow on Facebook as well.

 

Russian experimental noise project SELEKHOV has released a new 3-track EP titled Hide Hands, carrying on with the big array of noise featured on the band’s prior works.

It kicks off with the title track, which is about as straightforward as the album gets – droning guitars, a consistent, driven beat, and some post-punk vocals echoing from behind it all.  “Interplace” begins quite minimally, but over its four minute course is delicately wrapped in noise.  Eventually it becomes this thick, intense swirling mass of layers – the sort of sound you get lost in.  While “interplace” is essentially a crescendo, built as it goes along, the final track on Hide Hands, “violence”, is a deconstruction.  Starting off with the same sort of intensity at the conclusion of “interplace”, this track is slowly unraveled until it’s hypnotic, spaced-out innards are revealed.  The track sort of grooves on from this point, with textures added and subtracted here and there.

A lot happens in the thirteen minutes on this EP, offering a lot of variety and some really good tunes.  Best listened to with headphones at high volume from start to finish, and it’s available for free on Bandcamp so there’s really no excuse not to check it out.

Brooklyn’s Curelight Wounds, the brainchild of Steve Schwadron, is getting set to release a third EP titled Silver Sand later this month.  The new 4-track release picks up right where 2013’s Clearest View left off, battering your ears with more of Schwadron’s uptempo blend of massive, swirling guitars and distantly echoing vocals.  The EP will be released on April 22nd, and the title track is currently available on Bandcamp.

Here’s a preview of the closing track “Empty Faith”.

Pretty close to the release of volume 4 and we had to change a few things up, but I am happy to announce the addition of Mexico’s Bleak Boys to the lineup.  This issue will, for a limited time, have NINE bands.  The inclusion of Sea Dweller will last for three months in compliance with copyright laws.  A big thanks to Bleak Boys for stepping up on such short notice.  You should buy their debut EP because it’s dynamite:  http://bleakboys.bandcamp.com/

In recent months there has been a lot of excitement about inaugural Berlin Psych Fest, set to take place on the weekend of April 18-19, but in the last day or so that excitement has turned into confusion.  The event was originally booked at Postbahnhof in the German capital, but that no longer seems to be the case.  The tone among fans and bands alike has varied from uncertainty to frustration to anger.  Artists have already begun to jump ship, with Dead Rabbits and The Wands among those who have announced they will no longer be participating.

The fest’s promoter has made a few statements via the event’s Facebook page.  The first was an attempt at some much sought clarification:

 

Soon after the following was posted:

I received a message also stating that a venue has been found and details will be announced in the coming week.

What appears to have people incensed about the whole thing, and understandably so, is the fact that a number of tickets have already been purchased, including by those outside Germany who had booked trips revolving around the festival.  It remains to be seen whether Berlin Psych Fest’s promoters can stop the bleeding before more bands drop off the bill, and if they can make amends with the fans and participants who have become increasingly skeptical recently.  We hope, for the sake of music and the fans for whom festivals ideally exist, that everything sorts itself out and everyone involved gets what they signed up for.

At the end of his piece in Muso Planet volume 3, Jairo alluded to a compilation he was working on with Lima’s Inclub Records that would feature some of Latin America’s most promising bands.  My initial read through the article shortly after it was submitted was the first I had heard about this project, and it has stayed pretty hush until the last few days when Jairo announced the upcoming release.

Planos Definitivos Secuencias Infinitas is the title of the compilation album that will be available for purchase on March 30th.  It has recently been posted on the Inclub Bandcamp page and is currently available for pre-order.  The physical release is limited to 250 copies, and will also be available for digital download.

The lineup speaks for itself, sporting a who’s who of Latin American shoegaze bands.

01-Puna – nula riviera (Peru)
02-Trementina – Grounded (Chile)
03-Everything Is Falling Apart – Friends (Mexico)
04-Duelectrum-Trembling Blue Stars V.6 (Brazil)
05-Adelaida – Espirales (Chile)
06-Mi andromeda – cinco veces mas (Chile)
07-Sexores-Titán (Ecuador)
08-The Sorry Shop – The Lesser Blessed (Brazil)
09-Un.Real – Somnifero (Puerto Rico)
10-Flores de Bach-Primavera (Chile)
11-Loomer – mammoth butterfly (Brazil)
12-Asalto al Parque Zoológico – Sonnen (Argentina)
13-Celofán- How Come (Mexico)