Slowness - How To Keep From Falling Off A Mountain

Last month saw the welcome return of San Francisco four-piece, Slowness. The group's second LP How To Keep From Falling Off A Mountain features studio credits for Monte Vallier (best known for production work with The Soft Moon & Weekend) and Kramer (Low & Galaxie 500) and sees a more conceptual approach to record making with the album split between a clutch of warmly crafted pop songs and a largely experimental suite of untitled tracks that evolve from the same psychedelic raga. 

Opening with the cosmic folk of Mountain, How To Keep From Falling... showcases the neo-60s shimmer that's come to define the work of founder members Julie Lynn and Geoffrey Scott. It's a template that works exquisitely and one typified by the melodious jangle of Division and the brilliant motorik daydream of Illuminate.

But not content with an orthodox opening trilogy, it's at this point that Slowness move into more explorative territory. Using the sunshine groove of Anon, Part I as a launch pad, the band loop a serene chant over infectious bass hooks to deliver a four minute trip of languid psych funk. Hot on its heels comes Part II, a sumptuous cut of otherworldly shoegaze, recalling Souvlaki era Slowdive; whilst the third and final quarters weave strands of hypnotic guitar into an intoxicating, brooding climax.

Happily, all four parts are reunited for album closer Anon (A Requiem in Four Parts), which segues its constituent quartet into an epic, eighteen-minute opus.

How To Keep From Falling Off A Mountain is available for download from Bandcamp. The band also has a presence on Facebook and an official website.

Tashaki Miyaki - Cool Runnings

Cool Runnings is the first new material in almost a year from LA shoegazers, Tashaki Miyaki.

The single (available as a limited edition 7" or three-track digital download) follows on from 2013's self-titled EP with more sun-soaked psych-pop. Only this time - where once a rawness and crackle resided - lush production delivers layers of warmth, as delicate strings mingle with trademark haze and jangling guitar lines.

As a band who made their name from a series of extraordinary covers (read 2012's unmissable Under Cover) it's little surprise to see Cool Runnings backed up by another rework. This time Chris Bell gets the Miyaki treatment as There Was A Light pulses to power-pop piano riffs and swooning guitar hooks.

It's a brilliant brace of new material and bodes well ahead of a much anticipated album release, rumoured for later this year.

To celebrate the release of Cool Runnings, the band will be performing a headline show at The Church on York on March 21. The show will feature a special screening of Cool Runnings' accompanying video, directed by Juan Iglesias.

Vaadat Charigim - Documentary

Back in August of last year, Nugazer ran a piece on the sprawling psychedelic sounds of Vaadat Charigim. Back then the band were hatching plans to give debut album The World Is Well Lost a much deserved physical release, courtesy of American indies Burger Records & Warm Ratio.

Fast forward six months and that plotting became a reality as the band announced a new vinyl pressing and US tour to mark its release. An additional UK date was also added as the Tel Aviv three-piece secured a slot at Liverpool's influential International Festival of Psychedelia.

It's a creditable impact for a band who shunned the obvious marketability of the English language by continuing to record in their native Hebrew tongue. The band speak candidly about this and offer a rare insight into the Tel Aviv music scene in a new documentary posted to YouTube. It's a fascinating watch and features, quite possibly, the only footage you'll ever see of a band rehearsing in a bomb shelter.

Ceremony - Distance

Whilst most of us spent December negotiating our way through rolls of tinsel and multicolored fairy lights, priorities were somewhat different for Virginia-based darkwavers, Ceremony.

For them (or he, really, as Ceremony is now very much the solo work of John Fedowitz), festive goodwill came in the form of a much anticipated new album and a link-up with blossoming indie label, Moon Sounds Records.

Boasting the production credits of long-time Fedowitz collaborator Oliver Ackerman (Skywave, A Place to Bury Strangers), Distance treads a familiar path of fractious garage and blurred psychedelia, but retains a core pop ethic throughout.

From the firebrand 60's psych of Can't Say Your Name to the low-fi growl of The Summer The Sun (featuring a vocal turn from Candy), there's much to appeal to the uninitiated, and plenty to satisfy the converted.

There are references galore as the fizzing slacker surf of I Want To Kiss conjures images of classic era Mary Chain, whist the pummeling lovestruck percussion on The Sunglass Girl touches post punk perfection.

Elsewhere, we find arguably Distance's finest moment in penultimate track Run Away - as pedal heavy shoegaze steps to the fore in a raucous bout of uptempo space rock - whilst album closer, Throw Your Love Away threatens to upstage its predecessor in a hail of smash-and-grab feedback.

Distance is available on CD through Moon Sounds' Bandcamp page. You can learn more about Ceremony through their presence on Facebook and Soundcloud

Great Ytene - Away For Now

It seems somewhat appropriate to begin the year with a band who last featured in December's picks for 2014 article.

Great Ytene are a genuinely eye-catching prospect. An absorbing live act whose repertoire blurs melodic psych rock with scruffy shoegaze; the London four-piece have just announced details of a forthcoming 12" on the influential Bella Union label (home to Beach House & I Break Horses, amongst others).

The EP is scheduled for release on March 3rd and features the towering opening track Away For Now - a dense psych workout built around a scrawling guitar hook.

The track is now up on Bella Union's Soundcloud page, whilst curious minds can learn more about Great Ytene through Facebook or the band's official website.

Nugazer's Favourites For 2014

Whistlejacket

Whistlejacket grew in prominence throughout 2013, posting a clutch of slacker-psych uploads to Soundcloud and impressing with a string of live shows throughout the English Capital. Having already lent their sounds to Fuzz Club's second Reverb Conspiracy installment and been name-checked by the likes of Faris Badwan, 2014 looks a year of huge promise for the London five-piece.

The Cherry Wave

Glasgow's The Cherry Wave featured on these pages previously when contributing a track to Lamppost Records' excellent Under The Wildflowers sampler. But it was the group's debut EP, Blush, that perhaps garnered the most excitement throughout 2013. Riding a wave of blistering post-gaze reverb, The Cherry Wave offer one of the most credible and exciting incarnations of contemporary shoegaze.

Parlour

Championed by Drowned in Sound (they even headlined the DiS Christmas party, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bloc Party and The Cribs) and captivating gig goers throughout 2013, Parlour offer a brand of mesmeric dream pop that sits somewhere between Lush & The Velvet Underground. Whilst little of their output is freely available of the web (just two tracks adorn their Soundcloud page), 2014 promises to be a year of greater exposure and even greater music.

Trans

One suspects it's only a matter of time before the world wakes up to Trans. Boasting The Yummy Furs' Jackie McKeown alongside a bona fide 90's guitar hero in Bernard Butler (Suede), the improv' led five piece already have an appearance at the Liverpool Psych Fest & a four track EP (Red) under their belt through Rough Trade.

Venera 4

France's Venera 4, graced these pages back in October with a review of the brilliant 'Haunted Summer'. With two outstanding EPs under their belt and a growing online following, the Parisian four-piece returned in December with Winter Sessions, reworking sections of their back catalogue into lush, acoustic dream pop.

Great Ytene

Part explorative, part explosive, Great Ytene are perhaps the most experimental name on this list, producing a melodic brand of psych pop that isn't afraid to dip its toes into the fuzzier elements of shoegaze. Having been picked up by Marshall Teller who released debut 7" Happy Scenes earlier in the year, the band enjoyed further exposure when UK broadsheet The Guardian chose them as 'band of the day' back in August.

Un.Real - Epico EP

With the proud claim to being Puerto Rico's first shoegaze band, Un.Real have been active in various guises since 1995, when they took their bow at the legendary Longbranch Pub. Now, the best part of two decades later, the band are back with a new EP and six tracks of fabulous, fuzzed-out psychedelia.

Largely instrumental, Epico takes references from post-rock, ambient and dream pop to deliver a brand of guitar music as delicate as it is devastating. From the sombre echo of M.A.A.L., with its firebrand finale, to the languid funk of Echoplex, there's diversity in songcraft, yet a subtlety in transition, as tracks segue together effortlessly.

Opening track Si broods with crackling anticipation before the gentle psych of Piloto brings Floydian melodies and immersive, contorted vocals. Elsewhere the pedal-heavy Somnifero delivers bruising power chords before the EP closes to the hypnotic strain of Angel '75.

Epico EP is out now and available as a 'name your price' download through Bandcamp. You can also visit the band on Facebook.

Shock of Daylight - Deep Sea Breath EP

Shock of Daylight is a London artist with an output steeped in warped electronica. Crafting sounds that sit somewhere between the ambient shoegaze of Ulrich Schnauss and Fuck Buttons' darker menace, debut EP Deep Sea Breath is a collection of fuzzy edged instrumentals that absorb and delight in equal measure.

Title track, Deep Sea Breath is a glorious loop of sequenced reverb, whilst successor Rausch prompts comparisons with Public Transport through visceral waves of foreboding bass.

The spiraling guitar hook of Reich then gives way to Brushstrokes  blurred confusion before closing track We Calcimine Fathers cuts a montage of abstract atmospherics.

Deep Sea Breath is available for name your price download through Shock of Daylight's Bandcamp page.

Secrets of the Third Planet - Lost in Reverie

For Nugazer - just recently at least - it seems all roads lead east... Recent submissions from Ummagma and Foreign Television have highlighted a growing clutch of artists from Russia and its neighbouring states with a shared shoegaze dynamic and a blossoming global appeal.

It makes sense then, to once again set the controls to the heart of Moscow and take a retrospective look at one of 2011's most engaging EPs - Lost in Reverie, by Secrets of the Third Planet (S3P).

As the brainchild of Eugene Frankevich, S3P initially began life as a DIY solo project before expanding into the big-sound five-piece we recognise today. A brace of early releases (2007's self-titled EP & 2010 long-player Day Night) preceded Lost in Reverie as the band honed both sound and direction.

Exploring electronic influences and embracing reverb-laden melodies, Lost in Reverie also saw the introduction of vocalist Dasha Weo, whose dazzling contribution to Диафильм sits as a highlight of their back catalogue. Weo's swooning vocals add crystalline beauty to an astonishing, euphoric cut of adrenaline dream-pop.

There's diversity here too. Snarling acid loops drive the hypnotic electro-glare of Tonight, whilst opening track Still imagines Tangerine Dream wielding a pair of Fender Jaguars.

At the heart of the EP sits the breakbeat ambiance of Дыши, whilst we conclude with the synth-heavy charm of Autumn Song and another chance for Weo to shine in E-A (Lost in Reverie).

Lost in Reverie is a brilliant record and a tantalising glimpse of what the future may hold. With new S3P material scheduled for a Spring 2014 release, it surely won't be long before we all look east once again.

Venera 4 - Haunted Summer

Venera 4 is a Parisian quartet with a penchant for sprawling space rock and incendiary shoegaze. Whilst their discography is still very much in its infancy (just two EPs have been released to date), there's already plenty of evidence to suggest something special could be around the corner.

Debut EP Seabed Terror combined a fiery mix of post-punk power chords (Bora-Bora) with hazy nugaze (Sun); whilst 2013 follow up Deaf Hearts delivered big, FX-laden riffs (Home) and wall-of-sound psychedelia (Ash & Grey).

And it's amongst these fire and brimstone freak-outs that we find arguably the band's most notable score. Spanning close to nine minutes, Haunted Summer is an epic journey through soaring psychedelic drone. Hushed vocals enjoy explorative interplay with galactic guitar licks to forge an arrangement of genuine craft - and one of the finest tracks of 2013.

You can stream Haunted Summer, below, or visit Venera 4's Bandcamp page to download music directly.

Dark Bells - Want

Hot on the heels of debut single, Wildflower, Australian psych duo Dark Bells are back with a second slice of reverb heavy neo-garage in Want.

Defined by growling bass lines and the urgent incantation of vocalist Teneil Throssell, Want is a crackling, powerhouse of a track, relenting only for a serene two-minute breakdown that sits amidst the eye of a sonic storm.

To celebrate the launch of Want, Dark Bells will be performing an exclusive set at London's Lexington club on 31st October. Tickets for the show are available here, whilst further details can be found at the event's Facebook page. Want is out now on RIP Records.

Appendixes - Neon Green Fear

Neon Green Fear is the new single from Portland's Appendixes. Released on 7" and available as a digital download through the group's Bandcamp page, Neon Green Fear weaves hushed dream pop through unfussy percussion to create an intimate, almost festive slice of lo-fi psychedelia.

Backed by the brooding reverb of slowcore b-side Four Leaf Clover, Appendixes have delivered a compelling couplet that bodes well for a band with just one previous release; 2012's four-track EP, False Color.

The band are touring the US throughout October and November and there's still time to catch them at venues in Oregon, Washington and California.

Driftwood Drones - Magnolia Manor

Formed in the early part of 2009, Sydney's Driftwood Drones produced just one six-track EP; 2012's mesmerising Magnolia Manor.

Drawing on the band's love of swirling 60s psychedelia and fuzzy-edged garage rock, Magnolia Manor stands out as one the best shoegaze EPs of recent years.

From the raw scuzz of Kyoti (Think Tamaryn meets The Clams) to the echo sprawl of opening track Flying Colours, it's an EP rich in both songcraft and atmospherics.

Whilst the band now seem content to pursue other musical avenues (most notably guitarist/vocalist Matt Wilkinson's hugely promising Day Ravies project) Nugazer felt it was worth reflecting on a genuinely great record. A slow burner, whose embers continue to glow.

Desert Ships - Control

5th November marks the digital release of 'Control', the new single from London-based, Desert Ships. Lifted from recent album 'Doll Skin Flag', 'Control' highlights just how rich a vein of form the band are presently in as resonant guitars duel with trademark harmonies to produce a technicolour slice of psych-pop.

Produced by Mark Gardener (Ride, Hush Delirium) and featuring the lush accompaniment of The Heritage Orchestra, 'Control' is an bold statement of intent and one that indicates the confidence both the band and those around them have in their music - Gardener himself describing the album as "full of gems" and 'Control', in particular, as "a corker".

A fixture on the local live circuit and boasting Europe-wide touring slots with The Prodigy and Band of Skulls, Desert Ships return to the Capital once more to promote 'Control' at a free launch party in Hoxton's Macbeth on Wednesday 7th November.



To discover more about Desert Ships, visit their Facebook page, official website or stream & download their music from Bandcamp.

Hush Delirium - The Taster LP

Art and music - those most promiscuous of bedfellows - are at it again; only this time the copulating couple are moaning just a little bit louder... And the sound's bloody well reverberating.

For this is free-love of a sonic nature. This is psychedelic, this is experimental, this is Hush Delirium.

The brainchild of abstract artist Simon Welford, Hush Delirium is a project harnessing music for artistic inspiration. Featuring (largely instrumental) submissions from the likes of Mark Gardener (Ride), Dean Garcia (SPC ECO, Curve) and Adam Franklin (Swervedriver), Welford intends to create visual works stimulated by the sounds at his disposal. With plans for international exhibitions and live performances, it's a bold project - and one not immune to setbacks. Only last week it was announced that November's inaugural event in Denmark would have to be postponed, frustrating contributors and enthusiasts alike.

But the first chapter in this yet-untold story was not to be denied a happy ending, for earlier today Hush Delirium unveiled a digital download showcasing some of the musical submissions Welford will be working with.

Boasting the understated brilliance of She (contributed by Chatham Rise), the stuttering drone of Her Vanished Grace's Cloud's 7 and a neo-garage piledriver from The Cult of Dom Keller (Ghost in My Head), this is a taster every bit as abstract as the work it's intended to inspire. It's an eclectic mix, demonstrable by the leap from sometime Stone Rose Aziz Ibrahim's ethnically-charged slide guitar (Heaven's Rain) to the programmed drums of A*Star's resonating Spider Chorus. Elswehere, Jaq Gallier provides a crackling bedrock and some sumptious dream pop on the delightful Wild is The Wind.

These are clearly early days for Hush Delirium, but already the signs are hugely exciting. With a potentially limitless pool of musicians and a visual element yet to be unleashed on the public, anticipation justifiably grows.

To get your free download of the Taster LP, or to purchase some teasing prints of Welford's artwork, head to Hush Delirium's Bandcamp page.

Naked On My Own & Dopedrone - Changeless (SPC ECO Sun Mix)

It's just three months since Nugazer last spoke to Jarek Leskiewicz, creative force behind Naked On My Own, about his innovative partnership with Martin Anderson of Dopedrone.

Key to Leskiewicz's ambitions has been to the desire to collaborate with an extensive range of artists and producers, to evolve both his own songwriting and to exchange ideas with an ever-growing collective of like-minded musicians.

The latest artist to collude is SPC ECO, whose dense reworking of Changeless pits Dean Garcia's rumbling bass over the simmering drone of Leskiewicz and Anderson's production. Mixed at Garcia's ELaB studios in London and featuring the additional, breathless vocals of Rose Berlin, Changeless is a typically dark cut, featuring elements of doom, brooding shoegaze and stabs of squalling FX.

Changeless (SPC ECO Sun  Mix) is available now for free download via Naked On My Own's Bandcamp page.

Rancho Relaxo - Gandhi Is My Gun

Rancho Relaxo are quite simply one of the most exciting guitar bands on the planet right now. Hailing from the Norwegian municipality of Fræna, the quartet of Inge Kjetil Sandvik (vocals, guitar), Martin Schram (bass), Khalil Olsen (drums) and Ole Kristian Malmedal (guitar,organ) are responsible for some of the finest psychedelic drone rock in recent years.

Originally released in January, Happy Friday Experiment is the latest in a series of sonic instalments that date back to 2007, and the band's debut long-player Look At The Wall. Since then the band has patiently evolved its sound, perfecting the 60s-infused space rock that defines it so markedly.

Whilst comparisons inevitably land within the radar of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, there's also something inherently singular about Rancho Relaxo. From the circular drawl of I Want You to the swirls of Crumer organ on Make You Mine; Happy Friday Experiment bursts into life with an all-pervading fog of guitars that act as a constant throughout the record.

Expect sounds akin to Spacemen 3 body-slamming The Byrds in the rasping Diamond Black and synth-led freak-outs such as the soaring, ethnic-fused album-closer Into The Night. Elsewhere, a pair of instrumental 'Intermissions' (Green and Blue), punctuate proceedings with technicolour melodies that add a genuine element of warmth.

Perhaps the pick of the bunch, though, is the extraordinary Gandhi Is My Gun. The myth that sitar psychedelia has to be twee bohemian bunkum is blown out of the water in this five-minute explosion of Eastern incantations and bulldozing guitar noise. It's a thrilling moment from a captivating album, and a band at their very peak.

Happy Friday Experiment is released via Trout as Lubrication Records. To explore more of Rancho Relaxo's music visit their pages at ReverbNation and Facebook.

DIIV - Doused

In a move destined to mess up a thousand MP3 metatags, DIVE, the psych-rock offshoot of sometime Beach Fossil, Zachary Cole Smith, have changed their name to DIIV.

Citing the pre-existing Belgian group as his reason, Cole Smith announced "Out of respect for Dirk Ivins and the original Dive, this former DIVE has renamed itself. We've not been contacted by Dirk Ivins or his lawyers, but the short of it is that I don't really give a fuck what the band is called. I originated this project in a bedroom with no internet and didn't know if it would ever leave the bedroom."

Following this apparent rebirth (and full connection to the web, one assumes), the Brooklyn four-piece release debut album, Oshin, on June 26th through New York's influential Captured Tracks. To whet your appetite, here's album sampler 'Doused', a searing moment of psych-charged indie guitar-pop.

Moonbell - Parallel EP

Moonbell are fast becoming one of the most exciting acts of 2012. Hailing from the psychedelic hotbed of San Francisco, the Californian three-piece follow last year's acclaimed debut EP, Figurine, with Parallel, another devastating cut of layer-rich drone pop.

Released collaboratively through Deep Space (CD) and Loglady (vinyl), Parallel opens with its immersive title track; an infectious chant laid over deep-rolling bass lines and minimalist drum loops. With such a keen focus on the rhythm section, it's easy to see why Moonbell have drawn comparisons with 90s shoegaze architects, Ride.

Elsewhere, Still Motion sees guest vocalist, Stacia Benevento, take over for a sumptuous slice of dream pop, whilst Nothing Less fires dark synth through waves of chattering reverb. It's markedly atmospheric and deeply engaging.

Parallel's closing couplet sees more synth-driven space rock in the form of Just Like Waking Up, and the up-tempo Nether Days - built around percussionist, David Paslay's breathless, explorative drum hook.

Though active since 2010, Moonbell were little known beyond their native San Francisco until the release of Figurine. In Parallel they have a release that consolidates a now fast-growing international reputation. Check them out at their home on Bandcamp.

Gum - Fast

Gum are a London-based four-piece who make shoegaze in its purest form. Following Kevin Shields' template of low mix vocals, peels of reverb and warped tremolo, the band have made a name for themselves circulating online demos and showcasing tracks through sites such as Soundcloud and YouTube.

Now, following interest from Plymouth-based indie, Art is Hard, Gum have their debut 7" Cherryade/Soon, scheduled for release this summer. A significant achievement for a group only formed last year.

Featuring Grant J Healey on guitars/vocals, Jessica Jordan-Wrench on backing vocals & bass, Dayoung Yun on drums and Chris Leader on backing vocals and guitars, Gum's output is a blissful hybrid of soaring noise-pop and rattling post punk. It's an explorative sound indicative of a group who, according to singer, Healey, arrived here having taken very different musical paths.

"Chris used to play in a great glam pop band called The Valentines. They're still very much active and worth checking out. I used to be in a metal 8 bit spazcore band called The Robot Ninja Dinosaur Bastards who, to everyone's pleasure I imagine, disbanded..."

It's a far cry from current offerings such as the desolate roar of Over and the surging Slow, but it does go some way to assure us that Gum (and its members) don't take themselves too seriously. A concept reinforced when questioned about the band's influences - to which we are told:

"Teenage couples in suicide pacts, teenage couples driving, teenage couples drinking, teenage couples murdering each other...".

It's a perplexing response, but we conclude it's probably another list of Healey's old bands.

What is for certain though, is that Gum are a genuinely exciting prospect. Comparable with contemporaries such as Ringo Deathstarr, they forge wonderful, escapist psychedelia. You can follow their progress at Facebook and stream their sounds (such as new track, Fast, featured below) from Soundcloud and MySpace.

Gum play The Waiting Room in Shoreditch, London on 26th of April.